FIDM Museum Blog

Mae West objects on display

 

Originally posted in 2009, this post explores Mae West's larger-than-life persona. Visit the 20th Annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition to see one of Mae West's corsets and a pair of her platform shoes on exhibit. The exhibition closes on April 28, 2012.

**********************************************

Mae West's (1893-1980) most famous attribute was her figure. Buxom, rounded and held in place by rigid corsets, West's silhouette provoked a degree of outrage, while also serving as her best publicity. Her hourglass shape was immortalized in 1937 when the couturier Elsa Schiaparelli used West's silhouette as the basis for her Shocking perfume bottle. Hired to design costumes for West's 1937 film Every Day's a Holiday, the Paris based couturier would not travel to Hollywood and West could not travel to Paris. A solution was reached whereby a torso based on West's measurements was sent to Schiaparelli's Paris workshop. The resulting perfume bottle serves as an iconic representation of both Mae West and Elsa Schiaparelli.

Shocking by Schiaparelli
c.1937
Gift of Annette Green
F2005.860.820A

A docent's view of the 20th Annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition

 

Today's post is by our Docent Coordinator, Sarah Repetto. Sarah schedules, coordinates and leads tours of the 20th Annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition. Sarah's post provides fascinating insight into how visitors interact with the costumes on display.

************************************************

I was listening to NPR the day before the Academy Awards and heard a movie critic refer to a common thread amongst all of the 2012 nominees for best picture. Each of these films prominently features the idea of nostalgia. From Hugo to The Artist, many of 2011 films looked to the past with earnest longing for days gone by. Coincidentally, as a tribute to the 20th anniversary of the Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition, FIDM Museum curators Kevin Jones and Christina Johnson have incorporated highlights from FIDM Museum collection and Department of Recreation and Parks, City of Los Angeles, Historic Hollywood Collection. This includes items such as Mae West’s dizzyingly high 7-inch tall platform heels and a Spanish matador jacket worn by Rudolph Valentino in the 1922 film Blood and Sand.

"Suit of Lights" jacket worn by Rudolph Valentino in Blood and Sand
Natacha Rambova
1922
HC 4001
Department of Recreation and Parks, City of Los Angeles, FIDM Museum
Photo by Jim Meeks, Oklahoma City Museum of Art

Fortuny textiles

 

"Many a room has been "made" by a single panel of Fortuny fabric. As furniture coverings and curtains these prints are infinitely rich and adaptable. And the superb gesture is to hang entire wall surfaces with Fortuny stuffs."¹

  Textile panel detail
Mariano Fortuny
c. 1915
Gift of the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum
87.1010.1

Mariano Fortuny's interest in the past influenced all of his work. His most iconic garment, the finely pleated silk Delphos dress, was based on the pleated garments portrayed in ancient Greek sculpture. To complement the Delphos, Fortuny created loose-fitting coats, capes and wraps and patterned with rich designs. Fortuny's tastes were varied and his textile patterns referenced a wide array of artistic traditions. The Italian Renaissance was a consistent inspiration, but Fortuny also borrowed design elements from sources as diverse as the pre-Columbian art of Central and South America, Chinese brush paintings, Coptic textile designs, and Arabic calligraphy. Fortuny's first encounters with historic textiles were through his family. His parents collected historic textiles, and Fortuny continued this collecting tradition, amassing a large collection of historic textiles that were kept in trunks at the Palazzo Orfei, Fortuny's home in Venice.

 

Down Under!

 

Today's post was written by FIDM Museum curator, Kevin Jones. In this post, Kevin describes the reason behind his recent trip to Australia.

*****************************************************

Once in a while a curator has the privilege of traveling to another museum to install a garment that is being loaned to an exhibition. Generally, the borrowing institution is within driving distance. I just returned from such a trip last week and while I didn’t drive my car, I did go by bus…that is, by Qantas Airbus, the largest passenger plane in the world that can transport more than 500 people at a time. My destination was Bendigo, Australia, in the southeast province of Victoria, one and a half hours outside of Melbourne. The Bendigo Art Gallery just opened the exhibition Grace Kelly: Style Icon (11 March – 17 June 2012), which traveled nearly as far as I did, coming from the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, England. An overview of the gallery and the exhibition can be read here.

View of the Bendigo Art Gallery

Lace mitts

 

If these black mitts remind you of circa 1980s Madonna, you're not alone. The first time I encountered a pair of black 19th century mitts, I instantly remembered the fingerless lace gloves Madonna wore throughout much of the 1980s. She wears a black pair in the video for her 1984 hit Lucky Star.

