FIDM Museum Blog

Moschino Couture! evening gown, 1992

Made of rainbow-hued silk satin, this Moschino Couture! evening gown was worn to an early 1990s costume ball. Though we have few details about the event, if all the costumes were this eye-catching, it was surely a splendid evening. Any guesses as to the identity the wearer wanted to assume? Think of a well-known historical figure, one who supposedly said, "Let them eat cake!"
Evening gown
Moschino Couture!
1992
Gift of Eden Riegel
2010.1007.1

Jeanne Lanvin fashion figure

Fashion Figure
Winter 1921
Jeanne Lanvin
Museum Purchase
2008.25.1

The original purpose of this extremely rare Jeanne Lanvin (1867-1946) fashion figure is a mystery. It may have been associated with an extensive display of figures at the International Silk Exhibition held in New York City's Grand Central Palace in 1921.¹ Its construction is unusual: a flat, wooden body with lightly padded contours covered with flesh-colored silk crêpe and articulated copper arms with flipper-like hands in the angular Art Deco style. The haughty, painted face with its target-like rouge mimics the highly stylized makeup of the maison's super-attenuated fashion plate figures.

A corresponding croquis from the Lanvin Archive reveals this modѐle's title: "Rose Poupon," which translates to "Plump Rose." It is also a play on words referencing the fashion figures of the eighteenth-century called "poupées," or "dolls," that were sent worldwide to showcase the latest Paris fashions. Lanvin's romantic robe de style—a full-skirted dress with concentrations of gathers at the hips—was the antithesis of the sleek, tubular silhouette that dominated the 1920s. Gathered ribbon roses with hand-tinted pink centers trim the neckline and form a trellis on the skirt. They were called "roses de Polignac," after Gabrielle, comtesse de Polignac (1749-1793), confidant of Queen Marie Antoinette (1755-1793). Lanvin's daughter and muse, Marie-Blanche (1897-1958), was a twentieth-century comtesse de Polignac.

1 Vogue (April 1, 1921), 42-43.

 

Fashion Birthday: Hubert de Givenchy

Couturier Hubert de Givenchy was born on this day in 1927. Now retired, Givenchy is one of the last living couturiers to have learned his art during the golden age of the haute couture. His training began in 1945 when he took a position with Jacques Fath. By December 1951, when Givenchy opened his own couture house, he had trained under Jacques Fath, Robert Piguet, Lucien Lelong and Elsa Schiaparelli. Vogue highlighted Givenchy's February 1952 debut collection, calling it "one of the most news-worthy happenings in Paris this spring."¹ The collection was notable for its emphasis on separates, including the crisp white Bettina blouse, modeled by Bettina Graziani. A version of the Bettina blouse is seen in this March 1952 Life magazine article on Givenchy's debut collection.

Evening dress
Hubert de Givenchy
Autumn-Winter 1968-69
Silk velvet, cockerel feathers
77.116.14
Gift of Mrs. Alfred Bloomingdale

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

21st Annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition is now open!

21st Annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design
February 12-April 27, 2013
Tuesday–Saturday
10:00 am to 5:00 pm
FREE and open to the public.

The FIDM Museum is pleased to announce the opening of the 21st Annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition! Since its inception in 1992, the exhibition has annually honored the incredible creativity of costume designers in the film industry. This year's exhibit showcases costumes from all five Academy Award nominees for Best Costume: Anna Karenina, Les Misérables, Lincoln, Mirror Mirror, and Snow White and the Huntsman. Also featured are costumes from American Reunion, Argo, The Avengers, Django Unchained, End of Watch, Hitchcock, The Hunger Games, John Carter, The Master, ParaNorman, A Royal Affair, Skyfall, and Sparkle. Selected costumes from The Artist, last year's Academy Award winner for Costume Design, are also on exhibit.

We know you'll visit soon, but in the meantime, enjoy this preview of the exhibit. To see additional images, including some pictures of the opening celebration, visit our Facebook page.

