FIDM Museum Blog

1970s Gunne Sax dresses

 

Gunne Sax's aesthetic has been described as feminine, nostalgic, Victorian, old world and romantic. Though the brand is now closely associated with formal and bridal wear, its origins date back to late '60s San Francisco. In 1969, San Francisco boutique Gunne Sax needed a house designer. Enter Jessica McClintock, an elementary school teacher with a life-long interest in fashion. When a friend told McClintock of the opening at Gunne Sax, she applied immediately. In a testament to the freewheeling spirit of 1960s San Francisco, McClintock was hired despite her lack of formal training in fashion design or clothing manufacture. In the beginning, McClintock designed small collections of about 20 garments. Within a few months the San Francisco department store I. Magnin started retailing Gunne Sax dresses. The mood of Gunne Sax was based on McClintock's personal vision: "I brought to [Gunne Sax] my own concept of clothing based on romance--nostalgia created by a mixture of prints, ribbons, laces, muslins and braids. It was 1969, the "mini" era was ending, and the Gunne Sax "Country," "Edwardian," and "Prairie" era was beginning."¹ 

Gunne Sax by Jessica McClintock
c. 1975
Gift of Roxanne, Byrnadette & Frank DiSanto
95.817.1

Evening dress, 1925-27

 

Vibrant patterns and bold colors are common characteristics of textiles dating from the 1920s. Rejecting the Belle Epoque palette of off-white and cream accented with pale pink or soft blue, textile designers drew from a variety of eclectic sources to create patterns showcasing a rainbow of saturated colors. Design inspiration came from near and far, with elements of European folk art, modern art movements, non-western cultures and classical civilizations all influencing 1920s textile designs. Though noteworthy in their own right, these textiles were also part of a larger design movement called Art Deco. Originating in France around 1910, Art Deco was based on a luxurious interpretation of modern life. The movement influenced all areas of design, including architecture, fashion, graphic design and decorative arts. Disseminated via the well-attended Paris Exposition of 1925, Art Deco became a universal style that influenced both mass-produced and elite design throughout the world.

Evening dress
1925-27
Gift of Mrs. Geroge Holden
83.360.1

One last look at 2011--Alexander McQueen peacock dress

 

Before we get too far into 2012, we wanted to mention one final blog post from 2011. When we compiled our Top Five Posts of 2011, our post on Alexander McQueen's peacock dress was an extremely close runner-up. This post trailed very slightly (one page view!) behind our fifth most popular post on Lucile. McQueen's creation was a favorite during our recent FABULOUS! exhibition and we wanted to give you one more chance to revisit it before we begin posting new content for 2012.

All of us at the FIDM Museum thank you for your continued support of our many endeavors! We wish you the very best in 2012. Our next project is the twentieth anniversary Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition, opening February 14, 2012. More on this exhibition soon!

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Alexander McQueen's famed peacock evening dress, currently on display in FABULOUS!, is a crowd favorite. Visitors routinely beeline straight for the frothy dress, which resides on a rotating platform in the third and final gallery of the exhibition. We commissioned it from the Alexander McQueen atelier in 2010 and it took about 7 months to create. It is one of only three extant versions of the dress. And do you see those shoes? These replica shoes, based on those worn with the peacock dress during its runway presentation, were created by our mountmaker extraordinaire.

Evening dress
Fall/Winter 2008-9
Commissioned 2010
Alexander McQueen
Museum Commission
Funds provided by Karen Coombs-Jordan
2010.5.73

Top five posts of 2011--“The Art of Dressing Has Never Been Manifested with So Much Brilliancy”: Fashion and the Paris Exposition of 1900

 

 

The most popular post of 2011 is truly deserving of this honor! Associate Curator Christina Johnson's investigation into a a 1900 gown in our collection and its relationship to the Paris Exposition of 1900 is a joy to read.

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Did you know that working at a museum requires ace detective skills? In this blog post, Associate Curator Christina Johnson describes her research on a evening gown in our collection. This research, aka sleuthing, led to a wealth of knowledge about the gown itself, its wearer and the context in which it was created.

Evening gown
1900
2005.842.22
Gift of Madge Baker
FIDM Museum Collection

My research began with the evening gown you see above, donated to the FIDM Museum in 2005. The gown is part of a collection of about 25 garments and accessories dating from the 1890s to the 1940s worn by Ida Irwin Jones and her daughter Katharine. The items were donated by Katharine’s daughter, Madge Baker. The original wearer of this evening gown must have been Ida who would have been about 28 years old at the time.

Top five posts of 2011--Day ensemble, 1870-72

 

Our third most popular post of 2011 features a striking green and black day ensemble from the early 1870s. If you've been following our countdown, this ensemble may look familiar. That's because yesterday's post on 1880s bustles included a link to this post. In coloration, it is reminiscent of our Madame Olympe reception gown.

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Day ensemble
Silk taffeta
1870-72
Gift of Anne Stampfer
94.661.1A-D

About 1868, the crinoline silhouette went out of style. The smooth, distinctly bell-like shape of the crinoline supported skirt began to change form, with the fullness moving towards the back of the shirt. This new skirt shape required a different kind of understructure: the bustle. Essentially a cage crinoline cut in half, the bustle supported the back of the skirt, while leaving the front unsupported. In the early years of the 1870s, the bustle usually extended from the waist to about the mid-calf. A c. 1871 bustle of cotton with metal boning can be found here. The bustle was fashionable until about 1875, when it went out of style as skirts were fitted closer to both the front and back of the body. Beginning about 1883, the bustle enjoyed another round of popularity until finally going entirely out of fashion about 1890.

