FIDM Museum Blog

Carolina Herrera evening gowns

Even before launching her own line in 1981, Carolina Herrera (b. 1939) had established a reputation for elegance and personal style. As an adolescent, she sometimes accompanied her grandmother on haute couture buying trips to Paris. When at home in Caracas, Venezuela, Herrera designed her own clothing, which was then brought to life by a skilled seamstress. Herrera's ability to combine purchased garments with those she designed herself earned her multiple nominations to the International Best Dressed list, along with compliments from friends and acquaintances. In 1980, Herrera was interested in launching a line of textile designs, but a meeting with Diana Vreeland convinced her to go into fashion. Herrera already had numerous friends in the fashion industry, and with the help of Bill Blass, Mary McFadden, model Iman and other notables, in 1981 she presented her first collection at the Metropolitan Club in New York City.

Evening gown
Carolina Herrera
c. 1992
Gift of Carolina Herrera
2005.844.12AB

Norman Norell flower coat

"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

The Little Black Dress

During the nineteenth century, black clothing was usually worn to signify a special status, i.e. mourning, religious piety, extreme poverty or a position of economic and social authority. Because many professional men adopted black suit coats after 1850, black clothing was also associated with masculinity. Though women certainly wore all-black on some occasions, these ensembles were usually worn for specific activities, such as mourning or equestrian pursuits. Black slowly began to enter the realm of fashionable dress in the late nineteenth century when it was adopted by a few daringly audacious women for day and/or evening dress. The infamous black dress worn by Virginie Gautreau in John Singer Sargent's 1884 painting Madame X, though shockingly revealing for the 1880s, is a prescient vision of what would become one of the twentieth century's most iconic garments, the little black dress.

Black dresses slowly gained ground through the early years of the twentieth century, earning the nickname "little" as the elaborate embellishment of late nineteenth century dress gradually dropped away. A November 23, 1906 society feature in the New York Times titled Society Women Wear Black indicates that all-black dress was fashionable but was still considered novel enough to inspire comment. During World War I, mourning dress was so widespread that black dresses were, almost necessarily, created in tune with the latest fashions. For the many women who worked outside the home during World War I, black garments were also a practical choice for everyday dress. Black also entered the fashionable lexicon via the work of Chanel, who presented a collection consisting primarily of black dresses in 1919. Others, including Poiret, Lanvin and Fortuny were also experimenting with the potential of black during this same period. By the late 1920s, the little black dress had become a wardrobe essential.

The images below feature a selection of little black dresses from the FIDM Museum collection. When looking at these images as a group, an impressive continuity is apparent. Despite slight differences in silhouette the primary characteristics of a little black dress, simplicity and an understated elegance, remain the same from decade to decade.

Evening dress
Silk taffeta
1927-29
Transfer from the Museum at FIT
2004.291.21

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!

Refashion

As a concept, fashion is based on the appeal of the new. Every season, silhouettes, colors and shapes are re-combined in an effort to create garments of such great appeal that you will replace (or at least supplement) your existing wardrobe. With the appearance of inexpensive, mass-market retailers that stock their racks with "fast fashions", it has become even easier to fill your closet with garments that resemble the latest runway offerings. Though the savvy shopper is often encouraged to pursue quality over quantity, it is far too easy for many shoppers to believe that new clothes = a new me.

In recent years, consumers and creators of fashion have begun to look at the issue of fashion consumption with a more critical eye. Some creators and producers of fashion struggle with what sustainability and eco-fashion can mean on a practical level through altering production methods or utilizing eco-friendly textiles. Many consumers have taken the issue into their own hands by purchasing only second-hand garments or sewing their own clothes. Others engage in wardrobe refashioning or remixing, a concept which promotes rethinking your closet by recombining or altering those garments you already own.

Refashioning or altering garments to update their style or function is not a new concept. Until the mid-to-late 20th century, most garments were costly enough that they were worn until no longer functional, passed on to someone else or refashioned. In the FIDM Museum collection, we have several examples of garments that have been reimagined to suit the changing needs of the wearer.

