In fall 2023, students in the class Fashion through Film and Screen media, taught by Eugenia Paulicelli at The Graduate Center, developed online exhibits to present their analysis of topics related to film and screen media. Students watched feature films and documentaries, read on film, fashion history and theory according to various modules around which the course was organized, such as gendered labor, the role of costume, fashion cities and the impact of media, case studies on luxury brands such as the house of Dior. In addition, students were exposed to guest lecturers by experts in film and fashion who shared their expertise with the group.
The project and course syllabus was conceived of and designed by Eugenia Paulicelli, Professor and founder of the Concentration in Fashion Studies in the Master of Liberal Studies (MALS) at the CUNY Graduate Center; and by Iris Finkel, Assistant Professor and Web and Digital initiatives Librarian at Hunter College. As part of the student-centered project, they organized visits to the New York Public Library and the Fashion Institute of Technology Special Collections where students could handle primary sources and reproduce those they selected to use in their exhibits. In addition to still images, students located video clips online to embed.
Students’ exhibits highlighted on this website present the (Re)making the modern sari, the concert dress of the Talking Heads, the evolution of space clothing in the Star Wars universe, finding freedom in fashion in the early 20th century; Bernadette Peters and her bold fashion style over the years; an exhibit on sports jerseys illustrates the evolution from a simple expression of fandom to both a coveted fashion staple and sartorial declaration of social and political allegiances; Blonde & Dangerous offers a look at Marilyn Monroe and Anita Eckberg's most iconic performances and outfits; the fashion documentary film is explored through an analysis of the film Dior and I; the iconic lingerie retailer Fredericks of Hollywood is the site for a study of the ways clothing transforms from worker to hanger to a fitting in the dressing room; an exhibit on bridal veils in film and media traces their allure and significance to identity. The ubiquity of the little black dress and those in film and screen media who give them meaning is the entry into another exhibit on the endurance of a now timeless classic.
Browse all exhibits here.