FIDM Museum Blog

Indoor slippers, 1850-75

 

Our Study Collection offers FIDM students, faculty and researchers hands-on access to historic garments and accessories. Objects find a home in our Study Collection for a variety of reasons. Sometimes we have near multiples in the Permanent collection, or a donated object shows signs of age or wear. All Study Collection objects are accessioned because they have something to offer. Though well-worn, this single leather slipper is evidence of a nineteenth century footwear trend while also offering insight into nineteenth century conceptions of public and private space.

Slipper
Leather, satin, linen
1850-75
Gift of Steven Porterfield
S2009.897.188

American Editions of Paris Originals: 1950s couture copying

 

Should fashion designers be able to protect their creative output with copyright protection? Regardless of your position on this issue, issues related to fashion and copyright keep appearing in the media. Just yesterday, fashion bloggers noticed that a costume designed by Jany Temime for the upcoming Harry Potter film is remarkably similar to an Alexander McQueen design. Responses to the similarity of these two gowns vary, from condemnation of Temime, to the suggestion that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. The timing of this controversy is strangely coincidental, as today's planned post examines two similar 1950s coats: one designed by Balenciaga and one created by an unknown designer and retailed by I.Magnin. Though these coats differ in some important respects (color, collar detail), their similarities can be used to illustrate how copies of couture fashions were perceived in the 1950s.

Balenciaga
1957
Transfer from the Museum at FIT, Gift of Beth Levine
2004.291.13

Re-Designing History: FIDM Museum Study Collection, 1850-2000

 

Re-Designing History: FIDM Museum Study Collection, 1850-2000 is now open!
This free exhibition is open to the public Tuesday–Saturday, 10am–4pm, until December 17, 2010.

Coat
c. 1926
Silk & lamé brocade & mink
Gift of Ms. Judy Thomsen
FIDM Museum Study Collection
S2004.823.15

The FIDM Museum Study Collection contains 2,000 objects spanning 200 years: haute couture and ready-to-wear garments, accessories, non-western dress, and textiles. Study Collections are located on all four FIDM campuses: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orange County, and San Diego. Students, scholars, designers, and the public access the collections for hands-on education—school projects, personal research, and design inspiration. Individual objects are examined in Museum storage or, combinations are assembled for classroom study—such as historical construction, pattern development, and sewing techniques.

Fashion is cyclical, and savvy designers glean inspiration from previous centuries. There are countless ways to rethink retro styles: great design remains a potent source even when outmoded. Our purpose in cultivating the Study Collections is to learn from successful designers and expand the knowledge of fashion history.

Vivienne Westwood
c. 2002
Silk chiffon & gold lamé
Museum Purchase
FIDM Museum Study Collection
S2004.5.3
    
To complement the exhibition, we will host the Re-Designing History Speakers Series. FIDM Museum curators Kevin Jones and Christina Johnson, and Carolyn Robertson, head of FIDM’s History of Costume Department will provide insights into the history of fashion. A guided tour of Re-Designing History will follow each presentation. All programs start at 11am and are free and open to the public.

Saturday, November 6
Kevin Jones & Christina Johnson
An Introduction to the FIDM Museum
Doris Langley Moore: Ultimate Woman in Fashion

Saturday, November 13
Carolyn Robertson
The Early 20th Century Woman: Her Changing Self-image

Saturday, December 4
Carolyn Robertson
Art: The Compelling Force behind Fashion

Saturday, December 11
Carolyn Robertson
Embellishment: More than Decoration

 

Please Note: The exhibition will be closed on November 11, 2010 for Veteran’s Day and November 25–27, 2010 for Thanksgiving break.

S-bend silhouette

The S-bend silhouette emerged about 1900 and reigned supreme until the end of the decade. Created by a specific style of corset, the S-bend is characterized by a rounded, forward leaning torso with hips pushed back. This shape earned the silhouette its name; in profile, it looks similar to a tilted S. The corset itself had a flat, straight front and and started low on the bustline, unlike late 19th century corsets which supported the bust and pushed in the waist. To create the desired full, rounded and unarticulated bustline, many women wore bust improvers or padded corset covers. The resulting silhouette is sometimes referred to as the pouter pigeon, as it resembled the puffed chest of a pouter pigeon. When viewed in profile, the full bust was balanced by gathers at the back of the skirt and sometimes a slight train.

