NEW YORK — Accessories will soon share more of the spotlight at the Museum at FIT, thanks to Fashion Institute of Technology’s recent receipt of a $1 million gift from the estate of Alfred Z. Solomon, a wholesale distributor of women’s hats.
The bequest will be used to establish the Alfred Z. Solomon-Janet A. Sloane Endowment Fund to assist with the acquisition, conservation, documentation and exhibition of accessories. It also will establish the Accessories Collection, a new department at the museum. Clare Sauro, a member of the museum’s curatorial staff, has been named department head.
The museum has already amassed some 15,000 objects in its accessories assortment, including hats by Cristobal Balenciaga, Christian Dior costume jewelry and shoes by Salvatore Ferragamo. A recent acquisition included a rare pair of green leather boots that belonged to Paul Poiret’s wife, Denise.