FIDM Museum Blog

Sketch to Screen exhibition at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art

As we told you in this post, eight costumes from the FIDM Museum collection are currently on exhibit in Sketch to Screen: The Art of Hollywood Costume Design at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Consisting of more than 85 original garments and accessories, the exhibition highlights the work of influential Hollywood costume designers, including Gilbert Adrian, Walter Plunkett, Edith Head and Travis Banton. Sketch to Screen closes on August 15, 2010, so you'd better visit soon if you haven't already!

For our readers who can't make it to Oklahoma City, we offer you the next best thing: installation photos of the FIDM Museum pieces accompanied by relevant segments of the audio tour. Narrated by our curator Kevin Jones, these short, informative segments are part of the Sketch to Screen audio tour. To listen, click on the link. Enjoy!

Kevin Jones discusses the gown worn by Marlene Dietrich in A Foreign Affair

Paisley strapless evening gown worn by Marlene Dietrich in A Foreign Affair
Irene/Edith Head
1949
HC 3633
Department of Recreation and Parks, City of Los Angeles, FIDM Museum
Photo by Jim Meeks, Oklahoma City Museum of Art

Kevin Jones discusses the "Suit of Lights" worn by Rudolph Valentino in 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

The Outstanding Art of Television Costume Design Opens Today

Organized by guest curator Mary Rose, The Outstanding Art of Television Costume Design salutes memorable costume designs from recent television shows. See costumes from your favorite shows, including Mad Men, Treme, Glee, Big Love and others. The display is free and open to the public, July 27, 2010 thru September 4, 2010. Museum hours are 10 am – 4pm, Tuesday thru Saturday.

L to R: Mad Men Costumes worn by Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson, Jon Hamm as Don Draper, January Jones as Betty Draper. Costume Designer, Janie Bryant; Costume Supervisor, Le Dawson. Nominated for 2010 Emmy for Outstanding Costume Design.

Treme costumes worn by Clarke Peters as Albert Lambreaux. Costume Designer, Alonzo V. Wilson; Assistant Costume Designer, Ann Walters.

Alice in Wonderland visits the FIDM Museum

Alice in Wonderland costumes designed by Colleen Atwood will be on display at the FIDM Museum & Galleries until June 19th. This free exhibition will be open to the public Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Alice in Wonderland design exhibition is accompanied by a series of special events, including a costume contest. More information about these special events is available here.

The Art of Costume Illustration

The Art of Costume Illustration
FIDM Museum & Galleries
May 18, 2010 – June 19, 2010

Showcasing 75 years of costume illustration, this display features over 200 film and television costume illustrations. Represented among the more than 50 illustrators on view are Edith Head, Orry–Kelly, Jean Louis, Dorothy Jeakins, Sandy Powell, Julie Weiss, Robin Richesson, Lois De Armond, and Felipe Sanchez.

This free exhibition will be open to the public Tuesday – Saturday, 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

Sheila O'Brien The Damned Don't Cry  Joan Crawford as Ethel Whitehead (1950)

Jean Louis Thoroughly Modern Millie  Julie Andrews as Millie Dillmount (1967)

Edith Head Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid  Paul Newman as Butch Cassidy 1969

Illustrator: Rafael Burgos Costume Designer: Deborah Lynn Scott Avatar  Laz Alonso as Tsu'tey (2009)

FIDM Museum Hollywood costumes on exhibit at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art

Eight film costumes from the FIDM Museum collection are currently on display at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art in the exhibition Sketch to Screen: The Art of Hollywood Costume Design. The exhibition runs through August 15, 2010 and is accompanied by lectures and a film series. You can learn more about the exhibition here. If you're in the area be sure to visit Sketch to Screen, as it includes the following objects from the FIDM Museum.

Rip-away dress worn by Jamie Lee Curtis in True Lies
Cream dress and cape worn by Marlene Dietrich in Desire
Grey wool suit worn by Marlene Dietrich in Witness for the Prosecution
Black/cream/gold gown worn by Esther Williams in Jupiter's Darling
Cream gown worn by Jean Harlow in Bombshell
Silver beaded gown worn by Carole Lombard in No Man of Her Own
Paisley gown worn by Marlene Dietrich in A Foreign Affair
Matador jacket worn by Rudolph Valentino in Blood and Sand

We'll post more photos of these objects soon, but in the meantime, check out this comprehensive slideshow of Sketch to Screen.

