Quilted petticoat
Before the introduction of the cage crinoline in 1856, women typically wore multiple layers of petticoats. The petticoat layers (sometimes as many as 6!) not only shaped the skirt into a fashionable bell-shape, but also provided warmth. Between about... Read Article ››

Fashion history through photographs, part II
Part two of FIDM Museum Collections Manager Christina Johnson's examination of how photographs can be used to study fashion history. Carte de visitec. 1875-77Gift of Steven Porterfield2009.897.103Carte de visites were produced from 1854 through the 1880s.... Read Article ››

Bohemian dress for children
Bohemians were figures of both fascination and fun in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A typical Bohemian was often artistically or politically inclined and was willing to step outside the bounds of conventional society. The highest Bohemian ideal was... Read Article ››

Coco Chanel
Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel (1883-1971) distinguished her design aesthetic through a strict insistence on comfortable, lightweight garments and a pared-down silhouette. Chanel's interest in simplicity is seen in her earliest millinery designs from... Read Article ››

And the winner is…
  Thanks to all of you who entered our High Style: Betsy Bloomingdale and the Haute Couture catalog giveaway! The winner, selected at random, is Diana! Fashion and Feathers, about a c. 1905 hat, is Diana’s favorite FIDM Museum blog post. It was a... Read Article ››

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 ››
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