CURRENTLY CLOSED
Please use our Collections Search to complete or refine your search or just to browse the FIDM Museum collection.
With its beaches, pools, and nearly year-round sunshine, Southern California was the birthplace of active sportswear. Hollywood's "Dream Factories" showcased silver-screen stars with golden tans wearing dazzling swimwear. This mid-1950s suit embellished with thousands of prong-set rhinestones that rippled over its wearer like sun-dappled waves evokes that glamorous lifestyle. But the threat of rusting in Read More »
What's Halloween without a bat? These small, flying mammals are a favorite Halloween motif, appearing as costumes, decorations, even candy. Though they're generally harmless to humans, western cultures usually consider bats the eeriest of creatures. Blame this bad reputation on their nocturnal lifestyle, and the blood-sucking habits of vampire bats. Though most bats eat insects Read More »
Though "cabana set" sounds like the nickname for an elite group of beach hopping travellers, it actually refers to a matching or coordinating set of man's swim trunks and sport shirt or light jacket. Though California swimwear manufacturer Catalina promoted matching swim trunks and sport shirts in the 1940s, the term cabana set wasn't Read More »
During the 1920s, pajamas moved from bedroom to beach. Though pajama style pants were suggested by Paul Poiret as avant garde dress during the teens, pajamas were worn primarily as sleepwear until the 1920s. Sometime during the mid-to-late 1920s, pajamas appeared outside the bedroom as swimsuit cover-ups on the beaches of the French Riviera. Beach Read More »
In the early 20th century, women who chose to wear bifurcated garments (i.e. trousers) outside of the gymnasium or off the playing field risked public censure. Though women had been wearing full, almost skirt-like trousers for sporting activities since the late 19th century, these bifurcated garments escaped condemnation only because they were functional, not fashionable. Read More »
Widespread cultural preoccupations or anxieties are often expressed through dress. This can be extremely overt, as in the case of a T-shirt slogan, or much more discreet, as in a frequently recurring decorative motif. In the 19th century, anxiety relating to the Industrial Revolution and the move from an agrarian to urban/industrial society resulted in Read More »
With its oversized imagery and brightly clashing colors, Marimekko textiles are unmistakable. The Finnish company began in 1951 as a textile design firm specializing in hand silk-screened cotton fabric. The patterns created by Marimekko designers were a departure from traditional Finnish floral patterns, though the graphic, modern Marimekko imagery was definitely inspired by aspects of Read More »
Between the 1750s and the late 19th century, rural Englishmen wore voluminous smocks when working outdoors. Usually made of rough homespun, most smocks had long, full sleeves and ended at mid-calf. Though entirely functional, smocks often featured decorative embroidery around the cuffs, bodice or neckline. Called smocking, it was more than mere decorative embellishment. Because Read More »
High Style: Betsy Bloomingdale and the Haute Couture October 21, 2009-December 13, 2009 Wednesday-Sunday 10am-4pm Evening gown Gianfranco Ferre for Christian Dior 1989-90 Gift of Mrs. Alfred Bloomingdale 2001.116.13 “High Style: Betsy Bloomingdale and the Haute Couture” celebrates a donation of over 100 Haute Couture garments given to the FIDM Museum at the Fashion Institute Read More »
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 Angeles area, we will be featuring a number of exhibition Read More »
"What must be admired most in Adrian's fashions is their construction; he is an architect, balancing proportions and studying every line. His approach is original and frequently unconventional, but that is what makes the viewing of an Adrian collection exciting."1 When Adrian decided to leave the world of costume design in 1941 and open Adrian Read More »
Louella Ballerino? Who's that?Though you may not recognize her name, her design sensibility was crucial to the creation and popularization of the California look--casual, functional, colorful clothing designed to complement the relaxed California lifestyle. Her career began in 1929, when economic necessity led Ballerino to begin work as a free-lance fashion illustrator in Los Angeles. Read More »
