FIDM Museum Blog

Claire McCardell dress, 1952

 

The FIDM Museum compact storage facility is filled with wonders. Charles Worth's c. 1878 reception gown, a beaded evening sheath by Alber Elbaz for Lanvin, Fortuny textiles and Herve Leger's mini-jumpsuit share racks and boxes with thousands of additional garments and accessories. As the caretakers of the FIDM Museum collection, we treat each object with equal attention to its longevity and well-being. That said, it's almost impossible for those of us who work with the collection to avoid having a few favorites each. One of mine is this graphic Claire McCardell cotton dress.

Claire McCardell
1952
Gift of Norma Carnahm
77.1948.008.16

Charles James jumper, 1956

 

A recent New York Times article on designer children's wear described the 1956 fashion show that launched Charles James's line of children's clothing. While fashion editors enjoyed cookies and sherry, James (wearing a purple tweed suit) narrated the presentation of tiny jackets, capes, shirts, pants and sun suits, all designed for children 0-18 months.¹ For those familiar with the extreme shape of a Charles James gown, the idea of James designing children's clothing might seem incongruous, if not downright strange. Well-established in both the United States and Europe, James designed ball gowns, cocktail dresses, evening dresses and coats in the painstaking tradition of haute couture. His clients included Millicent Rogers, Gypsy Rose Lee, Babe Paley and other prominent women of style and wealth. What prompted Charles James to design children's clothing?

According to Charles James scholar Elizabeth Ann Coleman, the reason is simple: Charles Jr, James's first child, was born in the spring of 1956. James might have been anticipating fatherhood as early as 1954, the year he designed maternity ensembles for retailer Lane Bryant. Using stiff taffeta, James designed a black tunic dress and a yellow, gray and white trouser ensemble for expectant mothers. The interplay between fit and flare that defines so many of James's garments was easily translated into maternity clothing. The flame red Charles James maternity evening coat pictured in a 1956 issue of Life magazine is nearly identical to his black velvet Balloon evening coat.

Child's jumper
1956
Charles James
Museum Purchase
2008.5.23

Though James's designs for adult women usually prohibited expressive mobility, James didn't impose the same expectations on children. Made from soft cotton textiles, the cut of his children's wear responded to the needs of an active baby or toddler. Sleeves were designed for freedom of movement, while pants featured extra gussets, allowing room for a diaper. All designs were fitted on Charles James Jr. Like the jumper pictured above, many of the designs featured buttons for both function and decoration. The curved drop-front panel is typical of the line, which featured rounded silhouettes and incorporated curved seams and curved panels of fabric for shaping.

Created in collaboration with the Alexis Corporation, these were not haute couture garments for children. James designed prototype garments which were then patterned and put into mass production by the manufacturer. By the end of 1956, the line retailed in about 30 shops nationwide, with each small garment bearing a label that read "Designed by Charles James" or "Shaped by Charles James." In 1957, the line received royal recognition when Princess Grace of Monaco (aka Grace Kelly) visited Charles James's New York salon. Expecting her first child, she purchased an array of baby sun suits, shirts, and shorts in a variety of fabrics.

 

1 The fashion show is described in detail in the October 20, 1956 issue of The New Yorker.

Bubble silhouette, 1958-59

 

Cocktail dress
1958-59
Gift of Steven Porterfield
S2007.897.8

In March 1958, Vogue lauded the new variety in fashionable silhouettes: "a whole lovely flight of new forms--winged, floating, or held slightly away from the body in some mysterious way. It is the variety of shapes that marks these Paris collections."¹ In the accompanying 20-page editorial, readers were introduced to St. Laurent's A-line trapeze dress for Dior, Cardin's bubble hem skirt suit, Madame Grès empire-waist chiffon day dress, and Chanel's slim, two-piece wool suit. The hodge-podge of silhouettes presented in the article suggests that Christian Dior's 1947 New Look silhouette was finally being surpassed by new approaches to the body. The 1958 Vogue article credited the availability of varied silhouettes to the body-skimming chemise dress, which had become popular the previous year.

Mae West objects on display

 

Originally posted in 2009, this post explores Mae West's larger-than-life persona. Visit the 20th Annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition to see one of Mae West's corsets and a pair of her platform shoes on exhibit. The exhibition closes on April 28, 2012.

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Mae West's (1893-1980) most famous attribute was her figure. Buxom, rounded and held in place by rigid corsets, West's silhouette provoked a degree of outrage, while also serving as her best publicity. Her hourglass shape was immortalized in 1937 when the couturier Elsa Schiaparelli used West's silhouette as the basis for her Shocking perfume bottle. Hired to design costumes for West's 1937 film Every Day's a Holiday, the Paris based couturier would not travel to Hollywood and West could not travel to Paris. A solution was reached whereby a torso based on West's measurements was sent to Schiaparelli's Paris workshop. The resulting perfume bottle serves as an iconic representation of both Mae West and Elsa Schiaparelli.

Shocking by Schiaparelli
c.1937
Gift of Annette Green
F2005.860.820A

Down Under!

 

Today's post was written by FIDM Museum curator, Kevin Jones. In this post, Kevin describes the reason behind his recent trip to Australia.

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Once in a while a curator has the privilege of traveling to another museum to install a garment that is being loaned to an exhibition. Generally, the borrowing institution is within driving distance. I just returned from such a trip last week and while I didn’t drive my car, I did go by bus…that is, by Qantas Airbus, the largest passenger plane in the world that can transport more than 500 people at a time. My destination was Bendigo, Australia, in the southeast province of Victoria, one and a half hours outside of Melbourne. The Bendigo Art Gallery just opened the exhibition Grace Kelly: Style Icon (11 March – 17 June 2012), which traveled nearly as far as I did, coming from the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, England. An overview of the gallery and the exhibition can be read here.

