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Costumes, Props, Photography, and Ephemera from Two Powerful Films – Till And Women Talking
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Past Exhibition: Capturing the Catwalk

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At center, two models wear draped satin evening go

At center, two models wear draped satin evening gowns by Marc Bohan for Christian Dior Haute Couture.

The FIDM Museum holds an extensive collection of 1970s-90s Dior couture garments and ephemera. Scroll to see a fashion sketch (croquis) and asymmetrical satin evening gown from the same seasonal line.
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Ebony Magazine, December 1979
Accessed through Google Books

Croquis
Fall-Winter 1979-80
Gift of Mrs. Alfred P. Bloomingdale

Evening Gown
Marc Bohan for Dior
Gift of Mrs. Alfred P. Bloomingdale
S2006.116.37
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#fidmmuseum #fashionhistory #fashionmuseum #fashioncollection #museumcollection #fashion #fashionliveshere #ebonymagazine #marcbohan #christiandior

Flashback Friday FIDM Museum Style! Feast your ey

Flashback Friday FIDM Museum Style!

Feast your eyes on this dazzling Fall-Winter 1991-92 Versace bodice embroidered with bountiful cornucopias of flowers and fruit. It was displayed on an 'invisible mount' in our 2018 exhibition "Capturing the Catwalk: Runway Photography from the Michel Arnaud Archive."

The bodice was part of a glamorous look worn by model Yasmeen Ghauri. Scroll to see two close-up views of the workmanship!

Photographer Michel Arnaud--who donated his 180,000-piece photography archive to the FIDM Museum in 2000--snapped this pic at the exact moment Ghauri did her twirl at the end of the catwalk. @marnaud
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Evening Bodice
Gianni Versace, Fall Winter 1991-92
FIDM Museum Purchase Funds generously donated by Tonian Hohberg
V2006.25.1
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Runway Photograph [reproduction from original slide]
Fall Winter 1991-92
Gift of Arnaud Associates
SC2000.1095.1
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#fidmmuseum #fashionhistory #fashionmuseum #fashioncollection #museumcollection #fashion #fashionliveshere #fashiondesigner #fashiondesign #Gianniversace

Taking inspiration from masculine top hats, this l

Taking inspiration from masculine top hats, this lady's riding hat from about 1830 is made from an intriguing material: baleen. The keratinous substance forms the jaw plates of several types of whale. A byproduct of the whaling industry, baleen (also known as whalebone) was more commonly used for corset stays and combs during the nineteenth century.

In this example, strips of the material have been cut, plaited, and stitched together to form a glossy, lightweight hat meant for equestrianism. It certainly provided both novelty and shade to the wearer, but not much in the way of real protection from a fall!
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Thanks to Kirstin Purtich @kirstinpurtich for conducting research on this FIDM Museum object. See her paper "The Greenland Bonnet, or Whalebone Hat: Baleen in British and French Millinery, 1807-1838." Unpublished paper (New York: Fashion Institute of Technology, 2018).
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Riding Hat, c. 1830
FIDM Museum Purchase: Funds raised by the FIDM Museum Fashion Council [2011-2015] and other generous donors
2017.5.38
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#fidmmuseum #fashionhistory #fashionmuseum #fashioncollection #museumcollection #fashion #fashionliveshere #sportingfashion #helenlarson

🌸 Guest post coming up! 🌸 FIDM Museum staff

🌸 Guest post coming up! 🌸

FIDM Museum staff invited our Work Study Student Basia Griffin @batyahrain to examine a piece in the collection and share her thoughts:

If you like to stand out at a party, look no further! This Norman Norell evening coat would grab anyone’s attention with its giant flowers and eye-catching colors.

