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FIDM Museum & Galleries Newsletter, October 2011

FABULOUS! Ten Years of FIDM Museum Acquisitions, 2000–2010 Gala Opening


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Two hundred years of fashion, ten years of acquisitions, over two years of production, and endless hours of writing, documenting, building and dressing, went into creating FABULOUS!, the largest and most comprehensive exhibition created by the FIDM Museum to date. Then, at last, on a gorgeous Los Angeles evening, everything was ready. Champagne was poured, the doors opened, and supporters, donors, and friends of the museum celebrated the grand accomplishment at the opening gala.


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Curators Kevin Jones and Christina Johnson presented the exhibition catalogue, an extraordinary labor of love, in the FIDM Museum Shop. With 370 pages featuring sumptuous photographs by Brian Sanderson, a preface by Hubert de Givenchy, and the curators’ insightful text, the catalogue fulfills the vision presented in the foreword by FIDM Museum Director Barbara Bundy:


“Fashion…provokes excitement, wonder, and contemplation in all of us. As an educational resource—its primary function at FIDM—it offers a limitless font of cultural, historical, and technological insight. And as an art, it inspires our admiration for the daring of the human imagination in its pursuit of beauty and the ideal form.”


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Barbara Bundy, Director, FIDM Museum (L) with Yvonne Hummel, donor of Composer Johann Hummel’s court suit and other pieces on display in the exhibition.


Visitors can view more than 200 historical objects: royal and court costumes, fashions, accessories, jewelry, textiles, and historic documents. This free exhibition runs until Saturday, December 17th, 2011. Museum hours: 10–4pm, Tuesday–Saturday. Closed Sunday/Monday.


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FIDM Museum Co-Curators Christina Johnson (L) and Kevin Jones (R) with Karen Coombs-Jordan, donor of the funds enabling the Alexander McQueen “Peacock Dress” commission.


Private Tours

Did you know that you can book a private in-depth exhibition tour with a curator for your group? Learn more about each item displayed and its place in the continuing and constant flow of fashion in a private, personal setting. Tours are scheduled when the museum is closed to the public. Contact the Curator’s Office at 213 623 5821 x 3367 for more information and to book your tour.



Parfums Lucien Lelong: The Peter Fink Collection


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Perfume Bottle, Lucien Lelong, c. 1949, Gift of Monique Fink, FIDM Museum Collection, F2006.877.45AB


The FIDM Museum is delighted to present an exceptional collection of fragrance and bottle design, cosmetics, and ephemera from the house of Lucien Lelong in a new installation in the Annette Green Fragrance Archives. This group of objects was assembled by artist Peter Fink, for years Monsieur Lelong’s package designer and interior decorator, and was graciously donated by his wife, Monique Fink.


The Fink donation offers a new visual perspective on a brand that has been in business for nearly one hundred years. Through rough sketches of bottles and advertisements for campaigns, the public has the unique opportunity to look behind the scenes of Parfums Lucien Lelong. Note-worthy objects include a fur-covered lipstick case and the Full Dress and Golden Grotto lipsticks.


Parfums Lucien Lelong was established in 1924 and continued in business after the couture house closed in 1949. Lelong was one of the early couture designers who utilized his dominance in the fashion world to expand into that of fragrance. To Lelong, fragrance was an essential part of a woman’s distinct style and should be treated as her final accessory.


This installation illustrates the visual presentation of fragrance over three decades, revealing the aesthetic and creative scope of a remarkable fashion brand.


The Perfume Archive is located on the second floor of the FIDM Los Angeles campus. Check-in is required at the security station on the ground floor.

Exhibition Hours: Monday–Saturday, 10am–4pm

Admission: Free to the Public

FIDM Museum Shop Presents FABULOUS! Textiles


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Visit the FIDM Museum Shop for a fabulous selection of gifts, books, and treasures, including gorgeous handcrafted textiles in the new Textile Corner. Just in are luxurious scarves from The Red Sari and from Rex Ray Studio.


