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In 1992, Italian designer Gianni Versace was fascinated with the American West. That year, his collections featured design elements typically associated with the cowboy or cowgirl: boots, fringed leather, jackets with metal tipped lapels and Western motifs. Given Versace's reputation for designing aggressively sexual clothing, it is no surprise that his "Western wear" forced fashion Read More »
Today's post on Howard Greer was written by costume historian Shelly Foote. From 1994-2004, Shelly worked with the Costume Collection at The National Museum of American History as the Assistant Chair in the Division of Social History. Retired since 2004, Shelly is closely involved with the Costume Society of America and is also researching a Read More »
As designer for Lanvin since 2002, Alber Elbaz has brought new life to what had become a house on the periphery of fashion. Founded in 1885 as a millinery shop, Lanvin flourished under the direction of its founder, Jeanne Lanvin. Lanvin excelled in the creation of elegant, sophisticated garments with a distinct silhouette and inventive Read More »
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. They are small paper photographs mounted on cardstock, about the size of a Victorian calling card -- 4” by Read More »
Today's post was written by Christina Johnson, FIDM Museum Collections Manager. Part II will be posted on Wednesday, December 9. Enjoy! Tintypec.1895-1897Gift of Stephen Porterfield2009.897.74 Photographic portraits are valuable resources for understanding fashion history. Knowing the dates certain photo techniques were used can help date extant objects. These images also reveal a great deal about Read More »
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 the 1910s, which relied on a single, dramatic embellishment for decoration rather than the "assemblage of materials" then in vogue.1 This interest in Read More »
Azzedine Alaia's body conscious aesthetic earned him the title "King of Cling" and is closely associated with the 1980s. Throughout the decade, Alaia produced intricately seamed garments made of supple glove leather or stretch fabrics such as Lycra and silk jersey. His most memorable designs fit the body like a second skin, providing a literal Read More »
If you read this post, you'll know that the FIDM Museum houses an extensive Rudi Gernreich Archive. The Archive numbers nearly 1,000 items and includes not only garments and accessories, but patterns, furniture, scrapbooks and other miscellaneous items. We received the objects that now comprise the Rudi Gernreich Archive soon after Gernreich's death in 1985. Read More »
Behind every great museum is a great library. The FIDM Museum is fortunate to have access to the FIDM Library, which houses a great collection of design oriented books. Today's post focuses on a preservation project completed by Rachel Clarke, FIDM Library Catalog Coordinator. It is a shorter version of an article published in the Read More »
If you are a regular reader of this blog, you almost certainly believe that sartorial choices are made by individuals to create aspirational versions of themselves, i.e. you dress in the fashion of the person you want, or believe yourself, to be. Given that belief, what do you think this Victorian-era wedding gown might reveal Read More »
Over the last few years, collaborations between clothing designers and mass-market retailers have become increasingly common. These fast fashion or capsule collections consist of a small group of designer items created for a specific retailer and are only available for a limited time. Capsule collections allow the average consumer to purchase a designer item at Read More »
Deliverance, Alexander McQueen's Spring/Summer 2004 fashion show was the hit of the season. Based on the 1969 film, They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (starring Jane Fonda), Deliverance subverted the typical fashion show narrative by reversing the order of presentation; evening gowns kicked off the extravaganza while faux-homespun daywear and a tarnished evening gown concluded the Read More »