Gallery overview

Prada orchid shoes, Spring/Summer 2008

Shoes
Spring/Summer 2008
Miuccia Prada
Silk velvet, suede, leather & plastic
Museum Purchase
2009.5.11AB

Miuccia Prada (b. 1949) received a PhD in political science from the University of Milan, but altered the course of her life by entering the world of fashion. She is a major collector of modern art—a passion reflected in collaborations with emerging talents, such as artist James Jean (b. 1979), who drew enchanted forests filled with fairies, insects, and orchids for Prada's Spring/Summer 2008 line. Jean's sinuous illustrations were enlarged as a backdrop for the fashion show and advertising campaign, in addition to being printed on clothing, purses, and shoeboxes. His fantasy world came to life in Trembled Blossoms, a short animated film produced to correspond with the Prada collection. Transformation and fragility pervade the movie: a naked, nymph-like woman emerges from an orchid to be dressed in a complete Prada wardrobe by magical forest creatures that morph into clothing. Orchids blossom on the heels of this pair of pumps; their glossy sheen suggests hand-painted porcelain. The rich floral palette and girlish bows continue the theme of enchanting female charm.

From the Archives: Pucci maxi dress, 1964

Today's post, originally published in 2010, explores a 1964 Pucci print inspired by designer Emilio Pucci's travels in Africa.

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Emilio Pucci's (1914-1992) intensely colored prints are one of the most easily identifiable signatures in fashion. Often described as "kaleidoscopic," a classic Pucci print is a swirling mass of abstract shapes, sinuous lines and wild color. Emilio Pucci designed these prints himself, drawing inspiration from his Italian heritage and his extensive travels around the globe. The dynamic composition of the prints was perhaps inspired by Pucci's experience as a World War II pilot. In later years, he "clearly recalled the constant movement and the kaleidoscope of colors that spread out before him" when flying over Europe.¹

By the early 1960s, Pucci prints, in the form of lightweight, easily packed silk jersey dresses, were tremendously popular with the international jet set. Not only were the prints exciting, the fit was also provocative. Pucci's dresses were designed to highlight the body, lacking the rigid understructure of most 1950s dress designs. Widely copied at all price-points, the exuberant pattern and figure-skimming silhouette of a Pucci dress embodied the youthful, optimistic spirit that dominated the 1960s.

Maxi dress
1964
Emilio Pucci
Gift of Mrs. Robert L. Wood
97.692.1

Claire McCardell day dress, c. 1950

Day dress
Claire McCardell
c. 1950
FIDM Museum Purchase
2003.5.28AB

Claire McCardell had a way with stripes. She played with them, spinning and twisting their orientation to create dazzling visual effects. Here, lavender, aqua, purple, and blue stripes are exploited for their graphic potential. Horizontal stripes decorate the full skirt, while the mitered bodice draws the eye upward. This style of bodice, cut all-in-one on the bias, was one of the designer's favorite "McCardellisms," one of several recurrent design solutions that defined her aesthetic. Instead of darts, pintucks give the bodice its shape. In general, McCardell avoided darts, preferring to create silhouette via tucking, tying, wrapping or gathering.

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

 

Red and black ensemble, 1894-96

In the 1890s, most women’s dresses were made-to-measure. Though ready-made clothing was increasingly common, garments that required a precise fit or featured delicate embellishment were typically custom-made, either by the wearer herself, or by a trusted seamstress. Though some women had the financial means to purchase their wardrobes in Paris, most women relied on the advice of their (hopefully up-to-date) dressmaker, example gowns made in the latest style, or on printed descriptions of new fashions. Fashion magazines gave detailed descriptions of stylish garments so that women could make, or have made, approximations of the styles described. This passage from June 1894 is typically detailed: "A dainty organdie with a pale lavender ground, deeply spotted with deep purple flowerets, has two simple six-inch ruffles finishing the skirt, each ruffle trimmed with two rows of narrow moire ribbon in the deep purple shade."¹ The description continues, providing the reader with enough information on cut, material, and embellishment to enable the creation of a similar garment. Simple line drawings sometimes accompanied these written descriptions.

Woman's ensemble
1894-96
Silk
Gift of the Manlove Family
S2006.870.22AB