Blue corset, c. 1868-1874
Corset c. 1868-1874 FIDM Museum Purchase 2011.5.28 In the late 1860s, the fashionable bodice fit smoothly over a curvaceous corset that emphasized the bust. Skirts flared from a high, compressed waist, so corsets were shaped to place somewhat less... 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 ››

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 ››

Spring flowers
  Spring is here! Today, March 20, is the first day of spring for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. Spring brings longer days, warmer weather and a host of colorful blooms. In celebration of spring's arrival, we offer you an array of flowers... Read Article ››

Evening dress, 1925-27
  Vibrant patterns and bold colors are common characteristics of textiles dating from the 1920s. Rejecting the Belle Epoque palette of off-white and cream accented with pale pink or soft blue, textile designers drew from a variety of eclectic sources to... Read Article ››

Top five posts of 2011–Lucile
  As 2011 comes to a close, we wanted to take a look back at our most popular blog posts of the year. For the next five days, we'll repost the top posts of the year, beginning at number five. Our fifth most popular post features London-born... 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 ››

Silk plush top hat, c. 1855-60
  In the mid-nineteenth century, a gentleman of distinction wouldn't have dared to leave his house without a hat. The most popular style of men's hat was the glossy, silk plush top hat, sometimes called a chimney pot or stovepipe. Equated with... Read Article ››

Liberty & Co. evening gown, c. 1910
  Evening gown Liberty & Co. c. 1910 Silk satin, silk gauze & pearl beads Museum Purchase 2006.5.7 Liberty & Co. opened in London's West End during 1875. Founder Arthur Lasenby Liberty stocked his small shop with goods imported from the... Read Article ››
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