Shopping
Did you brave the crowds to do a bit of Black Friday shopping? If so, you probably visited a department store, boutique or perhaps a local craft fair. Or maybe you waited until today, Cyber Monday, to do your shopping online. Did any of the retail outlets you... Read Article ››

Moschino Cheap and Chic
By the time Franco Moschino (1950-1994) introduced his "Cheap and Chic" line in 1988, he had already earned a reputation as the irreverent "court jester" of the fashion world. From the time he debuted his first "Couture!"... Read Article ››

Floating forms
A well-designed and well-installed museum exhibit appears effortless, as if the objects on display were always meant to be viewed in that exact context. Despite this apparent ease, museum exhibitions require a tremendous amount of long-range planning.... Read Article ››

Holly’s Harp
Los Angeles based designer Holly Harp (1939-1995) began her fashion career in the late 1960s, designing theatrical, psychedelic clothing for iconic performers such as Janis Joplin and Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane. Harp's early designs were in tune... Read Article ››

Catalog giveaway!
We have one signed copy of the High Style: Betsy Bloomingdale and the Haute Couture catalog to giveaway! Who signed the catalog, you ask? None other than the star of the show herself, Betsy Bloomingdale. The catalog is also available for purchase via the FIDM... Read Article ››

Crinoline silhouette
In the mid-nineteenth century, the fashionable female silhouette included voluminous, full skirts. To achieve the desired bell-like skirt shape, women relied on multiple layers of petticoats. These petticoats were usually made of linen, cotton or flannel,... Read Article ››

The Couture Process
Our current exhibition, High Style: Betsy Bloomingdale and the Haute Couture, explores the world of haute couture through the experiences of Betsy Bloomingdale. To complement the ensembles on exhibition, FIDM Productions created a video documentary featuring... Read Article ››

Azzedine Alaia
Azzedine Alaia's body conscious aesthetic earned him the title "King of Cling" and is closely associated with the 1980s. Throughout the decade, Alaia produced intricately seamed garments made of supple glove leather or stretch fabrics such as Lycra and silk... Read Article ››

Aprons
In practical terms, aprons are merely protective overgarments, worn to prevent food or dirt from staining the clothing underneath. Despite these functional origins, aprons have taken on the much larger role of signifying feminine domesticity. This is... Read Article ››

Internship opportunity
Costume Society of America-Western Region Jack Handford Summer Internship SUMMER 2010 The Western Region of Costume Society of America actively supports its student members and encourages students to apply for a summer internship stipend. The Western Region... Read Article ››

Transforming the Rudi Gernreich Archive
If you read this post, you'll know that the FIDM Museum houses an extensive Rudi Gernreich Archive. The Archive numbers nearly 1,000 items and includes not only garments and accessories, but patterns, furniture, scrapbooks and other miscellaneous items.... Read Article ››

Betsey Johnson for Alley Cat
Like Twiggy, Betsey Johnson's career began in the youth oriented 1960s. From the beginning, Johnson's designs had a playful, almost costume-like sensibility, an outlook her work maintains to this day. In numerous interviews, Johnson has suggested that... Read Article ››
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