Second Fashion in Film Festival Symposium

One more symposium on Fashion in Film is is taking place at the CUNY Graduate Center this Monday May 2nd from 5 to 7:30 pm. Among the impressive roster of speakers are Caroline Evans, who will speak on her current research on the early history of modelling and the fashion show.

"Since the emergence of cinema in the late-19th century, the role of costume, fabrics, and fashion has been crucial in conveying an aesthetic dimension and establishing a new sensorial and emotional relationship with viewers. Through the interaction of fashion, costume, and film it is possible to gauge a deeper understanding of the cinematic, its complex history, and the mechanisms underlying modernity, the construction of gender, urban transformations, consumption, technological and aesthetic experimentation.

Jody Sperling will speak on “Loïe Fuller and Early Cinema;” Caroline Evans Michelle Tolini Finamore on “‘Exploitation’ in Silent Cinema: Poiret and Lucile on Film;” and Drake Stutesman on “Spectacular Hats! A New Kind of Identity in a New Kind of Love (1963).” With moderator Amy Herzog and respondent Jerry Carlson."

The symposium which is organized by Eugenia Paulicelli in conjunction with the Fashion in Film Festival is co-sponsored by the Concentration in Fashion Studies, MA in Fashion: Theory, History, Practice in the MA Liberal Studies Program, Film Studies, Women’s Studies and the Center for Gay and Lesbian Studies.

The Urban Catwalk: A Fashion + Street Culture Symposium

Also coming up on the 22nd and 23rd at Yale University is the "The Urban Catwalk: A Fashion + Street Culture Symposium." Organized by Madison Moore and Alex Tuleda. The conference aims to investigate the relationship between street style and identity. Among the diverse range of speakers are New York Times Guy Trebay, and Caroline Weber, Associate Professor of French at Barnard. For more information, please visit the site

Brave New World

by Sarah Scaturro

Evening dress, 54.1.324, Silk, lamé and glass, Circa 1912, France?, Gift of the Estate of Minnie Drexel Fell Cassatt

The Drexel Historic Costume Collection at the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, Drexel University is known by fashion historians as a gem of a collection - small, but of very high quality. The upcoming exhibition curated by Clare Sauro called "Brave New World: Fashion and Freedom 1911-1919" should raise the profile of the collection, bringing it to the attention of many others as an invaluable resource. Fashion Projects is very pleased to present the following interview with Sauro about her upcoming exhibition and her role as Curator of the Drexel Historic Costume Collection. Besides juggling her curatorial duties, Sauro also teaches in the University and is writing an upcoming book by Berg Publishers titled Jeans (along with Drexel colleague, Joseph H. Hancock). She used to supervise the Accessories Collection and work as the Assistant Curator in the Costume Collection at the Museum at FIT, which is where as a student I first had the opportunity to experience her enthusiasm and desire to share her knowledge about fashion history.

Fashion Projects: The title of your exhibition is highly evocative, even though the time period of your exhibition predates by a decade Aldous Huxely’s novel of the same name. What inspired you to curate an exhibition called "Brave New World" about this moment in fashion history?

Clare Sauro: Congratulations on being the first to pick up on that! While the Huxley novel was published much later, it is part of the general modernist literary movement that emerged during this period. While purists may balk at my use of the title, I felt it was intriguing and captured the spirit of the exhibition. I wanted the title to convey this sense of wonder, excitement and anxiety and felt Brave New World was just right. The literary work I was most closely drawn to during my research was Pale Horse, Pale Rider but thought a reference to the apocalypse was a bit much for a fashion exhibition!

One of the themes of the exhibition (and PIFA) is the cross-disciplinary explosion of creativity that occurred during this period. The 1910s were a transitional period where the lingering traditions of the 19th century gave way to the modernism of the 20th. Many art forms struggled against tradition and sought new, often radical forms of expression to make sense of modern life. Fashion was a part of this movement and during this brief time period, women adopted short skirts, abandoned their corsets and cut their hair. The difference between a fashionable woman of 1910 and a decade later is astonishing.

Delphos dress, 2010.29.1, Mariano Fortuny, Silk & glass , Circa 1919, Italy, DHCC purchase and Negligee, no accession number, Silk & metallic lace, Circa 1912, France

What are your favorite objects in the exhibition? Were there any objects that you wish you could display (extant or not) that could have enriched your story even further?

The exhibition is relatively small (14 garments) so everything on display is a favorite in some way. The DHCC is fortunate to have many examples from this particular period and I had many to choose from when making my selection. Despite this, I searched and searched but did not turn up a Poiret from the teens. However, I was able to unearth a gorgeous Lucile evening dress (circa 1914) which conveys the right sense of luxury, sensuality, and exoticism needed for the exhibition. It really is a spectacular piece and the star of the show. Unfortunately, it needed conservation and missed the deadline for photography. I guess that means you all have to come see it in person!

All of the pieces are from the Drexel Historic Costume Collection. Can you tell us a little bit about the collection as a whole? What are you goals for your collection?

The Drexel Historic Costume Collection is a relatively small (10,000+ objects) collection of historic costume but a good one. It was founded in the early years of the 20th century to support and inspire the students of Drexel University. Since the collection began before many others of its kind, we are blessed to have strong holdings of early 20th century couture. There are some sizable gaps in content but overall the collection is of extremely fine quality. I have been curator of the DHCC for a little over two years and hope to someday establish it as one of the preeminent university costume collections in the United States. I plan to achieve this through judicious acquisitions, careful deaccessions and increased visibility through exhibitions and publications. I am fortunate to be very happy here at Drexel because I have quite a lot of work ahead of me!

