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Charles James was born on this day in 1906. Celebrated for his rigorous, structural approach to fashion design, James dressed some of the mid-twentieth century's most stylish women. Key clients, who purchased his designs, and supported him during... Read Article ››
FABULOUS! catalogue wins Best of Show award
We are delighted to announce that the FABULOUS! catalogue was awarded Best of Show at the 2012 Print Excellence Awards. The catalogue was printed by Clear Image Printing, who went above and beyond in their execution of the... Read Article ››
Exhibition design at the FIDM Museum
Exhibition design encompasses every element of an exhibition. Paint colors, platform shapes, cases, lighting, traffic flow and many other elements work together to support and enhance the narrative created by the objects on display. At the FIDM... Read Article ››
One last look at 2011–Alexander McQueen peacock dress
Before we get too far into 2012, we wanted to mention one final blog post from 2011. When we compiled our Top Five Posts of 2011, our post on Alexander McQueen's peacock dress was an extremely close runner-up. This post trailed very slightly (one... Read Article ››
Johann Hummel court suit, c. 1810-14
Since our FABULOUS! exhibition opened in September, we've featured selected exhibition highlights on our blog. As FABULOUS! closes tomorrow, this post will be our final installment in the series. Want to revisit favorite pieces from the... Read Article ››
Alexander McQueen Peacock Dress
Alexander McQueen's famed peacock evening dress, currently on display in FABULOUS!, is a crowd favorite. Visitors routinely beeline straight for the frothy dress, which resides on a rotating platform in the third and final gallery of the exhibition. We... Read Article ››
Court gown and train, 1907
Ladies attending Their Majesties' Courts will appear in Full Dress, with Trains and Plumes.1 Court gown & train London, EnglandRedfern1907Museum Purchase, Funds provided by Yvonne Hummel2008.932.19AB Worn only during the ceremony in... Read Article ››
Holding history in my hands
In today's post, Christina Johnson, associate curator and resident photography expert, describes her long-standing fascination with historic photography. She also discusses the conservation of a mid-nineteenth century ambrotype portraying two... Read Article ››
Congrats to our FABULOUS! winners
Thanks so much to all of you who entered our FABULOUS! giveaway! We loved reading about your favorite fashion books. Many of you listed Fashion from the Kyoto Costume Institute as a top pick. The Fashion in Detail books from the V&A Museum were... Read Article ››
Madeleine Vionnet evening gown
Evening gown Madeleine Vionnet c. 1936-1938 Museum Purchase, Funds provided by Mrs. Tonian Hohberg 2008.5.50AB The first time I saw this Madeleine Vionnet halter evening gown, I had a hard time reconciling it with my knowledge of Vionnet's work.... Read Article ››
FABULOUS! giveaway
We're giving away FABULOUS! prizes! Enter to win a copy of the FABULOUS! catalogue or a set of FABULOUS! notecards and paper dolls by leaving a comment on this blog post. In your comment, tell us about your favorite fashion-related book. Two... Read Article ››
Making a mount for an 1870s dolman
Today's post is by our Study Collection Manager and expert mountmaker, Carolyn Jamerson. In a previous post, Carolyn described the process of making floating forms. In this post, Carolyn describes the unique challenges of making a custom mount for... Read Article ››