FIDM Museum Blog

The Legacy of Karl Lagerfeld

Dark glasses, ponytail, and a crisp starched collar: even for those outside of the fashion industry, designer Karl Lagerfeld (1933 - 2019) was an immediately recognizable self-made icon. Known for his acerbic wit (quoted eagerly in the press) and irreverent attitude, Lagerfeld was the definition of a Renaissance man. His relentless curiosity and quest for knowledge, dedication to art and literature, and voracious collecting - the amassed books in one of his homes is said to have stretched over three miles long[1] - set him apart, but it was his innate understanding of culture and “ability to identify, articulate, and frequently anticipate changes in the zeitgeist”[2] that defined his spectacular career. Lagerfeld’s work for top fashion houses such as Chloé, Fendi, and Chanel proved his creative dexterity, and more importantly demonstrated how to keep fashion (and brand names) relevant over decades of collections: “If all the world changes, you have to change your designs, too.”[3]

Karl Lagerfeld on the Chanel Couture runway
S/S 1993
Photograph by Michel Arnaud
Gift of Arnaud Associates, SC2000.1095.1 

Born to a wealthy family in Hamburg, Germany, Lagerfeld often spoke of the influence his strong-willed mother had on his childhood. It was she who encouraged him to read and converse cleverly from a young age – by his account, his quick and forceful manner of speaking was a by-product of her impatience with listening to his youthful tales.[4] He was perpetually fascinated with fashion, and as a teenager moved to Paris to pursue the field; he got his start at age 21 when he won the 1954 International Wool Secretariat competition in the coat category (18 year old Yves Saint Laurent famously won the same year in the dress category). The competition led to Lagerfeld’s hiring at the couture house of Pierre Balmain, where he stayed for three years before moving to Jean Patou for five years.[5] Enticed by the refreshingly rebellious attitude of ready-to-wear in the 1960s, he left the world of couture to act as a freelance designer for youthful, chic brands including Krizia, Charles Jourdan, and Tiziani.

Evening ensemble on display in Capturing the Catwalk (2018)
Karl Lagerfeld for Chloé, S/S 1984
FIDM Museum Purchase
2009.5.8A-C

It was at Chloé, a French house known for its romantic, bohemian aesthetic, that Lagerfeld learned to become “the shape-shifter”[6] – a designer capable of adjusting his collections to suit the cultural climate. Art nouveau references alternated with outrageous trompe l’oeil surrealist embellishment (as seen in his final S/S 1984 collection, an homage to dressmaking). After working with the house for a decade, Lagerfeld was named the head designer in 1974, a position he held until 1983 – though he returned for a brief period in the mid-nineties to inject his signature brazenness back into the brand. His mantra at Chloé, and perhaps throughout his career, was that “Fashion does not have to prove that it is serious. It is the proof that intelligent frivolity can be something creative and positive.”[7] In the meantime, Lagerfeld had maintained a close relationship with the Italian house Fendi since 1965; he was still designing as Creative Director at the time of his death. Lagerfeld was responsible for creating Fendi’s signature “FF” logo, foreshadowing his frequent use of the interlocking double C’s during his time at Chanel. He has said that the double F’s stood for Fendi Fun, Fendi Fur, or Fun Fur, depending on the interview – either way, the logo was undoubtedly a nod to Lagerfeld and Fendi’s inventive (if controversial) use of fur in ready-to-wear.

Evening ensemble
Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, 1994-1997
Gift of Mrs. Alfred Bloomingdale
S2010.116.1A-D

Cocktail dress on display in Capturing the Catwalk (2018)
Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, 1985
FIDM Museum Purchase: Funds generously donated by Barbara Bundy
2006.37.4

Fashion Council Royal Tea

The FIDM Museum Fashion Council is integral to the day-to-day operation of our institution. Because of the Museum's commitment to providing free admission, we rely on the group to support important acquisitions for the Permanent Collection - including our latest project, Operation 1804. Fashion Council's fundraising activities, hands-on volunteer hours, and educational events not only enrich the Collection, but also fulfill the Museum's mission and benefit our fashion community. In fact, in 2018, Fashion Council members contributed over 4,282 total volunteer hours and raised nearly $209,000 in both financial and in-kind donations. As a non-profit organization, we truly could not exist without their incredible dedication!

