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 ››

Versace skull jewelry
  For the past few years, skulls have been everywhere, appearing as a motif on hand-knit sweaters, contemporary art, runway fashion, fast fashion and housewares. Despite their current incarnation as overused icon, the skull motif has weighty symbolic... Read Article ››

Straight to the heart
  Forget roses, forget chocolate! We've got a better gift for you this Valentine's Day--a selection of objects that address the theme of the day, love. Paul Poiret evening gown from La Gazette du Bon Ton 1922, No. 22 FIDM Museum Special... Read Article ››

Thierry Mugler suit, 1998
  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... Read Article ››

Images of Men: A Look Through Fragrance
  Dani Killam, Assistant Registrar at the FIDM Museum, brings you this post examining how masculine archetypes are reinforced through the design and packaging of fragrance bottles. The bottles discussed in this post are part of a larger exhibit currently... Read Article ››

Carolina Herrera evening gowns
Even before launching her own line in 1981, Carolina Herrera (b. 1939) had established a reputation for elegance and personal style. As an adolescent, she sometimes accompanied her grandmother on haute couture buying trips to Paris. When at home in Caracas,... Read Article ››

Yoshiki Hishinuma
Popular conceptions of Japanese textile design usually focus on textiles similar to the sky-blue stenciled and embroidered silk seen in this 19th century kimono dressing gown. Made of natural fibers and featuring patterns and motifs borrowed from the natural... Read Article ››

Vivienne Westwood corset
The task is to form the future from the materials of the past-Vivienne Westwood1For centuries, corsets were an essential, but unseen, part of a woman's wardrobe. Visible only through their shaping of the body, actual corsets were typically seen only in... Read Article ››

Alexander McQueen, you will be missed.
All of us at the FIDM Museum were saddened and shocked to learn of Alexander McQueen's death. Such a tremendous loss of creative talent is difficult to comprehend. McQueen's aesthetic was provocative and never shy of pushing limits. Individual garments... Read Article ››

Versace’s cowgirl
In 1992, Italian designer Gianni Versace was fascinated with the American West. That year, his collections featured design elements typically associated with the cowboy or cowgirl: boots, fringed leather, jackets with metal tipped lapels and Western motifs.... Read Article ››

Handbag variety
Like shoes, handbags and purses straddle the line between functional and decorative objects. Though many women (and some men) consider them necessary containers for objects such as keys or money, the sheer diversity of available styles demonstrates that... 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 ››
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