*Except for the dress worn by Jamie Lee Curtis in True Lies, all items listed above are on long-term loan to the FIDM Museum from Department of Recreation and Parks, City of Los Angeles.

Interview with Coraline costume designer Deborah Cook

Hosting the annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition allows us to get an up-close look at costumes from recent films. This year, the exhibition featured a group of intriguing small visitors--puppets from the stop-motion animation film Coraline (2009). Like costumes created for humans, the Coraline puppets wear carefully conceived ensembles constructed from fabric and thread. But how does the design process differ when you're working with puppets? To better understand the process of designing costumes for animated films, we talked with Deborah Cook, costume designer for Coraline. Deborah has extensive experience working on costume design for animation, including the Corpse Bride (2005), The Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) and the UK television series The Koala Brothers. Deborah currently works as a costume designer in pre-production for Laika, the makers of Coraline. The information she provided via email interview enhanced our enjoyment and understanding of Coraline and made us look forward to her next project. Thank you Deborah, for taking the time to talk with us!

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Please describe your involvement with the making of Coraline?

I was involved in the making of Coraline as the head of costume design and fabrication, seeing costumes through from their conception through colour and fabric choices, pattern cutting, animation testing and the final fitting.

Coraline puppets on exhibition at the FIDM Museum & Galleries

Young Bess French hood

Released in 1953, the film Young Bess is a fictionalized biography of Queen Elizabeth I. Focusing on her life before she was crowned queen, the film is set in the late 1540s and stars Jean Simmons as Young Bess. The lavish, historically inspired costumes were created by Walter Plunkett, who had already earned a name for himself with his widely admired Gone With the Wind (1939) costumes. Plunkett began his career in film with a semi-successful attempt at becoming an actor in the early 1920s. He made the shift to costume designer in 1926 when he accepted a position as a wardrobe assistant at RKO Studios, eventually moving to MGM in the 1930s. Plunkett had no obvious background in costume design, apparently teaching himself the necessary skills on the job. This lack of formal training was clearly not indicative of his talents, as he quickly gained a reputation for creating historically evocative costumes for period films.

French hood worn by Jean Simmons in Young Bess
Walter Plunkett
1953
Gift of Stacey Behlmer
2003.798.1

FIDM Museum garment inspires The Wild Party costume

Today's post by Katy Werlin describes how a garment in the FIDM Museum collection inspired a costume for the musical The Wild Party. Katy interned with us during the summer of 2009, while on summer break from her studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Katy is currently a junior, majoring in dramatic arts with a minor in music. Katy recently started a fashion history blog, which you can visit here.

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When I was asked to costume design Andrew Lippa’s musical The Wild Party for the UNC Pauper Players, I could barely wait to get started. The Wild Party is set in the 1920s, and is the story of two seedy vaudeville performers who decide to throw a huge party. Things get completely out of control- there’s drugs, an orgy, and murder. Although there are some great song and dance numbers that will, trust me, get stuck in your head very easily, this is definitely not your typical lighthearted musical. As the costume designer, I was very eager to play with the sparkle and glamour of 1920s fashion versus the sketchiness of the characters. While I wanted the pizazz of the roaring ‘20s, I also wanted the costumes to look cheap, disgusting, and kept in mind that these people either have no taste, or can’t afford to have taste.

The Wild Party with Katy's FIDM Museum inspired costume at center front

Oscar dressing

In the early years of the Academy Awards, celebrities didn't always dress themselves in the latest glamorous fashions. In 1935, Claudette Colbert wore a simple traveling suit to accept the Best Actress Award for It Happened One Night. Colbert didn't expect to win, so was already on-board a New York bound train as the ceremony began. The train was held at the station and Colbert was rushed to the ceremony to accept her award. That same year, Bette Davis wore an "afternoon frock" to the Academy Awards and was criticized by the press and studio executives for her lack of glamour. During the early 1940s, Ingrid Bergman proudly wore the same black dress to the Academy Awards two years in a row!

And the winner is...

Congratulations to costume designer Sandy Powell, who won the Costume Design Academy Award for her work on The Young Victoria! Costumes from The Young Victoria are currently on display at the FIDM Museum as part of our 18th Annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition. This free exhibition is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 am to 4 pm and will run until April 17th, 2010.

For a glimpse of the exhibition, and a brief interview with Sandy Powell, watch this video from LXTV.