Day dress
1853-54
Gift of the Helen Larson Estate
S2001.31.18A-C

Howard Greer

Today's post on Howard Greer was written by costume historian Shelly Foote. From 1994-2004, Shelly worked with the Costume Collection at The National Museum of American History as the Assistant Chair in the Division of Social History. Retired since 2004, Shelly is closely involved with the Costume Society of America and is also researching a book on Howard Greer. As part of this process, Shelly has examined and researched Howard Greer garments in the FIDM Museum collection. In this post, Shelly shares some of her findings on the work of Howard Greer.

**************************************************************************************************************************

HOWARD GREER

Howard Greer (1896-1974), born in Illinois and raised in Nebraska, was fascinated by the world of fashion and theater as a young man. So, after college, he pursued and obtained a position with Lucile (Lady Duff Gordon), first at her establishment in Chicago and then in New York. After his military service in World War I he asked to be mustered out in Paris – where he reconnected with Lucile.

He returned to New York in 1921. After designing a few garments for the theater, he was offered a job in Hollywood with Famous Players-Lasky (later Paramount). He designed for many films which featured the silent movie star, Pola Negri. Unfortunately, many of these movies have been lost. In 1925 he was made head of the wardrobe department.

In 1927 Greer opened a couture salon in Hollywood patterned after the House of Lucile, both in how the salon looked and how the garments were made. Patronized by Hollywood movie stars, his collections were featured in movie and fashion magazines and Women's Wear Daily. Garments were rumored to take weeks to produce, required frequent fittings and were notoriously expensive.¹ Garments made by Greer incorporated fine quality fabrics and were beautifully finished.

Greer continued to design for the movies on a freelance basis, most famously for Mary Pickford in Coquette (1929) and Katharine Hepburn in Bringing Up Baby (1938).

Greer and Travis Banton, who had also worked at Paramount, formed a short-lived partnership in 1938. FIDM Museum owns the only known existing garment from this partnership - a heavily embroidered and beaded jacket worn by Marlene Dietrich.

Evening Jacket worn by Marlene Dietrich
Travis Banton/Howard Greer
c. 1936
Department of Recreation and Parks, City of Los Angeles, FIDM Museum
INV. 1137

Holly's Harp

Los Angeles based designer Holly Harp (1939-1995) began her fashion career in the late 1960s, designing theatrical, psychedelic clothing for iconic performers such as Janis Joplin and Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane. Harp's early designs were in tune with the catch-all aesthetic of late 1960s hippie fashions, and her garments quickly gained a reputation for "being wild and wonderful, feathers and fringe."¹ A maxi-dress worn by the singer-songwriter Dory Previn was typical of Harp's aesthetic. Constructed of an old table cloth, green doily and a piece of vintage satin, it was described as a "clothing mosaic."² In 1968, Harp opened Holly's Harp, a small boutique on the Sunset Strip where she sold both her ready-made and custom-designed garments.

Within a few years, Harp's designs had taken on a very different character. Instead of merely incorporating bits and pieces of the past by using vintage textiles, Harp started designing slinky, overtly sexy dresses and separates that referenced the glamour of Old Hollywood. Using silk textiles such as jersey, crepe and chiffon, Harp created what she called " fantasy-oriented...mood clothes."³ These mood clothes often referenced 1930s evening wear, as in the Holly's Harp bias-cut dress seen here.

Evening dress
Holly's Harp
c. 1978
Gift of Gloria Strasburger
99.655.3

Presentations abroad!

As mentioned in this post, FIDM Museum staff are constantly engaged in collection oriented research. Currently, Christina Johnson (Collections Manager) and Kevin Jones (Curator) are at the Fashion & Materiality symposium hosted by the Centre for Fashion Studies at Stockholm University in Stockholm, Sweden. Click on the link above for more information on the conference and the other presenters. Today's post consists of their respective presentation abstracts and images. Enjoy!

“In my case the face was created.”¹ Fashion and Identity in the Life of Marlene Dietrich

by Christina Johnson

Marlene Dietrich was married to the same man for over fifty years. She did not gain notoriety in Hollywood until age thirty. She was a mother and grandmother. She was self-conscious to the point of obsession regarding her perceived bodily imperfections. She was a recluse for the last ten years of her life. She longed to be accepted, admired, and loved. These personal facts are in direct opposition to Dietrich’s public identity. She was a bisexual siren with multiple lovers. She was a self-assured woman who took pride in showcasing a “perfect” body, eternally youthful and beautiful. She basked in the admiration and awe bestowed upon her from legions of fans and friends. A glamorous public identity was materialized by Marlene Dietrich through her appearance.

