Reading Between the Lines at Ivy Style

Ivy Style, an exhibition that considers the origins of the "Ivy League Look"in menswear, opened on September 14, 2012 at The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York. Presented thematically in vignettes that evoke an Ivy League university campus, including a quad, a dorm room, an athletic club, a chemistry lab and a university shop, the exhibition features around 60 ensembles of menswear that show the evolution of the style from the late 1910s to present day reinterpretations.

February is Fashion History Month

Costume history is a subject that I find utterly enchanting and the shelves in my office groan with stacks and stacks of books on the topic. Normally I have to travel to distant places to get my fashion history fix, but this month there are a number of local exhibitions celebrating the history of fashion. 

12.12.12 Life in Three Centuries at the Fashion History Museum
Photo courtesy of the Fashion History Museum 2012

'12.12.12: Life in Three Centuries' looks at the intersection of fashion and life in 1812, 1912, and 2012 and is presented by Jonathan Walford, Kenn Norman, and members of the board of the Fashion History Museum at the newly restored Guelph Civic Museum (52 Norfolk Street) in Guelph. The exhibition is currently open 1 - 5 p.m. daily and will close March 4, 2012. For more information, please call the Fashion History Museum at 519 267-2091.

Making Fashion at the Textile Museum in Toronto
Photo by Ingrid Mida 2012

In the Making History exhibition at the Textile Museum of Canada in Toronto, Ryerson University Fashion students present recreations of historical garments and accessories. Dr.Alison Matthews David, who teaches Costume History at The School of Fashion at Ryerson University, developed this project as a hands-on research assignment for her students to foster respect for and understanding of the skills of the largely anonymous makers of historical dress and textiles. She said that "As a dress historian, I hope that as future fashion and costume designers, Ryerson students will take these traditional techniques, from smocking and hand-beading to painting on silk and shoemaking, and bring them to life again on stage and catwalk." The opening reception for this exhibition is on Wednesday, February 15, 2012 from 7-8 pm at the Textile Museum (55 Centre Avenue). By the way, I helped install this exhibition. In handling these objects, I could tell that these garments and accessories were made with a lot of love! 

Roaring Twenties at the Bata Shoe Museum
Photo courtesy of the Bata Shoe Museum and under copyright

And of course, if you haven't yet seen the exhibition Roaring Twenties: Heels, Hemlines and High Spirits at the Bata Shoe Museum, it continues until June 2012. Wouldn't this pair be perfect for Valentine's Day?

Fashioning Fashion at LACMA

This exquisite embroidered French evening mantle c.1891 graces the cover of the sumptuous book "Fashioning fashion: European Dress in Detail 1700-1915". Published in conjunction with the inaugural exhibition by the same name, this catalogue presents nearly two hundred items from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's recently acquired European costume collection. The book is filled with glorious colour photos of the costumes along with numerous detail photos of the luxurious textiles, exacting tailoring techniques, and lush trimmings used during this period.  

Curated by Sharon S. Takeda and Kaye D. Spilker of LACMA, the Fashioning fashion exhibition presents over 160 examples of European fashionable dress, undergarments, and accessories covering the period 1700-1915. This collection of clothing and accessories was acquired several years ago and many items are being exhibited for the first time. The exhibition is organized into four thematic sections—Timeline, Textiles, Tailoring, and Trim.

Timeline presents a chronological look at both men's and women's fashions. The women’s visual timeline is illustrated with dresses in various shades of white to focus attention on the evolving fashionable silhouette. The men’s timeline begins with luxurious and colorful examples of eighteenth-century aristocratic men's dress and concludes with a subdued 1911 pinstripe suit, a style that has remained relatively unchanged for a century.

Installation view, Fashioning Fashion: European Dress in Detail, 1700-1915.
Photo: © 2010 Museum Associates/LACMA.

Textiles are often the most expensive component of fashion and this section presents an assortment of textiles—from silk to cotton, gauze to velvet, plain to printed. The choice of fabric - medium, weight, colour and pattern - all affect how fashion is fashioned. 

