FIDM Museum Blog

6th Annual Outstanding Art of Television Costume Design exhibition is open!

 

 

6th Annual Outstanding Art of Television Costume Design 
July 31-October 20, 2012
Tuesday–Saturday 
10:00 am to 5:00 pm
FREE and open to the public.

 

Join us in celebrating the work of television costume designers at the 6th Annual Outstanding Art of Television Costume Design exhibition. Featuring costumes from a variety of television genres, the exhibition spotlights the role of costume design in creating believable onscreen characters. See costumes from your favorite television shows, including Pretty Little Liars, Once Upon a Time, Hemingway & Gelhorn, Game of Thrones, Great Expectations, Downton Abbey,The Fresh Beat Band, Pan Am, Boardwalk Empire, and more! The exhibition is organized by costume designer Mary Rose, current president of the Costume Designers Guild. Curator and Docent tours are available; email docent@fidmmuseum.org for more information.

Here's a look at some of the costumes featured in the exhibition AND highlights from the opening night party. Enjoy!

Rainbow Fairy from Once Upon a Time: Nominated for 2012 Emmy® for Outstanding Costume Design: Costume Designer, Eduardo Castro and Assistant Costume Designer, Monique McRae.

 

Investigating a Silver Studio textile

 

In 2007, the Textile Group of Los Angeles donated a late 19th century Silver Studio textile panel to the FIDM Museum. About 7 feet long and 2 ½ feet wide, this printed cotton textile features a dynamic pattern of orange poppies and white daisy chains on a pink ground. As our curators were familiar with the Silver Studio, they were certain that the textile had been used to decorate an interior, not for garment construction. Silver Studio
1897
Gift of the Textile Group of Los Angeles
2007.916.1

From the Archives: Aesthetes, Bohemians & Craftsmen: Artistic Dress, 1880s–1920s

 

While doing some research for an upcoming blog post, I had the chance to revisit images from our 2008 exhibit Aesthetes, Bohemians & Craftsmen: Artistic Dress, 1880s–1920s. Combining fashion, textiles, furniture and ephemera, Aesthetes, Bohemians & Craftsmen followed the path of the design rebellion that occurred in reaction to 19th century industrialization. Originating in mid-19th century England, Artistic dress was sparked by influential artists who subverted societal norms. Rejecting the tightly-trussed clothing of the Victorian era, Artistic dressers sought liberated and individually expressive modes of dressing. Abandoning contemporary fashions, Aesthetes adopted the loose, un-corseted styles of ancient Greece and medieval Europe. In the United States, Bohemian artists championed loose-fitting smocks and the aesthetics of Far Eastern art. Craftsmen looked to the past, creating handmade garments and accessories inspired by historic examples. These groups were unified in their rejection of the inexpensive and widely available products of the Industrial Revolution.

As we hadn't yet established our blog, Facebook profile or Twitter account at the time of this exhibition, most of the installation images from Aesthetes, Bohemians & Craftsmen have never been published. In this post, we share a few images from the exhibit. We hope you enjoy this glimpse into the world of Artistic Dress!

The first gallery of the exhibition grounded visitors in late 19th century fashionable dress. Straight from Paris, with corseted silhouettes and extreme proportions, these three ensembles are the antithesis of Artistic Dress. Portraits on the opposite wall highlighted the lives and achievements of six Artistic women: Isadora Duncan, Ellen Terry, Romaine Brooks, Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven, Annie Garnett and May Morris.

Fashion Birthday: Charles James

 

Charles James was born on this day in 1906. Celebrated for his rigorous, structural approach to fashion design, James dressed some of the mid-twentieth century's most stylish women. Key clients, who purchased his designs, and supported him during times of financial distress, included Gypsy Rose Lee, Babe Paley, Dominique de Menil and Millicent Rogers. James's designs for these and other clients usually treated the body as a reference, not a foundation. Though his daywear exuded subdued elegance, his most breathtaking designs incorporate layers of fabric, padding and boning to create gowns that resemble colorful exoskeletons for the female body. James's spent his career refining and revisiting specific silhouettes; he considered the 1953 Four Leaf Clover gown his thesis piece, the gown that responded to all of his design inquiries.

Dress form
Charles James
1950s
Gift of the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum
2010.1010.1

Bakelite cherry brooch, late 1930s

 

 Cherry and log brooch
c. 1935-1940
Gift of Steven Porterfield
2010.897.49

Can you imagine a world without plastic? Overwhelmingly ubiquitous today, plastic has been in existence for less than 200 years. Prior to the last quarter of the 19th century, when plastic products became commercially available, everything was made from organic materials. Developed in the 1860s, early plastics generally replicated organic materials like tortoiseshell, ivory, wood or coral. Used to make children's toys, combs, cutlery, billiard balls, and many other functional and/or decorative objects, plastics were soon absorbed into the fabric of everyday life.

Out & About: FIDM Museum at the Costume Society of America National Symposium

 

 

Are you fascinated with the etiquette of 18th century court dress? Do you regale your family and friends with the details of Christian Dior's impact on 20th century fashion? Do your bookshelves groan with the weight of all your fashion books? If this sounds familiar, consider joining the Costume Society of America (CSA), an organization dedicated to promoting the understanding of dress and appearance through scholarship and study. The CSA annual symposium, held in a different North American city each year, is a haven for those of us interested in fashion and fashion history. For three days in late spring, scholars and enthusiasts immerse themselves in all the latest research. This year's conference included a keynote address by Andrew Bolton of The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, presentations on making a career in dress and textile studies, dressing the macaroni male, the conservation of Voudou ceremonial artifacts and many other areas of dress and textile studies. In this blog post, FIDM Museum curator Kevin Jones recaps CSA presentations and workshops by FIDM Museum staff.

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Staff from the FIDM Museum have been out and about recently, both nationally and internationally. Our first stop was Atlanta, Georgia, for the 38th Annual National Symposium of the Costume Society of America. Not only did we network with colleagues and visit world-class museums, but there was plenty of FIDM Museum participation, too. Study Collection Manager and mount maker Carolyn Jamerson and Social Media Manager Rachel Harris teamed up for a much anticipated 2-hour workshop on the making of archival-quality polyester felt and wire invisible mounts. The 30 participants (and a waiting list of 10 hopefuls) learned the techniques of creating custom-made mounts that can be used for both exhibition and storage. Each attendee received a starter package that included all the supplies and instructions needed, and got to make a miniature corset mount to take home.

Miniature corset mount. Made from felt stiffened by wire supports, this mount invisibly supports a small corset. Read more about how we make invisible mounts here.

Swingin' Summer

 

Swingin’ Summer, a collaboration between the FIDM Museum Shop and Clever Vintage Clothing, pays homage to the influence of swimwear on fashion and culture. On view in the FIDM Museum lobby through late July, this installation of swimwear and casual fashions includes ensembles by Catalina, Alfred Shaheen and the Kamehameha Garment Company. This installation is FREE and open to the public Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Selections from Swingin' Summer are featured below. Stop by the FIDM Museum lobby to see the full installation!

 

Ocean-themed straw handbags from the 1950s. The sequin embellished bag (front) was made in Japan, and the green and gold seashell handbag (back) is from Texas.