Marimekko
With its oversized imagery and brightly clashing colors, Marimekko textiles are unmistakable. The Finnish company began in 1951 as a textile design firm specializing in hand silk-screened cotton fabric. The patterns created by Marimekko designers were a... Read Article ››

Ski in fashion
Blouse (detail)1957-1960Mr. DinoGift of Steven Porterfield2007.897.20 Until the 1950s, ski wear consisted of baggy woolen pants and knitted sweaters, topped with a bulky wool overcoat. Though warm and functional, these clothes did nothing to flatter the... Read Article ››

Details Make the Woman
During the Great Depression (1929-1941), many women could not afford to purchase new clothing on a regular basis. Instead, women exploited the potential of accessories to update an old frock. Carefully coordinated gloves, hat, handbag and shoes could be used... Read Article ››

Sonia Rykiel
Sonia Rykiel's signature garment is the striped sweater. Her earliest versions were shrunken, body-hugging "poor boy" sweaters with horizontal stripes designed in the early 1960s. The use of soft, knit fabric (often striped) became a trademark,... 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 ››

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 ››

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 ››

The Couture Process
Our current exhibition, High Style: Betsy Bloomingdale and the Haute Couture, explores the world of haute couture through the experiences of Betsy Bloomingdale. To complement the ensembles on exhibition, FIDM Productions created a video documentary featuring... Read Article ››

Aprons
In practical terms, aprons are merely protective overgarments, worn to prevent food or dirt from staining the clothing underneath. Despite these functional origins, aprons have taken on the much larger role of signifying feminine domesticity. This is... Read Article ››
1 … 23 24 25 26 27