c. 1850 blue bodice, refashioned
  This bright blue bodice is a bit of a puzzle. Look closely at the image, and you'll probably notice something strange happening at the waist. Do you see the coarse cotton lining peeking out from below the blue silk waistband? The V-shape of the... Read Article ››

A few more textile swatches
  We've got some really fantastic textile swatches in our collection. In past blog posts, we've featured our Wiener Werkstatte textiles and a group of textiles designed by Raoul Dufy. We've also shared compelling textiles designed by... Read Article ››

Louella Ballerino crop top, 1946
  In 2003, a black and coral crop top was donated to the FIDM Museum. The top is of coral silk, with black silk appliques in a stylized floral pattern. Accompanying the donation was a snapshot of the donor actually wearing the top. We love this kind of... Read Article ››

Indoor slippers, 1850-75
  Our Study Collection offers FIDM students, faculty and researchers hands-on access to historic garments and accessories. Objects find a home in our Study Collection for a variety of reasons. Sometimes we have near multiples in the Permanent... Read Article ››

And the winner is…
  Congratulations Carli, you're the winner of The Black Dress by Valerie Steele! Carli's comment was randomly selected from among the many insightful comments on our recent website feedback and book giveaway post. Tremendous thanks to everyone... Read Article ››

McCardell playsuit and a Karan jumpsuit
  Rompers, jumpsuits and playsuits. Love 'em or hate 'em, they're all over the place. Emerging a few years ago as a runway trend, they've reached critical mass and can be purchased at just about any youth-oriented clothing retailer. As... Read Article ››

Pinafore dress, early 1940s
  Under pinafores, almost anything may lurk. They cover up playsuits, tennis dresses and sports frocks.1 Girl's pinafore Printed cotton 1940-45 Gift of the Manlove Family 2006.870.5 A contemporary pinafore is a short-sleeved girl's dress,... Read Article ››

New website and book giveaway
  Remember back in March when we told you that we'd be working on a new website? Well, we're finished! Please give a warm welcome to fidmmuseum.org, our new website. Our goal was to create a visually stunning site which facilitates user-friendly... Read Article ››

Batik ensemble, c. 1970
  Nineteen-sixties hippie culture was based on the rejection of "straight" culture, i.e. mainstream culture that oppressed the individual. In sartorial terms, this meant that hippies rejected contemporary, mass-produced, off-the-rack garments.... Read Article ››