FIDM Museum Blog

Thom Browne

“Everyone told me my clothes didn’t fit, even my friends.”[1]  So says celebrated designer Thom Browne, whose name is synonymous with the shrunken suit tailoring that has become the standout menswear trend of the past decade. Though he is now considered a darling of the fashion industry, his unusual take on classic tailoring was initially met with resistance. But Browne knew there was a market for his designs – he envisioned “the businessman who wants to look both conservative and cool,”[2]  and transformed his personal style into a successful global label.

Thom Browne Fall/Winter 2013/14, Look 8. Photo by Marcus Tondo, courtesy of Vogue.com. 

Fashion was not Browne’s immediate calling. As one of seven children raised in a Catholic family in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Browne learned the benefits of routine, self-discipline, and hard work early on – he is known for eating the same breakfast every day, ritual morning runs, and a sophisticated yet sparsely decorated apartment.[3] Browne’s entire education took place at private schools, wearing the schoolboy uniform that now defines his brand’s aesthetic. He studied business at Notre Dame, but felt called to the arts; he tried acting in Los Angeles for a few years, and spent time in between auditions altering vintage men’s suits and learning the art of tailoring from Libertine designer Johnson Hartig.[4] His official introduction into the fashion business was a job in the Georgio Armani showroom in New York, and later as part of the design team for Ralph Lauren’s Club Monaco.[5]

By the time he launched his label in 2001, Browne had a clear concept for his business. The years spent among California’s casual dress code only heightened his desire to provide a provocative interpretation of classic mid-century male style, impeccably tailored and undeniably cool.[6] Browne’s designs were radical in a time when laidback fashion dominated. When everyone else is wearing jeans and a T-shirt, “actually putting on a jacket is the anti-Establishment.”[7] He was and continues to be his own best spokesperson; at the start of his business, he made five versions of his signature suit and wore it all over New York to attract the attention of potential buyers.[8] Browne remains devoted to the rumpled oxford shirt, skinny tie, shrunken blazer, and pants tailored above the ankle – a uniform of sorts also worn by those who work for him. Eventually, the naysayers were proved wrong when Browne connected with his target audience. Customers enthusiastically embraced his quietly innovative designs and appreciated the fine tailoring and craftsmanship. 

Suit Ensemble (photo by AB Images)
Thom Browne, Fall/Winter 2013/14
Gift of Thom Browne, New York
2013.1249.1A-K; 2013.1260.1A/E  

Intern Report: Maurice Levin Archive

We love it when our interns can combine their passions with hands-on experience, so we were particularly happy to welcome archivist-in-training Sandy Lu to the FIDM Museum this summer. Sandy processed the Museum's Maurice Levin Archive, a collection of personal and professional papers belonging to a prominent mid-century California designer. Read on to learn how Sandy created an organized, accessible archive for future researchers to enjoy!

Sandy is currently a graduate student at UCLA pursuing her Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS). She is interested in design history, pop culture, and the relationship between cultural institutions and public education.

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Think of mid-century California style, and you’re likely to think of bright and breezy leisurewear, surf culture, and the occasional Tiki motif.

Maurice Levin had something to do with that.

Maurice Levin, c. late 1940s
Maurice Levin Archive
Gift of Marsha Fagin in Loving Memory of Maurice Levin
SC2007.917.36

Born in 1926 to a dressmaker mother and a tailor father, Levin seems to have had fashion in his bones. After graduating from New York’s (now defunct) Traphagen School of Fashion in 1949, Levin headed west to Los Angeles. He enrolled at UCLA—which, at the time, did not have a design department—and graduated with a degree in Social Science with curriculum in Apparel Design. Early on, he worked in Hollywood costuming at NBC Television Studios and Western Costume Company.

Levin took one of his first professional fashion design jobs in the early 1950s, at the iconic Jantzen swimwear company. Originally hired as a womenswear designer, he eventually settled into a menswear design position at Jantzen. The popularization of the “pink for men” trend in the 1950s was one of Levin’s proudest contributions to the company.[1]

Levin continued to design men’s and women’s fashion throughout the 1950s, 60s, and 70s for brands such as Alex Colman of California, American Cyanamid, and, most notably, Catalina—where he was a two-time recipient of the Caswell-Massey award for design.

