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With the change of season comes a change of wardrobe, and April in New York City brings plenty of opportunities to inspire and shop for your spring attire. From an evening with Oscar de la Renta to a parade of plaid, this month promises a rich collection of fashionable events, exhibitions, special sales and new stores.

Events
Exhibitions
Stores & Sales

 
Events
Through April 14
Bill Cunningham New York
IFC Center, 323 Sixth Ave., 212-924-7771
Long before the Sartorialist or Tommy Ton, there was The New York Times' Bill Cunningham, on his bike. Cunningham's impromptu fashion photos first hit the newspaper in 1978, after his chance shot of Greta Garbo in a well-cut coat caught the eye of Times editor Arthur Gelb. The award-winning Richard Press documentary about Cunningham offers a rare peek into the life of the photographer, who typically hides behind his lens.

April 4
Oscar de la Renta at French Institute Alliance Française
French Institute Alliance Française, Florence Gould Hall, 55 E. 59th St., 212-355-6100
Many people know the label Oscar de la Renta as a staple of elegant luxury, but fewer know the story of the man behind it. The Dominican Republic–born designer apprenticed under Cristóbal Balenciaga and worked for Lanvin in Paris and Elizabeth Arden in New York before launching his own label in 1965. In 1973, he was elected president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, where he created the CFDA Awards, coveted by up-and-coming designers each year. While de la Renta was given the CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990, his designs for the label still thrive today. De la Renta will discuss his 50 years in fashion, beginning at 7pm.

April 5 and 19
Fashion in Film
The New School, Tishman Auditorium, 66 W. 12th St., 212-229-5488
Parsons The New School for Design’s annual Fashion in Film series reviews vintage style in classic films. On April 5, Barneys creative ambassador–at–large Simon Doonan will introduce Smashing Time. The 1967 mod musical with Rita Tushingham and Lynn Redgrave offers a look at the groundbreaking ’60s scene in London. On April 19, fashion guru Tim Gunn introduces Funny Face, the 1957 musical starring Audrey Hepburn (and fashions by Givenchy). Both events start at 7:30pm and are free and open to the public.

April 6
Platon at the International Center of Photography
The School at ICP, 1114 Sixth Ave., 212-857-0001
The International Center of Photography welcomes the British-born, New York–based photographer known as Platon. The artist, renowned for his portraits of powerful figures, has shot for publications including Vanity Fair, Esquire and British Vogue (which named him “best up-and-coming photographer” in 1992, while he was still a student) and ad campaigns for Diesel, Issey Miyake, Moschino and Ray-Ban. The lecture begins at 7pm.

April 9
Tartan Day Parade
Sixth Avenue, from West 45th to West 58th Streets
As recent runway shows have indicated, plaids and tartan are big for fall—Sonia Rykiel, Rag & Bone, Band of Outsiders and Thakoon (to name a few), all showed bold variations. For those who missed out during Fashion Week, the Tartan Day Parade offers another chance to see the real deal. The annual celebration of Scottish-American heritage turns Sixth Avenue into a catwalk of classic plaids, kilts and bagpipes. The parade starts at 2pm at West 45th Street.

April 15–24
Fashion in Film Festival: Birds of Paradise
Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria, 718-777-6888
Birds of Paradise explores costume in early, experimental and underground European and American cinema. The films range from Georges Méliès' 1899 La Danse du feu (The Pillar of Fire)—a fervid, demonic dance snippet that exemplifies the director's "cinemagician" designation—to James Bidgood's 1971 Pink Narcissus, a vivid, low-budget, homoerotic piece that is trashy yet dazzling. Visit movingimage.us for a schedule and admission info.

April 22–28
Beautiful Darling
IFC Center, 323 Sixth Ave., 212-924-7771
Long before Lea T., Givenchy’s transgender muse-of-the-moment, began making waves in fashion, there was Candy Darling. The glam, blonde, downtown superstar of the '60s and '70s, who starred in Andy Warhol films like Flesh and Women in Revolt also inspired the Velvet Underground song, “Candy Says,” The Rolling Stones’ “Citadel” and Lou Reed’s “Take a Walk on the Wild Side.” She was born a he, James Slattery, on Long Island in 1944 and died tragically of lymphoma at 29. But her short life was a memorable one. This documentary on the model-actress features vintage footage, new interviews and clips from Candy’s diary, read by Chloë Sevigny.