Fashion Council Members in the Majesty & Mystery exhibition, L to R: Associate Curator Christina Johnson, Fashion Council Chair Mima Ransom, Curator Kevin Jones, Fashion Council Members Linda Knoth and Jeannine Abraham

Now, it's time to kick off Fashion Council's 2019 calendar with one of our favorite events: The Royal Tea! Join us on Friday, March 8 at 12 pm for this highly anticipated annual gathering. Held outside in an elegant tent, the afternoon is a chance to meet new friends who share a love fashion history, enjoy a delicious and proper English tea, and experience two FIDM Museum exhibitions, The Art of Motion Picture Costume Design and Majesty & Mystery: Saving a Napoleonic Court Gown. After presentations from our Curator and Museum Associate, you'll take a private tour of both exhibitions. All proceeds benefit Operation 1804 and our proposed acquisition of a rare Napoleonic court gown! 

See the invitation below for more information; to purchase a ticket, click here. Polish your crown and dust off your orb and scepter - we look forward to hosting you for a royally good time!

Art of Motion Picture Costume Design Now Open!

 

February is a special time of year for the FIDM Museum; our gallery transforms into another universe, with cowboys and rock stars, queens and superheros, stylish con artists and brave activists representing a year in film costume design. For the 2019 exhibition, now in its 27th year, we've focused on how costume designers create an entire visual world from scratch - from the leading actor to the thousands of extras, each wardrobe decision helps to immerse the audience into a new reality. It is the job of costume designers and their teams to dream, design, and execute the wardrobe for each world, no matter the time period, physical setting, or film genre.

The exhibition also highlights the costume design process from start to finish. As you wander through the gallery, see how designers costume a character with sketches, mood boards, and reference photos on tablets available to browse. Behind-the-scenes videos for a selection of films further delve into the complicated process of building a universe of screen. Once again, we are thrilled to include all five nominees for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design: Sandy Powell (Mary Poppins Returns and The Favourite), Ruth Carter (Black Panther), Alexandra Byrne (Mary Queen of Scots) and Mary Zophres (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs). 

As always, the exhibition is free and open to the public from February 5 - April 12; note that the Museum is closed on Friday, February 15. Extra motivation to attend in the first week: the one-of-a-kind replica spacesuit created for Ryan Gosling's Neil Armstrong in First Man (costume designer Mary Zophres) will only be in the gallery for one week - make sure to visit before February 9 to see this impressive suit in person! Stay tuned throughout the run of the exhibition as we announce our schedule of events - you won't want to miss seeing your favorite costume designer speak in person!

Every costume in the exhibition represents an exciting contribution to the craft of costume design - in this exhibition, blockbuster fan favorites and small art house films alike are equally valued for the designer's creative vision. Scroll down for a peek inside the gallery, as well as a glimpse into our opening night reception on February 2.

Welcome to the 27th annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition!

Mary Zophres, Academy Award nominated costume designer for The Ballad of Buster Scruggs; Zophres stands in front of the space suit from her film First Man (on display for one week only!)

Costume Designer Alexandra Byrne

Recently, the FIDM Museum had the honor of hosting Academy-Award winning costume designer Alexandra Byrne for a behind-the-scenes tour of our gallery and Collections storage. In between marveling at Empress Josephine and admiring a rare 16^th century petticoat front, we asked Alexandra about her impressive work on the film Mary Queen of Scots – which we are thrilled to include in the Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition, opening February 6, 2019. Learn about her unique choice to outfit the cast in denim, and how this project compares to her two other Queen Elizabeth films, Elizabeth (1998) and Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007).

