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Step back in time and into the beating heart of American fashion and costume history during the holiday season on our jam-packed, ultra-exclusive day tours of New York City with fashion historians and friends April Calahan and Cassidy Zachary, the hosts of the podcast Dressed: The History of Fashion. We will visit museum fashion exhibitions and go 'behind the seams' of world class fashion collections, meeting museum curators, past Dressed guests and expert costume designers along the way. The second 2025 edition of our New York offerings takes us to The Metropolitan Opera for the first time for private tours of their current exhibition and into the Opera's costume workshops for a one-of-a-kind experience created exclusively for Dressed.

You don’t want to miss these one-of-kind day tours in one of the world's fashion capitals! 

Today we immerse ourselves in the archives and collections of one of the world's top fashion institutions, the Fashion Institute of Technology.  

Morning: Our time at FIT will include not one, but two private collections tours led by Dressed co-hosts and fashion historians April Calahan and Cassidy Zachary. During our behind-the-scenes access to The Museum at FIT’s Study Collection, Cassidy will take you on a journey through fashion history as we examine garments and accessories up close and personal! We will view--and get to handle!--garments by many iconic designers featured on the podcast, study their cut and construction and learn about their (sometimes) hidden histories.

For years, you have heard April talk about her more than a decade of work as a curator for FIT’s Special Collections. During your visit, she will share her deep knowledge of the ephemera of fashion, as she leads you on a singular hands-on experience viewing and handling rare and precious books, original designer sketches and even fashion magazines dating back to the court of Marie Antoinette. 

Lunch is on your own. Grab a quick slice of NY pizza and use your time to shop in the adjacent Garment District or relax in one of the many restaurants in the area before meeting back up with the group. 

Afternoon: Our time at FIT concludes with a private exhibition tour of the first exhibition to explore the cultural history of fashion and psychoanalysis, Dress, Dreams, and Desire: Fashion and Psychoanalysis which draws on key psychoanalytic concepts about the body, sexuality, and the unconscious to interpret almost 100 items of dress.   Included are works by: Azzedine Alaïa, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, Willy Chavarria,  John Galliano for Christian Dior, Jean Paul Gaultier, Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons, Alexander McQueen, Thierry Mugler, Rick Owens, Olivier Rousteing for Balmain, Sonia Rykiel, Elsa Schiaparelli, Jeremy Scott for Moschino, Jun Takahashi of Undercover, Gianni and Donatella Versace, Viktor & Rolf, Grace Wales Bonner, Vivienne Westwood, and Yohji Yamamoto.

Curated by MFIT Director and Chief Curator Dr. Valerie Steele, who was dubbed "the Freud of Fashion" by critic Suzy Menkes, the exhibition is the result of five years of research.

Cost: $350

Note:  This day always sells out extremely quickly, so book soon! And for those who have attended this day before, we will be pulling all new objects to create a truly special and unique experience unlike any other.

We are delighted to bring a new offering to our New York day tours... The Metropolitan Opera which will be granting us unprecedented access to all things costume!

Morning: Our day will begin with a visit to The New York Historical where curator Anna Danziger Halperin will lead us through  the exhibition The New York Sari, which tells the story of "the sari as an essential part of the cultural fabric of New York City, using it as a metaphor for the ways in which the individuals who wear and create saris have straddled tradition, culture, and modernity in their work, art, and lives." Additional time will be given to explore the other myriad of exhibitions at The New York Historical including The Gay Harlem Renaissance, as well a favorite of past Dressed travelers, the Tiffany Gallery, which is home to more than 100 lamps and other works by the legendary studios of Louis Comfort Tiffany.

Afternoon: After lunch on your own at one of Columbus Circle's many restaurants, we will be personally welcomed by one of NYC's greatest cultural institutions, The Metropolitan Opera, where we will enjoy private tours of the opera house and their current exhibition Behind the Seams: Costuming the Met to view examples of the Opera's extraordinary costumes as well as archival photographs, costume sketches, and behind-the-scenes imagery. We will then visit the Met's costume shop to view garments, wigs and props and have an extra special talk and Q&A session with The Met's current Artist-in-Residence, Clint Ramos, who has designed hundreds of theater, opera, and dance productions around the globe. 

The Met has generously created a 20% discount code for any Dressed guests wishing to attend that evening's performance of La Bohème.

Cost: $400

This half-day, afternoon tour is entirely dedicated to one of the most famous art and fashion institutions in the world, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Art/fashion historian and Dressed co-host April Calahan will take us into some of The Met's hidden recesses in pursuit of some of the most fashionable artworks in history. Learn about the beauty rituals of the 18th & 19th century's elite as we explore historic cosmetic practices. Travel back in time to discover the fashionistas of the Renaissance who cemented the color black as fashion’s favorite color for centuries to come.  From the traditional sustainability practices inherent to Native American clothing to the Impressionist painter Edouard Manet’s taboo depictions of women in pants, this 120 minute private tour unravels the incredible stories of twelve of The Met’s greatest masterpieces.

Next, we will be treated to a special, private object viewing session at the Antonio Ratti Textile Center. Textiles literally weave the story of civilizations, and the Antonio Ratti Textile Center houses one of the world’s largest textile collections with textiles dating back to 3000 B.C.E. Dressed co-host and fashion historian Cassidy Zachary will guide us through a presentation of textile-based objects from around the world specially selected for us from the over 36,000 pieces in the Ratti Center’s collection. Using enhanced imaging technology employed by museum professionals, you will be able to view fibers and weave structures up-close in this unique collections-based visit.

Cost: $250

The cost for each day includes all fees and admissions. Rooms/accommodations not included, although assistance in booking our recommended hotels (with special perks!) is available through our travel partners at Wander & Pour who can be reached at cheers@wanderandpour.com. Complete terms and conditions can be found here.