Monica D. Murgia

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fashion archives

The Great Gatsby & Brooks Brothers

May 2, 2013 / 2 Comments
Teaching fashion history this spring has been absolutely amazing.  There have been so many wonderful places to take my students.  It just so happens that the same week I covered the 1920s, Brooks Brothers also has the costumes from The Great Gatsby on display.  A stone’s throw from campus, we ventured over to take a look at the Fifth Avenue store.
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The miniature exhibition was courtesy of Warner Brothers, and completely fascinating.  Brooks Brothers allowed costume designer, Catherine Martin, to access their archives.  Martin designed the historically accurate menswear after carefully studying everything in the archives relating to the 1920s.  There was a short video playing in which Martin talks about the importance of consulting primary sources to make costumes authentic.  Dancing images of old advertisements, swatch cards, and illustrations filled the background as she spoke.

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The tuxedos and suits were so elegant.  Yet it was difficult for me to focus solely on the menswear, because the women’s costumes made by Prada were also on display.  Just look at the glitzy, embellished fabric.

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Prada gown illustrated by Steven Stipelman.  Image courtesy of  WWD.
There has been such a buzz about this film for good reason.  Leonardo DiCaprio always carefully selects his roles, so I’m sure he won’t disappoint us with the remake of this film.  The costumes are magnificent. And, perhaps the best part, WWD covered this topic and included gorgeous illustrations instead of photographs.
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Prada gowns and Brooks Brothers tuxedos  illustrated by Steven Stipelman.  Image courtesy of WWD.
Fashion illustrations have been abandoned with the advent of digital photography and CAD programs.  It’s so nice to see illustrations making a comeback, because they add  such a rich dimension to the mix.  It furthers the relationship between fashion and art.

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  Bottles of Moet champagne complemented the display.  The whole environment just felt so opulent.

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Brooks Brothers is also offering a limited edition line of menswear based on the film.  Everything from straw boaters, to oxfords, to full tuxedos are available for purchase.  I’m hoping that this creates a new trend of men dressing up!  It’s so attractive.  All of Brooks Brothers clothing is produced in America.  In fact, most of it is made right in New York.

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Who wouldn’t like to be greeted by a man wearing something like this?

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All images courtesy of Brooks Brothers and Warner Brothers Studios unless otherwise stated.

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Posted in: american fashion, Art's Influence on Fashion, fashion, fashion history, made in america, menswear, Shopping, Teaching, textiles Tagged: 1920s, 1920s fashion, archives, Brooks Brothers, Catherine Martin, fashion archives, Leonardo DiCaprio, menswear, Prada, The Great Gatsby, Warner Brothers

The Importance of a Fashion Archive

December 10, 2012 / 3 Comments

Fashion evolves much like nature.  There are cycles of change, and evolution occurs over time.  There is as much variety among designers as there are between types of flowers.  Designers are able to maintain a recognizable brand identity because they draw on concepts and specialties that were developed in the past.   A fashion archive allows designers to reference past creations.  A well-done archive acts as a garment library, where designers can literally reference past ideas, construction techniques, and the use of fabrics in clothing.

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Fashion archives are especially useful for design and styling inspiration.  Most major design houses maintain an archive of all their designs.  When I was in graduate school, I worked in the Calvin Klein archives.  This archive was massive.  There were so many garments, starting from the late 1960s to present day.  Every runway ensemble, every sample, and just about anything that had been put into production was in the archive.  There were thousands of pieces, all of which had to be put into an order.

 

It was a massive project, and there were several women from the graduate program working to make the archive organized and accessible to the design team.  I can only imagine how massive the fashion archives for Lanvin or Chanel must be.  These are couture houses that have been in operation for a much longer span of time.

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Fashion archives are not limited to design houses.  Many museums have garment and textile collections. These institutions try to collect iconic garments that highlight technical expertise or illustrate a narrative about the past.  Museum exhibitions that showcase garments and textiles have been growing in popularity in recent years.  Critics have argued that these shows place “fluff over fine art”, but crowds respond to these exhibits because they place history and creativity in tangible forms.

 

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Fashion archives are critical learning tools for students.  Many fashion schools, like FIT and FIDM have created their own museums and study collections to use as teaching tools.  Students gain such a different understanding after working with physical garments.
The clothing not only illustrates construction techniques, but also serves as inspiration.  Much like established designers, students are able to examine, evaluate, and reconstruct the ideas and methods present in archived garments.  The Baum School of Art has such an extraordinary fashion archive after receiving The Stieg Collection.
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Working on The Stieg Collection really reinforces the importance of a fashion archive for me.  I’m constantly amazed by the expert craftsmanship and quality of material.  Since the collection spans from 1958 to 1968, the textile prints are colorful and use lots of floral motifs.  It’s become impossible for me not to notice subtle details in clothing when I shop.  Clothing today is very rarely made with this level of quality.  I’ve also noticed that the collection has started to influence my own personal style.  I’ve been gravitating towards dresses and shirts with colorful prints, like this sheath dress above.  It looks a lot like the dress I’m wearing today, don’t you think?

Photo on 12-10-12 at 2.02 PM

All images (except the photo of me) are details from The Stieg Collection, courtesy of The Baum School of Art.

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Posted in: american fashion, Designers I love, fashion, fashion and the body, fashion history, made in america, Teaching, The Stieg Collection, Uncategorized, Vintage Tagged: 1960s fashion, fashion, fashion archives, fashion history, historical fashion, importance of a fashion archive, The Stieg Collection, Utah Tailoring Mills

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