FIDM Museum Blog

Reception dress, c. 1876

 

Reception dress
1876-77
Maison Touin, Paris
Silk faille, wool & silk brocade, linen lace
Gift of John Kauke
82.405.2AB

Made by a Paris dressmaker, this purple and cream reception dress could have walked right off a fashion plate. The styling and details are up to the minute, a reflection of high fashion c. 1876. Since the reign of Louis XIV in the late 17th century, Paris had been the fashion epicenter of the Western world. In 1858, when Charles Frederick Worth and business partner Otto Bobergh established Maison Worth et Bobergh at 7 Rue de la Paix, this street and its environs became the heart of Paris' fashion industry. Maison Touin, the house that created this dress, was located at 3 Rue Ventadour, only a few blocks away from the Rue de la Paix and well-within the stylish orbit of the famous street.

Black silk faille formal dress, 1894-96

 

Studying period garments, fashion illustrations, reference books, and whenever possible, photographs, helps create a mental checklist against which to compare undated garments and images. Unfitted, columnar dress with elaborate beading? Start thinking about the 1920s. A women's suit with fit and styling reminiscent of menswear? Consider the styles of the World War II era. Of course, you'll need to watch out for styles that reference past fashion trends. Carefully examining labels, fabric, trim and construction details can help you ferret out whether a garment is a period original or later revival. There will always be tricky garments that defy exact dating, but understanding when specific styles emerged and declined enables researchers to date and contextualize historic garments.

Two-piece formal dress
1894-96
Gift of The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising
87.25.1AB

Spring flowers

 

Spring is here! Today, March 20, is the first day of spring for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. Spring brings longer days, warmer weather and a host of colorful blooms. In celebration of spring's arrival, we offer you an array of flowers from our collection. Enjoy!

Evening boots
1850-55
Gift of Barbara Bundy
2006.37.3AB

This pair of nineteenth century evening boots feature a pattern of roses and twining foliage. Made of a lightly iridescent silk damask brocade accented with green leather foxing at the heel and toe, these boots were almost certainly made to match an evening gown. Because of their delicacy, they would have been worn indoors only. As was common throughout much of the 19th century, these boots have undefined left and right soles. Shoes with distinctly different shapes for the left and right food didn't became widespread until the late 19th century.

Evening dress, 1925-27

 

Vibrant patterns and bold colors are common characteristics of textiles dating from the 1920s. Rejecting the Belle Epoque palette of off-white and cream accented with pale pink or soft blue, textile designers drew from a variety of eclectic sources to create patterns showcasing a rainbow of saturated colors. Design inspiration came from near and far, with elements of European folk art, modern art movements, non-western cultures and classical civilizations all influencing 1920s textile designs. Though noteworthy in their own right, these textiles were also part of a larger design movement called Art Deco. Originating in France around 1910, Art Deco was based on a luxurious interpretation of modern life. The movement influenced all areas of design, including architecture, fashion, graphic design and decorative arts. Disseminated via the well-attended Paris Exposition of 1925, Art Deco became a universal style that influenced both mass-produced and elite design throughout the world.

Evening dress
1925-27
Gift of Mrs. Geroge Holden
83.360.1

Top five posts of 2011--Day ensemble, 1870-72

 

Our third most popular post of 2011 features a striking green and black day ensemble from the early 1870s. If you've been following our countdown, this ensemble may look familiar. That's because yesterday's post on 1880s bustles included a link to this post. In coloration, it is reminiscent of our Madame Olympe reception gown.

************

Day ensemble
Silk taffeta
1870-72
Gift of Anne Stampfer
94.661.1A-D

About 1868, the crinoline silhouette went out of style. The smooth, distinctly bell-like shape of the crinoline supported skirt began to change form, with the fullness moving towards the back of the shirt. This new skirt shape required a different kind of understructure: the bustle. Essentially a cage crinoline cut in half, the bustle supported the back of the skirt, while leaving the front unsupported. In the early years of the 1870s, the bustle usually extended from the waist to about the mid-calf. A c. 1871 bustle of cotton with metal boning can be found here. The bustle was fashionable until about 1875, when it went out of style as skirts were fitted closer to both the front and back of the body. Beginning about 1883, the bustle enjoyed another round of popularity until finally going entirely out of fashion about 1890.

