FIDM Museum Blog

Out & About: Fred Astaire's tuxedo on exhibit at the RISD Museum

In today's post, FIDM Museum Registrar Meghan Grossman Hansen describes the process of preparing objects for transport to exhibitions at other institutions. FIDM Museum has an active loan program, and we often have 1 or more objects on exhibit at museums near or far. Beginning April 28, see a tuxedo worn by Fred Astaire in Artist/Rebel/Dandy: Men of Fashion at the RISD Museum in Providence, Rhode Island.

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We are always excited to see the FIDM Museum collection travel. Most recently, we sent Fred Astaire's tuxedo to join many other dapper gentlemen in Artist/Rebel/Dandy: Men of Fashion, an exhibition at the RISD Museum (April 28 - August 18, 2013). Featuring more than 200 objects, this exhibit traces the history and persona of the dandy, with a focus on well-known fashionable men.

Fred Astaire was very particular about his wardrobe, with strong preferences about cuffs, jacket length, stripe width, and other minute details. He once claimed that he took each new suit to the tailor "at least half a dozen times."¹ For Artist/Rebel/Dandy, we loaned the RISD Museum a 1930s tuxedo, waistcoat, and bow tie worn by Astaire. The wool crepe tuxedo was made by Anderson & Sheppard Ltd., a Savile Row tailor still in existence today.

Fred Astaire’s tuxedo on exhibit at the RISD Museum, loan courtesy of the FIDM Museum, City of Los Angeles, Department of Recreation and Parks (L88.1.31AB). Photograph by Erik Gould, courtesy of the RISD Museum.

 

Out & About: Visiting the Maryhill Museum of Art

Though our blog posts usually focus solely on FIDM Museum projects, today’s post explores another museum's collection. I recently visited the Maryhill Museum of Art, home of the legendary Théâtre de la Mode. Because of Maryhill’s location in rural Washington State, not many fashion enthusiasts have the opportunity to see this unusual collection. Experiencing the Théâtre de la Mode in-person was a fascinating experience, one worth sharing with all of our readers.

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Perched on a bluff overlooking the Columbia River, the Maryhill Museum of Art is a long, long way from the haute couture ateliers of Paris. Located on the southern border of Washington State, Maryhill is also a long way (100 miles) from the nearest international airport in Portland, Oregon. Despite its distance from Paris, Maryhill owns a one-of-a-kind collection of Parisian haute couture, the Théâtre de la Mode. Consisting of 2 foot tall wire dolls dressed in haute couture from head-to-toe, this collection offers a unique snapshot of late World War II Parisian fashion.

Visitors to the Maryhill will see 41 of the original dolls on display, staged in three different backdrops. Balenciaga's pearl and bead embroidered evening gown, with matching hat, is front and center when you enter the exhibition. The backdrop is Le Jardin Merveilleux (The Marvelous Garden) by set designer Jean-Denis Malclès. The original backdrop was lost, but Malclès participated in a 1989 recreation of the original set.

 

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.

Out & About: FIDM Museum at The Making of a Monarchy for the Modern World conference

 

 

What a busy summer! In early June, we attended the Costume Society of America symposium, which Kevin described in his recent blog post. Immediately after the conference, Kevin and Christina (our curator and associate curator, respectively) flew to London to present research at another conference, The Making of a Monarchy for a Modern World. In today's blog post, Christina takes us to London with a lively, illustrated overview of their trip, including conference details, and museum exhibitions visited. Thanks Christina! We can't wait to hear about your experiences at the upcoming Costume Colloquium in Florence, Italy.

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Kevin Jones and I flew to London after participating in the Costume Society of America’s Annual Symposium in Atlanta, Georgia. We arrived on June 4—right in the middle of the Diamond Jubilee festivities!

 

Out & About: FIDM Museum at the Costume Society of America National Symposium

 

 

Are you fascinated with the etiquette of 18th century court dress? Do you regale your family and friends with the details of Christian Dior's impact on 20th century fashion? Do your bookshelves groan with the weight of all your fashion books? If this sounds familiar, consider joining the Costume Society of America (CSA), an organization dedicated to promoting the understanding of dress and appearance through scholarship and study. The CSA annual symposium, held in a different North American city each year, is a haven for those of us interested in fashion and fashion history. For three days in late spring, scholars and enthusiasts immerse themselves in all the latest research. This year's conference included a keynote address by Andrew Bolton of The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, presentations on making a career in dress and textile studies, dressing the macaroni male, the conservation of Voudou ceremonial artifacts and many other areas of dress and textile studies. In this blog post, FIDM Museum curator Kevin Jones recaps CSA presentations and workshops by FIDM Museum staff.

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Staff from the FIDM Museum have been out and about recently, both nationally and internationally. Our first stop was Atlanta, Georgia, for the 38th Annual National Symposium of the Costume Society of America. Not only did we network with colleagues and visit world-class museums, but there was plenty of FIDM Museum participation, too. Study Collection Manager and mount maker Carolyn Jamerson and Social Media Manager Rachel Harris teamed up for a much anticipated 2-hour workshop on the making of archival-quality polyester felt and wire invisible mounts. The 30 participants (and a waiting list of 10 hopefuls) learned the techniques of creating custom-made mounts that can be used for both exhibition and storage. Each attendee received a starter package that included all the supplies and instructions needed, and got to make a miniature corset mount to take home.

Miniature corset mount. Made from felt stiffened by wire supports, this mount invisibly supports a small corset. Read more about how we make invisible mounts here.