REPORT


Museums across the globe hold unique


collections that provide an opportunity to


acquire knowledge and capture history


through their stories. Which stories are told depends on the pieces that were acquired. But what sort of items belong in a collection and how do curators decide which objects to acquire


and preserve? To give us some idea, here we take a look at a few museums who manage hat collections.


A favourite with visitors at MFIT is this


red satin corseted top hat, designed by Stephen Jones for Dior


A Piece of the Museum by Lauren Ritchie


Museum at FIT (MFIT) New York, USA


www.fitnyc.edu/museum


Founded in 1969, the Museum at the Fashion Institute of


Technology (MFIT) is part of


a college of art, design, business and technology. Hosting


award-winning exhibitions, the museum is accredited by the


American Alliance of Museums and is the only such institution in New


York City dedicated solely to the art of fashion. In a collection of 50,000 pieces,


the Museum at FIT holds over 3,000 hats and headpieces. MFIT receives most objects through donation, though they also acquire items from current designers as well as through auction. Senior conservator at MFIT Ann Coppinger says: “When objects come up, we assess whether it is an important or innovative example of the fashionable style of its period,


Hat storage at MFIT


40 | the ha


the hat magazine #92


©The Museum at FIT


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