This summer, I had the chance to help process Maurice Levin’s personal and professional papers. Though much of his original organization was maintained, the collection was in need of some attention to help make it accessible to users.

Levin Papers as they were donated.

#AskACurator Recap

Yesterday was officially "Ask A Curator" Day on Twitter: members of the public were invited to ask museum curators questions about their profession, background, personal interests, and even how much coffee they drink! Over 1,300 international museums participated, including the FIDM Museum. Associate Curator Christina Johnson gamely answered questions all day from curious minds around the world. If you missed her responses, check out our recap below. Of course, Ask A Curator isn't limited to one day - feel free to ask questions anytime on social media or the blog! 

Associate Curator Christina Johnson with Curator Kevin Jones

How do you determine what exhibition to curate next?

It's an ongoing conversation with Curator Kevin Jones, our co-workers, and our community. Exhibitions take years to research and everyone on this planet has a finite number of those, so we want to make each one as meaningful as possible.

What's the first thought when preparing to curate an exhibit?

The first thought is always the object list, getting that group of objects together and moving forward from there.

If you could jump into an artwork and live there 24h which would you choose  and why?

I would wear our 1907 Redfern court gown and top it with a Cartier diamond tiara. And since we're talking fantasy, I would make sure to go to Buckingham Palace and meet Queen Alexandra. 

Court gown & train
Redfern, 1907 (London, England)
Museum Purchase, Funds provided by Yvonne Hummel
2008.932.19AB 

What is the biggest misconception people have about curators?

That all we do is research. I also juggle donor relations, budgets, storage, and media. Honestly, there's never enough time to sit down with a book!

What's something you wish the general public knew/understood about curation?

Even after years of study, and seeing thousands and thousands of objects, you still come across things you’ve never seen before!  

What is the biggest compliment a museum visitor can give you?

This is the most beautiful exhibition I have ever seen!

I've always wondered how women's dresses of the past impact the ways you inhabit space?

Think about bustled gowns of the 1880s with a metal understructure to support the fabric. Not only did women take up tons of space in these, they also needed to know how to move while wearing them—you’d be a klutz if you didn’t have deportment lessons! 

Interview with Melina Root & Rachel Bloom

Wild costumes, elaborate musical numbers, and the misadventures of unrequited love: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend delivers it all! We are thrilled to feature Costume Designer Melina Root's imaginative designs in this year's Art of Outstanding Television Costume Design exhibition - her ability to keep up with main character Rebecca Bunch's fantasy musical numbers and real-life shenanigans is truly impressive. Co-creator, star, writer, and Executive Producer Rachel Bloom joined Root for an interview about their collaborative process...read on to learn the story behind the turkey bra, Root's dream costume for Rebecca Bunch, and what to expect in Season Two!

 

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Costume Designer Melina Root and Co-Creator, Star, Writer, and Executive Producer Rachel Bloom

 

Can you walk us through your collaborative process on making the costumes? Do you two discuss ideas based on the script before sketches are made? How many ‘drafts’ of a design do you typically go through?

 

Rachel Bloom: On my end of things, we have an initial meeting in which we discuss concepts based on the script. A sketch will come in and Aline Brosh McKenna [Showrunner, Co-Creator and EP] and I will take a look at it before going forward with making the actual costume. Melina can speak about the process way more in depth than I can!

 

Melina Root: I begin with a script breakdown and any research that's needed for new costumes and characters. Rachel and Aline answer these questions, then we go through a series of meetings where I either present mood boards or sketches and we narrow things down to decide on a direction. Our joint creative process is very fluid - things change rapidly and often- until the build process starts. With costumes, I aim to support the actors' character work, as well as the physical demands of their movements. Once we've arrived at something that works in the fitting room - I send the photos to Aline for approval.  

 

What musical number was the biggest challenge to design for and/or wear and perform in for Season One?

 

RB: For how insane our costumes can be they are all shockingly comfortable and dance-able. The biggest challenge for me is always dancing in heels - the "Sex with a Stranger" stripper heels were a fun little challenge.  

