I have to hand it to the Europeans who lived in 18th and 19th centuries. I don’t know how they managed to walk around in full dresses with petticoats and corsets underneath and not faint in distress at the summer heat.
Last summer I had the good fortune to travel to France as part of a study abroad program through school. The weather was hot and humid to say the least. My daily outfits consisted of simple knee-length cotton sundresses, sandals and hair that ended up in a bun within an hour of being outside. Even this amount of attire was too much to bear on certain days, which makes me wonder how the bloody hell did the Europeans manage the high temperatures of days past…and with no modern AC to boot?
In the soon-to-be launched LACMA exhibit Fashioning Fashion: European Dress in Detail 1700-1915, I’m hoping to have this question answered along with ogling over 500 pieces of textile and costume opulence. The exhibit will inaugurate the new Lynda and Stewart Resnick Exhibition Pavilion and will tell the tale of fashion’s technical and aesthetic development from the Age of Enlightenment to World War I. The collection, which is Major with a capital “M,” will examine the widespread changes that occurred in the world of fashion spanning a two hundred year period. Textile details, tailoring techniques, and lavish trimmings are all on the agenda, with highlights including an evening mantle with silk embroidery, glass beads, and ostrich feathers designed by Emile Pingat, the great French couturist. Pingat, who was actively designing between 1860-1896, was known for his extensively embellished outerwear that always called for lots of beads, fringe and lace.
Sharon Takeda, Senior Curator and Department Head of Costume and Textiles, said in a press release that, “We feel fortunate to have the extraordinary opportunity to acquire a collection of this quality and depth. These new additions, which will certainly make LACMA a major study center for scholars of European fashion, represent the museum’s commitment to enriching its increasingly prominent holdings in costume and textiles.”
The exhibit officially launches October 2nd and will continue until March 27th. We’ve already started crossing out days on our calendar and you should be too. Sign up as a member of LACMA’s costume council by September 1st to receive invites to luncheons and other events in anticipation of the opening.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art: 5905 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, (323) 857-6000. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday noon to 8 p.m.; Friday noon to 9 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Closed Wednesdays. lacma.org
