Field Trip to the Cut! Costume and Cinema Exhibit

As I mentioned in my last post, I thoroughly enjoy a good costume exhibit.  The Cut! Costume and the Cinema Exhibit at the Bowers Museum was no exception.   Most of the featured costumes were worn in period films that won their designers Academy and BAFTA awards.

Cut! is one of several traveling costume exhibits owned by Cosprop Ltd., a well-known and renowned British costumier for television, film, and theater founded by John Bright in 1965.  Do you remember the Starstruck field trip that I took you on in 2011?  The costumes in that wonderful exhibit were also owned by Cosprop.

The only complaint I have about this particular exhibition was the very low lighting.  The costumes were under spotlights against a backdrop of very, very dark gray walls. I felt like I was walking around in the dark!  Although this made for a dramatic overall presentation it was difficult to see the true color of some of the costumes; garments made in darker colors seemed to fade back into the walls and of course the lighting made it quite difficult to take decent photographs.  Please keep that in mind when you look at these photos!

Still, I enjoyed my trip.  I hope you do too.
 

Dress and hat worn by Emma Thompson in Howard's End (1992).

Back of the silk ball gown worn by Emmy Rossum as Christine in Phantom of the Opera (2004).

Costume worn by Kate Winslet in Sense and Sensibility (1995), one of my favorite films of all time!

Costumes worn by Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law in Sherlock Holmes (2009).

Costumes worn by Keira Knightley and an uncredited child actor in The Duchess (2008).
And yes, that muff is made of genuine fox fur.

Another dress worn by Keira Knightley in The Duchess.

Dress worn by Kate Beckinsale as Maggie Veiver in The Golden Bowl (2000).  The top layer of the silk muslin bodice on this dress was lifted off of the decayed lining of an original Edwardian garment (replaced with a new eau de nil lining). The lace at the hem is also vintage.

Evening gown worn by Kate Winslet in Finding Neverland (2004).

And finally, the absolute stand-out of the show (for me) was the gorgeous Arts and Crafts movement-inspired embroidered robe that was also worn by Kate Winslet in Finding Neverland: 

via The Bowers Museum

A few more photos from the exhibit can be seen at Flickr.  

As always I'd love to hear what you think about these costumes!  Just leave a comment.

Field Trip Coming Soon...and a Recommendation

Long-time readers know that I make a beeline for movie costume exhibits.  This is just a short post to let you know that I'm working on a new field trip for you this week!  Here's a little teaser:

I recently had the opportunity to to see the wonderful Cut! Costume and the Cinema exhibit at the Bowers Museum featuring costumes from twenty-five different films (including some award winners).  I now have over 300 photos to sort through (yes, I take too many photos when I'm out).  I hope to have it posted for you by the end of the week.

Also I'd like to recommend that you take a trip to FIDM to see the 21st Annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibit that features costumes from the all five movies that were nominated for an Academy Award this year, including Anna Karenina, the Oscar winner for Costume Design. 

Although I haven't seen all of the movies I was particularly enamored with some of the fanciful costumes in Mirror Mirror so I am looking forward to seeing some of them in person:

Costume for Julia Roberts as the Evil Queen in Mirror Mirror, by Eiko Ishioka.  Via FIDM.

Unfortunately FIDM does not allow photography so I can't take you on a field trip, so if you are in the Los Angeles area be sure to visit before the exhibit closes in April (and it's free!).

UPDATE:  You can now see photos of some of the costumes on FIDM's  Facebook page!

More coming soon!

Fortunate Finds: a Mid-Century Kimono Obi

Would you believe that this beautiful kimono obi was found in a trash bag?

This incredible find was originally owned by one of the lovely students in my sewing class, Kiyoko, who lost her battle with cancer a few months ago (but she lived well into her 80s and had a full life).  Her family donated several trash bags full of fabric and fabric scraps to our class, and apparently one her adult children tossed this obi into the bag thinking it was simply a length of fabric!

I practically had to wrestle it away from a fellow student who pulled it out of the bag because she wanted to cut it up to make something new out of it!  I kept begging her not to do it, as it should be appreciated in its current form. I must have been really charming that day because she very graciously gave it to me.

Well, my instructor and I contacted the family to see if they wanted to have this precious item back but they said no, as it did not belong to a kimono.  Lucky me!  I am honored to own Kiyoko's obi as both a beautiful work of art and as a remembrance of a lovely and talented woman.

Draped over a hanger.  It is too long to photograph in its entirety!

Knowing very little about kimono I find this obi to be quite a mystery. First, it is huge at 13 feet long and 14 inches wide.  An amateur conservator that my instructor knows took a quick look at it and guessed that it was probably made mid-century, around the 1950s, but could tell us little else.

