FIDM Museum Blog

Egyptomania

In late 1922, the British archaeologist Howard Carter unearthed and opened the sealed tomb of King Tutankhamun in Luxor, Egypt. Though Egyptian art and ornament had served as a source of artistic inspiration for many centuries, the discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb created an immediate renewal of interest in Egypt throughout Europe and North America. Reporters present at the opening of the tomb sent frequent articles and images to their home newspapers, resulting in widespread knowledge of the archaeological find. By early 1923, Egypt (or fanciful perceptions of Egypt) had inspired a wave of Egyptian-influenced garments, accessories and decorative embellishments.

Textile
c. 1923
Gift of Robert Fortunoff
99.274.114

Hairpin lace

When this hairpin lace dress was donated to the FIDM Museum in 2007, we had to give ourselves a crash course, because at least one of us (me!) wasn't familiar with this form of handwork. Worked on a small, hand-held "fork" or loom with a crochet hook, hairpin lace is a relatively quick form of handwork. The adjustable fork produces long strips of hairpin lace which can then be crocheted together into a variety of garments and accessories. Contemporary patterns suggest using hairpin lace to make shawls, baby blankets and small accessories such as earrings while sources from the early 20th century suggest using hairpin lace as a garment trimming. The dress seen below was made by the donor during the 1950s out of synthetic straw. She also made a baby blue version of the same dress!

Hairpin lace dress
1954-55
Gift of Betty Mayer
2007.914.1A

Tina Leser

Tina Leser (1910-1986) is among the generation of American designers credited with creating and popularizing the "American Look" during and immediately after World War II. Along with designers such as Carolyn Schnurer, Louella Ballerino and Claire McCardell, Leser designed casual ready-to-wear clothing inspired by non-Western garments and textiles. Based in New York, Leser's extensive world travels informed her designs and she often spoke on the subject of interpreting non-Western artistic traditions into contemporary fashions. Though she is less well-known today, when Leser was actively designing she was "noted for her casual clothes defined with an air of elegance"¹ and for the overall wearability of her creations.

The Tina Leser skirt seen in these photos is labeled a "Tina Leser Original." During the 1950s, if a designer's name was paired with "original" on the garment label, it designated a ready-to-wear garment produced in extremely limited quantities and available only at select stores. Bridging the gap between custom made haute couture and widely available ready-to-wear, the buyer of an "original" garment was unlikely to encounter another women wearing the same model. This labeling technique was used by numerous American designers, including Adrian.

A brief 1955 New York Times article on this exact skirt stated that the tape lace embellishment at the hips was hand-made by nuns in a Flanders convent. Leser designed a pattern for the lace, which then took 10 days for 3 nuns to complete. The article comments on the exclusivity of the skirt, noting that it had limited availability and would be a suitable "gift to be handed down from mother to daughter."² The retail price was $195, probably a bargain for the amount of handwork involved!

Skirt
Tina Leser Original
c. 1955
Gift of Mrs. Carita Kadison
2003.792.5

Detail of 2003.792.5

1 "Designer's Pattern" Los Angeles Times 8 Oct. 1950.: C9.

2 "From a Belgian Convent" New York Times 17 Dec. 1955.: 20.

Louella Ballerino

Louella Ballerino? Who's that?

Though you may not recognize her name, her design sensibility was crucial to the creation and popularization of the California look--casual, functional, colorful clothing designed to complement the relaxed California lifestyle. Her career began in 1929, when economic necessity led Ballerino to begin work as a free-lance fashion illustrator in Los Angeles. She also held a full-time position in a custom dress shop and taught evening fashion design courses at a technical college. She worked behind the scenes until 1938, when a manufacturer, who had asked for something "different," rejected her sketch for a peasant-style dress. Ballerino believed that her design had merit, so she hired a manufacturer to make the dress and placed a few in a dress-shop in Hollywood. In her words, "I thought it would be comfortable and fun to wear."¹ The women of Los Angeles clearly agreed, as the dress sold out almost immediately. The FIDM Museum is fortunate to have one of Ballerino's career-making dresses in our collection.

Day dress
Louella Ballerino
1938
78.834.1AB
Gift of the Louella Ballerino Family