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Like many museums that focus on dress and textiles, the FIDM Museum is constantly searching for compelling menswear for our collection. Most 19th and 20th century menswear is relatively straightforward; it tends to favor function over form, resulting in garments without intriguing structural or decorative elements. There are, of course, exceptions to this general statement, Read More »
Unlike his contemporary Charles Worth, Emile Pingat (1820-1901) has been largely forgotten. Pingat was active between 1850 and 1896 and at the time, his reputation was equal to that of Worth. Beginning in the 1870s and ending in the mid-1890s, publications such as the New York Times, Harper's Bazaar and Godey's Lady's Book consistently mention Read More »
Often called the "dictator of fashion," Charles Worth (1825-1895) was the preeminent fashion tastemaker of the mid to late nineteenth century. Born in rural England, Worth emigrated to Paris in 1845 and worked in a series of dry-goods and dressmaking establishments. In 1856 or 1857, Worth, in partnership with Swedish businessman Otto Bobergh, opened a dressmaking Read More »
If you're interested in the history of fashion, it is usually impossible to ignore the ways in which contemporary designers reference styles of past eras. As we mentioned in this post, designer John Galliano frequently mines fashion history for his inspiration, both in his own collections and in those he creates for Christian Dior. The Fall 2009 Galliano Read More »
Hello readers! First of all, we'd like to thank you for your fantastic response to our blog. We're very excited that our blog is off to such a great start and look forward to sharing more FIDM Museum objects with you. Thanks for your support! Our posts so far have focused primarily on contextualizing a variety of museum objects Read More »
Norman Norell (1900-1972) was born and raised in the midwest (Indiana) and moved to New York City as soon as possible. Norell studied at Parsons School of Design and after a brief return to Indiana to open a batik shop in 1920 or 1921, he returned to the east coast to study at Brooklyn's Pratt Institute. In the early 1920s, Read More »
In 1913, Vogue magazine featured its first patterns for bathing costumes. These do-it-yourself patterns were intended to fill the "distinct need for smart bathing costumes," an indication that swimming had become a widespread and fashionable activity.1 Swimwear editorials began to appear regularly in Vogue and swimwear itself became more varied. With the appearance of elasticized Read More »
As August turns to September, we're all thinking about how to best enjoy the last days of summer. For many, this means getting in one last swim. Imagine what it would be like to paddle around in the water wearing the wool "swimsuit" below. Seems difficult, doesn't it? Woman's bathing ensemble c. 1875 Museum Purchase 2006.25.3AB Read More »
If you're looking for a research project, here's a great one for you! See if you can add anything new to the existing information about the Boué Soeurs, the pair of French sisters who designed this lingerie-style dress intended for a young girl. Girl's dress Boué Soeurs c. 1924-25 Gift of Lloyd Costen 2006.876.3AB Read More »
Ladies come to me for a gown as they go to a distinguished painter to get their portrait put on canvas. I am an artist, not a dressmaker. Paul Poiret, 19131 Throughout most of the nineteenth century, the fashionable female silhouette stood away from the body and depended on multiple layers of garments for its shape. Petticoats, Read More »
Thanks to Heather of the dress studies blog Worn Through for her complimentary review of this blog! You can read the review here. Earlier this year, Worn Through featured an interview with our collections manager, Christina Johnson. You can read all three parts of that interview here. Read More »
All museum employees are charged with careful collection oversight. We monitor temperature and humidity, store objects with an eye to preventing damage while also trying to learn more about each object in the collection. Despite these efforts, we sometimes overlook fabulous objects hidden in plain sight. Over the past few years, we have updated our Read More »
