I chose “A Queer History of Fashion: From the Closet to the Catwalk after visiting the FIT museum entitled “Exhibitionism.” This exhibit, in general, features a broad array of piquant subjects, offering an engagingly provocative look at fashion. I believe the curators included this in the exhibition because the topic of gay fashion at the time (2013-2014) may not have been as accepted as a norm as it is today and at the time was considered to be pioneering. Valerie Steel adds an explanation that “fashion played an important role within the LGBTQ community” by developing styles that set them apart and instantly recognizable. I found this to be a compelling object as it addresses the intersectionality of society and those outside the generally accepted majority norm. If fashion is to provide a direction for the future and not just reflect a history, then this object plays an important role in helping us understand the relative status of gay designers in history at that particular time and the changes that this object had in impacting the future of fashion as they relate heightening of awareness of gay fashion designers and also the LGBTQ community. At the same time, we must also view clothes in the context of social history and culture and, as such, this object not only fits the overall theme of the exhibition but also represent a vision to inspire future generations. Designers are artists and art cannot exist outside the societal, cultural and historic context. This object fulfills this precept.
