Bonnie Cashin

Lots of designers start from scratch every six months or so, moving with the trends. Not Bonnie Cashin. Every season she adds a little to what has gone before–some new colors, an experimental shape. Nothing invalidates her previous season’s... Read Article ››

Tina Leser

Tina Leser (1910-1986) is among the generation of American designers credited with creating and popularizing the “American Look” during and immediately after World War II. Along with designers such as Carolyn Schnurer, Louella Ballerino and Claire... Read Article ››

Would you believe it’s paper?

As many of our readers may already know, season 6 of Project Runway was filmed at FIDM! In the most recent episode (season 6, episode 5), the contestants used pages from the Los Angeles Times to create “ripped from the headlines” garments. You can... Read Article ››

From mini to maxi

As discussed in this post, fashions changed dramatically in the 1960s. For women, the miniskirt was emblematic of widespread social and cultural changes which occurred throughout the decade. British designer Mary Quant is usually credited with bringing the... Read Article ››

Upcoming exhibition!

  High Style: Betsy Bloomingdale and the Haute CoutureOctober 21, 2009-December 13, 2009 We couldn’t wait any longer to tell you about this exhibition! We hope that all of our readers will all be able to attend, but for those who are outside the Los... Read Article ››

Menswear

Like many museums that focus on dress and textiles, the FIDM Museum is constantly searching for compelling menswear for our collection. Most 19th and 20th century menswear is relatively straightforward; it tends to favor function over form, resulting in... Read Article ››

Norman Norell

Norman Norell (1900-1972) was born and raised in the midwest (Indiana) and moved to New York City as soon as possible. Norell studied at Parsons School of Design and after a brief return to Indiana to open a batik shop in 1920 or 1921, he returned to the... Read Article ››

Swimwear in the twentieth century

In 1913, Vogue magazine featured its first patterns for bathing costumes. These do-it-yourself patterns were intended to fill the “distinct need for smart bathing costumes,” an indication that swimming had become a widespread and fashionable... Read Article ››