FIDM Museum Blog

Blanche and Simone velvet hat, c. 1930-33

 

The 1931 Paris Exposition Coloniale Internationale was designed to showcase the artistic and cultural achievements of France's colonial possessions, while also demonstrating the mutual benefits of the colonial relationship. At the time of the Exposition, France's expansive colonial empire was second in size only to Britain's; by the 1930s, France and its colonies occupied "9.3 percent of the inhabited landmasses of the world."¹ With colonies in Africa, south Asia, Oceania, and the Caribbean, French political rule and cultural influence affected nearly every corner of the globe. Opening in May 1931, the Colonial Exposition brought the arts, architecture and people of France's colonies to Paris for a six-month stay. A correspondent for American Vogue visited the Exposition and described it as being akin to a trip around the world: "you are suddenly transplanted to far colonial lands--to jungles of Africa, to palaces of Angkor, into whole villages of Congo huts, to Chinese temples."²  The Exposition was widely covered in the international press and very popular; over 33 million visitors, from France and beyond, attended the Exposition. 

Headwrap style hat
1930-33
Blanche and Simone
Silk velvet
FIDM Museum Purchase
2009.5.21

Movie Modes hat

 

During the 1930s, Hollywood films were a major influence on fashion. Movie screens were "huge, luminous shop windows," offering viewers an opportunity to browse the latest creations from talented costume designers.¹ Despite the Depression, films were an affordable form of entertainment; during the 1930s, many movie theatres showed a double-feature, cartoon and newsreel for only 10 cents.² Recognizing that the public wanted to escape their problems, movie studios usually sidestepped the economic and social troubles of the decade, instead producing comedies, westerns and grandiose musicals. Designed by the likes of Adrian, Howard Greer and Edith Head, onscreen fashions inspired the fashion choices of both sophisticated urban women and midwestern farm girls. Believing that women filled the majority of theatre seats, Hollywood studios seized on fashion tie-ins as a means to promote their films.

Hat
Movie Modes
1935-1941
Museum Purchase
2009.5.48AB

 

Silk plush top hat, c. 1855-60

 

In the mid-nineteenth century, a gentleman of distinction wouldn't have dared to leave his house without a hat. The most popular style of men's hat was the glossy, silk plush top hat, sometimes called a chimney pot or stovepipe. Equated with authority and success, top hats were worn by the aristocracy, bankers, reputable businessman and politicians. Because of these authoritative associations, top hats were also worn by ambitious men of the lower classes who hoped to make their way in the world. Workers charged with keeping order, including stationmasters and male servants, often wore top hats as part of their professional uniform. Unlike today's top hat, which is worn only in a few formal situations, top hats were an everyday component of the masculine wardrobe.

Top hat
c. 1855-60
Museum Purchase
2010.5.13

 

Quilted cloche, c. 1925

 

The close-fitting cloche is the headwear most closely associated with the 1920s. Worn throughout the decade, the streamlined fit of the cloche complemented the slim lines of 1920s dress. Unlike hats of the previous decade, which often featured dimensional decoration of feathers, flower or tulle, the cloche featured relatively minimal embellishment. In 1927, a New York Times fashion reporter lamented the popularity of "the simple, unadorned cloche," suggesting that milliners were in despair over the widespread preference for its straightforward shape and modest decoration.¹

Cloche
c. 1925
Museum Purchase
81.25.6

Ecarlate de Suzy, 1940

 

This Baccarat perfume bottle contains Ecarlate de Suzy, a perfume that was described as heady and provocative. In the shape of head and neck topped with a red hat, it has the same whimsical quality shared by many of the mid-twentieth century perfume bottles in our fragrance archive. The Suzy referred to in the name of the fragrance is Madame Suzy, a prominent Parisian milliner. This late 1930s Madame Suzy red and white hat is reminiscent of the hat perched on the Ecarlate de Suzy bottle.

Ecarlate de Suzy
Madame Suzy
c. 1939
Gift of Annette Green
F2005.860.349

Agnés turban, c. 1940-42

 

Before World War II, fashion reportage devoted equal consideration to millinery and clothing. The newest toques and turbans from Paris milliners were described alongside the latest day and evening wear from Gabrielle Chanel, Jean Patou and Jeanne Lanvin. As was true for changes in hemline or silhouette, most millinery trends were born in Paris and then relayed to London, New York and other cities. Preeminent among Parisian milliners during the 1920s and 1930s was Agnés, often referred to as Madame Agnés .

