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It’s #FauxFurFriday, an annual day in December i

It’s #FauxFurFriday, an annual day in December intended to promote the use of cruelty-free, plush pile fabrics in place of the “real deal.” Some fashion designers seek out the most realistic looking types of faux fur to replace animal pelts, and many are manufactured to perfection. Others have embraced the other end of the spectrum: “fun furs” that don’t resemble any living creature. Betsey Johnson did a bit of both with this corduroy patchwork jacket, with sleeves and lining in shaggy, jet-black faux gorilla fur.

From 1970-74, Johnson designed for Alley Cat, a junior sportswear company. She had full creative control there, and garments were always priced within reach of the junior market. Making her aesthetic even more accessible, she also produced a line of commercial Betsey Johnson for Alley Cat patterns for Butterick. Johnson even illustrated her own advertisements & labels, like those seen here—notice the “paper doll” of our jacket in the ad from 1971.

This is a funky version of popular fur styles of the early 1970s; generally, high-fashion looks were sedate cloth trimmed with luxurious furs, and not intended for younger women. Johnson maintained the overall silhouette of this style, but concocted it from bright, motley materials that clearly made it “not your mother’s jacket.” Johnson has always had a love for #thrifted/#vintage clothing, so it’s easy to see parallels between this jacket and the 1930s trend for black monkey-fur coats.

Whether you call it fake, imitation, simulated, or synthetic, #fauxfur won’t give up its place in fashion. Tell us: how do you go faux?
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Jacket by Betsey Johnson for Alley Cat, 1971
FIDM Museum Purchase
2008.5.2
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@iambetseyjohnson @betseyjohnson #betseyjohnson #alleycatbybetseyjohnson #alleycat #fakefur #crueltyfree #1970sfashion #70sfashion #furcoat #fauxfurcoat #monkeyfur #funfurs #1930sfashion #30sfashion #vintagestyle #vintagefashion #fidmmuseum #fashionhistory #fashionmuseum #fashiondesigner #fashioncollection #museumcollection #fashion #fashionliveshere

For this week's Unboxing, Associate Curator Christ

For this week's Unboxing, Associate Curator Christina Johnson shares stellar examples of a specific type of garment we have an abundance of in our collection. Hint: when worn properly, nobody sees it...but everyone can see it doing its job. Curious to find out the answer to this riddle? Head to our IG Stories now!
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#fidmmuseum #fashionhistory #fashioncollection #fashionmuseum #fashion #fidmmuseumunboxing #unboxing #museumeducation #museumcollection #fashionliveshere #corsets #corsetry #undergarments #underwear #cinchers #girdles #vintagefashion #antiquefashion #straightlacing

Happy Birthday to Gianni Versace! What better way

Happy Birthday to Gianni Versace! What better way to celebrate than with #runway photography capturing the drama & energy of a Versace show. Here is #supermodel Beverly Peele strutting down the catwalk in a saucy beaded, tiger-print dress from the Spring/Summer 1992 couture collection, as lensed by #fashionphotographer Michel Arnaud. Not only do we have an incredible Versace garment archive at The FIDM Museum, we are also the repository for Arnaud’s extensive body of work documenting these fleeting fashion moments.

Fierce and fabulous...this is how Gianni Versace made women feel, and we are forever grateful for this legacy.
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Gianni Versace Couture S/S 1992
Michel Arnaud Fashion Photography Archive/Special Collections
SC2000.1095.1 AS008476
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#gianniversace #versace #lifetimeversace #versacecouture #vintageversace @Versace #michelarnaud @MArnaud @iambeverlypeele #beverlypeele #blackmodels #fidmmuseum #fashionhistory #fashionmuseum #fashion #fashioncollection #fashionbirthday #fashiondesigner #animalprint #specialcollections #fashionliveshere #fashionphotography #photography #1990sfashion #90sfashion #vintagefashion #vintagestyle #italianfashion #couture #altamoda

G-G-Gucci...and G-G-Gaga! We couldn’t help but n

So much more than a milliner: we’re remembering

So much more than a milliner: we’re remembering Cuban-American designer, Adolfo Sardiña, who passed away last Saturday. Born in 1933, he once claimed that he didn’t enjoy making hats, but they were his entrée into the fashion industry.

Known professionally by his first-name alone, Adolfo immigrated to New York in 1948. Almost immediately after his arrival, he began work as an apprentice #milliner at Bergdorf-Goodman. For the next decade, Adolfo toggled between Paris, where he apprenticed for both #Balenciaga and #Chanel, and New York. In 1962, he opened a New York millinery salon where he designed bespoke and ready-to-wear hats. With bold confidence, Adolfo reckoned if he could design a hat, he could design anything, which led him to expand his business into custom clothing, supplying socialites and prominent women, including #GloriaVanderbilt, #BabePaley, #NancyReagan, the #DuchessofWindsor, and others.