Tailoring explores the manipulation of textiles through cutting, stitching, and padding in order to create the idealized shape or fashionable silhouette of each era. With the advancement of tailoring tools and techniques, styles were able to change in dramatic ways, accentuating or minimizing different body parts.

Trim celebrates the artistry of embroiderers, quilters, and lace makers, especially in the highly embellished garments from the eighteenth-century 

Fashioning Fashion examines the transformation of fashion over a period of more than two centuries, and adds contextual commentary to show how political events, technical inventions, and global trade profoundly affected style. This is  one of the three exhibitions opening LACMA’s new Lynda and Stewart Resnick Exhibition Pavilion, a 45,000-square-foot building by Pritzker prize-winning architect Renzo Piano. The installation was designed by renowned opera stage designers Pier Luigi Pizzi and Massimo Pizzi Gasparon.

If you cannot get there before the exhibition closes on March 27, 2011, I suggest you buy the book. You won't be disappointed. It is one of the most beautiful fashion books I've ever seen (and I own a lot of books!). And even John Galliano, who wrote the preface, said "Fashioning Fashion takes you through fashion and time with the sumptuous variety of an extraordinary collection. I promise, it cannot fail to inspire you."

Title: Fashioning Fashion: European Dress in Detail 1700-1915

Author: Sharon Sadako Takeda and Kaye Durland Spilker

Published by: Delmonico Books: Prestel (New York) 2010 

Category: Non-fiction, costume history

Number of Pages: 224

Los Angeles County Museum of Art • 12-8 M/T/Th • Closed Wednesday • 12-9 F • 11-8 S/S

5905 Wilshire Blvd • Los Angeles California 90036 • 323-857-6000 • publicinfo@lacma.org

Motion Picture Costume Design Exhibition at FIDM

Although the traffic of downtown Los Angeles makes getting there a hassle, you will soon forget all about it when you step inside the Museum of Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM). Currently on display is an exquisite display of costumes from recent movies such as The Duchess, The Young Victoria, An Education, The Last Station, Bright Star. 


This exhibition is the eighteenth annual presentation of costumes from motion pictures timed to coincide with the Academy Awards. These costumes "represent the creativity and skill of the costume designer in creating the mood and aura of the period in which each film is set. Whether they are elegant embroideries and ruffles or gritty denims and fleece, costumes must fit the style and tone of the movie, requiring equal amounts of research, skill and talent."


To see costumes up close allowed me to appreciate the complexity of intricate workmanship in a way that one cannot see in a movie. Who knew that anyone still hand stitched garments? Plus I got a more realistic sense of an actor's size - finding Penelope Cruz to be more petite than I expected based on her costumes for Nine and Ben Stiller to be taller than I thought based on his costume for Night at the Museum. The displays were impeccable with clear labeling and lighting. I lingered for a long time in front of the costumes for Young Victoria (which won the Academy Award 2010 for Costume Design). There were seven gowns on display including five for Emily Blunt as Queen Victoria and two for Miranda Richardson as the Duchess of Kent. Plus there was a display case with a replica of the Imperial State Crown and the George III Tiara executed in faux jewels but looking real enough!

The staff of this gallery are eager to please and there is also a lovely gift shop showcasing books on fashion and other fashionable treats! If you cannot get there, check out their enchanting and educational blog. 

Motion Picture Costume Design Exhibition
February 9 - April 17, 2010

FIDM
919 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA
213-623-5821

Confessions and the Sense of Self: Works by Noel Palomo-Lovinski

 

In the exhibition Confessions and the Sense of Self at Kent State University Museum, Noel Palomo-Lovinski has explored the themes of women's roles and self image. She has designed and created clothing  layered with meaning through shape, texture, fabric and embellishment that as a whole functions as sculpture. Anonymous confessions by women were obtained through public websites and used as design elements in portraying the "tension that exists between the enduring archetype of the caring female and the nature of such contradictory confessions".

Using dress as a visual metaphor for identity, the exhibitions include:
I Feel Great!
Bridezilla
All Tied Up in Knots
Hold It In
Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety
Twisted Sister
Levels of Confession
Mother Love
Camouflaged Confessions
Suck Punch
Family and Friends

I was particularly taken with I Feel Great! and Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety and Noel kindly gave me permission to show images of these works. 
 

