Let’s Go Out Tonight: The Lady Is a Vamp — September 10, 2008

VAMPING IT UP While Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week rolls along in Bryant Park, one question that inquiring minds might be pondering is how the influence of the Gothic, in its various manifestations, has inspired many of 21st-century fashion’s greatest minds. “Gothic: Dark Glamour,” an exhibit up at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, attempts to answer that question visually, displaying more than 75 ensembles from designers as varied and acclaimed as Derek Lam, Christian Lacroix, Francisco Costa (for Calvin Klein), Anna Sui, Rodarte, Alexander McQueen, and Karl Lagerfeld (for Chanel Haute Couture). The ensembles are organized thematically and placedin dramatic settings, including a ruined castle and a mad scientist’s laboratory. If you’re looking to sink your teeth into something after seeing the exhibit, a huge platter of barbecue at Righteous Urban Barbecue (208 W. 23rd St., between Seventh and Eighth avenues, 212-524-4300) might satisfy your inner medieval self. Arrive hungry: The Baron Platter ($45.75) — beef, chicken, pork, ham, pastrami, turkey, house-made sausage, and a quarter rack of ribs, plus two sides — feeds a small fiefdom. A house specialty, the Burnt End Dinner ($19.95) invariably runs out. The dish is the extra-crispy, fattier part of a brisket that’s smoked for 18 hours. If you can do so, get your order in early. “Gothic: Dark Glamour” through Saturday, February 21, Tuesday-Friday, noon-8 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., the Museum at FIT, Seventh Avenue at 27th Street, 212-217-4558, free.