FIDM Museum Blog

Vivienne Westwood corset

The task is to form the future from the materials of the past-Vivienne Westwood¹

For centuries, corsets were an essential, but unseen, part of a woman's wardrobe. Visible only through their shaping of the body, actual corsets were typically seen only in the most intimate of situations. This remained true until the 1970s, when punk fashion demonstrated that garments associated with sexuality and/or deviancy (including corsets) could be worn as everyday streetwear. In the early 1990s, corsets became a widely accepted part of the fashionable wardrobe, thanks in large part to the Jean Paul Gaultier corset worn by Madonna on her Blonde Ambition tour of 1990-91.

Corset
Vivienne Westwood
Spring/Summer 1994
Museum Purchase
2003.5.12

Alexander McQueen, you will be missed.

All of us at the FIDM Museum were saddened and shocked to learn of Alexander McQueen's death. Such a tremendous loss of creative talent is difficult to comprehend. McQueen's aesthetic was provocative and never shy of pushing limits. Individual garments (recent examples include "armadillo" shoes and bone patterned suits) were provocative, as were the narratives that inspired each collection. In addition to his creative abilities, McQueen was a master of his craft, with many calling him the finest woman's tailor of his generation. For anyone who questions the impact of a provocative designer on everyday dress, take a look at the jeans you're probably wearing right now. If they're low-waisted, you have Alexander McQueen to thank, as he first introduced the low-cut "bumster" trouser in the mid-nineties.

Versace's cowgirl

In 1992, Italian designer Gianni Versace was fascinated with the American West. That year, his collections featured design elements typically associated with the cowboy or cowgirl: boots, fringed leather, jackets with metal tipped lapels and Western motifs. Given Versace's reputation for designing aggressively sexual clothing, it is no surprise that his "Western wear" forced fashion writers to search for words "other than 'bondage' and 'sadomasochism' to describe the clothes."¹ Though hinting at the practicality of leather garments sometimes worn by working cowhands, this fringed and studded leather vest lined with shearling would probably be more at home in a dark nightclub than out on the range.

Leather vest
Gianni Versace
1992
Gift of Betty Kaplon
99.403.1

Handbag variety

Like shoes, handbags and purses straddle the line between functional and decorative objects. Though many women (and some men) consider them necessary containers for objects such as keys or money, the sheer diversity of available styles demonstrates that handbags are also a design object in their own right. Until about 1800, when menswear became more sedate and less decorative, both men and women carried purses on a regular basis. From this point onward, men typically carried compact wallets or a very small pouch tucked in a sleeve or pocket. Women continued to carry decorative purses, creating an association between handbags and femininity.

Beaded purse
c. 1920
Gift of Penny Schnabel
S2004.821.2

Moschino Cheap and Chic

By the time Franco Moschino (1950-1994) introduced his "Cheap and Chic" line in 1988, he had already earned a reputation as the irreverent "court jester" of the fashion world. From the time he debuted his first "Couture!" collection in 1983, Moschino treated fashion as an absurdist playground. Models were sent down the runway with candy-box tops instead of hats, wearing dresses patterned with faux tire tracks or dressed in giant Moschino shopping bags instead of garments. Tailored suits featured quirky details such as a collar made of teddy bears or pockets resembling miniature purses. "Stop the Fashion System" was a favorite catch-phrase, used in Moschino ad campaigns and as a logo on garments. Moschino considered being a fashion designer "a superficial, stupid job," stating that he was more interested in the "social-psychological aspect" of fashion.¹

Cheap and Chic sweater
Franco Moschino
1992-1994
FIDM Museum Purchase
2005.5.26

Do you want IT?

In 1998, Chanel launched an understated new handbag. Based on the upside-down torso of a woman, this aerodynamic bag was called 2005. The sleek, lightweight 2005 bag was created to carry the venerable design house into the new century. Prior to the 2005 bag, Chanel had primarily produced quilted leather handbags in a variety of sizes, always slung over the shoulder with the classic gold chain. The 2005 was a departure, consisting of a solid plastic understructure covered with neutral flannel and carried by an understated silver metal mesh chain. During the design phase, 2005 prototypes were carefully guarded to prevent counterfeiting. Chanel's designer Karl Lagerfeld said of the 2005, "It's totally new age...I have never seen anything like it."¹

2005 Bag
Chanel
1998
Gift of Barbara Bundy
2002.37.1