 

I Feel Great! by Noel Palomo-Lovinski 

 

I Feel Great! (Detail Shot) 

Noel wrote that "Polite conversation often includes the rhetorical question 'How are you doing?' The expected response is 'Fine; great, how are you?' The under-layer of the dress is candid confessions in red; the top layer exhibits expected responses. The muzzle signifies a suppression of blunt or truthful thoughts."

 

Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety by Noel Palomo-Lovinski

Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety (Detail Shot)

About this work, Noel wrote "In our current society women are often expected to be a type of superwoman, ambitiously working in a career, be a loving and patient mother, expert housekeeper and true partner in her marital relationship. There are several websites that are devoted to confessions from women who are not able to cope with the demands that they feel from society, their families, their partners and employers. They seek advice, comfort or just use the websites as a sounding board for their anxieties."

I encourage you to check out the entire exhibition here. Noel Palomo-Lovinski's hauntingly beautiful work is a fusion of fashion, art and sculpture.

Confessions and the Sense of Self: Works by Noel Palomo-Lovinski
Kent State University Museum
Rockwell Hall
Kent Ohio
Phone: 330-672-3450
Email: museum@kent.edu

Fastes de Cour et Ceremonies Royales, Le costume de Cour en Europe 1650-1800

There are only 18 days left to see the exhibition of Costumes of the Court and Royal Ceremonies in Europe 1650-1800 at Chateau Versailles.


This stunningly beautiful exhibition took my breath away. Never have I seen so much opulence and beauty in one place. The grandeur of the exquisite beading, sparkling jewels, intricate embroidery and rich fabrics on display cannot be described.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the influence of French fashion was widespread across Europe. Many of the royal courts of Europe ordered their ceremonial dress from Parisian suppliers. And unlike the French court who abandoned their wardrobes of one year to the officers and ladies that served them, the courts in Sweden, Denmark and the region of Saxony systematically preserved royal garments linked to key moments in their reigns. The bulk of what is shown in this exhibition at Versailles has been loaned by the museums in these countries and supplemented by loans from the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Hermitage, the Pitti Palace, the Louvre, Musee Galleria de la Mode de la ville de Paris and private collectors. There are also many paintings on display to provide context to the exhibition of costumes and jewelery. In total, there are over 200 items on exhibit.

The exhibition encompasses seven rooms:
1. French royal costume - a gallery of portraits of all the kings of the senior branch of the Bourbons, including Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XVI

2. The coronation and the royal orders - a display of the coronation clothes including the grand habit worn for the coronation of Sophie Madeleine on May 29, 1772 in Sweden

3. Weddings and State ceremonies - a showcase that includes the wedding clothes of Danish Princess Sophie Madleine to crown prince Gustav III of Sweden on November 4, 1766

4. The grand habit - examples of the grand costume for a lady's official presentation to the king and queen which included a very rare (but amusing) doll mannequin

5. Religious pomp - a gallery of religious costumes worn by church officials

6. The king's day - a presentation of kings' dressing gowns and hunting attire

7. Fashion and court costume - a display showcasing the influence of fashion on court dress which includes the gown owned by the Royal Ontario Museum.

I had the pleasure of being guided through the exhibition by curator Pascale Gorguet Ballesteros. The depth of her knowledge and her passion for her work left me in awe.

Having the privilege to meet with the curator and others like her on my trip gave me a new-found respect for the challenges faced by museum staff. I now have a better appreciation of their desire to protect these priceless treasures and guard their copyright. No photos were allowed in the exhibition. I purchased the catalogue (even though it was only available in French) which is 278 pages of beauty and well worth the 52 Euro cover price if you can locate a copy. (I purchased mine at the Louvre bookshop and it may still be available from the Chateau Versailles website.)

The following three photos were provided to me as part of the press kit associated with the exhibition. I can attest to the fact that the photos do not really convey the magnificence of the clothing on display.