Top five posts of 2011--Lucile

 

As 2011 comes to a close, we wanted to take a look back at our most popular blog posts of the year. For the next five days, we'll repost the top posts of the year, beginning at number five. Our fifth most popular post features London-born couturier Lucile. Originally published in February, this entry includes a pink Lucile confection, c. 1917.

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As a child, Lucile Sutherland (1863-1935) designed and sewed clothing for both herself and her sister Elinor. Years later, Lucile's hobby would become the foundation of an internationally successful business. After the dissolution of her first marriage in 1888, Lucile was left with no means of supporting herself and her young daughter. Lacking any other professionally viable skills, Lucile turned to dressmaking. At first, Lucile worked as a society dressmaker in London under her married name, Mrs. James Wallace. Her business expanded rapidly and by 1894, she operated under the name Maison Lucile, eventually incorporating as Lucile Ltd. in 1903. By this time, Lucile's reputation was international. In 1907, the American edition of Pearson's Magazine encouraged all American travelers to visit Lucile Ltd. when in London, as the proprietress was "pleased to open wide her doors to all Americans--even if they have no intention of purchasing."¹ Within a few years, Lucile would open international branches of her store to fulfil the demand for her designs. Lucile Ltd. New York opened in 1910, followed by a Paris store in 1911 and a Chicago store in 1915.

Lucile
c. 1917
Gift of Anonymous Donor
91.40.5

Herve Leger

 

Herve Leger's signature bandage dresses consist of elastic bands wrapped round and round the body, sometimes with a curved band strategically placed at bust or hips for emphasis. Sewn horizontally like the funeral wrappings of a mummy, the elastic bands sculpt the body as would a girdle or corset. The resulting "tight and steamy" fit of a Leger bandage dress was not for the faint of heart.¹ Leger's glamorization of the female body signalled the emergence of the strong, sexy and slightly transgressive aesthetic that would influence fashion throughout the 1990s.

Leger first introduced the bandage dress about 1992, a few years after he took note of discarded stretchy elastic bands in a garbage can at a clothing factory. Leger was probably working for Charles Jourdan at the time, having previously worked at Chanel, Fendi, Chloe, Diane Von Furstenberg and Lanvin. Leger's solo collections were invariably riffs on the bandage theme, with color, length, band orientation, and neckline providing variety. This black mini jumpsuit showcases Leger's iconic second-skin fit.

Mini Jumpsuit
Herve Leger
1991-92
Gift of Nancy Riegelman
2006.602.2

Alexander McQueen Peacock Dress

 

Alexander McQueen's famed peacock evening dress, currently on display in FABULOUS!, is a crowd favorite. Visitors routinely beeline straight for the frothy dress, which resides on a rotating platform in the third and final gallery of the exhibition. We commissioned it from the Alexander McQueen atelier in 2010 and it took about 7 months to create. It is one of only three extant versions of the dress. And do you see those shoes? These replica shoes, based on those worn with the peacock dress during its runway presentation, were created by our mountmaker extraordinaire.

Evening dress
Fall/Winter 2008-9
Commissioned 2010
Alexander McQueen
Museum Commission
Funds provided by Karen Coombs-Jordan
2010.5.73

V is for Valentino

 

You've probably heard that retired couturier Valentino Garavani (b. 1932) will soon launch a virtual museum showcasing highlights from his five decades in fashion. Slated to launch on December 5, the virtual museum will use 3-D technology to create a palazzo with a series of galleries dedicated to garments, images, videos and more. A short promotional video describing The Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum can be seen here.

Many designers keep archives of their designs, sketches, press clippings and other documentation. In some cases, garments or images pulled from these archives will eventually surface in a publication or a museum exhibition. But for the most part, these archives serve only as an in-house resource or a reservoir of primary source material for the outside researcher. Some designers, including Claire McCardell, Christian Dior and Elsa Schiaparelli, made a conscious attempt to document their contributions to fashion by authoring biographies. Until Valentino, however, no individual couturier has comprehensively approached the preservation of his or her legacy. It will be fascinating to see how Valentino presents his extensive career and which garments he chooses to highlight when his virtual museum is open for viewing!

Culotte dress
Spring/Summer 1969
Valentino Couture
Gift of Laura Jarre
87.384.2

Duck dress, c. 1930

 

Day dress
c. 1930
Gift of Steven Porterfield
S2007.897.39

The charming idiosyncrasy of this dress always gets a smile. From a distance, it is simply a black day dress with a 1920s silhouette and bright red applied decoration. But take a closer look and you'll see that the red decorations are actually a series of plastic badges. Each badge features a hand-painted duck! In the close-up (below) of the sleeve cuff, the painted ducks (ostriches?) are clearly visible. Looking at the close-up also makes it clear that the painted badges are an integral part of the overall dress design. They weren't slapped on as an afterthought; the dress was thoughtfully designed to prominently showcase the hand-painted ducks. Other details, including the contrast piping at the cuffs and neckline and the metallic embroidery seen below, indicate that the dress was more than a throwaway novelty.