An Exhibition Review of “Fashioning Wonder: A Cabinet of Curiosities” at FIT
Have you ever thought about the origins of our modern-day museums? Fashioning Wonder: A Cabinet of Curiosities at The Museum at FIT, curated by Dr. Colleen Hill, offers a rare glimpse into this history. Featuring nearly 200 objects and garments, the exhibition focuses on wunderkammern, or “cabinets of wonder,” of the 16th to 18th centuries. Rather than a deep study into these assorted collections, the curator offers a contemporary spin: the show highlights apparel and accessories made with the manmade materials and natural elements that inspired these wonderstruck collectors.
At times, it’s easy to make the link between these antiquities and the works of fashion designers, like a shell-printed McCardell romper or a Gaultier dress featuring a Greek statue. Other times, the link between these quirky collections and designer attire seems to be a stretch outside of naming. An Issey Miyake “mushroom” pleated dress doesn’t register as fungi before reading the placard. The same can be said for a taupe Charles James La Sirène dress (referencing a mermaid). Nowadays, the dress’s cinched waistline and ruched fabric are commonly found, and the color hardly screams mermaid. Although fashion lovers could recognize both designs, these form less obvious links to the theme of the exhibit. But most pieces have a clear connection with bold references to flora and fauna, like a Rodarte dress incorporating Swarovski crystals, feathers and pearls.
Outside of attire, accessories are aplenty. Those that are more overtly inspired by natural elements, like braided human-hair acorn earrings from the mid-nineteenth century, echo the bizarre and organic elements featured within these cabinets. Masaya Kushino’s Ceryneian Hind shoes, a pair of black booties elevated by antlers for heels, evoke a moody tone that reminds one of McQueen’s macabre themes (whose Cameo and Curiosities silk scarf is featured at the entry with depictions of sculls, flowers, birds and insects). Some items live as relics without modern replacements, like a gold lorgnette (a decorative pair of spectacles) or a sterling silver glove stretcher – both from the nineteenth century. But accessories are almost entirely centered on women, and it could have been interesting to view more men’s pieces.
Rather than the objects themselves, the exhibition design lends itself to the theme at various points. A cage is featured in the middle of the space for viewers to find wonderment in feathered fans, coats and headdresses. Numerous glass cases provide literal windows to view objects. Jewelry displayed in drawers invites a more personal experience, and these are found in a section where viewers are encouraged to engage.
In this sensory portion, visitors are guided to lift placards, open drawers and touch clothing. Interacting with a dress with pockets – representing the evolution of treasured objects on shelves to transported through fashion – required dissolving my instilled do-not-touch tendencies in museums. The incorporation of the senses through sound, specifically a music box, was a lovely touch. This portion of the exhibit is one of the most thoughtful, and while it maintains its own sense of autonomy and relevance to the “Cabinet of Curiosities” theme, I was reminded of last year’s sensory experiences found within Sleeping Beauties at The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Fashion lovers can walk away from this exhibition with an enhanced appreciation for craft and curiosity. Fashioning Wonder reminds us of designers sourcing inspiration from the natural world. And it appears that nature is repeatedly in vogue.
Fashioning Wonder: A Cabinet of Curiosities runs through April 20, 2025 at The Museum at FIT.