So I've done a little research on my own. The fabric seems to be silk and has been wrapped around a somewhat stiff inner core and hand-sewn along one side. It is patterned on both sides. The size, length, and fabric indicate that it should be the most formal type of obi, a maru obi, but it is not nearly as elaborately patterned and embroidered as a maru obi would be.  It is probably a less formal type of obi.

The ends of the obi

My best guess is that it is a fukuro obi.  There is embroidery on both sides, but it is clear even to my inexpert eyes that this obi is meant to be tied in a specific type of knot because the embroidery is heaviest on one side, in one area.  Which knot?  I don't know.  This is the part that is most embroidered and is meant to be showcased:

 
Perhaps it is meant to be tied in a taiko musubi, or a drum-like knot. This is one of the most common obi knots worn today.  Click here for a series of photos showing one method of tying an obi in a taiko musubi.  Complex, isn't it?

It has a few water stains, and what look to be food smudges, so I know this obi has definitely been worn.  It's intriguing. One day I will find an expert in order to solve the mystery of this lovely obi.

{P.S. In case you missed it, Wednesday A. is the winner of the fiber art sculpture giveaway!}

Pucci

Quickie post:  in sewing class today a collector shared a few pieces from his Pucci collection. Sorry for the low-quality shots (I took them with my phone) and the classroom background, but I just had to share these with you. Years are unknown, but more than likely date from the late 1960s to sometime in the 1970s.

I would love to have the sandals or the rain boots (so cute!).  I particularly love how fresh and modern the cowl neck dress looks with its muted palette of gray, gray-blue, brown, yellow, and chartreuse against the black,white, and yellow geometric  pattern at the hem.

Did you know that Pucci designed sewing patterns for Spadea, McCalls, and Vogue?  Check them out at the vintage pattern wiki.

Fabulous! FIDM Museum Acquisitions Exhibition

I stopped by FIDM a couple of days ago to see the Fabulous! exhibit and boy, was it named well!  My favorite adjective aptly describes this grand tour of Western fashion from the 1800s to the present.  Although I can number the exhibitions I have seen at FIDM on one hand, this one was by far the best and I think they may give LACMA some competition if they continue to produce exhibits of this quality.

I thought I'd share some of the amazing fashions that I saw, though these images will barely scratch the surface of some of the interesting items the museum has collected.  For example, there were two charming wax boudoir dolls from the early 20th century and some amazing (and rather nauseating) chapeaus made from avian taxidermy.

I wish that amateur photographs by everyday people were allowed, but alas, I've gleaned the following from the web to take you on this mini field-trip.

  photo courtesy Peter Wintersteller/abimages

A sumptuous reception dress with jet beads and lace by Charles Worth:

courtesy FIDM Museum blog

 

 Alexander McQueen's beautiful Peacock Dress:

 

photo courtesy Peter Wintersteller/abimages, via Nick Verreos blog

A silk jersey dress designed by Halston, the print is by Andy Warhol:

 

An extreme pair of men's platform boots circa 1972 or 1973:

courtesy FIDM Museum blog

Mae West's 10-inch platform shoes and her footprint
(she was quite short!):

via Nick Verreos blog 

And one of my personal favorites, a stylish WWII-era propaganda textile dress
made by a home sewist:

courtesy FIDM Museum blog

The dress was sewn from bright patriotic fabric that was produced as a fundraiser for the

British-American ambulance corps circa 1941 or 1942. To read it properly you would need would need to view the dress in a mirror. The fabric states, "There Will Always be an England":

courtesy FIDM Museum blog

If you're local, or will be visiting Los Angeles in the next couple of months, don't miss this exhibit.  I may just visit again myself!

Field Trip: Starstruck Exhibit, Ulster Museum

Time for a field trip!  Like a moth to flame, though thousands of miles away from home, I stumbled over a costume exhibit while visiting Belfast.  And a Hollywood-themed exhibit, no less.  The costumes were all from period movies and television productions, many of which I liked so well I own them on DVD:

This gorgeous robe à la française was worn by Swoosie Kurtz as Madame de Volanges in Dangerous Liaisons.

via Google Image Search

Dear readers, you know how often I go to costuming exhibits.  Yet the Starstruck exhibit at the Ulster Museum was more wonderful than most of the costume exhibits I have ever seen for three reasons:

1) one of my favorite costumes of all time was on display and I never imagined I would see it in person, and
2) I could get quite close to the costumes to study the construction and fabric, and
3) I could take as many pictures as I wished!

How could I fail to photograph Colin Firth's costume from the BBC's production of Pride and Prejudice with Jennifer Ehle, by far the best Pride and Prejudice series to date? (I dare you to argue with me about this!).  I love the film still on the wall behind the costume that says "Grand Finale":

I was excited to see several of the costumes from the recent and exciting PBS Masterpiece production, Downton Abbey.  

