Fashion & Beauty Editor
“Faking It: Originals, Copies and Counterfeits” is an exhibit at the Museum at FIT that will explore various levels of authenticity in fashion, ranging from original designer garments and accessories to licensed copies and diffusion lines to counterfeits. On view Dec. 2 through April 25, 2015, the exhibit will feature approximately 100 objects spanning more than 150 years. The garments are from the museum’s permanent collection, many of which have never been displayed.
Because of all of the red carpet gowns and designer fashion being copied today, this is an interesting exhibit. You know how fast a design house can turn out a copy of a dress that a star wore on the runway just the night before. It’s big business.
Chanel’s tweed suits were so recognizable that she viewed copies of her designs as a form of publicity. Six Chanel originals and copies from the 1960s to the 1980s are featured in the exhibit. Chanel once said, “Fashion should slip out of your hands. The very idea of protecting the seasonal arts is childish. One should not bother to protect that which dies the minute it is born.”
For more information, visit www.fitnyc.edu.
