The fashion cycle: The past is now

Seeing a Victorian dress on Wilshire Boulevard today is not the norm. Clothing, trends and styles constantly change, fall out of fashion and sometimes, return back to the limelight.

The new Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising exhibition “Re-Designing History: FIDM Museum Study Collection, 1850-2000″ observes this cycle of bringing past styles to the present.

Running until Dec. 17, the exhibition by FIDM, a private fashion college, consists of 36 ensembles and is free for all visitors.

Ensembles consist of garments from both well-known designers such as Yves Saint Laurent and anonymous designers, as a result of lost tags. All garments, accessories and jewelry are authentic pieces fit to match each ensemble’s era. The curatorial team even went so far as to the create historically accurate hairstyles made of paper clippings for each mannequin to give the exhibition an overall feel of authenticity.

The exhibition itself was created using the 15,000 pieces of FIDM’s Museum collection, from which FIDM students are permitted to set up appointments to explore, study and draw inspiration.

“(The exhibition is) strictly educational. We wanted to expose all the students at FIDM and neighboring institutions to 150 years of fashion from our collection,” said Barbara Bundy, vice president of education at FIDM.

Bundy has been a part of FIDM for 35 years and also partook in creating the exhibition.
“I would definitely recommend (the exhibition) to a UCLA student because the more you understand fashion, the more you understand history, the more you understand how everything else is happening. … We’re all so interrelated in everything we do today that fashion is the times we’re living in,” Bundy said.

In addition to the exhibition itself, FIDM also held an illustration competition that embodies the theme of “re-designing history.” Students from all majors and all FIDM campuses were invited to submit an illustration that took another perspective of a Victorian-era dress, circa 1872, that is displayed at the museum’s information area.

According to Kevin Jones, museum curator, this dress epitomized cutting-edge fashion at the time.

“Good design is always good design, period. Even if the garment is out of fashion at the moment … that’s why you find these pieces in museum collections,” Jones said.

Cash prizes of $400, $300 and $200 were awarded to first, second and third-place winners, respectively. First-place winner and FIDM theatre costume design student Elizabeth Teemley, created an illustration inspired by the Lolita style.

“I’m really inspired by the Japanese trend called Lolita; it’s really popular in Harajuku. It’s based off of Victorian children’s clothing, so it’s not that far off from the original dress,” Teemley said.

According to Bundy, in selecting the exhibition ensembles the curatorial team looked to create a smaller, yet concentrated, selection.

“You look at a traditional exhibition that covers 150 years of fashion, you’re probably looking at 100-plus pieces. We have taken what we feel is the best of those eras and put them together in a logical progression,” Bundy said.

According to Jones, visitors will walk away with insight as to where we are today in terms of fashion and where our modern trends derive from.

“It’s a fascinating look at what was in the past and what is today, and have we improved and not improved. … The theme is re-designing history because that is what every designer today does. Because everything in fashion is retro,” Jones said.