April 27
2011 Pratt Fashion Show and Cocktail Benefit Honoring Hamish Bowles
Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 W. 18th St., 718-230-6814
This year's runway show and benefit will honor the dashing Hamish Bowles, European editor-at-large for Vogue, fashion journalist, author, couture collector, occasional curator (recently of the Spanish Institute's stunning Balenciaga exhibition) and recipient of Pratt Institute's 2011 Fashion Icon Award. The evening begins with a fashion show of preselected work by graduating seniors from the Institute's Department of Fashion Design and is followed by the cocktail benefit reception, with music by The Misshapes. Visit pratt.edu for tickets and more information.

 
Exhibitions
Through April 2
Japan Fashion Now
The Museum at FIT, Seventh Avenue and West 27th Street, 212-217-4558
The Museum at FIT recently extended this popular show of top Japanese designers like Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake and Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons, with innovative pieces that range from avant-garde to street style.

Through April 2
Vivienne Westwood 1980–89
The Museum at FIT, Seventh Avenue and West 27th Street, 212-217-4585
Vivienne Westwood helped define the British punk aesthetic in the ’70s before transitioning from street-wear duds to high-end design in the ’80s. (She went on to win the British Designer of the Year award in 1990 and ’91.) This exhibition brings together runway footage, interviews and press clippings to explore the influential designer’s evolution and contextualize her impact.

Through April 16
Wowe: Nightclubbing: New York Nightlife in the 80s
Leica Gallery, 670 Broadway, 212-777-3051
Photographer Wolfgang Wesener, who goes by the moniker "wowe," began his career shooting New York nightlife for Details magazine in the ’80s. He snapped portraits of style-setting stars like Grace Jones, Madonna, Brooke Shields and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Shooting with his subjects’ permission, he was able to capture a sense of casual intimacy.

Through April 23
Serge Gainsbourg: Initials L.G.
Many know Serge Gainsbourg (born Lucien Ginsburg) for his sexy ballad "Je t'aime…moi non plus," promptly banned by the Vatican after its 1969 release. A Russian-born Jew, Gainsbourg became France's beloved enfant terrible, a romantic poet, dark yet zealous, a writer of beautiful music and lover of beautiful women (Brigitte Bardot and Jane Birkin included). Serge Gainsbourg: Initials L.G. presents a portrait collection by major photographers like Helmut Newton and William Klein and coincides with the 20th anniversary of Gainsbourg's untimely death last month. It remains on view at the French Institute Alliance Française Gallery through April 23.

Through May 10
His & Hers
The Museum at FIT, Seventh Avenue and West 27th Street, 212-217-4558
From an 18th-century velvet court suit for men to an ’80s Yves Saint Laurent power suit for women, this exhibition at The Museum at FIT explores the evolution of masculine and feminine identity in dress.

Through May 14
Who’s That Girl? Georges Dambier: Fashioning the Fifties
Bonni Benrubi Gallery, 41 E. 57th St., 212-888-6007
When French photographer Georges Dambier shot for Elle magazine in the ’50s, he brought a new sensibility to the world of fashion photography, which had tended toward photographs of models in antiseptic studio settings. Dambier’s portraits are full of life and emotion, showing women in real-world settings and situations. The photographer’s subjects have included such icons as Brigitte Bardot, Suzy Parker and Catherine Deneuve.

Through June 19
Set in Style: The Jewelry of Van Cleef & Arpels
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, 2 E. 91st St., 212-849-8400
The Cooper-Hewitt, which serves as the country’s National Design Museum under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution, presents vintage Van Cleef & Arpels in this comprehensive look at the legendary line, established in Paris in 1906. One highlight: Marlene Dietrich’s 1937 ruby-and-diamond jarretière bracelet.

