Monies jewelry

  BraceletsMother of pearlMonies 1990-2000Gift of The Muriel Pollia Foundation 2006.868.9A-C Since the early 1970s, Gerda and Nikolai Monies have used fossils, petrified wood, animal bone, seeds, beach stones, jute and other organic materials to... Read Article ››

Bubble silhouette, 1958-59

  Cocktail dress 1958-59 Gift of Steven Porterfield S2007.897.8 In March 1958, Vogue lauded the new variety in fashionable silhouettes: "a whole lovely flight of new forms--winged, floating, or held slightly away from the body in some... Read Article ››

Fred Astaire’s dancing shoes

  Tap Shoes Worn by Fred Astaire, c. 1930sSuede, leather & metal tapsDepartment of Recreation and Parks, City of Los Angeles/FIDM MuseumL88.1.125AB By the time he first appeared in a Hollywood film in 1933, Fred Astaire was already an experienced... Read Article ››

Chains of Chanel

  Gilt chains are a recurring visual theme in the Chanel lexicon. Beginning in the 1920s, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel promoted costume jewelry as an alternative to jewelry made of gold and studded with pearls and precious stones. Chanel didn't just... Read Article ››

Mae West objects on display

  Originally posted in 2009, this post explores Mae West's larger-than-life persona. Visit the 20th Annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition to see one of Mae West's corsets and a pair of her platform shoes on exhibit. The... Read Article ››