FIDM Museum Curator Kevin Jones, costume designer Alexandra Byrne, and FIDM Museum Director, Barbara Bundy

What led you to the decision to costume the entire film in denim?

Partly it was budget. I knew we needed to make everything that could be worked in a factory situation easily, so you go to the denim factories. And I wanted the men to be sexy - denim has a very easily translatable language and it’s a fabric that gets better with wear. For Mary’s story, it was a pragmatic reason: the denim decoration of her clothes is to do with the dirt and the wear.

I really didn’t want a film that was ‘here comes another queen in another frock.’ I think I’ve done that. And it wasn’t that story. So then it became very interesting to limit your menu and have one fabric that you are manipulating to tell your story. The first thing we did was to make an Elizabethan doublet in denim, and that was a moment because it was horrible! It was the worst kind of ‘costumey’ costume and I went…okay, take a breath. It was quite a moment, and I thought oh this is wrong, this isn’t going to work. And then I did take a breath and I worked out that we carry so much denim language in our heads, we have so much preconception of denim. It had to be a blend of ancient and modern. I had to learn how to use introduce modern denim language into the Elizabethan era to achieve the immediacy I wanted, but to still give it a period credibility. And that was fascinating because it meant that you couldn’t draw it. You just had to prototype it. Because it was literally just constantly the juxtaposition and the balancing of that information. So if you put orange top stitching in, is that too much? Does that work? With Saoirse [Ronan, playing Queen Mary] the first thing we did was build a fitting toile. We did it in denim - I thought ‘we might as well dive into this!’

How did using denim bring a sense modernity to the film?

The main challenge I felt was to make the men look sexy. Elizabethan is not a sexy period for men. So denim lends itself to that. And it’s such a different story from the two Elizabeth films [I’ve previously done]. I wanted clothes that had an immediacy today but still credible for queens of the period, and I wanted a fabric that got better with wear, because they didn’t have dry cleaners. I suppose what took me to it is those clothes would have been like our jeans; when you take them off, they’re three-dimensional, they’ve molded to your body. So I wanted something that didn’t have that costume quality. Something that would get better and better.

Alexandra Byrne examines a c. 1804 court gown possibly belonging to Empress Josephine in the exhibition Majesty and Mystery: Saving a Napoleonic Court Gown 

Operation 1804: History for the Future

Today we're delving into the FIDM Museum's Operation 1804 project with Associate Curator Christina Johnson. Read on for Christina's interpretation of this important undertaking.

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Associate Curator Christina Johnson with the train portion of the Napoléonic court ensemble

Some people might believe that curators who work with historic materials are obsessed with the past. After all, we do spend quite a bit of time with objects made a generation (or more!) before we were even born. I believe the most significant contribution a curator can make is aligned entirely with the future—ensuring the objects in their stewardship (and the corresponding research) are preserved for generations to come. That is our intention with “Operation 1804,” the fundraising effort to acquire a rare three-piece Napoléonic court bodice, skirt, and train with provenance linked to Empress Joséphine of France (Quick ‘Cliffs Notes’ review--1804 refers to the year of her husband Napoléon’s coronation). The FIDM Museum has introduced the project with the exhibition Majesty and Mystery: Saving a Napoléonic Court Gown, currently in our History Gallery.

Taking measurements of the skirt

Our curatorial team gives quite a bit of thought to any long-term undertaking, especially one that we need to fundraise for. Why should our institution acquire this ensemble? To give the official (and perhaps dry) answer, according to our policies, the FIDM Museum is charged with collecting “objects with outstanding design merit,” defined as: having 1)“dynamic visual appeal;” 2) “being an excellent example of an era, culture, or a designer’s work; and 3) “having meaningful artistic and social significance.”[i]  This artifact certainly meets the criteria.

