Right now we’re wishing r/t tickets to NYC weren’t so expensive in the summer because we’d love to jump on a Jet Blue flight to New York for FIT’s current exhibit, “Eco Fashion: Going Green.”

Don’t be dissuaded by the title; this show is truly investigative, not just spouting more environmentally-friendly fashion b.s.

“Eco Fashion” at FIT surveys environmental issues in fashion over the past 250 years, finding trends good, bad and just weird (a dress dyed with arsenic, see pic above, courtesy of Fashion Institute of Technology. Admittedly, the color is fabulous!). The show touches upon manufacturing, labor, animal rights and farming, among other current hot-button political topics, while showcasing an impressive array of style, from Balenciaga and Halston to no-name mid-19th century “shirt waist” manufacturers (the early predecessors of fast-fashion chains like H&M and Forever 21).

This LA Times review makes the exhibit sound like an incredible trove of fashion trivia, while photos on the FIT exhibit page suggest that this show doesn’t skimp on style while pondering sustainability.

We’re not sure what the curators’ conclusion is – it’s already well-documented that the fashion industry is terribly polluting, unfortunately, and that the only truly environmentally-friendly style is vintage – but it’s rad to see a more inquisitive approach to the history of this complex industry.

Here’s to hoping this turns into a traveling exhibit destined for Portland!