FIDM Museum Blog

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

Cinch belt

If you happened to see this cinch belt out and about, what would be your guess as to its age? Given that it is part of the FIDM Museum collection, we probably didn't pick it up at H&M over the weekend.

Cinch belt
1952
Schaffer
Anonymous donation
89.10.1

Out and about with Claire McCardell

Do you live in the Chicago area? Will you be traveling to Chicago before January 9, 2010? If so, you're in luck!

The FIDM Museum Claire McCardell dresses seen in today's post are on exhibit in Chicago as part of the Learning Modern exhibition at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago's Sullivan Galleries. Learning Modern is part of a larger, Chicago-wide initiative called Living Modern Chicago. According to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago's website, "the exhibition Learning Modern is the centerpiece of the two-year long citywide program Living Modern Chicago, a series of courses, lectures, tours, and installations exploring the legacy of the Bauhaus, organized by The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in collaboration with the Mies van der Rohe Society at IIT."

The Learning Modern exhibition runs from September 26, 2009 until January 9, 2010. The exhibition is free and open to the public, so if you're able to go, drop us a line!