The last photo is of the gown owned by the Royal Ontario Museum that has been attributed to Rose Bertin, marchandes des modes for Marie Antoinette. The dress was displayed from the back to showcase the beautiful embroidery on the train. Shown adjacent to the dress was a sample of 18th century embroidery located in an archive from an atelier in Lyon. The emblematic peacock feathers and floral motifs favoured by Marie Antoinette which are on the dress matches that of the embroidery sample!

This grand exhibition will close on June 28, 2009. For more information visit http://fastesdecour.chateauversailles.fr/index_en.html#/en/exposition

Fondation Pierre Berge-Yves Saint Laurent

Photo credit: Ingrid Mida, 2009

After writing extensively about Yves Saint Laurent after his death last June and after seeing the magnificent retrospective of his work at the Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal last summer, I made it a priority to go to the Fondation Pierre Berge-Yves Saint Laurent in Paris. (To read all my posts related to YSL, please click on the YSL on the blog archive sidebar).

Currently on display is an exhibition called "Le Costume Populaire Russe" which showcases a collection of Russian costumes from Le Musee Ethnographique de la Russie. The exhibition opened on March 18 and will continue to August 30, 2009.

Yves Saint Laurent took inspiration from the colourful, heavily embroidered and beaded garments of traditional Russian costumes. In particular, the YSL collection for Fall and Winter 1976 drew on Russian influences and he was acclaimed by the fashion press for the revolutionary nature (International Herald Tribune) and luxurious extravagence (NY Times) of the collection. Sadly, only one YSL outfit inspired by Russia was included in the display.

Photos were not allowed in the exhibition and I madly sketched these three costumes in 10 minutes. They are rough sketches but I think they convey the spirit of what I saw (if only I'd brought along some coloured pencils!).

Sketch by: Ingrid Mida, 2009

Sketch by: Ingrid Mida




Sketch by: Ingrid Mida, 2009

On my way out, I popped into the boutique and picked up the exhibition catalogue (only available in French). It does not include the costumes I sketched but will help me remember the magnificent colours and intricate beading when I attempt to work up these sketches into finished drawings.

Exhibition Catalogue edited by: Nicolas Beytout
Cover Photo by: Dominique Cohas
Published by: Societe Francaise de Promotion Artistique 2009


Fondation Pierre Berge-Yves Saint Laurent
3, rue Leonce-Reynaud
75116 Paris
01 44 31 64 31
Metro: Alma-Marceau

The Cutting Edge at the Textile Museum of Canada

Man's coat and vest, England 1760-1780
Collection of the Textile Museum of Canada
Photo by Ingrid Mida


Although the Textile Museum of Canada wasn't on my bucket list of museums, it is an under-appreciated treasure. Comprising two floors, The Textile Museum has more floor space than many larger museum facilities. Its exhibitions change several times a year and are thoughtfully curated. Even better, the garments and textiles on display are not behind glass so one can get really close to examine details closely (although I was tempted to touch, I respected the signage and did not!)

Currently on display is The Cutting Edge curated by Patricia Bentley. This exhibition focuses on the shape of a garment and what it signifies. Garments from the museum's collection are featured alongside contemporary fashion and artwork.

I especially appreciated the detailed descriptions of each garment that included drawings of the patterns for cutting the fabric.

"A garment is a mathematical puzzle with only one solution. Once it is designed, it has to be cut out and assembled in a certain way. A garment is also a carrier of a culture's paradigms, beliefs and attitudes. You would not think that something that can be strictly utilitarian at one end of a spectrum and supremely frivolous at the other end has usch potency for people's lives, but the truth is that clothes make the man - and the woman."




Girl's jacket, Netherlands 1760
Collection of the Textile Museum of Canada
Photo by Ingrid Mida


Coat pirpini (sleeveless coat), Greece 1800-1900
Collection of the Textile Museum of Canada
Photo by Ingrid Mida, 2009


Textile Museum of Canada
55 Centre Avenue (St. Patrick subway)
Toronto
416-599-5321
info@textilemuseum.ca

Court Costume Exhibition at Versailles

Wedding dress of Edwige Elisabeth Charlotte de Holstein-Gottorp (wife of Prince Karl of Sweden and sister-in-law of King Gustave III of Sweden), 1774

Court costume was designed to evoke the illusion of grandeur, wealth and power. In the 17th and 18th centuries, luxurious, expensive and ostentatious clothing was reserved for those at the top of the social hierarchy. Monarchs dressed for effect in textiles with gold and silver threads, laces, embroidery, and jewels to create a luxurious and lavish symbol of prosperity and power.