The ensemble is also an unprecedented opportunity to conduct an object-based study focused on a clothing type that seldom survives. There are only a handful of royal court gowns from this era held by American institutions; I know of no other similar artifact worn by Empress Joséphine preserved in the United States. Partly, this is because of the expense of materials. Precious metals were often removed from textiles—especially once a regime had ended—and melted down to be reused. Also, the First Empire-era fad of combining yards of delicate silk net with heavy metal embroidery didn’t bode well with the objects’ longevity. So much was destroyed.  Today, during a time of pressing social justice causes, it’s possible we will receive questions about why the clothing of the rich and royal should be purchased and preserved for posterity. I’ll counter with another question—what about the many artisans who made these objects? As we think about the full extent of societal history, just as many people who are not remembered by name in the history books have been immortalized in the making of elite dress such as this, including skilled embroiderers, seamstresses, and other tradespeople. In acquiring the ensemble, we aim to discover more about their world, too.

Research underway

I’d like to describe how Curator Kevin Jones and I are approaching the research for this project. After spending a fair amount of time with our coworkers  “oohing and awing,” we got to work. I begin by immersing myself in any topic I study. This includes compiling an extensive bibliography of books and papers to consult (sometimes with the help of a graduate student intern or a knowledgeable volunteer), and more importantly, I make the time to read them! I also search out experts already studying the subject matter and review their work. We’ll be reaching out to other scholars once the ensemble is purchased, as I’m a firm believer that a collaborative approach between curators, historians, makers, and innovators produces the best results in our field. It’s immensely helpful that institutions are adding more resources to their online collections databases each day. Not only does this help with amassing related visual and written evidence, it also certainly saves time and funds to conduct preliminary research at my desk instead of hopping on a plane bound for days spent at French archives.

The bodice

Crêpe Paper Fashions

“There is a new ‘wrinkle’ in dresses. As a matter of fact, they are all wrinkles, for they are made from the pretty crêpe tissue paper…”[1]

The use of paper in fashion has a long history, spanning centuries and civilizations across the globe. Yet the introduction of crêpe tissue paper in the late 19^th century sparked a new interest in the endless possibilities of this fabric-like fiber. Already a popular material for making artificial flowers and home décor, tissue paper was first given its machine-made crinkle by an English manufacturing company in the late 1880s.[2] Massachusetts paper goods company Dennison Manufacturing added imported crêpe paper in a vivid array of colors to their list of offerings around 1892; the company eventually went on to produce their own crêpe paper lines in 1914.[3] Recognizing the artistic promise of tissue and crêpe paper, Dennison’s created a specialized Art Department that provided in-store craft demonstrations and published instructional pamphlets.

Booklet
How to Make Crepe Paper Costumes
Dennison Manufacturing Co., 1925
Gift of Ron Bernstein, SC2011.1145.2

By the turn of the century, crêpe paper became a fashionable material for all manner of crafts: dressing table accessories for the boudoir, cotillion favors, lampshades, and party décor. Harper’s Bazaar touted the ease of braiding crêpe paper to make sturdy accessories like sewing bags and even bedroom slippers.[4] The magazine also recommended a more unusual use: adding a sheet of rose crêpe paper to the wash to restore the color of a faded pink blouse![5]

Girl's crêpe paper flower costume in Art and Decoration in Crepe and Tissue Paper, Dennison Manufacturing Co., 1917, via hathitrust.org.

The novelty material was similar to a woven textile such as cotton gauze or silk georgette, allowing the possibility that “any pretty evening frock can be copied in the crêpe.”[6] Consumers quickly realized crêpe paper was strong enough to fashion fans, hats, parasols, bags, and even garments; it was particularly suitable for fancy dress ensembles, as the wearer could make an outlandish costume for a fraction of the cost. Starting in the 1890s and continuing throughout the early 20^th century, crêpe paper costume parties for both adults and children became a popular amusement.[7]

Child's fancy dress costume: dress and fan
Crêpe paper, 1920s
Gift of Steven Porterfield, SC2014.897.27AB

Child's fancy dress costume: dress and hat
Crêpe paper, c. 1910-1915
Gift of Manlove Family, 2006.870.37AB

