The first weekend of December, Niloo Paydar, Curator of Textile and Fashion Arts and I traveled to New York for the Fashion Institute of Technology’s annual symposium, entitled American Style. The symposium was hosted in conjunction with the exhibition American Beauty, Aesthetics and Innovation in Fashion, on view until April 10, 2010 at the Museum of FIT.

Kleibacker on stage at FIT with his model, photo taken by me

Oh! And there is a catalogue too!!

The conference addressed many facets of what one might deem “American Style.” Professor Van Dyk Lewis spoke about Hip-Hop fashion while Holly George Warren, the former editor for Rolling Stone magazine, gave an insightful lecture on what she affectionately called “Cowboy Couture.” *I am enraptured with Manuel, by the way.  While the last lecture discussing American sub-cultural styles, was presented by David Colman on the phenomenon of Prep revival. And… we all know someone who is doing this, whether it involves popped collars or cardigans, everyone knows someone with just a little bit of Preppy in them.

The two talks I found most interesting, were presentations on Claire McCardell vs. Valentina and Mr. John.  The first, The Small Town Girl and the Femme Fatale: Clare McCardell and Valentina succinctly presented by Kohle Yohannan was delightfully informative. Mr. Yohannan presented a thoroughly researched and relevant comparison of two female designers who blazed similar trails to success utilizing very different approaches. McCardell kept her price point low and her materials realistic, while Valentina’s were exorbitant, utilizing only the most luxurious materials. However, both women frequently (in the case of Valentina, solely) modeled their own clothes and shared many of the same elite clientele.

The second, Mr. John, the Mad Hatter, was a presentation I was excited to hear before arriving in NYC. You see, the IMA has a relatively large and extensive hat collection, and we are lucky to have hats designed by Mr. John who also worked under the label John Fredrics.

hat by Mr. John (Designer)

The presentation was informative and full of lively images of Mr. John, his salon and the presenter, Assistant Curator of Accessories at FIT, Coleen Hill, amused her audience with quips about the milliner, his design philosophy and customers. Rounding out the symposium were discussions with designers, Yeohlee, Christian Cota, and the late Charles Kleibacker.

Mr. John at home (via Coleen Hill’s presentation)

In hindsight, I am most thankful for the opportunity to see Mr. Kleibacker give his draping demonstration on a live model while discussing personal milestones. Here is his favorite image, a Kleibacker dress featured in Vogue, 1965.

(via Mr. Kleibacker’s presentation)

After two days of taking it all in, I spent Sunday with friends in Brooklyn (stylists, one for J. Crew and the other with Ralph Lauren).  Over breakfast, we discussed what I had learned and we continued to challenge each other’s notions of “American Style” all the way to Beacon’s Closet. As I am rummaging around, elbows deep in second-hand winter coats, I bump into the woman next to me, only to realize that I am excusing myself to Cynthia Nixon who’s with her teenage daughter foraging for roller skates.

How’s that for American Style?

It all started at an early age. As a young girl growing up in Southwestern Indiana, my Aunt Donna was far and away the most fashionable person I knew. She owned a few designer handbags, quite a few pairs of Ferragamo shoes, and an extensive jewelry collection. Always an impeccable dresser, she was the height of fashion in my young world.

20 years later, my passion for fashion has expanded significantly, but my Aunt is still at the heart of it all. I have inherited her shoes, her handbags, some of her jewelry, and most importantly, her appreciation for all things chic. I work hard at emulating her style. I’m not going to lie…I subscribe to 5 different fashion magazines. I also do my fair share of internet reading. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of Web sites and blogs dedicated to fashion and I probably read about half of them.

Until recently I felt guilty about my style addiction. I only read www.style.com behind closed doors, because I felt it was frivolous and indulgent. However, with the opening of the IMA’s latest exhibition, Breaking the Mode: Contemporary Fashion from the Permanent Collection, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the tutorial of the IMA’s curator of textile and fashion arts, Niloo Paydar, I have learned that my love for fashion is another variation of my passion for art. PHEW!…I’m not nearly as shallow and superficial as I thought I was!

With all of this said, let me tell you why I’m so unbelievably, uncontrollably excited today: A fashion icon is coming to the IMA to speak. In case you don’t know yet, The Sartorialist (a.k.a. Scott Schuman) will be speaking TONIGHT in DeBoest Lecture Hall at 7:00 pm. Schuman is a journalist who is most famous for his blog on which he features images of stylish people on the streets of cities all over the world. The diversity of the images—colorful street fashion in India to haute couture in Paris—reveals that style is more than just a label; it is also a personal expression. The success of The Sartorlialist blog has gained Schuman a great deal of accolades and attention. He was recently named by Time magazine as one of the fashion world’s 100 most influential people.

While, I wasn’t on that list (maybe next year), Schuman and I still have a lot in common. We blog. We love photography. We love to travel. We love fashion. And perhaps most astounding of all, Schuman is also a native Hoosier. I’m pretty sure we’re destined to be best friends. I have grand notions that we will spend hours after the lecture tonight discussing fashion, our influences, and our childhoods in Indiana. I’ve got a few really good stories about my aunt to tell him. However, if for any reason Schuman doesn’t want to be my best friend for the day (I can’t imagine!), I have a backup plan. I’ll be packing a Sharpie and a few of my favorite Vogues from over the years for him to autograph. It’s not nearly as fun, but I think this plan is a bit more realistic.

So, please join me tonight at 7:00 pm for Scott Schuman’s lecture “Street & Elite: The Sartorialist’s World of Fashion.” Grab a drink at Happy Hour before hand, and afterwards, head up and see the Breaking the Mode exhibition. Stop by and say hello if you come. I’ll be the girl in the front row with the markers and the stack of magazines!