Free Fashion Presentation by Noted Textile Curator Coming in February

MELBOURNE, FLA. — Florida Institute of Technology will present two premier cultural events on campus as part of the university’s annual textiles celebration,
“Uncommon Threads,” Feb. 21 and 22. This year’s theme is “The Art of Fashion.”

Internationally known textiles specialist Dilys Blum, curator of costume and textiles at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, will present a complimentary
evening lecture on Feb. 21. A luncheon symposium on haute couture (high fashion) and surrealism takes place on Feb. 22.

The Feb. 21 lecture, “From Industry to Art: The Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Textile and Costume Collection,” will be held at 4 p.m. in the Gleason
Performing Arts Center. Reservations are not required and free parking is available.

Blum will present a visually rich discussion of the museum’s collection, one of the oldest and largest holdings of costume and textiles in North America.
Items range from Han dynasty fragments to 18th century fashion to crazy quilts.

The Feb. 22 luncheon symposium features an exhibit of haute couture, a gourmet meal, a silent auction and more surprises. Blum will speak at 10:30 a.m. on
20th century fashion designer, Elsa Schiaparelli (1890-1973), the subject of a recent blockbuster exhibit curated by Blum. The exhibit, which traveled to
Paris, was “Shocking! The Art and Fashion of Elsa Schiaparelli.” Blum’s lecture is “Dressing the Surrealist Woman: Elsa Schiaparelli and Her
Contemporaries.” The lecture, followed by a champagne reception and three-course lunch, costs $60. Proceeds go to the university’s textiles program.

Blum has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in the textile arts. Prior to 20 years as curator of costume and textiles at the Philadelphia Museum of
Art, she held posts at the Chicago Conservation Center in Illinois; the Museum of London in England; the Brooklyn Museum in New York; the Harris Museum and
Art Gallery in Lancashire, England; and the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass.
She has organized numerous exhibitions, including “A Passion for Perfection: James Galanos,” “Gustave Tassell and Ralph Rucci,” “Best Dressed: 250 Years of
Style” and “Ahead of Fashion: Hats of the 20th Century.”

For more information, or tickets to the Feb. 22 luncheon symposium, contact Carla Funk at (321) 674-6129, or Jenny McCoy at (321) 674-6152.