The deputy director of the Fashion Institute of Technology is a serious balletomane.
Serious as in being curious and taking the art form seriously. She told me that after reading Dancing on Water she’d gone to youtube to look up people like Alla Shelest she had discovered in the book.
I’ve been reading Dance & Fashion, published by Yale in connection with the FIT exhibit of a year ago. The exhibit is closed but the book’s words and pictures make it an important resource and reference.
In it Patricia’s written, “From Sylph to Swan: The Tutu and Fashion. ”
The collection of essays is edited by FIT director Valerie Steele, who’s also written the keynote piece. She was my editor on the Scribner’s Encyclopedia of Fashion. It’s always good to know where she’s coming from.
Last summer I shared with Patricia an idea I had for another dance/ballet-related exhibit and she’s got a lot of ideas percolating. . . much is happening at 27th Street.