Intern Report: Raymond Duncan

The FIDM Museum was thrilled to host the CSA Western Region Jack Handford Summer Scholarship winner, Axelle Boyer. A Ph.D. student in History of Art and Visual Culture at UC Santa Cruz, Axelle previously received her M.A. in Fashion Studies from Parsons School of Design. Her research interests include body adornment, style, and fashion of the African diaspora. Axelle spent her time at the Museum working with our Special Collections, and in the process discovered a intriguing booklet by artist Raymond Duncan. Below, Axelle delves into Duncan’s fascinating world – including his foray into garment and textile design. 

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“Make Yourself in Working:” Raymond Duncan and the Art of Living

In August 2018, while working in the FIDM Museum’s Special Collections, I came across a brochure that didn’t quite fit in with the collection of glossy ephemera that I was processing at the time. The collection in question included archival issues of Vogue, Chanel catalogs, and backstage photographs of 90s supermodels. The object at hand was a small booklet made of loose and yellowed pages with abundant writing and a few illustrations.

Booklet
Raymond Duncan Winter Exhibition of Parisian Art
1910-1920
FIDM Museum Purchase, SC2017.5.96

A quick Google search informed me that Raymond Duncan (1874 - 1966) was the brother of renowned American dancer Isadora Duncan (1877 or 1878 - 1927). Born in San Francisco, the brother and sister had relocated to Europe in the 1890s – like many of their compatriots at the time. While Isadora rose to fame as one of the pioneers of modern dance, Raymond became a prolific painter, poet, playwright, actor, and a proud advocate of weaving, printing, sandal-making, and vegetarianism. In 1911, he opened a school on Paris’ Left Bank, called the Akademia Raymond Duncan, where he taught free courses in the various arts and crafts that he had honed, gave philosophical lectures, and staged plays.

The brochure opened with a short biography of artist Raymond Duncan, and went on to provide curious and dithyrambic descriptions of his art works. The disparate assemblage included 15 “brush-dyed” and block-printed textiles classified under the category “Paintings;” a “series of studies,” which were also block-printed and “dyed in by brush” on various textiles; seven woven rugs; and 13 books under the category “Book-printing.” The brochure was actually a self-published catalog attesting to Duncan’s multimedia endeavors, and had seemingly been written by the artist himself.

Raymond Duncan with his wife and child
1912
Bain News Service, N.Y.C.
Library of Congress

It wasn’t so much the text of the catalog that intrigued me, but rather the exquisite prints that adorned its pages. The three illustrations were block-printed on paper using a carved wood block (“bois gravé”). Art Nouveau influences are manifest in the curvilinear lines of the dreamy forms and bodies represented. The figures were also reminiscent of the flowing movements of Isadora Duncan’s modern dance, while the titles of the pieces – “Orpheus,” “Pastorale” – referenced ancient Greek literature and mythology.

"Isadora Duncan: studies"
Photograph by Arnold Genthe
1915-1918
Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library Digital Collections

Raymond Duncan Winter Exhibition of Parisian Art
Pastorale, 1910-1920
Wood block print on paper
FIDM Museum Purchase, SC2017.5.96

Raymond Duncan Winter Exhibition of Parisian Art
Orfeus, 1910-1920
Wood block print on paper
FIDM Museum Purchase, SC2017.5.96

Capturing the Catwalk: Fall Lecture Day

Recently, Los Angeles hosted a plethora of exhibitions dedicated to fashion photography: Capturing the Catwalk: Runway Photography from the Michel Arnaud Archive at the FIDM Museum; Icons of Style: A Century of Fashion Photography 1911-2011 at the Getty Museum; and In High Style: The Photography of Neal Barr at the Museum of Ventura County. The FIDM Museum Fashion Council gathered the experts, curators, and contributors to all of these extraordinary exhibitions for their annual Fall Luncheon & Lecture Day on October 27 - an afternoon focused on all things fashion photography. The event, which raised funds for future FIDM Museum acquisitions, coincided with the opening of Capturing the Catwalk on the FIDM Orange County Campus, curated by FIDM Museum Registrar Meghan Hansen. After presenters Shelly Foote and Paul Martineau discussed their work on their respective exhibitions, the day culminated with a conversation between Meghan Hansen and former runway photographer Michel Arnaud. 