Season Two can't come fast enough!  I particularly like this evening gown worn by the irascible Lady Mary Crawley, played by Michelle Dockery:

via Downton Abbey fan site

Last but not least, one of my favorite dresses of all time was in a children's film.  I have adored this gorgeous sari-inspired dress ever since I saw Irene Jacobs, as Lilias Craven, grace its lovely folds in The Secret Garden.  The beading is extraordinary and the color is amazing.  It seems much like something Paul Poiret might have designed:

via Bellazon.com

I hope that you enjoyed our little field trip.  See more costume photographs from this exhibit on Flickr  in coming days.

Field Trip: FIDM Motion Picture Costume Design Exhibition

Costumes for Anne Hathaway as the White Queen in Alice of Wonderland

Went on a fun field trip today to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising's 2010 Motion Picture Costume Design Exhibition of actual costumes used in some of last year's biggest movies.  You can view the exhibits from past years by clicking here).

Some months ago I visited FIDM when they had costumes from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland and I was delighted to see a few of the wonderful costumes were still on display for this exhibit.  I was very bad...photography is not allowed but I took a few photos (without the flash!) as the costumes for Alice and the White Queen were among my favorites:

Anne Hathaway's gown as the White Queen

Detail of the gown for the White Queen

Costumes for Mia Wasikowska as Alice

Detail of the costume for Alice

For those of you in the area, the exhibit will be up until the end of this month.   If you stop by, DON'T MISS a visit the FIDM scholarship store for incredibly cheap clothing and accessories --  designers and various clothing labels donate their fit samples and retail stores donate overstock clothes, jewelry, and accessories are to the store to benefit the students, yet the public is welcome.  This time of year there are beautiful wedding gowns that retail for $1,000 that are sold for as little as $200.  The store also offers a constantly updated selection of fabric on sale at only $1.00 a yard!  Yes, my stash grew by leaps and bounds today.

Have a wonderful weekend all...more later!

Field Trip: LACMA "Fashioning Fashion" Exhibit

"Timeline" of white (light-colored) dresses showing the evolution
of women's fashion from the late 1700s through 1915
at the beginning of the exhibit

Today I went on a field trip with my sewing class to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) to see the new "Fashioning Fashion:  European Dress in Detail, 1700-1915" exhibit.  

We arrived an hour before the museum opened to the public and were fortunate to have a private tour.  According to the docent who led our tour, LACMA acquired 1,000 pieces of historical costume by purchasing the collection of two dealers, one in London and the other in Switzerland, who had been collecting historical pieces for about 25 years.  About 100 pieces are on display for this exhibit, and it will be many years, if not decades, before the majority of this collection has been seen by the public. 

A diaphanous dress by Paul Poiret, circa early 1900s

If you are a fashion designer or simply love historical costume don't miss this exhibit!  The garments themselves are beautiful, but the handmade fabric and lace textiles that the garments and accessories are made from are simply AMAZING.  The court dress below, owned by Queen Maria II of Portugal, originally had a 20 foot-long train, but the train was later refashioned by a subsequent owner to a length of twelve feet long.  The embroidery was done by hand with what must have been miles of gold metallic thread:

Court dress, Maria II of Portugal, circa 1845

Apparently, the museum curators thought that this was a mourning dress when it was first received because it is black.  However, they learned that it was not unfashionable in Portugal to wear black for court dress as it would have been in Europe at the time.


There were many unusual pieces in this collection, and I wish that I had taken my camera today.  (I had no idea that they allow non-flash photography for this exhibit!).  Along with the garments were many examples of undergarments, including paniers (side hoops) that were six feet long from end-to-end and are considered to be the largest on display in North America.  There were gorgeous beaded capes and hats (for both men and women), woven shawls from Kashmir India, an incredible whitework boy's frock, and several samples of Berlin wool work garments and slippers, including the exact sampler pattern featured here.  

For those of you who cannot make it to LACMA, enjoy this short video by David Wicall that will give you a taste of some of the lovely pieces in the collection.  For those of you who make historical garments to wear, at about 1:35 seconds note the two horshehair bustles and one collapasible bustle (it allowed the wearer to sit down!).  And don't miss one of my favorite pieces in the entire collection:  a man's suit embroidered with a dandelion motif (2:47).  Finally, a sweeping view of the court dress train above is at 3 minutes 27 seconds.

Finally, we stopped by Mood fabrics today and I almost lost my mind. I get a little crazy when I'm around all those beautiful fabrics because I want a little bit of everything. I restrained myself and came away only with this delicate wool mohair out of which I will make a simple shrug (I snapped these quickly before it became dark, so I'm sorry for the fuzziness):

I love the beautiful stitch pattern! The color is a lovely green and my quickie photos do not do it justice. More on my current sewing projects in an upcoming post.

Photos courtesy of LACMA and the Los Angeles Times.