FIDM Museum Blog

Making paper wigs

When dressing a mannequin for exhibition, it's important not to overlook the details. Careful attention to the total look makes an ensemble, and an exhibition, complete. Fully dressed mannequins also help visitors better understand the time-period on display. Once we've selected a garment for inclusion in an exhibition, we consider accessories. Is jewelry appropriate? Should she carry a handbag? What about shoes? And most importantly...what about hair?

Curly hair c. 1895 topped with a straw boater. The waves were created by cutting paper on curved lines. To keep the curls from appearing limp, individual strands of hair were curled with a pencil

A Century of Cotton: Selections from The Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection, 1800-1900

A Century of Cotton: Selections from The Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection, 1800-1900
FIDM Museum Larson Gallery
Tuesday through Saturday, 10am–5pm
Opens to the public February 12, 2013

Showcasing the beauty and versatility of cotton fabrics, this exhibition highlights selected cotton garments and accessories from The Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection. Beginning in the late seventeenth-century, lightweight cotton fabrics gradually supplanted the dominance of fragile and expensive silks. As cotton became increasingly popular, fashionable dress incorporated this new medium into its vocabulary. Including woven, printed and embroidered cottons, A Century of Cotton also traces the dramatic changes that occurred in the fashionable female silhouette between 1800 and 1900.

Afternoon Dress
United States, c. 1908
Cotton-embroidered linen & cotton crochet lace
L2011.13.1060

Hat
Europe or United States, c. 1908
Cotton floral trim & straw
L2011.13.538

Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection
Proposed FIDM Museum Acquisitions

 

Video from the Costume Colloquium III

If Christina's recent post describing her experiences at the Costume Colloquium in Florence piqued your curiosity, you're in luck! Videos of all the conference presentations are now available on the Costume Colloquium website. You can watch Christina's presentation, “Doris Langley Moore: Ultimate ‘Woman in Fashion’” here. Find Christina's presentation by clicking on the button reading 9/11/2012; her presentation is the second listed. According to the Costume Colloquium's website, you'll need to view the video using either the Internet Explorer or Chrome browsers.

Pictured below is the c. 1878 wedding gown that started Christina's research on Doris Langley Moore almost 10 years ago! She was first introduced to this princess-line gown by Moore's book, The Woman in Fashion. In 2001, the gown was donated to the FIDM Museum by the Helen Larson Estate. Readers, watch the video of Christina's presentation to see how this wedding gown fits into her research.

Wedding Gown
c. 1878
2001.31.4
Gift of the Helen Larson Estate

Out & About: FIDM Museum at the Costume Colloquium III

Curator Kevin Jones and Associate Curator Christina Johnson recently returned from a conference in Florence, Italy. In today's post, Christina recounts their trip, including museum visits, and highlights from her presentation.

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Kevin and I traveled to Florence, Italy, last month for Costume Colloquium III. My paper, “Doris Langley Moore: Ultimate ‘Woman in Fashion’” had been accepted to the bi-annual colloquium. Every other year, the organizers of the Costume Colloquium select a thematic focus and solicit research on the topic; this year’s theme was ‘Past Dress Future Fashion.'

Christina by the Arno River.

I was honored to participate, and so excited to present some of my new research on Doris Langley Moore, a remarkable British woman who was one of the most important costume historians and dealers of the 20^th century. I have been fascinated by her for years; I discovered her 1949 book on the history of fashion, The Woman in Fashion, in high school.

Cover, The Woman in Fashion. This visual exploration of fashion history was published in 1949.

Event Recap: Monarchy Lecture & Royal Tea

FIDM Museum’s Fashion Council wrapped up their 2012 event season with the Monarchy Lecture & Royal Tea on Saturday, December 1. At this sold-out event, 75 Fashion Council members and friends gathered at FIDM’s Orange County campus to enjoy a Royal Tea, and learn more about British royal dress from The Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection.

Monarchy Lecture at FIDM Orange County

The Costume Cafe Podcast

Want to learn more about The Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection? You're in luck! The Costume Cafe's Colleen Marie Monroe recently interviewed FIDM Museum Curator Kevin Jones about this outstanding collection. Their conversation covered a range of topics, including the origins of Helen Larson's collection, her collecting methodology and a discussion of collection highlights. You can listen to their conversation via The Costume Cafe's podcast page. Hope you enjoy this look into The Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection!

