Re-Designing History: The Competition
  In conjunction with our current exhibit, Re-Designing History: FIDM Museum Study Collection, 1850-2000, FIDM Museum & Galleries held a design competition for currently enrolled FIDM students to re-design history by creating illustrations inspired... Read Article ››

Folding fans
  During an early summer trip to Japan several years ago, I was fascinated to see that folding paper fans were more than just a tourist souvenir. Stores of all types and sizes sold paper fans printed with imagery ranging from cute children's... Read Article ››

Valentina hat
  Valentina never suffered a lack of confidence in her taste or in her design skills. She was notorious for giving clients what she thought the needed, not what they requested. In 1952, Life magazine reported that her maxim to clients was "take it... Read Article ››

Man’s dressing gown, 1905-1915
  Throughout the 19th and into the first decade of the 20th century, mainstream formal and business dress for men was a black suit and light colored (often white) shirt paired with a black bow-tie. Constructed from durable wool and lacking all... Read Article ››

Issey Miyake’s early pleats
  Until the early 1980s, most garments designed for Western women were created in reaction to the body. Whether emphasizing and exaggerating a curvaceous form, as in the New Look, or minimizing curves to create a willowy 1960s silhouette, Western... Read Article ››

S-bend silhouette
The S-bend silhouette emerged about 1900 and reigned supreme until the end of the decade. Created by a specific style of corset, the S-bend is characterized by a rounded, forward leaning torso with hips pushed back. This shape earned the silhouette its name;... Read Article ››

Combination undergarments
  Combination undergarments, which combined chemise and drawers into one garment, first appeared in the late 1860s or early 1870s. By the 1890s, combinations had largely replaced the long chemise worn over a separate pair of drawers. The advantage of... Read Article ››