Museum at FIT to debut The Women of Harper’s Bazaar, 1936-1958 on March 1

By

Dani Greene

Published
Feb 29, 2016

The Fashion Institute of Technology’s School of Graduate Studies and The Museum at FIT will debut The Women of Harper’s Bazaar, 1936-1958, on March 1 and will run through April 2. The show is the first to examine the dynamic working relationship between Harper Bazaar editor-in-chief Carmel Snow, editor Diana Vreeland, and photographer Louise Dahl-Wolfe.
 

The exhibition features photographs and documents displayed next to apparel similar to what can be found in Harper’s Bazaar during the 22-year tenure of the three women. Christian Dior is examined through a Dahl-Wolfe photograph of Dior’s famous 1947 Mystere coat displayed next to an actual 1954 Dior New York black coat. Similarities between the photo and the coat emphasize the enduring impact of what Snow christened Dior’s “New Look.”

In addition, copper plates are shown next to their resulting color proofs from a 1953 Dahl-Wolfe photo shoot of model Jean Patchette in Givenchy. The collection also includes personal letters between Carmel Snow and model Mary Jane Russell, which discuss an editorial from the 1951 Paris collections. Finally, the show anticipates the 150th anniversary of Harper’s Bazaar in 2017.