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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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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 collected 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 past quarter, we reintroduced our hands-on learning resource to the @FIDM student body by placing an item from our FIDM Museum Study Collection on view in the #FIDM Library. We augmented the display by creating a "fact sheet" on the garment with suggested reading materials found within our library's vast offerings, available at the adjacent Reference Desk.

Here's the info we've shared with our #FIDMstudents & faculty on this delightful 1920s dress:

🌸EVENING DRESS (ROBE DE STYLE)🌸
Designer: Rosalba McMillen
Los Angeles, ca. 1923
Silk taffeta, silk chenille, glass
Gift of Ms. Sandra Coleman
S2005.851.1

This dress was made by Rosalba McMillen (b. 1888; d. 1969), a seamstress and professional embroiderer, who was commissioned to make needlepoint for a store at the Fairfax Farmer’s Market in Los Angeles, CA. The features which makes this dress a robe de style are the panniers (structured hoops placed on hips, a type of undergarment worn in the 17th & 18th centuries) attached to the lining. Lift up the skirt to take a peek!

📚 LIBRARY RESOURCES 📚

Edward Steichen: In High Fashion, the Condé Nast Years, 1923-1937
by William A. Ewing

Lanvin
by Dean L. Merceron

The Jazz Age: American Style in the 1920s
by Sarah Coffin

1920s Jazz Age Fashion & Photographs
by Martin Pel
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#fidmmuseumstudycollection #studentresources #fidmeducation #fashioneducation #fidmcollege #fashioninspiration #fashioninspo #studycollection #fidmmuseum #fashionhistory #fashionmuseum #fashioncollection #museumcollection #fashion #fashionliveshere

How does one study lace? That depends! We can le

How does one study lace?

That depends! We can learn about the history of lace by reading books. We can learn about it by examining historic examples, such as these items compiled into one of our #FIDMMuseumStudyCollection binders devoted to the expansive subject of lace and lace-like materials (swipe to see a variety). But, possibly the best way to learn about lace is by trying to make it...by hand.

What kinds of questions do you have about lace traditions, old and new? You'll have an opportunity to raise your virtual hand and ask an expert in the art of lacemaking: join us *tomorrow* for our Collection Conversation with Elena Kanagy-Loux! (📸: @rcallahanphoto) We go live on IG Wednesday at 11am PDT/2pm EDT.

Elena Kanagy-Loux is a descendent of the Amish and grew up between the US and Japan, where she was immersed in both traditional Mennonite craft and the DIY fashion scene in Tokyo's #Harajuku neighborhood. After receiving her BFA in Textile Design from FIT, she won a grant which funded a four-month trip to study lacemaking across Europe in 2015. Upon returning to NYC, she co-founded the Brooklyn Lace Guild, an organization devoted to the preservation of lacemaking, and began teaching bobbin lace classes at the Textile Arts Center. In 2018 she completed her MA in Costume Studies at NYU where she based her thesis on interviews with lacemakers that she conducted on her European travels. Currently, she is the Collections Specialist at the Antonio Ratti Textile Center at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Can't watch live? Don't worry, we'll post the video after our conversation!
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@erenanaomi #lace #lacemakers #collectionconversations #museumeducation #fidmmuseumcollectionconversations #fidmmuseum #fashionhistory #fashionmuseum #fashioncollection #museumcollection #fashion #fashionliveshere #fidm #fidmeducation #fidmcollege

A touch of springtime green for you on this St. Pa

A touch of springtime green for you on this St. Patrick's Day!
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Beaded Reticule, 1825-50
Gift of Mary Davenport
2000.760.01
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#stpatricksday #saintpatricksday #wearingofthegreen #beadedpurse #beadedbag #beaded #reticule #antiquepurse #fidmmuseum #fashionhistory #fashionmuseum #fashioncollection #museumcollection #fashion #fashionliveshere

A week from today, we’ll be welcoming Elena Kana

A week from today, we’ll be welcoming Elena Kanagy-Loux for our next Collection Conversation!

Lace is a fitting subject to discuss during #WomensHistoryMonth, and, as lace maker, Ms. Kanagy-Loux is the perfect a textile historian to shed light on the very-much-alive practice for us. Join us on Wednesday March 22, at 11am PST/2pm EST, on IG Live.

We'll discuss antique and regional lace techniques as encountered in our collection, but we also plan to examine the place of machine-made lace in fashion—and, on a very related tangent, color in lace! Here's a glam example of machine-lace in a wine-and-gold colorway, fashioned into a dress and jacket by James Galanos. A favorite of its wearer, Betsy Bloomingdale, this look was also featured in Harpers Bazaar (Dec. 1970, Image 1📸: Neal Barr) and Vogue (Nov. 1970, Image 3 📸: Richard Avedon). The deep red, glinting lace, manufactured by the Italian firm Forneris, was described as "firefly-bright" and is patterned with Art Deco-inspired motifs.
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Evening Ensemble by James Galanos, 1970
Gift of Mrs. Alfred Bloomingdale
2006.116.64AB
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@erenanaomi #fidmmuseum #fashionhistory #fashionmuseum #fashioncollection #museumcollection #fashion #fashionliveshere

Congratulations to @therealruthecarter for her win

Congratulations to @therealruthecarter for her win at the @Oscars! Her outstanding vision for both Wakanda and Talokan worlds in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" was in excellent company with ALL the Academy Award Nominees for Costume Design. A selection of costumes by each nominated designer is now on display in our galleries—you’ll be blown away by how impressive they are in person.

