Muslin dress, c. 1845
The ideal 1840s woman was a delicate being. She was innocent, modest, sensitive to etiquette, possessed of softly rounded shoulders and had a demure gaze. According to one 1843 description, proper young women, "never go into a passion, have no will of... Read Article ››

Gothe evening gown, early 1950s
How do you pin a corsage on a strapless gown? This question was posed by florists in the early 1950s, when strapless evening and ball gowns were all the rage. In lieu of pinning the corsage on a shoulder strap, florists suggested creative alternatives. Create... Read Article ››

Wedding gown, 1910-1911
  One of the priciest clothing purchases a woman can make, a wedding gown is worn only once. After the wedding, the gown is carefully tucked away, becoming an heirloom for future generations. In some families, a wedding gown is later altered and worn by... Read Article ››

Fashion Birthday: Madeleine Vionnet
  French couturier Madeleine Vionnet was born on this day in 1876. Born in Chilleurs-aux-Bois, about 75 miles from Paris, Vionnet was apprenticed to a local dressmaker at age 11. She spent several years in this first apprenticeship, moving to a... Read Article ››

Reception dress, c. 1876
  Reception dress1876-77 Maison Touin, Paris Silk faille, wool & silk brocade, linen lace Gift of John Kauke 82.405.2AB Made by a Paris dressmaker, this purple and cream reception dress could have walked right off a fashion plate. The styling and... 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 ››

Claire McCardell dress, 1952
  The FIDM Museum compact storage facility is filled with wonders. Charles Worth's c. 1878 reception gown, a beaded evening sheath by Alber Elbaz for Lanvin, Fortuny textiles and Herve Leger's mini-jumpsuit share racks and boxes with... Read Article ››

Yves Saint Laurent mini-dress, c. 1967
  Yves Saint Laurent had a talent for translating street fashion into the vocabulary of the haute couture. He demonstrated this ability early, during his brief tenure as head designer at Christian Dior. Inspired by the bohemian students, artists and... Read Article ››

Black silk faille formal dress, 1894-96
  Studying period garments, fashion illustrations, reference books, and whenever possible, photographs, helps create a mental checklist against which to compare undated garments and images. Unfitted, columnar dress with elaborate... Read Article ››

Bubble silhouette, 1958-59
  Cocktail dress 1958-59 Gift of Steven Porterfield S2007.897.8 In March 1958, Vogue lauded the new variety in fashionable silhouettes: "a whole lovely flight of new forms--winged, floating, or held slightly away from the body in some... Read Article ››

Chains of Chanel
  Gilt chains are a recurring visual theme in the Chanel lexicon. Beginning in the 1920s, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel promoted costume jewelry as an alternative to jewelry made of gold and studded with pearls and precious stones. Chanel didn't just... Read Article ››
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