 

Bloom in said stripper heels; courtesy of CW

MR: Yes I would say Rachel was a real trooper with those shoes! We now use dance shoes or sneakers for most musical numbers. 

I find the most difficult part of any number is to find the right tone and to figure out the transition from reality to fantasy. Since we don't do parodies, I try to extract meaning from our inspiration, and then mash it up into our own singular style. "I Give Good Parent" was challenging because I designed that prim blue dress with pearls and sensible heels to appeal to Josh's parents' sense of propriety - Rebecca presenting herself as a Harvard educated "good girl" - but what was the fantastical counterpoint? So I asked Rachel "what would someone like Nicki Minaj do?" and that's how we ending up with her in a turkey bra and panties, sexy dancing Puritans and Josh's mom a wearing fur coat and a gold grille. 

Bloom's "Good Girl" Thanksgiving look

 

Dancing Pilgrims and Bloom as a turkey in "I Give Good Parent" Thanksgiving musical number; courtesy of CW 

A Look at the ILGWU

In honor of Labor Day, we want to recognize one of the largest labor organizations in the garment industry: the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union (ILGWU), representing the thousands of men and women who painstakingly made and manufactured women's clothing. The ILGWU was active from 1900 to 1995, but throughout its 95 year history it made great strides in demanding justice and fair representation for those working in an industry known for extremely hazardous conditions. 

Workers in a garment factory, c. 1910. Courtesy of the Kheel Center at Cornell University.

The ILGWU was started in 1900 during the throes of the Industrial Revolution, when employers and workers clashed over dangerous factory conditions, unfair wages, long hours, and unsanitary environments. The garment industry in particular was rife with injustice, as factory owners took advantage of the largely immigrant workforce. Employees were forced to take sewing home to their cramped tenements, or worked in overcrowded factories with no breaks. The Yiddish lament below (translated to English) was sung in clothing sweatshops at the turn-of-the-century, before reforms reached the factory floors:

Day the same as night, night the same as day.
And all I do is sew and sew and sew.
May God help me, and my love come soon.
That I may leave this work and go. [1]

Large-scale strikes in 1909 and 1910 spurred compromise between the ILGWU and clothing manufacturer associations, resulting in the Protocol of Peace agreement that established fair working conditions and standardized payment structures. After the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Fire of 1911, in which 146 workers perished because they were locked in on the factory floor, efforts were doubled between the government, social welfare groups, manufacturers, and the ILGWU to enforce safety regulations. Soon, ILGWU local branches expanded from New York City to other capitals of garment manufacture, including Philadelphia, Chicago, St. Louis, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. 

Like many unions, the ILGWU was formed with a strong Socialist ideology. The organization provided education, healthcare, housing, and even recreation for its members. The union also raised money for socialist causes, providing funds for refugees fleeing the Nazis during World War II and making contributions to the Red Cross during the Spanish Civil War. Health Centers were established as early as 1913; in addition to general medical care, they addressed women's health and cared for ailments often found in garment industry workers, such as tuberculosis and respiratory issues from poor ventilation.

Evening Coat
I. Magnin, 1955-1956
Gift of Mrs. Roxanne Wilson
S2003.1.3 

Intern Report Part Two: The Dress Detective

We are so excited to share Part Two of intern Kasia Stempniak's blog series; in this post, she shares her findings after completing The Dress Detective method on a 19th century Parisian couture gown. Make sure you read Part One about Kasia's summer internship at the FIDM Museum!

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I always saw, I always said
If I were grown and free,
I’d have a gown of reddest red
As fine as you could see,

Dorothy Parker’s poem of sartorial bliss in a red dress might have resonated with the owner of the vibrant velvet gown below.[1]

Velvet Evening Gown, P. Barroin
Paris, France, c. 1897
Gift of Jane Riggs
2013.1098.1 

This gown is one of four pieces in the FIDM Museum’s permanent collection attributed to the Parisian dressmaker P. Barroin. In my last post I discussed learning about object handling and research during my internship at FIDM. In this post, I apply what I learned to this exquisite French gown using the three steps set out by the book The Dress Detective.

*This post will be an abridged version of the method.