PAST EVENTS
TIFF Cinematheque – “Make It Fashion”
Wednesday, December 7, 2022 – 6:15pm
TIFF Bell Lightbox – 350 King Street West, Toronto, ON, Canada
TIFF’s “Make it Fashion” series celebrates the timeless and ever-fabulous relationship between fashion and film. This screening of The Hunger (1983) will be followed by a discussion with “Make It Fashion” series curator Alicia Fletcher and fashion historian Raissa Bretaña. Featuring designs by four-time Oscar winner and costumier par excellence Milena Canonero, as well as Deneuve’s custom couture by Saint Laurent, The Hunger presented a Hollywood crystallization of early-'80s goth subculture.
The National Arts Club – FashionSpeak Fridays: Shoes
Friday, October 7, 2022 – 7:00pm
The National Arts Club – 5 Gramercy Park South, New York, NY 10003
Join Shoes author Raissa Bretaña for an overview of 400 years of fabulous footwear from the 17th century to the present, including many of today’s top designers such as Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin, Roger Vivier, and Nicholas Kirkwood.
The event will be held in person, and is free with registration. Books will be available for purchase. Fabulous footwear is highly encouraged.
International Conference of Dress Historians – “Fashioning the Body for Sport and Leisure: A History of Dress and Textiles”
Art Workers Guild – London, UK
September 30, 2022 – October 1, 2022
Raissa Bretaña will present a paper entitled “Cinematic Sportswear: Active and Leisure Attire Presented in Fashion Films from Hollywood’s Golden Age.”
“Fashion From Head to Toe” with authors Raissa Bretaña and Jessica Glasscock
Monday, March 7, 2022 – 6:30pm to 8:00pm
Rizzoli Bookstore – 1133 Broadway, New York, NY 10010
Join us for a discussion of fashion from head to toe! Fashion historians Raissa Bretaña and Jessica Glasscock invite you to come hear from their latest books, Shoes and Making a Spectacle. The authors will read, share delicious pictures, and dig into how such sensible things could become fine art as well as big business.
The event will be held in person, and is free and open to all.
Historic New England – “Suffrage Tea: Fashion for the Fight”
Eustis Estate – Milton, MA
Sunday, August 8, 2021 – 3:00pm to 5:00pm
In honor of the fundraising teas for women’s suffrage hosted at the turn of the twentieth century, the Eustis Estate welcomes fashion historian Raissa Bretaña to its own suffrage tea to speak on how fashion was a crucial part of this political movement.
VIRTUAL EVENTS
SS United States Conservancy – “Opulent Crossings: Post War Tourism, Advertising, and Design”
Virtual Event (hosted on Zoom)
Wednesday, August 11, 2021 – 6:00pm to 7:30pm
Registration for this event is FREE and open to all.
In celebration of the success of the inaugural digital exhibition, Advertising the United States: Discovering America's Flagship through Prints, Posters, and Advertisements, the SS United States Conservancy has put together an exciting and engaging panel discussion. Opulent Crossings: Post War Tourism, Advertising, and Design will bring together scholars and curators from multiple disciplines in order to discuss the connections between post war tourism, travel, advertising, and design. From the evolution of fashion from the 50's to the 60's- and what that said about society- to the progression of Ocean Liner design and history, this panel seeks to situate the SS United States within the shifting landscape that was Post War America.
Netflix / Fashion Institute of Technology – “Behind the Fashion and Set Designs Created for Netflix’s Halston”
May 24, 2021
Learn how the iconic costumes and sets were created for Halston, a new limited series streaming now on Netflix, in an intimate conversation with costume designer and FIT alumna Jeriana San Juan and production designer Mark Ricker. The creative team discusses how they brought the world of the American fashion icon to life, drawing on assets found at The Museum at FIT (MFIT) and the college’s Special Collections and College Archives for inspiration. Moderated by Raissa Bretaña, who teaches costume design and fashion history at FIT and is also an alumna.
The Museum at FIT – “Vintage Style, Not Vintage Values”
A virtual public program in association with the exhibition, “The Roaring Twenties and The Swinging Sixties”
April 28, 2021
This panel, moderated by FIT Professor and Fashion Historian Raissa Bretaña, brings together social influencers who dress in vintage clothing and styles in everyday life to discuss the community and their engagement with the common hashtag #VintageStyleNotVintageValues. In a society where racism, sexism, sizeism, and ableism are widespread can anything vintage really be fully embraced?