Event: Monarchy Lecture & Royal Tea

Monarchy Lecture & Royal Tea
December 1, 2012
9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Join FIDM Museum curators Kevin Jones and Christina Johnson, with historians Dale Gluckman and Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, in a discussion of British Royal Dress from The Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection. The presentation will include a 1761 court bodice worn to the coronation of King George III, Princess Charlotte of Wales’ 1816-17 gown, an investigation of the provenance of gowns worn by Queen Victoria, and insight into Helen Larson’s collecting practices. Ticket purchase includes tea and a selection of exquisite savories and sweets.

Tickets for this event are $50 per person. To purchase tickets please visit the FIDM Museum Shop. Seating at this event is limited. The Monarchy Lecture & Royal Tea will be held at the FIDM Orange County campus: 17590 Gillette Avenue, Irvine, CA 92614-5610.

 

Accessories from The Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection

The Annette Green Fragrance Archive Presents:
Accessories from The Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection

Shoes
Europe, c. 1800
Leather, canvas & ink
Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection
L2011.13.534AB

We are delighted to announce the opening of Accessories from The Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection, now on view in The Annette Green Fragrance Archive. This new exhibit complements A Century of Millinery Style: Hats from the Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection, 1820s - 1920s. Both exhibits are drawn from Helen Larson's exceptional private collection. Surveying footwear, fans, gloves, purses, and hats, these objects demonstrate Helen Larson’s acquisition prowess and appreciation of fashion history. From a pair of 1860s men’s floral Berlin woolwork slippers to a 1930s crimson reptile skin handbag, the importance of adornment is not lost on the viewer of this visually striking installation.

Accessories from The Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection is FREE and open to the public Monday through Saturday, 10am–5pm. The exhibition is located in The Annette Green Fragrance Archive, on the second floor of FIDM's Los Angeles campus. Check-in is required at the security station on the ground floor. 

*There are no fragrance related objects on display at this time.*

Princess Mary's 1922 going-away dress

The Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection, which the FIDM Museum is currently fundraising to acquire, includes over 50 ensembles worn by British royal women. In this blog post, Associate Curator Christina Johnson examines a dress with royal provenance, utilizing letters in the Helen Larson Papers and additional primary source material to trace a path back to its original wearer.

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After reading hundreds of her letters, I understand that Helen Larson was absolutely intrigued with royalty. Most of her pieces with royal provenance were acquired during the 1960s and 1970s, when she employed British costume historian and dealer Doris Langley Moore to bid for her at auctions as well as make contact with extended members of Britain’s royal family in hopes that they might part with old clothes worn by their illustrious relatives.

At Helen’s request in 1977, Doris wrote to George Lascelles, Seventh Earl of Harewood. He had been a member of Doris’s Museum of Costume Committee in the 1950s, when she was trying to find a home for her own collection of antique clothes. Photograph of Princess Mary as a young girl, Helen Larson Papers

A Century of Millinery Style: Hats from the Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection, 1820s - 1920s

 

 

A Century of Millinery Style: Hats from the Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection, 1820s - 1920s is the latest installation in the FIDM Museum's Larson Gallery. Twenty-five rare women's hats, bonnets, and toques fill the gallery, offering visitors a chronological overview of 19^th and early 20^th century millinery fashions. Three fully dressed mannequins illustrate the relationship between hats and fashionable day dress. Period photographs highlight a range of millinery styles, from delicate to extreme. Two hat boxes, separated by 100 years, exemplify the large packaging needed to protect these expensive, and often fragile, creations.

The Larson Gallery is open July 31 – October 20, 2012, Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Hat
Label: J.W. Robinson Co.
Los Angeles, California, c. 1917
Metal sequins, silk velvet, dyed & lacquered stripped ostrich feathers
L2011.13.615

Day Dress
Label: Harvey Nichols
London, England, c. 1916
Printed silk, cotton organdy & cotton floss
L2011.13.975
Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection; Proposed FIDM Museum Acquisition