Fingerless mitts or gloves
1830s
Cotton and embroidery
Gift of John Kauke
82.404.3AB

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 from our collection. Enjoy!

Evening boots
1850-55
Gift of Barbara Bundy
2006.37.3AB

This pair of nineteenth century evening boots feature a pattern of roses and twining foliage. Made of a lightly iridescent silk damask brocade accented with green leather foxing at the heel and toe, these boots were almost certainly made to match an evening gown. Because of their delicacy, they would have been worn indoors only. As was common throughout much of the 19th century, these boots have undefined left and right soles. Shoes with distinctly different shapes for the left and right food didn't became widespread until the late 19th century.

Event: AdDRESSING Titanic: Appearance & Identity in 1912

 

 

AdDRESSING Titanic: Appearance & Identity in 1912
April 14, 2012
10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Join FIDM Museum Fashion Council in commemorating the Titanic. 2012 marks the centennial anniversary of the sinking of this luxury oceanliner and we will mark the occasion with AdDRESSING Titanic. The journey will launch with a champagne toast and exquisite sweets and savories. An illustrated lecture by Kevin Jones, FIDM Museum curator, will compare and contrast the sartorial identity of the Titanic's four categories of travelers: First Class, Second Class, Steerage, and Crew. The journey will conclude with highlights of c. 1912 fashions from the Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection in the Orange County Campus Museum gallery.

Tickets for this event are $100. Purchase tickets for AdDRESSING Titanic by April 1, 2012 via the FIDM Museum Shop. Seating at this event is limited. AdDRESSING Titanic will be held at the FIDM Orange County campus: 17590 Gillette Avenue, Irvine, CA 92614-5610.

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 

Originally posted in July 2010, this c. 1955 James Galanos deserves a repeat appearance in honor of St. Patrick's Day. With its vibrant emerald green color, it is easily one of the greenest garments in our collection. Enjoy!

 

During the 1950s, French haute couture was a dominant force in fashion. Elite American women traveled to Paris and purchased their wardrobes directly from renowned couturiers, while many others experienced haute couture through mass-produced versions of the latest French styles. This was a strength of the American fashion industry; producing stylish and affordable garments in large quantities, whether the latest haute couture copies or playful sportswear. Only a very few American designers worked in the style of the haute couture, producing meticulously crafted garments on a limited scale. Los Angeles' own James Galanos (b. 1924) was one of these designers. In 1954, when Galanos first presented a collection in New York City, fashion critics noted that his "cut and detail smacked of Parisian couture."¹

Cocktail dress
James Galanos
c. 1955
Gift of Susan Lister
S2007.894.1A-C

A trip to the hospital

 

Last week, FIDM Museum staff traveled to Good Samaritan Hospital Los Angeles with precious cargo in tow. The cloth-of-gold court bodice worn by Lady Mary Douglas to the coronation of George III in 1761 had an appointment in Radiology! This extremely rigid bodice is heavily boned with baleen and covered with cloth of gold, a fabric woven with real gold filaments and silk. Silver embroidery and hand-punched sequins depict overflowing cornucopias at the neckline and stylized roses and thistles—all symbols of the British Empire. The bodice is part of the Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection, which we are currently raising funds to acquire.

Introducing the FIDM Museum Fashion Council

 

We're excited to introduce you to the FIDM Museum Fashion Council, a group of dedicated volunteers committed to supporting the FIDM Museum. They're a dynamic group with tremendous enthusiasm and energy. Of course, they're all passionate about fashion and fashion history too. We are extremely fortunate to have their support for a variety of programs, including exhibitions, educational programming, and the acquisition of new and important objects for the FIDM Museum Collections. Fashion Council is also working on an exciting new outreach program that will bring fashion history to students throughout Southern California.

The inaugural Fashion Council event was held in late February. Members and friends of Fashion Council met at FIDM's Orange County campus before embarking on a chartered bus for the ride to FIDM's Los Angeles campus, where the FIDM Museum is located. On arriving at the FIDM Museum, Fashion Council enjoyed an illustrated presentation on the past, present and future of the FIDM Museum. Here's a picture of Kevin Jones, FIDM Museum curator, discussing our recent FABULOUS! exhibition. The high-top sneakers on-screen behind Kevin are a pair of limited edition Adidas. They were designed in 1991 as a tribute to NBA star Dikembe Mutombo.