To plan your visit, we always recommend you consult our website for days/hours of operation.

Once again, heartfelt congratulations to each of the nominated costume designers—and brava to Ruth! See you in our galleries soon.

PHOTOS:
• Ruth Carter, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever"
• Shirley Kurata, "Everything Everywhere All At Once"
• Jenny Beavan, "Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris"
• Mary Zophres, "Babylon"
• Catherine Martin, "Elvis"

📸 credits: @abimages
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#ruthcarter #ruthecarter #blackpanther #wakandaforever #afrofuturism #jennybeavan #catherinemartin #maryzophres #fidm #fidmcollege #fidmmuseum #fashionhistory #fashionmuseum #fashion #fashionliveshere

Anyone else hoping to see a little Hollywood godde

Anyone else hoping to see a little Hollywood goddess glamour on the @oscars red carpet today?

Perhaps we'll see a contemporary design inspired by the work of Jean Dessès, who designed this pale aquamarine blue pleated & draped silk chiffon example in our collection. We're having a little #Y2K flashback to when Renée Zellweger wore a canary yellow vintage Desses gown to the 73rd Academy Awards in 2001–the same year Julia Roberts accepted her award for Best Actress in #vintage Valentino). These actors’ choices of vintage over contemporary designer was part of an individualistic red carpet fashion trend of the early 2000s: 20th-century (and mainly 1950s-1990s) couture, mainly sourced from premiere vintage dealers. With the rise of celebrity business ties to fashion houses, the vintage trend started to wane in the 2010s. Recently, the most noteworthy vintage look worn to the Academy Awards was worn by actress Rita Moreno. In 2018, she reprised the brocaded gown she originally wore in to accept her Oscar in 1962.

What are your thoughts on vintage clothing on the red carpet...and what are your red carpet trend predictions for this year?

Enjoy the show!
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Evening Gown by Jean Desses, c. 1955
Gift of Anonymous Donor
80.1950.059.2
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#jeandesses #oscarsfashion #redcarpetfashion #vintageredcarpet #vintagefashion #vintagestyle #eveninggown #reneezellweger fashiontrends #fidmmuseum #fashionhistory #fashionmuseum #fashioncollection #museumcollection #fashion #fashionliveshere

MAO WOW! How time flies...we’re just getting r

MAO WOW!

How time flies...we’re just getting ready to deinstall this playful nylon mesh dress from the @wendemuseum in our home town. A collaboration between the Hong Kong-based fashion designer Vivienne Tam and the artist Zhang Hongtu, the dress is featured in their fascinating exhibition, “(De)constructing Ideology: The Cultural Revolution & Beyond.”

Zhang Hongtu (whose work “Quaker Oats Mao #2” is also in the exhibition) appropriated the ubiquitous and iconic portrait of Chairman Mao, showing him in various humorous or satirical guises, such as “Mao so Young,” in pigtails and a gingham dress; “Ow Mao,” with a bee on his nose; “Holy Mao,” in the costume of a cleric; “Psycho Mao,” wearing dark glasses; ‘Miss Mao,’ with lipstick; and “Nice Day Mao,” where he is smiling. The artist’s altered portraits are arranged in a checkerboard pattern in order to reflect the changeable character of the Chairman. Although Mao fought against Western capitalism, by the 1990s, his image had become widely commodified, used to decorate a variety of goods including high-fashion clothing.

If you’re in the Los Angeles area, you have through the weekend to see the exhibition—it closes this Sunday, March 12!
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‘Mao Dress’ by Vivienne Tam and Zhang Hongtu, Spring/Summer 1995
FIDM Museum Purchase
2007.5.2
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@viviennetam #viviennetam @hongtuz #zhanghongtu #fidmmuseum #fashionhistory #fashionmuseum #fashioncollection #museumcollection #fashion #fashionliveshere

It's #InternationalWomensDay! We love this holiday

It's #InternationalWomensDay! We love this holiday for the spotlight we shine on underrepresented women in the business of fashion.

In celebration of #WomensHistoryMonth, please join us next week for a panel discussion between inspiring female entrepreneurs, including #FIDM educated fashion designers Johana Hernandez, Jasmine Rennie, and Angela Dean. The event is hosted by FIDM Grad and Instructor Melissa Triber, and the panelists are accompanied by the FIDM Museum's Digital Media & Content Manager, Leigh Wishner who will highlight the work of designer Dorothy Liebes—one of the 20th century's least known (and most influential) entrepreneurs.

We’ll take a look at the vital role women have in our society as founders, leaders, and innovators. Learn what it takes to launch a company, the importance of mentors and preparedness, lessons we’ve learned along the way, and advice for those who want to follow in their footsteps.

🗓️: Thursday, March 16, 2023 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM PDT

Registration is free, but required. Link 🔗in bio!
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📸: #georgeplattlynesphoto @archivesamerart Dorothy Liebes Papers