Being a fashion design student at FIDM, the first thing I thought when I saw a photo of this beautiful 1960s Norell evening coat was “how did he make this?” And now, after seeing this beauty in person thanks to the FIDM Museum, I believe I know. Starting off, you would need to have every silk—yes, silk—petal hand dyed in order to give off an ombré effect. This in turn will give the flower more dimension and a realistic feel. Then, each individual petal would have been hand sewn (and glued) onto the base of the coat to achieve the desired shape of the flowers, really staying true to Norell’s belief that no detail was too small. It’s truly remarkable how much time must have gone into the creation of this coat.

I find it incredibly important to study fashion history in order to learn about designers who paved the way for what we have now. And in my opinion, Norman Norell changed the world’s view on American fashion, giving it more respect than it had in the past. Inspired by couture techniques, he made intricate and timeless designs that captured the hearts of women across the country.
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Evening Coat
Norman Norell, c. 1965
Gift of Clarissa Dyer
2003.794.3
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#fidmmuseum #fashionhistory #fashionmuseum #fashioncollection #museumcollection #fashion #fashionliveshere #fashiondesigner #fashiondesign #modernfashion #20thcfashion #contemporaryfashion #normannorell

💙 New Acquisition Alert 💙 The FIDM Museum i

This stonewashed denim ensemble featuring flora an

This stonewashed denim ensemble featuring flora and fauna was embroidered by Daryl Timmons Bryant (1938-2011), who first wore it in 1968. Daryl was a well-known graphic designer and watercolor artist in Southern California. As seen in her sketchbook from 1997 (last image), Daryl’s love of nature—especially flowers—lasted her entire life.
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Ensemble, 1968
Label: Jea & Sy
Gift of Ginger Ludwick
2016.1528.2A-E
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#fidmmuseum #fashionhistory #fashionmuseum #fashioncollection #museumcollection #fashion #fashionliveshere #vintagefashion #vintagestyle #60s #1960sfashion #60sfashion

This nifty comb set features a plastic dachshund p

This nifty comb set features a plastic dachshund pup dressed in leather for a rainy day, along with his matching umbrella. The petite pieces are about 3 1/2 inches long, and were designed for the Italian tourist trade. They were purchased in Rome and used by an American boy with a keen sense of style!
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Combs with cases
Italy, c. 1955
Gift of Kevin L. Jones in honor of Jay E. Hampel
2018.801.1A-D
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#50s #1950sfashion #50sfashion #vintagefashion #vintagestyle #fidmmuseum #fashionhistory #fashionmuseum #fashioncollection #museumcollection #fashion #fashionliveshere #italianfashion #italianstyle

PLEASE TOUCH! Museums are places where visitors a

PLEASE TOUCH!

Museums are places where visitors are generally discouraged from touching objects on display; this is to preserve items for future generations. The FIDM Museum is no different in this respect. Where we differ is in our Study Collection...it has a strictly-enforced *PLEASE TOUCH* policy!

This printed patent leather ensemble designed by Azzedine Alaïa is part of our hands-on FIDM Museum Study Collection, and currently on view in the library. A fact sheet with suggested reading materials is available at the Library Reference Desk.

🖤 ENSEMBLE 🖤
Designer: Azzedine Alaïa
Paris, 1991
Patent Leather, cotton cord & metal
Gift of Dorothy Washington Sorensen
S2010.1110.2AB

Tunisian-born designer Azzedine Alaïa (1935-2017) was famous for his body-conscious looks, which earned him the nickname "King of Cling." The back of this skirt features a retro lace-up closure at center--a signature Alaïa detail drawn from vintage corsetry!

📚LIBRARY RESOURCES📚

Alaïa
by Azzedine Alaïa

Alaïa
by Francois Baudet

Alaïa: Azzedine Alaïa in the 21st Century
by Annie Cohen-Solal, Stephanie Seymour Brant & Mark Wilson

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#fidmmuseum #fashionhistory #fashionmuseum #fashioncollection #museumcollection #fashion #fashionliveshere #fidmmuseumstudycollection #fidmstudents #studentresources #fidmeducation #handsoneducation #fashioneducation #fashioninspiration #fashioninspo #studycollection #fashiondesigner #fashiondesign #alaia #azzedinealaia