View of the Bendigo Art Gallery

Spring flowers

 

Spring is here! Today, March 20, is the first day of spring for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. Spring brings longer days, warmer weather and a host of colorful blooms. In celebration of spring's arrival, we offer you an array of flowers from our collection. Enjoy!

Evening boots
1850-55
Gift of Barbara Bundy
2006.37.3AB

This pair of nineteenth century evening boots feature a pattern of roses and twining foliage. Made of a lightly iridescent silk damask brocade accented with green leather foxing at the heel and toe, these boots were almost certainly made to match an evening gown. Because of their delicacy, they would have been worn indoors only. As was common throughout much of the 19th century, these boots have undefined left and right soles. Shoes with distinctly different shapes for the left and right food didn't became widespread until the late 19th century.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 

Originally posted in July 2010, this c. 1955 James Galanos deserves a repeat appearance in honor of St. Patrick's Day. With its vibrant emerald green color, it is easily one of the greenest garments in our collection. Enjoy!

 

During the 1950s, French haute couture was a dominant force in fashion. Elite American women traveled to Paris and purchased their wardrobes directly from renowned couturiers, while many others experienced haute couture through mass-produced versions of the latest French styles. This was a strength of the American fashion industry; producing stylish and affordable garments in large quantities, whether the latest haute couture copies or playful sportswear. Only a very few American designers worked in the style of the haute couture, producing meticulously crafted garments on a limited scale. Los Angeles' own James Galanos (b. 1924) was one of these designers. In 1954, when Galanos first presented a collection in New York City, fashion critics noted that his "cut and detail smacked of Parisian couture."¹

Cocktail dress
James Galanos
c. 1955
Gift of Susan Lister
S2007.894.1A-C

Gloves in the 20th century

 

In contemporary fashion, gloves are generally overlooked. Warm knitted gloves keep our hands warm in winter, while sturdy canvas or leather gloves protect our hands during gardening or construction projects. Protective gloves (or sometimes mittens) fill an important role, but because they are primarily utilitarian, function often trumps design. Though brightly colored winter gloves are often cheerfully appealing, they aren't worn just for their appearance; if they aren't warm enough, you'll probably purchase a different pair. When was the last time you wore a pair of gloves simply because their elegance was overwhelming?

Evening gloves
c. 1952
Christian Dior, designer
Lionel Legrand, maker
Leather, rhinestone, bugle beads & sequins
Museum Purchase
2006.5.4AB

Designer costume jewelry: Chanel and Schiaparelli

 

Today's post investigates the costume jewelry associated with two renowned design houses: Schiaparelli and Chanel. As we discussed in our post on Kenneth Jay Lane's starburst brooch, costume jewelry became an important component of fashionable dress during the 1920s. Though it had long been possible to imitate the appearance of gold or precious stones with glass paste or pinchbeck, beginning in the 1920s it was acceptable to flaunt jewelry made from inexpensive materials like glass, plastic and non-precious metals. In 1923, the New York Times noted a recent proliferation of shops devoted to costume jewelry, "all displaying a bewildering layout of necklaces, pendants, earrings, bracelets, [and] brooches" made from semi-precious stones and other inexpensive materials.¹  Popularized by Parisian couturiers like Patou, Chanel and Schiaparelli, inexpensive costume jewelry soon adorned even those women who could afford the real thing.

Couturiers did more than simply promote costume jewelry. Many couturiers, including both Chanel and Schiaparelli, were closely involved in the design of costume jewelry to complement their haute couture collections. By designing jewelry to complement a particular collection, couturiers ensured that their clients' accessories and dress were aesthetically aligned. Offering branded products like perfume and costume jewelry also promoted the namesake couturier. These less-expensive products also brought the glamour of the haute couture within reach of the less-affluent consumer, who could possibly purchase a necklace or fragrance from Chanel or Schiaparelli, but not an entire ensemble.

Bracelet
c. 1955
Schiaparelli
Gift of Barbara Bundy
2006.37.10

Virevolte suit, Christian Dior, Autumn/Winter 1955

 

One of the most celebrated figures in the history of fashion, Christian Dior's reputation was founded on the New Look. Introduced in 1947, the New Look silhouette presented an idealized vision of the female body: soft, sloped shoulders and defined waist accented with long, full skirts. Called Corolle (petal) in French, the collection was both a reaction to the material deprivations of World War II and an expression of Dior's romantic, yet precise and sophisticated, take on femininity. This nostalgic romanticism was most openly expressed in Dior's cocktail and evening wear, especially in the petal-like skirts of Dior's Junon evening gown.

If Dior's evening wear was extravagant and flowery, his daywear was the opposite. In black, navy or gray, Dior's daytime suits were almost austere in their simplicity. Precisely cut and tailored, they demonstrated Dior's ability to translate menswear into the feminine idiom. In the wool twill suit pictured below, Dior presented a version of the masculine suit softened only by the rounded neckline of the jacket. Dior even went so far as to mimic the look of a neck-tie by tucking and pleating the fabric of the bodice to create a trompe l'oeil knot at the collar. Despite its serious appearance, this suit has a surprisingly lighthearted name: Virevolte. A French verb meaning to dance or twirl around, it suggests that Dior's romanticism was at play in even his most austere designs.

"Virevolte" 3-piece suit
Christian Dior
Fall/Winter 1955
Black and white wool twill
Gift of Mrs. Herbert Lawrence
81.443.1A-C