FIDM Museum Blog

The Height of Fashion

 

Today's post is courtesy of our registrar, Meghan Grossman Hansen. In this post, Meghan examines the interaction between the fashionable silhouette and the human body in the second half of the nineteenth century. You'll also get a sneak peak at two day gowns featured in our upcoming exhibition, FABULOUS! Ten Years of FIDM Museum Acquisitions, 2000-2010.

As a fashion museum professional, I spend a lot of time looking at fashion plates. By examining these beautiful illustrations, including this one from the Los Angeles Public Library, the researcher becomes familiar with the fashionable silhouette in its most idealized state, an important part of learning about the history of fashion. And yet, on a daily basis, I work with clothes that were worn by actual women, not the idealized figures of fashion illustrations. This dichotomy of ideal and real comes to life when we dress a historic garment for exhibition.
Day Gown
Paris, France, c. 1897
P. Barroin, Designer
Printed dotted Swiss, silk chiffon, silk taffeta & cotton braid
Gift of Jane Riggs & Lynelle Doll
2010.1098.3A-C

During a photography shoot for the forthcoming exhibition catalog, FABULOUS! Ten Years of FIDM Museum Acquisitions, 2000-2010, our curators selected this Parisian couture day dress by P. Barroin to represent the assimilation of sportswear into French high fashion. What we all noticed once she was dressed was her height, at least 5 feet 10 inches! We were all wowed by her height, and seeing this garment dressed was an object lesson in how changes to silhouette were proportional to the individual being dressed. For a woman of her height, the shoulder puffs and skirt hem were proportionately expanded. The result is a balanced shape of broad shoulders and wide skirts, accentuating the narrow waist. This Amazonian woman corseted herself down to 28 inches, a far cry from  Scarlett O’Hara’s legendary 16 inch-waist. Nevertheless, this stately woman appears both fashionable and impressive in stature. This is incontrovertible proof against the myth that ‘everyone was smaller back then.’

Corselet, 1790-98

 

Corselet
1790-98
Gift of the Helen Larson Estate
S2001.31.17

This late eighteenth century corselet is a bit of a puzzle. Structurally, it's akin to a corset, complete with boning throughout. Despite its similarity to a corset, the surface embellishment, including small metal disks, metallic galoon lace and two vertical rows of ornate metal hooks, certainly doesn't lend itself to being worn as an undergarment. Given its dimensional surface embellishment, this corselet was definitely worn over another garment. But in what context? Was it fashionable dress, fancy dress or an example of regional dress? Given that underwear as outerwear wasn't a part of late eighteenth century or early nineteenth century fashionable dress, it is either an example of regional dress or part of a fancy dress costume.

Pedro Rodriguez sheath dress, c. 1965

 

A recent debate in the New York Times asked, Has Globalization Ruined Street Style? The question itself is premised on the belief that the combination of extensive social media networks and global clothing retailers have eliminated regional variations in dress. Though the debate participants had differing opinions about whether globalization has been good or bad for street style, it is undeniable that globalization has softened obvious differences in global dress. Subtle differences exist, but they are usually found in small details or overall styling.

The article made me think about designers with a a primarily regional following. Holly Harp, who worked in Los Angeles and drew inspiration from the glamour of Old Hollywood, is one such designer. Another is Pedro Rodriguez, a Spanish designer largely unknown outside of his native country. Rodriguez had a long career, opening his first salon in 1918, and didn't retire until the early 1980s. If by some lucky chance you'll be in Barcelona in the next few days, an exhibition titled "What to Wear?" focuses on his work. Our Pedro Rodriguez pink silk faille evening sheath dates from c. 1965.

Embellished sheath dress
Pedro Rodriguez
c. 1965
Gift of Stephen Porterfield
S2009.897.159

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.

FABULOUS! Ten Years of FIDM Museum Acquisitions, 2000-2010

 

FABULOUS! Ten Years of FIDM Museum Acquisitions, 2000-2010
September 13, 2011-December 17, 2011
Free to the public

 

We are delighted to announce our next exhibition, FABULOUS! Ten Years of FIDM Museum Acquisitions, 2000-2010. Opening on September 13, 2011, this exhibition will showcase an unprecedented array of dress and textile objects from our collection, including this c. 1886-87 reception gown. Throughout the run of the exhibition, we'll feature occasional blog posts on selected objects in the exhibit.

Reception Gown
Europe or United States, c. 1886-1887
Museum Purchase
2009.5.70AB

This exhibition celebrates the past decade of collecting at the FIDM Museum in Los Angeles. With a surge in extraordinary donations and purchases between 2000 and the present, the FIDM Museum collection attained new eminence and richness, particularly in the areas of 19th- and 20th- century haute couture, mid-20th century American designers, and international contemporary designers. In assembling this collection, the museum has adhered to uncompromising standards and acquired only items distinguished by superior design, the highest level of craftsmanship, and the finest materials.

The exhibition includes 175 donated and purchased garments and accessories worn by women, men, and children spanning 1800 to 2010. FABULOUS highlights include: a white gauze French empire gown, a luxurious embroidered court suit worn by composer Johann Hummel, a Redfern court gown with regulation eleven-foot-long train, and a museum-commissioned lace peacock motif Alexander McQueen couture gown. Accompanying the exhibition is a fully illustrated 375-page catalogue.

Jacket and Shirt
c. 1976-1980
Malcom McLaren and Vivienne Westwood
Seditionaries Personal Collection, Label
Museum Purchase, Funds Provided by Dorothy Washington Sorensen, by exchange
2010.5.61 and 2010.5.63

Pants
c. 1974-1975
Malcom McLaren & Vivienne Westwood
Sex Original, Label
Museum Purchase, Funds Provided by Dorothy Washington Sorensen, by exchange
2010.5.62

Cabana set, c. 1955

 

Though "cabana set" sounds like the nickname for an elite group of beach hopping travellers, it actually refers to a matching or coordinating set of man's swim trunks and sport shirt or light jacket. Though California swimwear manufacturer Catalina promoted matching swim trunks and sport shirts in the 1940s, the term cabana set wasn't applied to this casual ensemble until sometime in the early 1950s. This clever marketing ploy elevated a straightforward sportswear pairing to an outfit suitable for the relaxed, yet sophisticated, indoor/outdoor lifestyle closely associated with Southern California. A 1954 advertisement for Arrow brand cabana sets declared them suitable for "dad's loafing, puttering or beaching."¹ As this quote reveals, cabana sets were marketed as multi-purpose sportswear, suitable both on the beach and off. Cabana set
c. 1955
In Loving Memory of Maurice Levin
S2007.917.5AB

Ecarlate de Suzy, 1940

 

This Baccarat perfume bottle contains Ecarlate de Suzy, a perfume that was described as heady and provocative. In the shape of head and neck topped with a red hat, it has the same whimsical quality shared by many of the mid-twentieth century perfume bottles in our fragrance archive. The Suzy referred to in the name of the fragrance is Madame Suzy, a prominent Parisian milliner. This late 1930s Madame Suzy red and white hat is reminiscent of the hat perched on the Ecarlate de Suzy bottle.

Ecarlate de Suzy
Madame Suzy
c. 1939
Gift of Annette Green
F2005.860.349

Evening gown, 1919-1920

 

Evening gown
1919-1920
Gift of Penny Schnabel
2004.821.3