This week a magnificent exhibition opened at Chateau de Versailles called Court Pomp and Royal Ceremonies, Court Dress in Europe 1650-1800. This show, sponsored by Chanel, traces the history of court costume in Europe from 1650-1800 and includes 200 works (costumes, jewelery, and paintings) on loan from private collectors as well as museums like the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Pitti Palace, the Louvre, and the Royal Ontario Museum.

The exhibition encompasses seven rooms:
1. French royal costume
2. The coronation and the royal orders
3. Weddings and State ceremonies
4. The grand habit
5. Religious pomp
6. The king's day
7. Fashion and court costume

If you are a faithful reader of my blog, you will recall my many posts regarding the Marie Antoinette dress which was displayed at the Royal Ontario Museum in the fall of 2008. This dress was loaned to the Versailles exhibition and is on display in Room 7: Fashion and Court Dress. In the Versailles exhibition guide, this dress is attributed to Rose Bertin, marchandes des mode to Marie Antoinette but there is no assertion that the dress was worn by Marie Antoinette. The guide notes that the "front of the dress was modified" , "the skirt narrowed" and can "therefore no longer be presented as it was worn at the time".

It is indeed a rare treat to see garments from the 17th and 18th century on display. I can hardly wait to see this exhibition in May. Since I've already seen the dress attributed to Rose Bertin belonging to the ROM, I will be looking for:
1. The grand habit worn for the coronation of Sophie Madeleine on May 29, 1772
2. Doll's grand costume of whalebone stays, skirt, skit tail (1769-1775)
3. The wedding dress of Edwige Elizabeth Charlotte de Holstein-Gottorp (1774) in photo above


Court Pomp and Royal Ceremonies
Court Dress in Europe 1650-1800
March 31 to June 28, 2009
Chateau de Versailles

Yves Saint Laurent Retrospective Opens at the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco

The Yves Saint Laurent retrospective opened in at the Fine Arts Museum in San Francisco on Saturday.

Having attended the retrospective during its Canadian stop at the Montreal Fine Arts Museum this past summer, I can attest to the magnificence of the show. His designs were not only timeless, elegant but works of art unto themselves. His admiration for artists was evident in a room devoted to dresses that used artwork as their inspiration. He "borrowed" inspiration from paintings by Mondrian, Matisse, Picasso, Warhol, Van Gogh and other artists. He also took inspiration from other cultures (Russia, Spain, Japan, India, Africa), authors (Shakespeare, Apollinaire, Cocteau, Aragon, Wilde), nature, history, and design (redefining the silouette). His genius is apparent in the 130 works of wearable art on display.

And yet, Saint Laurent thought himself to be "a failed painter". ('Sayings of the Week', The Observer, 1 November 1992, p.22) How sad it is to think that this creative genius considered himself a failed artist!

Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco
November 1, 2008 - April 5, 2009
Golden Gate Park
50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive
San Francisco, CA 94118
www.famsf.org 415-750-3600

Marie Antoinette's Dress at the ROM: Photos

This magnificent dress is believed to have been worn by Marie Antoinette in 1780 or thereabouts. It is known to have come from Rose Bertin's atelier, where Marie Antoinette acquired most of her gowns and accessories. Purchased by the Royal Ontario Museum in 1925, the dress has not been exhibited for many years.

Currently on display until October 26th, the dress is a marvel to behold. Because it is behind glass and displayed in low light to preserve the fragile textiles, it is difficult to convey the beauty of the intricate embroidery, applique, beading and delicate workmanship in my photos. It is known that the dress was altered to make it narrower to conform with London fashions of the 1880s.

