Sigmund Freud probably never imagined he’d end up in a fashion museum. Yet here he is, center stage at The Museum at FIT in New York, inspiring a major new exhibition that links psychoanalysis to fashion. “Dress, Dreams, and Desire: Fashion and Psychoanalysis” is the first of its kind, and it is changing how we think about clothes, style, and the secrets we keep.

Running from September 10, 2025, to January 4, 2026, the show is a wild ride through fashion’s subconscious. Curated by Dr. Valerie Steele, who has been called the Freud of fashion herself, it is packed with nearly 100 iconic pieces. But this isn’t just a fashion show. It is a deep, smart look at how what we wear ties into what we want, fear, and dream about.

Fashion Gets on the Couch

Let’s get one thing clear: This isn’t a dusty academic project. It is bold, sharp, and straight to the point. Steele spent five years digging into both Freud’s theories and fashion history to pull this off. The result feels fresh, raw, and alive. It is like paging through someone’s dream journal, but the pages are made of silk, leather, and lace.

The exhibition starts with Freud himself. His clothes, his personal style, his influence. From there, it breaks into themes that hit hard. Dreams, desire, sex, loss, and identity all show up here. Ideas like Lacan’s “mirror stage” and Anzieu’s “skin ego” are woven right into the fabric of the exhibit. Literally.

Bella / IG / The show explores how garments act as a second skin, a mask, or even a battlefield. Each piece tells a story, not just about fashion, but about what’s bubbling under the surface of the mind.

You will see designs from heavyweights like Alexander McQueen, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Vivienne Westwood. McQueen’s haunting drama, Chanel’s cool control, Galliano’s raw emotion, every designer brings a different piece of the puzzle. There is also work from Elsa Schiaparelli, who practically invented surrealist fashion, and Viktor & Rolf, who love to play with perception and contradiction.

Every stitch hints at something deeper and something unsaid. Westwood’s rebellious energy bumps up against Yohji Yamamoto’s quiet introspection. Alaïa’s body-conscious silhouettes explore power and vulnerability.

The exhibition is part of a much bigger conversation happening in culture right now. People are looking more closely at how style shapes identity, especially in the age of social media, gender fluidity, and rising mental health awareness. This exhibit taps right into that.

Fashion, Therapy, and the Future

If you want to go deeper, you can. Dr. Steele has a full-length companion book dropping in November 2025. It is packed with the research behind the exhibition and dives even further into the connections between clothing and the unconscious. For anyone who wants to explore beyond the gallery walls, it is a must-read.

Resnicowculture / IG / On November 14, FIT is also hosting a free, all-day symposium to talk more about what this all means. Expect real talk from actress Laverne Cox, designer Bella Freud (yes, that Freud), and top psychoanalysts and scholars.

Bella Freud also brings her own twist to the table with her podcast, “Fashion Neurosis.” Each episode puts a guest “on the couch” to talk about their personal style and what’s hiding behind it. It is part therapy, part fashion talk, and always full of surprises. Her voice adds a personal, emotional layer to the whole project.

“Dress, Dreams, and Desire” doesn’t hand you answers. It gives you the tools to ask better questions. The show is both beautiful and challenging, and that is what makes it so powerful. You leave thinking about your own wardrobe, your own choices, your own mind.

Sven Kramer

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