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STATEMENT SLEEVES

When it comes to unique fashion pieces, it’s all in the details. And The Museum at FIT’s Statement Sleeves exhibit is highlighting the versatility of sleeves. From over-the-top puffs to ruffles and even feathers, statement sleeves have elevated into a must-have trend. The exhibit will showcase the history of making sleeves, with selected garments dating from the 18th century to present day that are organized by type, not chronologically. With more than 60 items ranging from Christian Dior to Madame Grès, the exhibit is sure to inspire visiting fashionistas. Dec. 6-May 19, 2024, 227 W. 27th St., New York City, fitnyc.edu/museum–BG

Madame Grès evening gown (detail), navy blue silk taffeta, circa 1980 PHOTO: GIFT OF MRS. MILDRED HILSON/© THE MUSEUM AT FIT

Rudi Gernreich black and cream wool dress, circa 1967 PHOTO: GIFT OF RUTH FORD/© THE MUSEUM AT FIT

GRACE WALES BONNER—SPIRIT MOVERS

Grace Wales Bonner joins the Museum of Modern Art’s 16th installment of its Artist’s Choice series, where the London fashion designer selected works that celebrate the African diaspora. MoMA is also publishing a book, Grace Wales Bonner: Dream in the Rhythm—Visions of Sound and Spirit in the MoMA Collection, to accompany the series. “Grace Wales Bonner has changed the way we see style—not only as surface but as structure,” says exhibition curator Michelle Kuo. “Every detail of her polymathic designs, publications, exhibitions and films is related to long histories, deep archives and cultural identities across the diasporic world. Like her exhibition, this book is a deeply personal meditation on and around modern Black expression—and it reflects Wales Bonner’s commitment to archival research as both a form of spirituality and an aesthetic practice.” Nov. 18-April 7, 2024, 11 W. 53rd St., New York City, moma.org–BG

Henri Cartier-Bresson, “Washington, D.C.” (1957)

Mathias Goeritz, “Message Number 7B, Ecclesiastes VII: 6” (1959).

Unidentified photographer, “Benjamin Patterson’s Variations for Double-Bass, performed during Kleines Sommerfest: Après John Cage, Galerie Parnass, Wuppertal, West Germany, June 9, 1962” (1962)

Benjamin Patterson, “Paper Piece” (1960) PHOTO: THE GILBERT AND LILA SILVERMAN FLUXUS COLLECTION GIFT/THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, NEW YORK/© 2023 BEN PATT ERSON

Moustapha Dimé, “Lady with a Long Neck” (1992) BY PHOTO: JONATHAN MUZIKAR/GIFT OF AGNES GUND AND DANIEL SHAPIRO/THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, NEW YORK/ MOUSTAPHA DIMÉ/© 2023 ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK/ADAGP, PARIS

Anthony Barboza, “Reggie Nicholson, Henry Threadgill Sextet, Village Vanguard, New York City” (1988). GERALDINE J. MURPHY FUND/THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, NEW YORK/© 2023 ANTHONY BARBOZA

FOOD & FASHION

Melissa Marra-Alvarez, curator of education and research at The Museum at FIT, does it again with the upcoming exhibit Food & Fashion, which, as the name implies, deals with the culinary arts and its impact on the fashion industry for over 250 years. When it comes to societal discourse, food is either the subject or the metaphor through which humans communicate larger issues, and a trend that has been noted is the use of food on the runway. Cited is the way in which critical topics are slipped into the art of fashion if apropos to personal and cultural identity as it relates to sustainability, activism and body politics, and if we’re staying on theme, abstracts such as nostalgia and desire can also be communicated through the use of food. By getting to the core of human tendencies, which, as we exist in the world, often revolve around the caliber of the food we eat and the clothes we wear, this is sure to be a transparent and creative exhibition tapping into “the new florals.” Through Nov. 26, 227 W. 27th St., New York City, fitnyc.edu/museum–MP

Moschino, chocolate bar gown, fall 2014 PHOTO © THE MUSEUM AT FIT

Vivienne Westwood, “Vive La Cocotte” T-shirt, fall 1995 PHOTO: GIFT OF TIMOTHY REUKAUF, STYLIST/© THE MUSEUM AT FIT

Metallic leather “takeout box” evening bag, circa 1955. GIFT OF MRS. HENRY ROSE/© THE MUSEUM AT

AFRICA FASHION

African countries’ global impact on fashion is being celebrated in a major way at the Brooklyn Museum. The Africa Fashion exhibit hosts over 300 works including fashion, music, film, visual art and photography, along with textiles and jewelry from the Museum’s Arts of Africa collection. The exhibit begins with the independence era (specifically the ’50s through the ’90s) and features various sections. “Fashion is both multidimensional and a fabulous creative statement. Africa Fashion encapsulates this with beautifully vivid and interlocking perspectives. Music, art, cultural identity and material culture are emphasized to create a rich sensorial experience,” says Annissa Malvoisin, Bard Graduate Center/ Brooklyn Museum postdoctoral fellow in the arts of Africa. Through Oct. 22, 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, brooklynmuseum.org–BG

Gouled Ahmed (born Djibouti, 1992), “Self-Portrait, Addis Foam, Ethiopia” (2017) PHOTOS: COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

Thebe Magugu, Alchemy collection, Johannesburg, South Africa, (autumn/ winter 2021). BY TATENDA CHIDORA/BOTH COURTESY OF THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM

Sanlé Sory (Burkinabe, born 1943), “Je Vais Décoller” (1977) PHOTO © SANLÉ SORY/TEZETA/COURTESY OF DAVID HILL GALLERY, LONDON, U.K., AND THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM