@momrath, VCU has a Fashion Merchandising major in the School of the Arts. VCU’s School of the Arts was just ranked #2 in the country, behind Yale.
I know the Fashion students at VCU spend lots of time in NYC because they are constantly featured in the local newspaper, winning awards and taking part in shows.
The first school you mentioned, FIDM in LA is a for profit school that will accept you if you have the money. It costs $50k per year.
http://fidm.edu/en/admissions/financial+aid+scholarships/
FIT is well regarded but NYC is expensive. If your parents can pay, great, but I would absolutely not take out loans for FIT because your salary in the first years after graduation is not likely to be high. There are not tons of well paying entry jobs in the field. No debt will give you more options. That being said, their COA at $31k isn’t really hugely expensive:
http://www.fitnyc.edu/admissions/costs/cost-of-attendance.php
USD, I believe is about $50k per year out of state so I would eliminate that.
IMO it’s between VCU and FIT. I would go to the school that costs the least. You can move to NYC when you graduate.