Day dress
Wool crepe/silk taffeta
1902-04
Gift of Helen Sponsel
S2007.910.7A-C

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

Re-Designing History Illustration Competition

 

The FIDM Museum is holding an illustration competition for currently enrolled FIDM students! Create a design inspired by the beautiful, c. 1872 fuchsia day dress currently on view in the lobby of the second floor at the Los Angeles campus and you might win a cash prize. If you study at one of the other FIDM campuses, don't worry, we've got you covered! The images below show the c. 1872 day dress from all angles.

The winning illustrations will be displayed next to their historic inspiration in the upcoming exhibition Re-Designing History: FIDM Museum Study Collection, 1850-2000 to open in October 2010. The competition is open to all majors. Illustrations must be submitted by September 1, 2010 to the FIDM Museum Office, Suite 250, attention Kevin Jones, curator. The winning designs will be chosen by a panel of judges who will look for overall creativity, visual composition, and design inspiration. Cash prizes will be awarded to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners.

We can't wait to see your submissions!

Day dress
Silk
c. 1872
Gift of Steven Porterfield
S2008.897.5A-C

S2008.897.5A-C Side view

S2008.897.5A-C

Pantsuit dressing, c. 1972

As described in this recent post on our Sonia Rykiel tunic, women gradually adopted trousers as everyday dress in the 1970s. While the Sonia Rykiel tunic demonstrates a somewhat ambivalent acceptance of trousers, this tan wool pants suit from our Study Collection would have been worn by a woman entirely convinced that trousers were here to stay.

Two-piece pants suit
c. 1973
Gift of California Hospital Medical Center
S2007.165.11AB

FIDM Museum Shows Off at Debut

Our post today was written by Meghan Grossman Hansen, FIDM Museum Registrar.

Last month the FIDM Museum participated in the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising’s annual Debut fashion show—but calm your fears, there were no models sauntering down the runway in fragile historic clothes. High Style: Betsy Bloomingdale and the Haute Couture was the inspiration for an elegant display of FIDM Museum Study Collection garments donated by Mrs. Bloomingdale. This selection of colorful dresses included evening, cocktail, and day dresses worn by the style icon to notable events. Like most of her haute couture pieces donated to the FIDM Museum, many of the garments on display were designed by Marc Bohan for Christian Dior.

The completed FIDM Museum display at Debut.

Morning gown, c. 1895

For the Victorian woman, correct dress was an essential component of social acceptance. Women of the aristocratic classes and the nouveaux riche changed outfits multiple times each day, always with the knowledge that dress played a crucial role in determining social standing. Understanding the correspondence between the details (trim, fabric, neckline, etc.) of a particular gown and a specific social occasion was valued knowledge, "from which one could not depart without appearing lacking in education."¹ Fortunately for the "uneducated," magazines like Harper's Bazaar and Godey's Magazine contained articles on dress and etiquette for all occasions. The gown pictured below is of a type called a morning gown, intended for breakfast at home with the family and possibly some light housework or correspondence.

Morning gown
1893-1897
Gift of Marilyn Habicht
S2002.41.1

FIDM Museum garment inspires The Wild Party costume

 

Today's post by Katy Werlin describes how a garment in the FIDM Museum collection inspired a costume for the musical The Wild Party. Katy interned with us during the summer of 2009, while on summer break from her studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Katy is currently a junior, majoring in dramatic arts with a minor in music. Katy recently started a fashion history blog, which you can visit here.

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When I was asked to costume design Andrew Lippa’s musical The Wild Party for the UNC Pauper Players, I could barely wait to get started. The Wild Party is set in the 1920s, and is the story of two seedy vaudeville performers who decide to throw a huge party. Things get completely out of control- there’s drugs, an orgy, and murder. Although there are some great song and dance numbers that will, trust me, get stuck in your head very easily, this is definitely not your typical lighthearted musical. As the costume designer, I was very eager to play with the sparkle and glamour of 1920s fashion versus the sketchiness of the characters. While I wanted the pizazz of the roaring ‘20s, I also wanted the costumes to look cheap, disgusting, and kept in mind that these people either have no taste, or can’t afford to have taste.

The Wild Party with Katy's FIDM Museum inspired costume at center front