Inside FIT's Special Collections: Women's Fashion of the Art Deco Era

About the Event:

Join us at the Fashion Institute of Technology for a curated archival overview of women’s fashions in the Art Deco era, led by fashion historian Raissa Bretaña. In this exclusive, memebrs-only opportunity to see archival materials up close, Raissa will present fashion plates, period publications, original illustrations, and other materials from Special Collections and the FIT Archive. The overview will also highlight the work of some of the period’s most influential designers and illustrators, including Erté, George Barbier, Paul Iribe, and Paul Poiret.

Paul Poiret was one of the most prolific French designers of the early twentieth century and is often credited as one of the primary creators of modernist fashion. His rejection of the restrictive corset and introduction of a more naturalistic silhouette helped transform women’s dress in the early decades of the twentieth century. Poiret’s use of vibrant color, foreign influences, and simplified silhouettes reflected the changing aesthetics and social attitudes of the era.

Erté, the celebrated Russian-born French artist and designer, was a theatrical contemporary of Poiret whose highly stylized work became synonymous with the Art Deco aesthetic. Through his fashion illustrations, theatrical designs, and graphic work, Erté created an instantly recognizable vision of the modern woman, characterized by elongated figures, elaborate costumes, and dramatic compositions. Alongside the work of Erté, George Barbier and Paul Iribe, his illustrations helped establish the sophisticated and glamorous visual language of 1920s and ‘30s fashion.

FIT’s Special Collections and College Archives will be used to provide an in-depth look at these artists and designers and the ways in which fashion imagery shaped—and reflected—the changing role and appearance of women in modern society. Objects will include works by Erté, pages from Art Deco-era fashion periodicals, fashion plates, and other materials dating from the 1920s and 1930s. Don’t miss this opportunity to see objects that helped define women’s fashions in the Art Deco era.

About the Speaker:

Raissa Bretaña is a New York-based fashion historian who works as a writer, researcher, lecturer, and educator. She hosted a popular video series for Glamour in which she fact-checked historical costumes in film and television, and also appeared as a guest on Follow the Thread, a special programming series for Turner Classic Movies that explored the relationship between fashion and film.

Raissa received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Costume Design from Boston University and a Master of Arts in Fashion and Textile Studies from the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she has served as adjunct faculty in the History of Art department. She currently works at the Museum at FIT and continues to freelance as a consultant to costume designers for period film and television productions.

Raissa is the author of Shoes (2021), Moxie: The Daring Women of Classic Hollywood (2024), and the forthcoming Fashion of the Gilded Age (2026).

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Images courtesy of SPARC Digital, Special Collections, Fashion Institute of Technology.