Should fashion designers be able to protect their creative output with copyright protection? Regardless of your position on this issue, issues related to fashion and copyright keep appearing in the media. Just yesterday, fashion bloggers noticed that a costume designed by Jany Temime for the upcoming Harry Potter film is remarkably similar to an Alexander McQueen design. Responses to the similarity of these two gowns vary, from condemnation of Temime, to the suggestion that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. The timing of this controversy is strangely coincidental, as today's planned post examines two similar 1950s coats: one designed by Balenciaga and one created by an unknown designer and retailed by I.Magnin. Though these coats differ in some important respects (color, collar detail), their similarities can be used to illustrate how copies of couture fashions were perceived in the 1950s.
Balenciaga
1957
Transfer from the Museum at FIT, Gift of Beth Levine
2004.291.13
Continue reading "American Editions of Paris Originals: 1950s couture copying" »
"Flower power" is usually associated with the late 1960s hippie aesthetic, but flowers were actually a popular decorative motif throughout the decade. The early years of the 1960s witnessed a proliferation of stylized and patently artificial floral forms, while real or "natural" flowers dominated the late 1960s. Often used as a motif in textile designs, flowers also appeared as three-dimensional embellishments on garments and accessories. Elaborate headdresses and hair ornaments made particularly good use of artificial flowers during 1964-65. The hand-dyed silk organza flowers on this 1963 Marc Bohan for Christian Dior evening gown are an early example of 1960s flower fever from the haute couture. The April 1, 1965 issue of Vogue praised floral patterned garments for evening wear in an editorial titled "The Garden of Evening." This flower-covered Norman Norell evening coat, though not featured, would have been a perfect fit for the Vogue editorial. Hand-dyed silk flowers in shades of pink and white are stitched to the coat, which is lined in pink silk. A center-front opening is hidden by the oversize flowers.
Evening coat
Norman Norell
c. 1965
Gift of Clarissa Dyer
2003.794.3
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Popular conceptions of 1950s dress usually fixate on the defined waist and full skirt of Christian Dior's New Look. Though this silhouette dominated fashion for much of the decade, in 1957 a new shape appeared. Called the sack or chemise, this new dress skimmed and enveloped the body instead of enforcing an hourglass silhouette. Presented by both Christian Dior and Balenciaga, credit (and blame) for the innovation went to Balenciaga. Variations on the chemise soon appeared, including this belted Empire-waist version designed by Balenciaga.
Chemise dress
Balenciaga
1959-1963
Transfer from the Museum at FIT
Gift of the Estate of Anita Loos Emerson
S2004.291.15A-D
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