FIDM Museum Blog

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.

Out and about with the FIDM Museum

 

FIDM Museum staff are headed to Atlanta, GA this week for the Costume Society of America National Symposium. Next week, curators Kevin Jones and Christina Johnson will present research at "The Making of a Monarchy for the Modern World" conference in London. In this post, FIDM Museum Registrar Meghan Hansen shares her reflections on a recent symposium sponsored by the Western Region of the Costume Society of America.

FIDM Museum is proud of its association with the Costume Society of America. Our staff has served on the Western Region and National Boards over the years, as well as organized events on-site for the organization. Over St. Patrick’s Day weekend, Museum Registrar Meghan G. Hansen attended the CSA-Western Region Symposium at William S. Hart Ranch and Museum in Santa Clarita, California. 

Western-style shirt worn by William S. Hart in his last movie Tumbleweeds (1925).

 

FABULOUS! catalogue wins Best of Show award

 

We are delighted to announce that the FABULOUS! catalogue was awarded Best of Show at the 2012 Print Excellence Awards. The catalogue was printed by Clear Image Printing, who went above and beyond in their execution of the catalogue. Clear Image worked closely with exhibition co-curators Kevin Jones and Christina Johnson, and FIDM Publications staff to ensure that the FABULOUS! catalogue would be much more than a simple document of the exhibition.

Sponsored by the Printing Industries Association of Southern California, the annual Print Excellence Awards celebrate excellence in print media. To win Best of Show in this judged competition, entries must be outstanding, flawless and receive the highest overall score from the award judges. According to the judges of the Print Excellence Awards, the catalogue "demonstrated a printing company's ability to transform paper into a beautiful piece of visual communication. First, the printed dust jacket, then printed cloth cover, and finally page after page of wonderfully executed renditions of photography and text. Incorporate a variety of fold-out [pages] and you have a piece that earned Best of Show." 

Written to accompany our 2011 FABULOUS! exhibition, the catalogue presents a selection of recent FIDM Museum acquisitions as a 200-year overview of fashionable dress, including women's, men's, and children's attire. The FABULOUS! catalogue includes full-color images, introductory essays by exhibition co-curators Kevin Jones and Christina Johnson, and a timeline that contextualizes developments in fashionable dress. The catalogue features the array of garments and accessories that were on display in FABULOUS!, along with bonus images of objects not included in the exhibition.

Eager to get your own copy of the FABULOUS! catalogue? We still have a few available in the FIDM Museum Shop.

 

A docent's view of the 20th Annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition

 

Today's post is by our Docent Coordinator, Sarah Repetto. Sarah schedules, coordinates and leads tours of the 20th Annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition. Sarah's post provides fascinating insight into how visitors interact with the costumes on display.

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I was listening to NPR the day before the Academy Awards and heard a movie critic refer to a common thread amongst all of the 2012 nominees for best picture. Each of these films prominently features the idea of nostalgia. From Hugo to The Artist, many of 2011 films looked to the past with earnest longing for days gone by. Coincidentally, as a tribute to the 20th anniversary of the Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition, FIDM Museum curators Kevin Jones and Christina Johnson have incorporated highlights from FIDM Museum collection and Department of Recreation and Parks, City of Los Angeles, Historic Hollywood Collection. This includes items such as Mae West’s dizzyingly high 7-inch tall platform heels and a Spanish matador jacket worn by Rudolph Valentino in the 1922 film Blood and Sand.

"Suit of Lights" jacket worn by Rudolph Valentino in Blood and Sand
Natacha Rambova
1922
HC 4001
Department of Recreation and Parks, City of Los Angeles, FIDM Museum
Photo by Jim Meeks, Oklahoma City Museum of Art

A trip to the hospital

 

Last week, FIDM Museum staff traveled to Good Samaritan Hospital Los Angeles with precious cargo in tow. The cloth-of-gold court bodice worn by Lady Mary Douglas to the coronation of George III in 1761 had an appointment in Radiology! This extremely rigid bodice is heavily boned with baleen and covered with cloth of gold, a fabric woven with real gold filaments and silk. Silver embroidery and hand-punched sequins depict overflowing cornucopias at the neckline and stylized roses and thistles—all symbols of the British Empire. The bodice is part of the Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection, which we are currently raising funds to acquire.

Introducing the FIDM Museum Fashion Council

 

We're excited to introduce you to the FIDM Museum Fashion Council, a group of dedicated volunteers committed to supporting the FIDM Museum. They're a dynamic group with tremendous enthusiasm and energy. Of course, they're all passionate about fashion and fashion history too. We are extremely fortunate to have their support for a variety of programs, including exhibitions, educational programming, and the acquisition of new and important objects for the FIDM Museum Collections. Fashion Council is also working on an exciting new outreach program that will bring fashion history to students throughout Southern California.

The inaugural Fashion Council event was held in late February. Members and friends of Fashion Council met at FIDM's Orange County campus before embarking on a chartered bus for the ride to FIDM's Los Angeles campus, where the FIDM Museum is located. On arriving at the FIDM Museum, Fashion Council enjoyed an illustrated presentation on the past, present and future of the FIDM Museum. Here's a picture of Kevin Jones, FIDM Museum curator, discussing our recent FABULOUS! exhibition. The high-top sneakers on-screen behind Kevin are a pair of limited edition Adidas. They were designed in 1991 as a tribute to NBA star Dikembe Mutombo.

