Designers, curators, scholars, and fashion commentators will examine how dolls have influenced and inspired fashion next week at The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (MFIT)’s 36th annual symposium.
As part of its current Doll Dressing exhibition, MFIT will present the Doll Dressing symposium, bringing the exhibition’s ideas into conversation with one another through a day of cultural analysis.
Guests can attend this one-day event at the Katie Murphy Amphitheater at FIT Friday, Nov. 13, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., featuring designers, scholars, fashion commentators, and curators who will explore the ever-present connection between dolls and fashion. Speakers will specifically analyze how doll-inspired aesthetics reflect personal style, cultural identities, and fantasy.
The event will also highlight themes across fashion history and contemporary design, from couture fashion dolls, queer histories, mannequin imagery, and the influence of Japanese dolls on beauty standards.
Featured speakers include the following:
- Jason Schupbach — President, Fashion Institute of Technology; opening speaker
- Lagueria Davis — Film director
- Dr. Colleen Hill — Senior curator of costume, The Museum at FIT; curator, Doll Dressing; author, Doll Dressing: Fashion from Barbie to Bratz and Beyond
- Dr. Christophe Koné — Associate professor of German and director of the Oakley Center for the Humanities and Social Sciences, Williams College; presenting “The Return of the Repressed: Helmut Newton’s Uncanny Mannequins”
- Patricia Mears — Fashion curator; presenting “The Gratitude Train: Couture Fashion Dolls of the 20th Century”
- Masafumi Monden — Assistant professor, University of Sydney; presenting “Japanese Dolls: Dolling up the Body Beautiful”
- Frank New — Gender-fluid artist and PhD candidate in fashion studies, Massey University; presenting “Beyond the Dollhouse: Queer Histories of Fashion Dolls”
- Dr. Valerie Steele — Director and chief curator, The Museum at FIT
- Dr. Elizabeth Way — Curator of costume and accessories, The Museum at FIT
- Jason Wu — Fashion designer
- Lynn Yaeger — Contributing editor, Vogue, and fashion writer
MFIT’s symposium promises a thought-provoking day of conversations and cultural analysis examining and explaining the inextricable links among fashion, dolls, and play.
Advance registration at fitnyc.edu is required. The Doll Dressing exhibit is on view now through Jan. 3, 2027.