Through June 5
Color Moves: Art and Fashion by Sonia Delaunay
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, 2 E. 91st St., 212-849-8400
Russian-born French artist Sonia Delaunay began exploring color as a painter, before she and her husband, Robert, developed their theory of simultaneity, which describes the sensation of movement born when contrasting colors appear beside each other, in 1910. When Delaunay launched Atelier Simultané (crafting hats, scarves, swimsuits) in 1920s Paris, she incorporated the theory into fashion and fabric design and continued her work while designing for Dutch department store Metz & Company. This collection includes paintings, fabric swatches, garments and photographs.

 
Stores & Sales
April 2
Agnès b. Opening
50 Howard St.
The iconic brand of French basics returns to SoHo with a new hybrid gallery-boutique (a first among the label’s 200-plus stores worldwide), to showcase works by New York artists like Ryan McGinness and Ryan McGinley alongside the men’s and women’s collections. The opening will feature limited one-of-a-kind T-shirts, designed or customized by the artists. The store opens to the public on April 2.

April 2–3
Fashion Girls for Japan Designer Sample Sale
The Bowery Terrace at The Bowery Hotel, 335 Bowery, 212-414-8882
More than 60 New York–based designers each donated at least one rolling rack of goods for this special two-day-only sample sale. Expect at least 50% off labels like Alexander Wang, Proenza Schouler, Diane von Furstenberg, Mandy Coon and VPL, plus accessories lines from the likes of Eddie Borgo and Fallon. All of the proceeds from the DJ’d event will benefit Japan Society’s Japan Earthquake Relief Fund, the American Red Cross and the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City’s Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Fund. Purchase a $5 admission ticket at fashiongirlsforjapan.com.

April 2–8
A Selection of Spring Trunk Shows at Barneys New York
Barneys New York, 660 Madison Ave., 212-826-8900
Prepare for spring shopping with a first look at some of the top designer labels’ latest collections. Barneys New York will host the stunning jewelry of Federica Rettore, with a personal appearance by the Italian designer, on April 2; Nina Ricci on April 4 and 5; and Givenchy on April 7 and 8.

April 13
Matthew Williamson for Macy’s
Macy’s Herald Square, 151 W. 34th St., 212-695-4400
Fans of the British designer’s namesake label should watch out for Matthew Williamson’s capsule collection at Macy’s, where they can score lower-priced versions of his high-end design. Expect dresses, rompers and jackets, with Williamson’s signature touch of strong color, bold prints and embellishments, ranging in price from $50 to $300. The collection launches in select stores on April 13.

April 13–15
Charlotte Ronson Save Japan Sample Sale
1071 Sixth Ave., ste. 301
Score Charlotte Ronson–designed chiffon dresses, twill skirts, crewneck sweaters, lace-up sandals, exclusive samples and more at up to 75% off retail price while contributing to a good cause—proceeds benefit Japan Society's Japan Earthquake Relief Fund.

April 16
Henrik Vibskov Opening
456 Broome St.
Danish artist, drummer (of Trentemøller) and designer Henrik Vibskov opens the first stateside beachhead for his edgy namesake label. The 850-square-foot store will house Vibskov’s men’s and women’s collections alongside those of other designers, like Stine Goya and Cosmic Wander, and reconstructed Danish furniture. After the recent openings of Alexander Wang and Isabel Marant in nearby shops, it seems the downtown-designer types are sweeping up Broome Street.

April 20
Swedish Hasbeens at H&M
H&M, 640 Fifth Ave., 212-489-0390
The Swedish clog of the ’70s has made a comeback in recent years, and cult label Swedish Hasbeens has been leading the pack. This special collection made for H&M will feature sandals, clogs and slip-ons, made with environmentally friendly materials and ranging in price from $59.99 to $69.99 (the regular line runs upward of $200). The collection launches in select H&M stores on April 20.

April (Date TBD)
Pamela Love + Topshop
Topshop, 478 Broadway, 212-966-9555
New York–based jewelry maker Pamela Love teams up with Topshop in an exciting collaboration, the British chain’s first with an American designer. Love, whose popularity grew from pieces like her talon cuff and crow-skull necklace, told Vogue that she wanted the five-part collection to evoke “the spirit of America.” With motifs like dream catchers and arrows, pieces draw from classic Native American style, while maintaining the downtown edge Love is loved for.