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Day dressClaire McCardellc. 1950FIDM Museum Purchase2003.5.28AB Claire McCardell had a way with stripes. She played with them, spinning and twisting their orientation to create dazzling visual effects. Here, lavender, aqua, purple, and blue stripes are... Read Article ››
Swingin’ Summer
Swingin’ Summer, a collaboration between the FIDM Museum Shop and Clever Vintage Clothing, pays homage to the influence of swimwear on fashion and culture. On view in the FIDM Museum lobby through late July, this installation of swimwear and... Read Article ››
Boudoir slippers, c. 1939
Boudoir slippers c. 1939 Daniel Green Gift of Kevin Jones 2008.155.3AB In the 1937 article, "Mules: The More the Merrier," Vogue claimed that, "all women are slipper collectors."1 Though this is probably an... Read Article ››
World War II propaganda dress
Sixty-eight years ago today, on June 6 1944, over 150,000 Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy, France. Called D-Day, this invasion marked a turning point in World War II. At the time of the invasion, Nazi Germany occupied much of western... Read Article ››
Leather booties worn by Ingrid Bergman in Joan of Arc
When Joan of Arc was released in 1948, Ingrid Bergman was already a star. Born in Sweden in 1915, Bergman starred in several Swedish stage and screen productions before her 1939 American debut in Intermezzo. An English-language adaption of a Swedish... Read Article ››
Lanz Original, late 1940s
Jacketc. 1946 Wool, cotton, brass buttonsLanz OriginalGift of Patricia Marks2003.45.3 Lanz originated in Salzburg, Austria during the early 1920s. Founded by Josef Lanz and Fritz Mahler in 1922, Lanz of Salzburg specialized in ski wear and traditional... Read Article ››
Gloves in the 20th century
In contemporary fashion, gloves are generally overlooked. Warm knitted gloves keep our hands warm in winter, while sturdy canvas or leather gloves protect our hands during gardening or construction projects. Protective gloves (or sometimes mittens)... Read Article ››
Top five posts of 2011–Louella Ballerino crop top, 1946
First published in July 2011, the second most popular post of 2011 describes how a serendipitous find dramatically altered our understanding of a midriff-baring 1940s crop top in our collection. ************ In 2003, a black and coral crop top was... Read Article ››
Adrian resists the New Look
In 1948, when the fashion world was atwitter with talk of Christian Dior's New Look, renowned American designer Adrian took fashion lovers to task for their over reliance on the dictates of Paris. Though the New Look had already created a radical break... Read Article ››
A-muse-ing Fashions
Today's post was written by our Assistant Registrar Dani Killam. In her post, Dani explores the interplay between fashion designers and artists in two vibrantly colorful pieces from our collection: an Adrian blouse and a Halston dress. The Halston... Read Article ››
Neck ties
Neck and bow tie patternSimplicity1945-50Gift of Helen McKenna2006.864.3 The elongated, relatively slim silhouette of the modern neck tie emerged in the mid-nineteenth century. Unlike its predecessor, the cravat, the neck tie didn't require... Read Article ››
Ecarlate de Suzy, 1940
This Baccarat perfume bottle contains Ecarlate de Suzy, a perfume that was described as heady and provocative. In the shape of head and neck topped with a red hat, it has the same whimsical quality shared by many of the mid-twentieth century perfume... Read Article ››