Top five posts of 2011--Lucile

 

As 2011 comes to a close, we wanted to take a look back at our most popular blog posts of the year. For the next five days, we'll repost the top posts of the year, beginning at number five. Our fifth most popular post features London-born couturier Lucile. Originally published in February, this entry includes a pink Lucile confection, c. 1917.

************

As a child, Lucile Sutherland (1863-1935) designed and sewed clothing for both herself and her sister Elinor. Years later, Lucile's hobby would become the foundation of an internationally successful business. After the dissolution of her first marriage in 1888, Lucile was left with no means of supporting herself and her young daughter. Lacking any other professionally viable skills, Lucile turned to dressmaking. At first, Lucile worked as a society dressmaker in London under her married name, Mrs. James Wallace. Her business expanded rapidly and by 1894, she operated under the name Maison Lucile, eventually incorporating as Lucile Ltd. in 1903. By this time, Lucile's reputation was international. In 1907, the American edition of Pearson's Magazine encouraged all American travelers to visit Lucile Ltd. when in London, as the proprietress was "pleased to open wide her doors to all Americans--even if they have no intention of purchasing."¹ Within a few years, Lucile would open international branches of her store to fulfil the demand for her designs. Lucile Ltd. New York opened in 1910, followed by a Paris store in 1911 and a Chicago store in 1915.

Lucile
c. 1917
Gift of Anonymous Donor
91.40.5

Johann Hummel court suit, c. 1810-14

 

Since our FABULOUS! exhibition opened in September, we've featured selected exhibition highlights on our blog. As FABULOUS! closes tomorrow, this post will be our final installment in the series. Want to revisit favorite pieces from the exhibition? Click here for a complete listing of FABULOUS! blog posts.

This final FABULOUS! post features a stunning early 19th century court suit with a fascinating provenance. Consisting of a jacket and breeches of aubergine silk velvet decorated with silk and metallic embroidery and a cream silk faille vest, this court suit would be a highlight of our collection with or without a known provenance. But its excellent condition and documented provenance make it even more historically important. Created late in the reign of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte (r. 1804-1814/15) by handloom weavers and master embroiders, its uncut voided velvet with gold, silver, rhinestone, and sequin decoration is truly regal. It was donated to the FIDM Museum in 2008 by the family of Johann Hummel's great-great grandson, Michael Hummel. We featured a glimpse of this court suit on our blog in 2009, a few months after it was donated.

Court suit
Uncut voided silk velvet, silk faille, silk embroidery floss, gold & silver embroidery purl & frieze, rhinestone & metal sequins
c. 1810-14
Paris, France
Gift of Yvonne Hummel
2008.947.2A-C

Alexander McQueen Peacock Dress

 

Alexander McQueen's famed peacock evening dress, currently on display in FABULOUS!, is a crowd favorite. Visitors routinely beeline straight for the frothy dress, which resides on a rotating platform in the third and final gallery of the exhibition. We commissioned it from the Alexander McQueen atelier in 2010 and it took about 7 months to create. It is one of only three extant versions of the dress. And do you see those shoes? These replica shoes, based on those worn with the peacock dress during its runway presentation, were created by our mountmaker extraordinaire.

Evening dress
Fall/Winter 2008-9
Commissioned 2010
Alexander McQueen
Museum Commission
Funds provided by Karen Coombs-Jordan
2010.5.73

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

 

Liberty & Co. evening gown, c. 1910

 

Evening gown
Liberty & Co.
c. 1910
Silk satin, silk gauze & pearl beads
Museum Purchase
2006.5.7

Liberty & Co. opened in London's West End during 1875. Founder Arthur Lasenby Liberty stocked his small shop with goods imported from the Middle East and Japan, including curios, porcelain, fans and lengths of fabric. Liberty's shop had a bazaar-like atmosphere and attracted a clientele sympathetic to the ideals of the Aesthetic Movement. From the beginning, textiles were an important part of Lasenby's retail plan. In addition to stocking imported textiles, Liberty & Co. soon began commissioning furnishing and dress textiles from known and emerging artisans. These textiles were all marketed under the name "Liberty Art Fabrics." The most distinct of these textiles were densely patterned and often borrowed imagery from the natural world. One pattern frequently associated with Liberty & Co. features overlapping sprays of peacock feathers. This pattern was designed in the late 1880s, and is still used by Liberty & Co. today. Other textiles were soft, solid color silks in a variety of weights. Whether patterned or plain, Liberty textiles were prized for their softness and graceful drape.