Reception Gown, c. 1893, Félix Poussineau, Museum Purchase, 2008.5.51AB

Dear Friends, Supporters, & Patrons,

2011 can only be described as a FABULOUS! year for the FIDM Museum. We were able to showcase a decade’s worth of acquisitions in our landmark exhibition, FABULOUS! Ten Years of FIDM Museum Acquisitions, 2000–2010. Thousands of visitors came from around the world to take advantage of our stunning overview of 200 years of fashion history from the worlds of haute couture and fashionable dress. The exhibition, which lives on in the accompanying catalogue, featured designer pieces ranging from Madeline Vionnet (1936–8) to Miuccia Prada (2008), from Félix Poussineau (1893) to Alexander McQueen (2009), and from Paul Pioret (1913) to Rudi Gernreich (1967–8). We were sorry to see it close in December, as it was so many years in the making. It delivered a profound tribute to the growth and stature of the FIDM Museum and its collections.

All FIDM Museum exhibitions are a free gift to our students and our community. FABULOUS! was also a heart-felt acknowledgement of the generosity of all of our donors and supporters for their assistance in helping us provide students, researchers, designers, and the public with resources to examine the role of fashion in history and society.

Shoe, Spring/Summer 2008, Miuccia Prada, Museum Purchase, 2009.5.11AB/F

While FABULOUS! examined the exquisite world of haute couture, here in Los Angeles we are also involved in “costume couture.” Much of what we see in films and on television are garments that are custom-made for a particular actor playing a particular character. The artistry, materials, and techniques used are deserving of serious study. We provide that opportunity in our first two exhibitions of 2012.

At the moment we are putting the final touches on our next exhibition, the 20th Annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design, which opens on February 14th. It is an honor to be presenting this exhibition for the 20th year with the help of the Costume Designers Guild. We are all looking forward to a spectacular event. Some of the award-worthy costumes that will be featured are from Anonymous, Jane Eyre, W.E., The Help, J. Edgar, and Water for Elephants.

Colleen Atwood won the Academy Award for outstanding achievement in costume design last year for her work on Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. These costumes will be featured at the 20th Annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition.

The 6th Annual Outstanding Art of Television Costume Design exhibition opens in July. The increasingly high caliber of talent and entertainment developed for television, combined with the demanding timetables of producing weekly episodes, creates outstanding examples of the originality and ingenuity of the designers. We are delighted to showcase the work of television costume designers to our audiences this summer.

We anticipate other announcements and surprises over the course of 2012 and will keep you posted via this newsletter.

We thank you for your support of the FIDM Museum & Galleries as we strive to fulfill our mission of continuing to develop a vital presence both in both our community and the world.

Best wishes for an inspiring 2012,

The entire staff
FIDM Museum & Galleries

Mission

The Mission of the FIDM Museum & Galleries Foundation, Inc. is to provide students, researchers, designers, and the public with resources to examine the roles of historic fashion, accessories, textiles, jewelry, fragrance, and related ephemera in their relationship to society, history, art, and technology. The resources and collections are sustained by standard museum practices for continual acquisition, preservation, and display. Educational, outreach, and volunteer programs support the scholarly interpretation of the collections.