Arnaud, whose career spanned three decades, initiated this project when he generously donated his personal collection of over 180,000 slides to the FIDM Museum in 2000. Meghan has overseen the digitization of each photo (a task that is roughly a quarter complete) while also matching the runway shots with objects in the Permanent Collection. Through extensive research and personal interviews with Arnaud, Capturing the Catwalk came to life. The exhibition uses the rich resource of the photography archive to narrate the history and development of the runway, next to the garments that graced the stage.

Capturing the Catwalk: Runway Photography from the Michel Arnaud Archive will be open on the FIDM Orange County campus (17590 Gillette Avenue, Irvine, CA 92614) until August 2019. Members of the public are welcome to attend by appointment; please call 949.851.6200 to schedule your visit!

Lecturers: Shelly Foote, formerly of the Smithsonian Institution (Retired); FIDM Museum Guest Curator/Registrar, Meghan G. Hansen; Paul Martineau, Associate Curator, Dept. of Photographs, Getty Museum; and photographer Michel Arnaud.

FIDM Museum Fashion Council Chair Mima Ransom with FIDM Museum Curators Kevin Jones and Christina Johnson.

Fashion Council members Joan Beer Damask and Donald Damask.

Mugler-Inspired Costumes: Part Two

Just in time for Halloween, we're sharing Part Two of our Mugler-Inspired Costumes! As we learned in our previous post, Thierry Mugler used his runway to play out exotic fashion fantasies - everything from insects to angels, robots to rhinestone cowgirls appeared in his whimsical presentations. You'll notice that unlike today's fashion shows, these presentations were full of movement; rather than disappearing behind the clothing, Mugler's models act out his elaborate stories with emotion. Dancing, running, marching, flirting, and even bobsledding (see below!) were not unusual in Mugler's world.  

We hope you find the perfect costume for your own personal catwalk on Halloween!

Note: all photos by Michel Arnaud, Gift of Arnaud Associates.

Bobsledder, F/W 1984

Army of Insects, S/S 1997

Snow Queen, F/W 1981

Star Wars Extra, F/W 1983

Mugler-Inspired Costumes: Part One

Halloween is just around the corner, but if you still haven't selected your costume, we've got you covered! Look no further than the treasure trove of inspiration found in Thierry Mugler's wonderfully whimsical runway shows from the 1980s and 90s. 

Known as the “PT Barnum of the fashion world,” Mugler’s extravagant runways built his reputation as the ultimate showman. Atlantis, Mount Olympus, Aliens, Superheroes, Insects, Hollywood, Robots, and the Wild West are just some of the themes that appeared in his surrealistic presentations. Mugler saw the fashion show as an opportunity to build new worlds of fantasy, to tell the story of a heroine on an extraordinary adventure each season. In addition to storyboarding the production – a result of his early love of comic books – Mugler personally directed each aspect of the show, from lighting, sets, and music to models, makeup, and hairstyles. The fashion shows were intended to  stir publicity for the more client-friendly collection; after the outlandish runway, the showroom was stocked with the best-selling ‘store suits’ that were the foundation of his business. 

Thanks to the Michel Arnaud Fashion Photography Archive, we have hundreds of images from Mugler's runway shows - and it was not hard to find outrageous ensembles that could double as Halloween getups. In fact, there are so many to choose from that we thought this subject deserved two entries; stay tuned next week for part two of our Mugler costume inspiration! 

Note: all photos by Michel Arnaud, Gift of Arnaud Associates.

Disco Ball, F/W 1990

Sassy Skunk, F/W 1997

Party Pom Pom, S/S 1991

RoboCop, F/W 1990