Founding Fashion: The FIDM Museum

1978: The Beginning

When formally established in 1978, the nonprofit FIDM Museum and Library, Inc. was met with immediate enthusiasm, its initial holdings enhanced by a splendid gift from founding donor Betsy Bloomingdale: the collection’s first French haute couture ensembles.

1993: The FIDM Gallery

Community outreach—always important to the museum—attracted new donors, as did various displays of the collection’s pieces on FIDM campuses. The FIDM Gallery opened in 1993, providing a permanent space for presenting the growing collection. The museum mounted exhibitions ranging from California sportswear to Hollywood costumes—exhibitions that were always free to the public in appreciation of the community’s longstanding, generous support.

1997: 10,000 Objects

By 1997, the collection numbered over 10,000 objects. A curatorial department was established to oversee the museum’s care and direction; the FIDM Gallery was expanded to 8,000 square feet with a dedicated gallery staff; and the Museum Shop was opened to support the museum, selling alumni work and merchandise complimenting the exhibition themes.

Collecting Policy

The museum focuses on the strong design merits of high fashion, most of the collections are dedicated to fashionable women’s dress, and acquisitions are determined primarily by how well an object represents its time period, exceptionally unique design, and a designer’s oeuvre.

The past decade of collecting—2000 through 2010—has transformed the FIDM Museum. Not only have extraordinary, often rare objects been entrusted to the museum’s care but individuals and corporations have offered funding to purchase select pieces.

Menswear Collection

Menswear, particularly before the twentieth century, is desired, but remains elusive because it is much in demand by world museums. The FIDM Museum also actively pursues high-quality men’s and women’s fashions from the past thirty years.

Nonetheless, unknown dressmakers share archival storage space with famous designers. Rounding out the collections are folk dress and non-Western garments valued as sources of comparison with European and American fashion. Accessories are also a vital component, exhibited individually or as part of a head-to-toe look.

20th - 21st Century Collection

American designers Gilbert Adrian, Claire McCardell, and Norman Norell are now more fully represented, along with international designers Issey Miyake, Vivienne Westwood, and Alexander McQueen. The Gianni Versace Menswear Archive is a standout acquisition, as is the Michel Arnaud Photography Archive housed in Special Collections.

The Collection Today

The collections now include exemplary nineteenth-century Parisian haute couture gowns by Merlot-Larchevêque, Charles Frederick Worth, and Félix Poussineau. Twentieth-century garments by luminaries such as Madeleine Vionnet, Elsa Schiaparelli, and Yves Saint Laurent have been acquired.

The Ephemera Collection

Ephemera such as periodicals, patterns, and photographs support the study of design by illuminating historical contexts. Additionally, interior textiles, swatch books, and embroidery samples complement the fashion holdings and provide a rich understanding of related disciplines.

The Study Collection

Though all of the collections are accessible for research, the Study Collection is particularly valuable for FIDM students, who have unlimited opportunities to examine the garments and accessories for classroom projects or personal inspiration.