This paper will study fashion and identity in the life of Marlene Dietrich focusing on a rare group of her garments and accessories from the FIDM Museum in Los Angeles. This significant collection is comprised of over fifty personal wardrobe and movie costume ensembles in addition to twenty pairs of custom shoes donated by Dietrich to a now-defunct museum from 1964 to 1966 before arriving at the FIDM Museum in 1990. These pieces date from her early career in Berlin, her Hollywood years, USO tours, and stage performances.

Snapshot of Marlene Dietrich during her USO tour
1944-45
Museum Purchase

Marlene Dietrich purchased this paisley gown in Los Angeles in the early 1940s and wore it frequently, as evidenced by the many extant photographs. During her 1944-45 USO tour, she was photographed wearing the gown onstage, as seen in the snapshot above. Dietrich also wore the gown in the 1948 film, A Foreign Affair. The image below shows how this illustrious gown is stored at the FIDM Museum.

Gown worn by Marlene Dietrich
Irene
c. 1941
Department of Recreation and Parks, City of Los Angeles, FIDM Museum
INV. 3633

This embellished jacket was part of Dietrich's personal wardrobe.

Evening Jacket worn by Marlene Dietrich
Travis Banton/Howard Greer
c. 1936
Department of Recreation and Parks, City of Los Angeles, FIDM Museum
INV. 1137

Detail of INV. 1137

Hollywood Scandal! : Edith Head and Celanese “Star in Crepe”
by Kevin Jones

This is a convoluted story of eleven dresses in the FIDM Museum’s Hollywood Costume Collection. The collection came as a loan to FIDM in 1990 from the City of Los Angeles, California, after being stored in an abandoned city jail for more than twenty years. Many of the garments have been exhibited around the world as authentic; half of these gowns, though, are spurious. While dressing the costumes for an exhibition, it was noticed that some of them did not look as they appeared in publicity stills. Were these the same garments? Had they been altered? A detailed analysis of the gowns ensued. The gowns’ provenance, though, proved to be the thriller of this drama.

In 1960, the rayon manufacturer Celanese teamed with Paramount Pictures costume designer Edith Head to launch a new material called “Star in Crepe” by showcasing eleven original “Golden Era” crepe gowns in fashion shows in the United States, with contemporary interpretations of the garments to inspire consumers to purchase the new material so they too could dress like a star. The first fashion show was held at The Plaza Hotel in New York. Thereafter, identical copies of the gowns and their interpretations were worn in fashion shows around the country. Later, the costumes were donated to Hollywood Museum Associates, an organization planning a museum of Los Angeles movie history. The copy gowns were donated to various other institutions. By 1968, Hollywood Museum Associates was defunct, bailed out of debt by the City of Los Angeles who twenty years later loaned the eleven gowns to the FIDM Museum.

Which famous dresses are these? Who were the movie queens wearing such beautiful creations? Have any of the original dresses survived? Stay tuned for the ending to this most dramatic Hollywood Scandal!

Sketch of the gown worn by Greta Garbo in the film Inspiration

Gilbert Adrian design for Greta Garbo in Inspiration, 1931
Modern Screen Magazine, March 1931
Image courtesy of Richard Atkins
FIDM Museum

Actual gown worn by Greta Garbo in Inspiration

Gilbert Adrian for Greta Garbo in Inspiration, 1931
Silk velvet and rhinestones
Image courtesy of the Drexel University Historic Costume Collection, PA
Gift of Mrs. Thomas E. Burns Jr., 76-1-1ab
Photography by Dave Gehosky
Image courtesy of the Drexel Digital Museum Project , http://digimuse.cis.drexel.edu

Fake version of the gown worn by Greta Garbo in Inspiration, created in 1961.

Fake by Edith Head for Celanese Corp., 1961
Representing Greta Garbo in "Inspiration," 1931
Department of Recreation and Parks, City of Los Angeles, FIDM Museum

Image of model wearing fake Inspiration gown in 1961 fashion show.

