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Is it a sweater or is it a dress? A sweater dress? For the fan of Betsey Johnson's playful, eye-catching designs, this question would be of little concern. According to the designer herself, people who wear Betsey Johnson, "don't get stuck in fashion-says-do-this, fashion-says-do-that...The important thing is to be playful. And experiment."1 Like her clientele, Read More »
Thierry Mugler S/S 1998 Ready-to-wear Museum Purchase 2005.5.22AB The work of Thierry Mugler is noted for its theatricality and an emphasis on exaggerated, aggressive femininity. Mugler began his career as a freelance designer in the early 1970s; by the end of the decade he had opened his first boutique in Paris. From the beginning, Read More »
Capturing the Catwalk was the first exhibition to explore the pioneering photography of Michel Arnaud, whose work for Harper’s Bazaar and British Vogue spans the 1970s to the 1990s. Featuring garments and accessories from brands such as Christian Dior, Chanel, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Gianni Versace alongside selections from the unparalleled photographic archive donated by Read More »
Taking a look back at our celebration of all things French fashion in honor of Bastille Day! ********************************************************************************************************************************** What better time than Bastille Day to celebrate French fashion? We've written extensively about French designers represented in the FIDM Museum Collection on our blog; below, you'll find links to just a few of our favorite articles. Who is your favorite Read More »
What better time than Bastille Day to celebrate French fashion? We've written extensively about French designers represented in the FIDM Museum Collection on our blog; below, you'll find links to just a few of our favorite articles. Who is your favorite designer from France? Tell us in the comments section! Paul Poiret TunicPaul Poiretc. 1913Purchase 2008.25.4 Boué Soeurs Read More »
The FIDM Museum blog will be on hiatus through early January 2015. In the meantime, enjoy weekly posts from the archives. To keep up with our current projects, find us on Facebook and Twitter, which will be updated regularly during the blog hiatus. Helmut Lang's sheer dress was first posted to our blog in June 2013. Helmut Read More »
If something is good, it doesn't go out of style every six months. — Helmut Lang1 Helmut Langc. 1994Gift of Doris Raymond in honor of Kevin Jones2011.800.1 Almost classical in its simplicity, this black dress demonstrates Helmut Lang's (b. 1956) minimalist, understated aesthetic. Strong, almost angular lines are enhanced by the unusual, irregular weave of Read More »
As 2011 comes to a close, we wanted to take a look back at our most popular blog posts of the year. For the next five days, we'll repost the top posts of the year, beginning at number five. Our fifth most popular post features London-born couturier Lucile. Originally published in February, this entry Read More »
It's been a long time since we've talked about research resources! Our last post on this topic was in February 2010--practically a millenia in terms of how fast information appears on the internet. All of the resources we suggested in that post are still excellent starting points for fashion history research. See what we Read More »
Monkey fur inspires strong reactions. On my first encounter with a monkey fur coat, I was shocked by its smooth black locks, which were alarmingly similar to human hair. Among the FIDM Museum staff, we have differing reactions not only to monkey fur, but to fur in general. These differences in opinion arise during Read More »
As a child, Lucile Sutherland (1863-1935) designed and sewed clothing for both herself and her sister Elinor. Years later, Lucile's hobby would become the foundation of an internationally successful business. After the dissolution of her first marriage in 1888, Lucile was left with no means of supporting herself and her young daughter. Lacking any Read More »