Agnés trained under Caroline Reboux, perhaps the most well-known of the late 19th and early 20th century Parisian milliners. In 1917, Agnés opened her own salon. For her personal wardrobe, she reportedly favored Madeline Vionnet and Louiseboulanger. She was reportedly aware of artistic currents, mining both contemporary and historic art for her designs. In 1925, she designed a close-fitting cloche wrapped with gold and silver leaves, which was described in an advertisement as the "headgear of a goddess." In the 1930s, Madame Agnés began designing softer, draped hats somewhat similar to a turban. In 1936, she created a "Hindu beret turban" for Marlene Dietrich; this hat was a softly puffed beret, tilted to the side. Our Madame Agnés is somewhere between a turban and a hood.

Agnés
1940-43
Museum Purchase
2009.5.23

Bathing cap

 

It's the time of year when those of us in the northern hemisphere start dreaming about summer. Winter has gone on long enough and we're ready for warmer weather. Granted, the FIDM Museum is located in Los Angeles, so we can't complain too much. Still, I find myself repeatedly searching the terms "swimwear" and "sundress" in our collections database. A recent search for "bathing cap" revealed this late 1950s rubber bathing cap, textured and printed to resemble a woman's hairstyle and adorned with a flocked flower.

Bathing cap
Rubber with fabric flower and leaf
c. 1956
Museum Purchase
2003.5.36

Valentina hat

 

Valentina never suffered a lack of confidence in her taste or in her design skills. She was notorious for giving clients what she thought the needed, not what they requested. In 1952, Life magazine reported that her maxim to clients was "take it or take it," also noting that "a buyer who arrives to be fitted in a red dress may find that Valentina has decided it should be blue."¹ For the most part, clients accepted Valentina's imperious dictates, allowing themselves to be dressed as the Russian-born, New York-based couturier felt appropriate. Fortunately for her clients, Valentina believed that clothing should be designed and constructed to last for years, to be discarded only when it was entirely worn out. A 1952 anecdote recounts Valentina's dismay at a client who wanted to purchase a new outfit:"A new street outfit? Ridiculous! What's wrong with the navy one I made you four years ago?"²

Traveling dusters

A traveling duster is a loose fitting outer garment worn to shield clothing from the dirt, dust and grime of travel. Though protective outer garments have been used for centuries to shield workers from the hazards of their trade, traveling dusters are unique in their association with the luxury of rapid travel. Within the United States, references to traveling dusters seem to have increased in the mid 19th century, just as train tracks were spreading throughout the United States.¹ Nineteenth-century passenger and freight trains were powered by steam engines, which were fueled by burning coal or wood. The resulting smoke and ash entered the passenger cars through open windows, along with dust generated by the movement of the train along the tracks. All in all, nineteenth-century train travel was a fairly dirty business. It's no wonder that dust and dirt repellent traveling dusters were worn by many train passengers.

Duster
Linen
1877-1880
Gift of Joshua & Jenny Livingston
2000.879.1

Silk moire bonnet, c. 1845

Bonnet
c. 1845
2008.5.32
Museum Purchase

During the 1840s, headcoverings were an essential part of every women's wardrobe. Inside the home, women often wore delicate, lacy caps which covered the hair and tied under the chin. When venturing out into the world, most American women wore a bonnet made of straw or silk. In the mid-1840s, the fashionable bonnet shape was that seen here: a continuous crown and brim forming a straight line with low tabs covering the cheeks and ears. Embellishment varied, but a bow or puff of ribbons on one side, long ribbon ties at the chin and a "bavolet" were common characteristics. The bavolet, a gathered panel of fabric extending from the lower back of the bonnet, was also functional, providing sun protection for the neck. It also covered and protected the fashionable hairstyle, a knot or twist of hair worn low on the neck. The interior of the bonnet brim often featured additional decoration in the form of artificial flowers, lace or the frilled edges of a house cap peeking out from under the bonnet. Photographic evidence indicates that some women wore fancy house caps under their bonnets, particularly when visiting. The bonnet was removed to reveal the house cap only when entering a home or other appropriate indoor space.