Fake gown by Edith Head for Celanese Corp., 1961
Representing Greta Garbo in Inspiration, 1931
Model wearing the costume for a Celanese Fashion Show, 1962
Department of Recreation and Parks, City of Los Angeles, FIDM Museum

1 Dietrich, Marlene. Marlene. trans. Salvatore Attanasio. New York: Grove Press, 1989.

Adrian Ltd.

"What must be admired most in Adrian's fashions is their construction; he is an architect, balancing proportions and studying every line. His approach is original and frequently unconventional, but that is what makes the viewing of an Adrian collection exciting."¹

When Adrian decided to leave the world of costume design in 1941 and open Adrian Ltd, he could have had no knowledge of how perfect his timing would prove to be. With the Nazi invasion of Paris in 1940, all contact with the French fashion industry halted. As nearly all American designers based their designs on those originating from Paris, the absence of information from France created a fashion vacuum. American designers stepped up to the plate, and soon began to create fashions based on an idealized American lifestyle. These new fashions were often casual, practical and made of durable fabrics. Both New York and Los Angeles fought for the title of "America's Fashion Capitol." The February 19, 1941 title of a Los Angeles Times article declared, "East and West Struggle for Fashion Dictatorship," and suggested that Los Angeles would win the battle, ultimately becoming "more powerful in its sway over the civilized world than Paris ever thought of being."

Adrian debuted his first collection for buyers in January of 1942 at the May Company department store in Los Angeles. Buyers were not particularly excited about this initial collection, so Adrian held another show in February of the same year. This show was a great success and Adrian was soon selling his designs in department stores throughout the country. At the time he said, "It is thrilling to be designing for American women and I can only hope the women will enjoy wearing my clothes after they have purchased them for their own."²  Adrian's timing was perfect; with his well-regarded name and design skills, he was bound to be a success. 

In his new incarnation as fashion designer, Adrian intended to design for everywoman, not just movie stars. Throughout the years of World War II, Adrian's collections were considered wearable and practical,yet stylish and flattering. Individual garments were always given witty, topical names and showcased the inherent qualities of the chosen fabric. Drapeable jersey was used for slinky evening gowns and sensible woolens were used to create suits with interesting details such as mitered stripes and geometric appliques. Wartime restrictions on fabric usage and ornamentation meant that Adrian, like all American designers, had to be inventive with his detailing.

With the end of World War II era fabric rationing, Adrian was free to create evening gowns that incorporated multiple yards of fabric. Though Adrian's day fashions tended to showcase clean lines and surprising details, Adrian's evening gowns were often quite dramatic, offering a touch of glamour that hearkened back to his days as a costume designer. Taffeta was a favorite fabric as its inherent stiffness lent itself to dramatic, sculptural shaping, as in the gown below.

Evening gown
Adrian
1948
2006.883.1
Gift of Bob Diamond

This gown incorporates elements typical of Adrian's evening gowns of the late 1940s. Swagged iridescent taffeta creates a full skirt with draped effect and dramatic fabric panniers at each hip. The back of the skirt features an asymmetrical train, another favorite device. Adrian repeated this 18th century influenced silhouette multiple times, creating similar versions of this gown using different colors of taffeta and varying the bodice. He designed a version for his wife, Janet Gaynor, which was called "The Tigress" and featured tiger striped taffeta. Other evening gowns from this period feature taffeta wings jutting from hips and shoulders and voluminous skirts, all with a sculptural feel.

Back view of 2006.883.1

Side view of 2006.883.1

Adrian's design career effectively ended in May 1952, when he suffered a heart attack during work on his fall collection. Adrian's ability to span the gap between the silver screen and everyday life indicated a level of creative ability possessed by few designers, and rather than entrust someone else with design duties, Adrian decided to close his company. Adrian and his wife moved to Brazil in 1954, returning to Los Angeles in 1958 when Adrian was asked to design costumes for a stage production. On September 12, 1959, Adrian passed away due to a cerebral hemorrhage.

1 Pope, Virginia. "Wide Range Seen in Style Designs" New York Times. 22 Sept. 1948.: 37.

2. Weaver, Sylvia. "Designers Here Best on Earth" Los Angeles Times.18 Feb. 1942.: B14.

Esquevin, Christian. Adrian: From Silver Screen to Custom Label. New York: Monacelli Press. 2008.