FIDM Museum Blog

c. 1850 blue bodice, refashioned

 

This bright blue bodice is a bit of a puzzle. Look closely at the image, and you'll probably notice something strange happening at the waist. Do you see the coarse cotton lining peeking out from below the blue silk waistband? The V-shape of the lining indicates the original waistline of the bodice, which was later altered to reflect changing fashions. This alteration probably took place about 1860-62, when a lowered V-waist went out of fashion. Keep reading to learn about another significant alteration to this bodice!

Bodice
Silk with cotton lining
c. 1850-62
Gift of the Helen Larson Estate
S2001.31.1A

A few more textile swatches

 

We've got some really fantastic textile swatches in our collection. In past blog posts, we've featured our Wiener Werkstatte textiles and a group of textiles designed by Raoul Dufy. We've also shared compelling textiles designed by anonymous or as yet unknown designers. Today we present you with another small group of textile swatches. We're still researching this accession, so many are still undated. Hope you find them as inspiring as we do!

Printed silk crepe
1920s-1930s
Gift of Robert Fortunoff
99.274.107A

Louella Ballerino crop top, 1946

 

In 2003, a black and coral crop top was donated to the FIDM Museum. The top is of coral silk, with black silk appliques in a stylized floral pattern. Accompanying the donation was a snapshot of the donor actually wearing the top. We love this kind of supporting documentation! Here's the photo, taken someplace in southern California and dated 1946.

Photo of donor in the coral and black crop top
1946
Gift of Patricia Marks

Indoor slippers, 1850-75

 

Our Study Collection offers FIDM students, faculty and researchers hands-on access to historic garments and accessories. Objects find a home in our Study Collection for a variety of reasons. Sometimes we have near multiples in the Permanent collection, or a donated object shows signs of age or wear. All Study Collection objects are accessioned because they have something to offer. Though well-worn, this single leather slipper is evidence of a nineteenth century footwear trend while also offering insight into nineteenth century conceptions of public and private space.

Slipper
Leather, satin, linen
1850-75
Gift of Steven Porterfield
S2009.897.188

And the winner is...

 

Congratulations Carli, you're the winner of The Black Dress by Valerie Steele! Carli's comment was randomly selected from among the many insightful comments on our recent website feedback and book giveaway post.

Tremendous thanks to everyone who took the time to leave us a comment about our new website! It was interesting to see that many of your comments focused on two points: you like the look of the site, but want more flexibility and depth when searching our collections. We'll take this into account (along with all your other comments!) as we move forward with adding more of our objects to the website. In the meantime, stay tuned to our blog, where we'll continue to provide you with a detailed look at selected objects in our collection.

And don't miss our free summer seminar tomorrow night! Beginning at 6:30 p.m., we'll host a discussion with noted film and television costume designers on the LBD and it's significance to film and fashion. This seminar is held in conjunction with our current exhibition LBD (Little Black Dress): An Homage to Breakfast at Tiffany’s, open through August 13, 2011.

McCardell playsuit and a Karan jumpsuit

 

Rompers, jumpsuits and playsuits. Love 'em or hate 'em, they're all over the place. Emerging a few years ago as a runway trend, they've reached critical mass and can be purchased at just about any youth-oriented clothing retailer. As we all know, fashion runs in cycles, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to take a look at similar garments from our collection. First up, a Claire McCardell linen playsuit.

Playsuit
Claire McCardell
1948
Gift of Mrs. Jerry Wald
90.1948.027.1

Pinafore dress, early 1940s

 

Under pinafores, almost anything may lurk. They cover up playsuits, tennis dresses and sports frocks.¹

Girl's pinafore
Printed cotton
1940-45
Gift of the Manlove Family
2006.870.5

A contemporary pinafore is a short-sleeved girl's dress, usually worn over a blouse or shirt and fastened up the back. When constructed from whimsical patterned textiles, a pinafore evokes carefree childhood. But the pinafore actually evolved from a functional garment, the apron. The word itself is a contraction of two words, pin and afore (front). The earliest version of the pinafore was a protective, easily removable apron worn by pinning it to the wearer's dress.

New website and book giveaway

 

Remember back in March when we told you that we'd be working on a new website? Well, we're finished! Please give a warm welcome to fidmmuseum.org, our new website. Our goal was to create a visually stunning site which facilitates user-friendly online research into our collections. Within the new site we have made it easier for users to find general information, make donations to the Museum, and learn more about upcoming events and exhibitions. The site is a living document of the FIDM Museum and we plan to make continual upgrades and improvements.

To celebrate the launch of fidmmuseum.org and our current Little Black Dress exhibition, we're giving away one copy of The Black Dress by Valerie Steele. To enter this giveaway, take a look at fidmmuseum.org and let us know what you think. We're interested in your input on the following questions:

 

Is the site easy to use and navigate?
What content did you find most useful?
Is the site visually appealing?
Any suggestions for improvements or additions to the site.

 

Leave a comment on this blog post with your reactions to the new website and you'll be entered in The Black Dress book giveaway. The giveaway closes on Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 5 p.m. PST. One winner will be selected by random number generator from all comments. As we make changes and improvements to our website, all of your comments will be taken into consideration. We value your input, so let us know what you think!

And don't forget to visit our current exhibition, LBD (Little Black Dress): An Homage to Breakfast at Tiffany’s through August 13, 2011.

Monique Lhuillier (FIDM Alum), Resort 2010 washed organdy cocktail dress worn by Mila Kunis. Courtesy of Monique Lhuillier

Adelle Burda (Recent FIDM Alum) Knitted dress adorned with black Swarovski crystals.

Batik ensemble, c. 1970

 

Nineteen-sixties hippie culture was based on the rejection of "straight" culture, i.e. mainstream culture that oppressed the individual. In sartorial terms, this meant that hippies rejected contemporary, mass-produced, off-the-rack garments. Instead, hippies preferred garments that expressed individuality and signaled a rejection of "the system." This view is encapsulated in the words of a young model named Sarah who was featured in the April 1, 1968 issue of Vogue. A pictorial spread showcased highlights of Sarah's wardrobe, including a Moroccan djellaba, an 1880s velvet and silk day dress and a gauzy white cotton gown. Sarah summed up her unusual style with the comment, "nothing nice ever happens to me in my straight clothes."

Halter and wrap-skirt ensemble
c.1970
Indo Archipelago
80.431.1AB
Gift of Mrs. Gerald Labiner