Coat & dress, 67.46.31 and 67.46.40, Circa 1915, USA, Gift of Miss Elizabeth Jane Anderson

You used to supervise the Accessories Collection and work as the Assistant Curator in the Costume Collection at the Museum at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology). Interestingly both MFIT and Drexel collections are housed at teaching universities. Have you found there to be similarities and differences in how the collections are used? How has your role changed?

I believe strongly in teaching collections. I get a great joy from sharing objects with students and seeing the lightbulbs go off over their heads. MFIT is a large and well-established collection with a conservation lab and dedicated galleries. While the collection is used for teaching and research it still adheres to established museum standards of care. The DHCC is much smaller and I am the only official staff member. As such, I have to handle all responsibilities related to the collection and must wear many hats. This is very different from MFIT where I was able to hand over a task to another staff member and know it would get done. Here at Drexel, I rely on students for day to day collections management and spend a good deal of time training them in correct handling protocol and basic registrarial work. Despite this, I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the challenges of this position and the opportunity being able to really make a difference. It is exhausting but extremely gratifying. I love teaching, something I did not get to do while I was at FIT.

Walking suit, 54.1.408, Doucet, Velvet with grosgrain ribbon, Circa 1916, France, Gift of the Estate of Minnie Drexel Fell Cassatt

It was wonderful getting an opportunity to visit your collection last fall at the Fashion in Fiction conference held at Drexel University. Your personalized tour was inspiring as you revealed the joys and difficulties in discovering and caring for your collection. Would it be possible to talk about any special “a-ha!” moments you’ve had?

My personal growth has been tremendous- I am much calmer and patient person than I was a few years ago. The DHCC has shown me that I can’t get upset over what has happened in the past, I can only do the very best I can for the collection with the resources I have. Working with the students in the collection has taught me to explain myself better and in a more direct manner. I realize that not everything is ideal but that is ok. We make it a little bit better every day. ______________________________________________

Fashion historian Rebecca Jumper Matheson will give the lecture “Beyond Romanticism: The Art, Commerce and Modernity of Lucile” on Thursday, April 14th at 7 PM as part of the exhibition.

Brave New World: Fashion and Freedom 1911-1919
April 7th through May 7th, 2011
Location: Leonard Pearlstein Gallery, Nesbitt Hall, 3215 Market St, Philadelphia, PA
Gallery Hours: Monday - Friday 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 
Cost: FREE and open to the public
More Information: 215-895-1029 or visit http://www.drexel.edu/westphal

Judith Clark's Lecture at Parsons

Plain from the Concise Dictionary of Dress Exhibition, Artangel .

Judith Clark--One of our favourite fashion curators will be speaking at Parsons' ADHT Department. The lecture is free and open to the public

"The School of Art and Design History and Theory is pleased to present a lecture by fashion curator and academic Judith Clark, whose Judith Clark Gallery, in London was ground breaking in new fashion curation from 1998 through 2002. She has curated major exhibitions at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, ModeMuseum, Antwerp, Palazzo Pitti, Florence, and Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam. Forthcoming exhibitions include The Eye Has to Travel, at the Museo Fortuny in Venice. She is Reader in the Field of Fashion and Museology and Co-Director of MA Fashion Curation at the University of the Arts, London."

The Dictionary and the Gallery: On Exhibition-Making February 23, 2011, 6:00pm Theresa Lang Student Center 55 W 13th St, Room 202 New York NY 10011

The 3rd Fashion in Film Festival: Birds of Paradise

Festival Poster

The 3rd Fashion in Film Festival titled "Birds of Paradise" and curated by Marketa Uhlirova is now running in venues accross London--among which are the Tate, the Somerset House, the BFI Southbank, and the Barbican:

"The 3rd Fashion in Film Festival is proud to present Birds of Paradise, an intoxicating exploration of costume as a form of cinematic spectacle throughout European and American cinema.

There will be exclusive screenings of rare and unseen films, plus two special commissions as part of the season: an installation for Somerset House by the award-winning Jason Bruges Studio and a London-wide Kinoscope Parlour, an installation of six peephole machines designed by Mark Garside after Thomas A. Edison’s kinetoscopes.

From the exquisitely opulent films of the silent era, to the sybaritic, lavishly stylised underground films of the 1940s -1970s, costume has, for a long time, played a significant role in cinema as a vital medium for showcasing such basic properties of film as movement, change, light and colour. The festival programme explores episodes in film history which most distinctly foreground costume, adornment and styling as vehicles of sensuous pleasure and enchantment.

"Hemline: the Moving Screen" by Jason Bruges Studio at Somerset House

Experimental films by Kenneth Anger, Jack Smith, Ron Rice, José Rodriguez-Soltero, Steven Arnold and James Bidgood constitute one such episode. Their decadent, highly stylised visions full of lyrical fascination with jewellery, textures, layers, glittering fabrics and make-up unlock the splendour and excess of earlier periods of popular cinema, especially ‘spectacle’ and Orientalist films of the 1920s; early dance, trick and féerie films of the 1890s and 1900s; and Hollywood exotica of the 1940s."

Please, visit their site for full programming.