LibGuides: Fashion Design: AAS Exhibition Themes: Design Alchemy

Design Alchemy: The magical process of transformation

1. Read the book (The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho) 2. Understand the exhibit theme.** 3. Pick an idea from The Alchemist and research it for inspiration. 4. This guide can help!
** Definitions - Alchemy / Transformation Fall 2017

Note: This page is not updated after exhibit semester has ended. Suggestions & sources are often still valid & helpful, but remember to check for newer books, websites, etc.

Examples of books to inspire your design based on themes in the Alchemist. You may pick another direction for inspiration!

Culture to Catwalk: How World Cultures Influence Fashion

Be inspired by - a culture . . .

Encyclopedia of Embroidery from the Arab World

See the World Beautiful

You may chose another culture . . .

Iris Van Herpen: Transforming Fashion

Be inspired by - a designer . . .

Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons : Art of the In-between

You may chose another designer ...

Extreme Beauty: The Body Transformed

Be inspired by - an idea . . .

The Lure of Gold: An Artistic and Cultural History

Dreams, 1900-2000: Science, Art, and the Unconcious Mind

You may chose another idea . . .

Vintage Egypt

Be inspired by travel . . .

Sahara

Or another place . . .

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

PARTICIPATING STUDENTS: READING THIS BOOK IS REQUIRED (but we think you'll like it!)

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
"My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer," the boy told the alchemist one night as they looked up at the moonless sky. "Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams."

Every few decades a book is published that changes the lives of its readers forever. The Alchemist is such a book. With over a million and a half copies sold around the world, The Alchemist has already established itself as a modern classic ...

Interview with Paulo Coelho

Read Oprah's interview with author Paulo Coelho, "Oprah Learns the Secret to Paulo Coelho's Timeless Wisdom"

(from the October 2014 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine)

Recent museum exhibits:

And recent fashion exhibits:

Rei Kawakubo / Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between
At the Met, NYC, May 4-Sept. 4, 2017
Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion
At the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, May 27, 2017-Feb. 18, 2018
Force of Nature
At the Museum at FIT, May 30-Nov. 18, 2017

Other Useful Research Guides

Fashion Designers
by Loraine Baratti Last Updated Mar 15, 2024 490 views this year
Art History and Fine Arts
by Maria Rothenberg Last Updated Apr 23, 2024 230 views this year
Image Searching and Image Collections
by Naomi Schwer Bricker Last Updated Jun 15, 2023 353 views this year
Fashion Design: Inspiration, Illustration, and Tools
by Miyo Sandlin Last Updated Apr 19, 2024 272 views this year

Theme / ideas

This theme (Design Alchemy: The Magical Process of Transformation) is open for interpretation. It's a conceptual theme, requiring a rigorous approach and standards of excellence in concept and execution. You have freedom of design - but your design research and development is of key importance.

Some ideas, drawn from the required book, that can help with inspiration include travel / travelers, world views, global fashion, transformation / change, destiny, dreams, alchemy / magic, meaning of love ... You may discover other themes to explore.

Find books & ebooks

Search by person's name, subject, place, etc.

Find articles, images, videos

Start your research with one of these -

Berg Fashion Library This link opens in a new window
Online fashion encyclopedia + articles & ebooks; text and images from across cultures & throughout history.
Use an incognito browser to access this resource. Click to watch video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMrT7gV3j6I
Gale eBooks (GVRL) This link opens in a new window
Encyclopedia articles, including overviews of designers and topics.
Credo This link opens in a new window
Online reference library containing full-text dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other reference books.
Gale Literature Resource Center This link opens in a new window
More about the book & author. Literary criticism & reviews, biographies & overviews, and some literary texts
Kanopy This link opens in a new window
On-demand streaming videos of documentaries on wide range of topics, indie & foreign films, classics & blockbuster movies.

Continue with more specific fashion databases:

Vogue Archive This link opens in a new window
American Vogue from 1892-current, including all articles, ads, editorial content, fashion shoots, images.
Harper's Bazaar Archive This link opens in a new window
From 1867-recent issues, including all articles, ads, editorial content, fashion shoots, im
FITDIL: FIT Digital Image Library This link opens in a new window
A digital repository consisting of over 100,000 images, including FIT student and faculty work, exhibitions, and instructional resources.
Fashion Studies Online: The Videofashion Library This link opens in a new window
Hours of videos that retrace the history of fashion, clothing, and costume worldwide.
Artstor This link opens in a new window
Digital library of art images from museums and other institutions.

Registration for an individual account is required for some features.

Try these museum websites:

Museum at FIT: Online Collections
Metropolitan Museum - Search the Collections
Victoria and Albert Museum
The collection covers fashionable dress from the 17th century to the present day, with the emphasis on progressive and influential designs from the major fashion centers of Europe.

Forecasting & other helpful databases - lots of inspiration - design & color!

Use to look up theme, shape, detail, designer and get runway photos and inspiration for your designs!

WGSN Fashion This link opens in a new window
Trend reports & forecasting for fashion
Students must create an account and re-activate their account every 90 days: click to create or re-activate account:
https://www-wgsn-com.libproxy.fitsuny.edu/accounts/edu

Locked out of your account for too many incorrect login attempts? Reset your password here:
https://www.wgsn.com/auth/forgotpassword

To access WGSN Fashion

login via the proxy and then with your WGSN username and password
select the part of the site you wish to use from the top menu under "Fashion"
Use an incognito browser to access this resource.Students must create an account and re-activate their account every 90 days: click on re-activate account.
Fashion Snoops This link opens in a new window
Trend reports & forecasting for fashion. Use Mozilla/Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, and Internet Explorer (version 9 and up only - images will not display correctly in older versions)
Doneger Tobe This link opens in a new window
Trend reports & forecasting for fashion. Use the password listed for Doneger.
Material Connexion This link opens in a new window
New users must register for an account.