 

Exhibition design at the FIDM Museum

 

Exhibition design encompasses every element of an exhibition. Paint colors, platform shapes, cases, lighting, traffic flow and many other elements work together to support and enhance the narrative created by the objects on display. At the FIDM Museum, we are fortunate to have a full-time exhibition designer on staff. A graduate of the FIDM Visual Communications program, Horacio Avila designs FIDM Museum & Galleries exhibitions and visual displays for the FIDM Los Angeles campus. Horacio works closely with our curators to create the look and feel of all FIDM Museum exhibitions. 

The gallery itself is 8,000 square feet. If you've ever been to an exhibition at the FIDM Museum, you'll know that we generally divide the gallery into three distinct sections. You might be surprised to know that most of our interior walls are not integral to the gallery--they are built and removed depending on the needs of the current exhibition. The only real limitation on Horacio's exhibition design is the height of the gallery ceiling. Horacio and his crew fabricate nearly everything in-house; when in the midst of building an exhibition, Horacio's workshop is incredibly busy. From platforms to cases, they build it all.

In our current exhibition, the 20th Annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design, visitors are greeted by a wall of film posters and The White Queen's costume from Alice In Wonderland. Rounding the corner, visitors encounter a visual feast: costumes ranging over a large platform that fills nearly the entire gallery space. Selections from our collection of classic film costumes fill cases around the outside of the gallery. If you caught FABULOUS!, you might remember these cases. Horacio designed them for FABULOUS! and they were re-purposed for the current Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition. In this image, costume designer Julie Weiss examines a bonnet designed by Adrian for the 1940 film Pride and Prejudice.

(Alex J. Berliner/abimages)

How do curators dress when doing research?

Our curators go the extra mile when they’re researching an exhibition!

Wearing historically accurate dress, inside and out, Kevin Jones and Christina Johnson recently attended the Jane Austen Evening in Pasadena, CA. Sponsored by the Society for Manners & Merriment, this annual event consists of dancing, refreshments and entertainment in the spirit of Jane Austen’s era. Aside from enjoying an evening out, Kevin and Christina had a serious mission: field research for FIDM Museum's Fall 2013 Empire & Romantic exhibition, which will focus on the years 1800-1835. The lifetime of celebrated author Jane Austen (1775-1817) coincides with this era, so the Jane Austen Evening was the perfect opportunity for Kevin and Christina to kick-off their research.

This photo captures Kevin and Christina in their reproduction ensembles. Christina wears a gown of plum silk based on a French fashion plate and flat leather dancing slippers with ribbon ties. Kevin wears a white shirt and cravat, fall front breeches, waistcoat (vest) and dress coat. Their ensembles were designed by Mela Hoyt-Heydon, friend of the FIDM Museum, union costume designer for the entertainment industry and faculty member at Fullerton College Theatre Arts Department. Most of the costume elements were designed by Mela for a stage production of Jane Austen's 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice.

After attending the Jane Austen Evening, Kevin understands why gentlemen of Jane Austen's era always brought a change of linens to Assemblies: dancing is a cardio workout! Also, it's tiring to keep your arms in the proper dance position all evening. Christina learned that wearing a corset greatly improves a lady's deportment, and that fans are necessary after an evening of dancing in a packed ballroom.

Stay tuned for occasional updates as Kevin and Christina develop themes and select objects for this 2013 exhibition. They’re on the hunt for enlightening resources describing the dress and society of 1800-1835. If you know of something useful, send us your suggestions!

 

Holding history in my hands

 

In today's post, Christina Johnson, associate curator and resident photography expert, describes her long-standing fascination with historic photography. She also discusses the conservation of a mid-nineteenth century ambrotype portraying two dashing urban gentleman. In previous posts, Christina has explained how photography can be used to understand fashion history. You can find her two-part series on that topic here and here.

Ambrotype
Probably United States
c. 1855-60
Glass, leather, silk velvet, metal & wood
Gift of Steven Porterfield
2010.897.25

I’ve studied fashion history since I was a little girl. When I was a teenager, I discovered my grandmother had two antique trunks jam-packed with old photographs—literally thousands of portrait photographs—dating from the 1850s to the 1950s. Grandma had inherited them from her sister-in-law, who had methodically asked for old family photos anytime a relative, however distant, died. Everyone ended up handing over all their heirloom photos to Aunt Marjorie. I spent hours poring over them, organizing and dating them by what people were wearing. They taught me fashion history. I loved looking at peoples’ clothes and their faces. I wanted to know their stories.

Research resources, part 2

 

It's been a long time since we've talked about research resources! Our last post on this topic was in February 2010--practically a millenia in terms of how fast information appears on the internet. All of the resources we suggested in that post are still excellent starting points for fashion history research. See what we recommended in February 2010 here. In the time since we wrote that post, more and more information is available on the internet, particularly primary sources.

This list of resources is only a small sampling of what's actually available, both online and offline. Because our readers are scattered all over the world, we're focusing primarily on what is available online. But, we know there are MANY great research resources out there. Leave a comment telling us what we've missed. You might just leave a tip that leads a fellow researcher to a breakthrough!

We hate to post without including an image, so here's a FABULOUS! teaser. Pictured below is the full eleven-foot train of our 1907 Redfern court gown. Look forward to a post on this confection sometime in the next few weeks.

Court gown train
Redfern
1907
Museum Purchase, Funds provided by Yvonne Hummel
2008.932.19AB