‘High-Heeled Historian’ Discusses ‘Gothic: Dark Glamour’ in Free Lecture Feb. 17
MELBOURNE, FLA.—Florida Institute of Technology will present the premier cultural event, Gothic: Dark Glamour, a free lecture on Feb. 17 at 6 p.m. by Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of the Museum of the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. It will be held in the Gleason Performing Arts Center on campus as part of the university’s annual textiles celebration, “Uncommon Threads.”
In Gothic: Dark Glamour, Steele, who authored a book by that name, will trace “Gothic” from its origins in the 18th Century literature of terror to its contemporary manifestations in vampire fiction, cinema and art. In her book and a 2008 exhibition, Steele provided the first in-depth study of the gothic influence on fashion.
Popularly associated with black-clad teenagers and rock musicians, gothic fashion encompasses not only sub-cultural styles, but also high fashion by designers such as Alexander McQueen, John Galliano of Christian Dior, Riccardo Tiischi of Givency, Rick Owens and more. Fashion photographers have also drawn on the visual vocabulary of the gothic to convey narratives of dark glamour.
Steele, listed among the Forbes 50 most powerful in the world of fashion, is an author of numerous books and a regular on television shows, including Oprah. “She is one scholar and celebrity you wont’ want to miss,” said Carla Funk, director of the Funk center.
Reservations are not required and free parking is available.
For more information, contact the Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts at (321) 674-8313 or visit http://411.fit.edu/threads/