Adolfo was also a favorite of Betsy Bloomingdale, to whom this chic evening ensemble belonged. In 1997, Bloomingdale was photographed for @WWD alongside Cyd Charisse at a St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital fundraiser in this blossom-embellished chine silk taffeta jacket. Instead of the short skirt, she paired it with a long evening gown, also in our collection. Adolfo credited #BetsyBloomingdale for his success with Beverly Hills clientele.

Our curators fondly remember Adolfo from the interview he graciously gave in support of our High Style: Betsy Bloomingdale and the Haute Couture documentary. You can watch the full #documentary on our YouTube channel—link in bio to the segment with Adolfo.
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Evening Ensemble by Adolfo (Adolfo Sardiña), c. 1991
2013.116.11B-C
Gift of Betsy Bloomingdale
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#adolfosardina #adolfo #1990sfashion #90sfashion #silktaffeta #ikat #chine #eveningwear #hautecouture #latinxdesigner #hispanicdesigner #cuban #americanfashion #millinery #fidmmuseum #fashionhistory #fashionmuseum #fashioncollection #fashion #fashiondesigner #fashionliveshere

The FIDM Museum is grateful to those who choose to

The FIDM Museum is grateful to those who choose to support our educational mission year-round. On this #givingtuesday, we know you have many good causes and institutions to support—but might we tempt you with a fashionable proposition?

For those searching for the perfect gift to give the fashionista on your holiday list, or a gift for the person who already has everything, give the gift of a museum credit line! Right now, we have several “adoption” choices listed on our website: your philanthropic donation underwrites the cost of a specific object, and your “adoption” will bear a unique credit line honoring your donation. The credit line someone notices at an exhibition or in a beautiful fashion publication might feature *your name*—or the name of your loved one, friend, or colleague!

Your object adoptions & donations allow us to grow and diversify the #fidmmuseum collection for our 21st-century community. More adoption objects will be added to our website’s Object Adoption page soon—link in bio for more details & options.

Adopt, don’t shop: #fashionphilanthropy is the #sustainable gift that keeps giving!
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#fidmmuseum #fashionhistory #fashionmuseum #fashioncollection #museumcollection #fashion #fashionliveshere #holidayshopping #fashionista #fashiongifts #philanthropy #philanthropic #supportmuseums #museumeducation #antiquefashion #antiquecostume #antiqueaccessories #19thcfashion #20thcfashion #18thcfashion #fashiondesigner #adoptdontshop #fashionadoption #supportyourlocalmuseum

Before the month is over, let’s pause to celebra

Before the month is over, let’s pause to celebrate November’s birth flower: the chrysanthemum. This 1890s cycling ensemble, featured in our Sporting Fashion: Outdoor Girls 1800 to 1960 catalogue, is ablaze with this many-petaled flower. Skirts, divided skirts, and bloomers were all stylish options for bicycling, but the bifurcated bloomer still elicited much public debate. A published description of matched “knickerbockers and gaiters and a long-skirted jacket” align closely with the visual presentation seen here, but we’re quite certain very few riders deviated from more traditional fabrics.

This fabric is an exceptional choice for a daring cyclist, and one that would show off her erudition. Salmon- and pale-pink chrysanthemums and delicate foliage appear in a field of grassy green; superimposed over the mums are stenciled swirls of shimmering metallic gold pigment. The motifs and techniques used to decorate this cotton hint at a possible Japanese origin, or manufacture by a company such as Liberty of London which excelled at producing materials in the Japanese taste.

Is this leg o’ mutton-to-gaiters floral look something you’d wear cycling around town today? Let us know!
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Cycling Ensemble, United States, c. 1895
Gift of Steven Porterfield
2014.897.25A-D
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#fidmmuseum #fashionhistory #fashioncollection #fashionmuseum #fashion #sportingfashion #outdoorgirls #cyclists #cycling #bicyclists #bicycling #bloomers #gaiters #knickerbockers #puffsleeves #legomuttonsleeves #japonisme #womeninsports #sportswomen #sportswear #athletics #fashionliveshere #libertyoflondon #19thcenturyfashion #artsandcrafts #aestheticmovement #artisticdress #printedcotton #chrysanthemums

Did you rush to the theaters yesterday to see Hous

Did you rush to the theaters yesterday to see House of Gucci? Don’t delay because you’ll want to take in this intoxicating tale of ambition and dysfunctional family dynamics—and the costumes, of course! Costume designer Janty Yates did a remarkable job mixing custom-built and vintage pieces to create the ensemble cast’s stylish looks, and we have Yates’s hand-picked selection of costumes on display right now!

We’re open over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend Friday-Saturday, 10am-5pm (closed Sunday & Monday) and will reopen Tuesday November 30. You have until December 4 to experience the House of Gucci exhibition, presented by @MGM and United Artists Releasing at the home of #theartofcostumedesign, The FIDM Museum!
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@TheHouseofGucci #HouseOfGucci #houseofguccimovie #ladygaga @LadyGaga #italianfashion #fidm @FIDM @FIDMMuseum #fidmmuseum #fashionmuseum #fashioncollection #museumcollection #jantyyates #costumedesigner #costumedesign #artofcostumedesign #fashionliveshere