The Red Sari is a socially responsible fashion design company with a mission to create and sustain jobs for women in Nepal. For the women in this small South Asian country, jobs represent more than income. Working liberates them from lives of isolation, builds confidence, and increases status within their families and communities.


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Vintage, Damaged, Reimagined is Red Sari’s signature product, the felted vintage sari scarf. Members of Red Sari spend several months per year in Nepal, working side-by-side with artisans and women’s handicraft groups. This collaboration in the Kathmandu Valley led to the discovery of a process for fusing wool fibers with vintage tissue silk saris, resulting in beautifully textured scarves, each a one-of-a-kind work of art.


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World-renowned artist Rex Ray launched a collection of silk scarves at the beginning of the year. Inspired by his bold color palette and textures, his handmade, fine silk twill scarves draw inspiration from his acknowledged influences: the Arts and Crafts Movement, Abstract Expressionism, organic and hard-edged abstraction, pattern and textile design, Op Art, and 20th Century modernism.


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Fresh color combinations and biomorphic shapes, scraps of text, all rendered with a slightly subversive edge, create a luxuriously unique collection of scarves that are a must for collectors as well as those looking for this season’s perfect accessory.


Keep the memories of FABULOUS! fresh by taking home note cards, charming magnets, paper dolls, a tote, and of course the 370 page exhibition catalogue, all exclusive to the FIDM Museum Shop.




Events Calendar


  • FABULOUS! Ten Years of FIDM Museum Acquisitions, 2000–2010
  • September 13–December 17, 2011

Seminar

  • The Making of Fabulous!: A conversation with curators Kevin Jones and Christina Johnson
  • Followed by an informal Q&A in the museum
  • Saturday, November 5
  • 10 am–12 pm
  • Free & open to the public

Book Signings

Mark your calendars for these three not-to-be-missed opportunities to meet the authors of some of this year’s most intriguing books.


  • Author: Susan Ashbrook
  • Title: Will Work for Shoes: The Business Behind Red Carpet Product Placement
  • Former fashion publicist Susan Ashbrook was a pioneer in the product placement game in Hollywood. Here she shares her secrets for increasing brand awareness through celebrity marketing.
  • Date: October 18
  • Time: 12:30–1:30 Author presentations and Q&A
  • 1:30–3:30 Book Signing
  • Place: FIDM Museum Shop

  • Author: Rose Apadaca
  • Title: Fred Hayman: The Extraordinary Difference—The Story of Rodeo Drive, Hollywood Glamour and the Showman Who Sold It All
  • Author Rose Apodaca explains how Hayman transformed a sleepy street into one of America’s most famous shopping destinations, while changing the worldview of Los Angeles style.
  • Date: October 27
  • Time: 12:30–1:30 Author presentations and Q&A
  • 1:30–3:30 Book Signing
  • Place: FIDM Museum Shop

  • Author: Marc Rosen
  • Title: Glamour Icons: Perfume Bottle Design
  • Marc Rosen is the first perfume bottle designer to write a book about his craft, and to describe the design process. He shares his insights into creating the logo, graphics, colors, boxes and counter displays, as well as the “theater of the launch.”
  • Date: November 7
  • Time: 1:30–2:30 Presentation and Q&A
  • 3:00–6:00pm Book Signing and Reception
  • Place: FIDM Museum Shop

FIDM Museum & Galleries. Address: FIDM, Downtown LA, Campus On The Park, 1st Level 919 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 905. For more information: FIDMmuseum.org 213 623-5821 x3275. Gallery Hours: 10am to 4pm, Tuesday to Saturday. Admission: Free. Museum Blog: blog.fidmmuseum.org Facebook: http://facebook.com/pages/Los-Angeles-CA/FIDM-Museum-Shop/47970244948 Twitter: http://twitter.com/FIDMmuseumShop
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