There is one thing that I find odd about the dress: the plain unadorned bodice with a relatively high neckline. The bodice neckline seems higher than it should be for 1780, especially as the corsets worn at that time tended to push the breasts upwards and into a decollette. I also find it quite surprising that the bodice has no ornamentation or embroidery. Given that most of the portraits of Marie Antoinette show incredibly ornate bodices, I wondered if this is in fact her dress. Or did she chose an unadorned bodice to showcase the incredible royal jewels? Or could it even be possible that the panels that were removed to make the dress narrower were reworked into a simpler bodice for the new owner?

While studying the dress, I heard one visitor remark that the dress was much "smaller" than she expected. She explained that she had envisioned "something larger than life" given the notoriety of Marie Antoinette. But to get a real picture of what the Queen looked like in this dress, one has to imagine the paniers and a pouf hairstyle which would have created a significantly wider and taller silhouette.


Take note of the opulent train. It is known that Marie Antoinette studied with a French dance master to learn to walk gracefully at court. Even if this is not in fact her dress, whoever wore it must have been a vision of loveliness.

Photo Credit: Ingrid Mida, copyright 2008 (Not for reproduction without permission)

Patricia Harris Gallery of Costumes and Textiles
Royal Ontario Museum
100 Queen's Park Avenue
Toronto, Ontario Canada
www.rom.ca 416-586-8000

The House of Viktor and Rolf at the Barbican Art Gallery

Viktor and Rolf are a Dutch design duo that create technically exquisite, artistically breathtaking fashion. I attended the retrospective of their work at the Barbican Art Gallery in London (June 18 - September 21, 2008).

The exhibition presents looks from the past fifteen seasons on custom-made life-size porcelain dolls with the features painted and the hair styled to resemble the model that initially wore that garment. The other-worldly beauty of these dolls is surreal and somewhat unsettling.

My favourite garments were from Flowerbomb 2005 where bows and ribbons decorated the outfits like an exquisite partly unwrapped gift.

Flowerbomb Collection Spring/Summer 2005
Photo by Ingrid Mida 2008

I also loved the dove-white duchess satin wedding dress of Her Royal Highness Princess Mabel von Orange-Nassua from the White collection of 2002.

Viktor & Rolf White collection 2002
Photo by Ingrid Mida 2008

Viktor & Rolf White Collection 2002
Photo by Ingrid Mida

The highlight of the show is a spectacular 6 metre high doll's house containing 54 custom-made dolls, wearing a perfect miniature version of a Victor and Rolf garment. Sadly I was not able to photograph this. I walked around the doll's house several times trying to absorb and remember all the details.

One of the most meaningful parts of the exhibition for me was seeing the evolution of Viktor and Rolf's artistic vision and success. They are true artists as much as they are fashion designers. A dress is more than a dress; it has to express a vision and conform to the theme for the season. A key part of their development seemed to be the 1996 collection which presented their collection in miniature. The designers said that "we created a series of miniature installations visualizing our strongest ambitions: a doll on a catwalk, a doll in a photo studio, a miniature boutique and so forth. The dolls were an abstraction of people and the scenes they enacted showed a life we desired but only dared to dream of."

House of Viktor and Rolf June 18-September 21, 2008
Barbican Art Gallery
Silk Street, London, England EC2Y 8DS
www.barbican.org.uk/artgallery

Ballet Shoes and Dance Slippers

I love to dance, but rarely seem to get on the dance floor. I usually wear high heels when I attend a gala event and end up having to forgo dancing because my feet hurt! And as much as I like to dance, I just don't feel that glamourous in flats.

But when these pretty little slippers from the 16th century were in fashion, ladies could take a whirl on the dance floor without worrying about spraining their ankle. This pretty pink dance slipper was a precursor to ballet pointe shoes.

I learned all about ballet shoes at the "The Rise of the Ballet Shoe" an exhibition on at the Bata Shoe Museum until September 28, 2008. On display are ballet shoes from Marie Talioni, who is considered the first French ballet dancer to "block" her slipper in order to be able to dance on pointe as well as shoes from Margot Fonteyn, Karen Kain, Veronica Tennant, Rudolf Nureyev and others. This delightful display is a must see for ballet fans and shoeaholics of all ages.

Bata Shoe Museum
327 Bloor Street West, Toronto
416-979-7799
www.batashoemuseum.ca