The Virtual Costume Exhibition

I love museums... In fact, while I was in graduate school I worked in a museum studies program, and used my education to provide excuses to visit as many museums as I can. My main focus, of course, is costuming; in my pursuit, I have been to London, Rome, Paris, New York and beyond seeking out exhibits.

Unfortunately, due to the nature of textiles, most costume exhibitions do not allow visitors the opportunity to take photos, and few museums have enough cash to create illustrated exhibition guides for sale. However, the web is mighty, large and mostly free, so many museums share their exhibitions with us via the web. Yeah! So periodically I surf the web looking for exhibitions and here is a crop of my recent discoveries.

From Paris to Providence: Online Exhibition of Fashion, Art and the Tirocchi Dressmakers Shop, 1915-1947. This exhibition is focused on one design house and is filled with both images of garements and details of the elaborate beadwork that was part of fashion during this era. Be sure to check out the amazing collection of flapper-style beaded dresses in the Art Deco section - Yum! Right: 1930's handbag from the exhibition.


Gothic - Dark Glamour - Fashion Institute of Technology - I've got friends who embrace the Goth style and integrate it into their costuming and daily wear. I found this exhibition and recommend it whenever someone buys patterns made by the Goth Dance Diva, Tempest. There are so many inspirations throughout this lush exhibition website, but be prepared to really explore, the site itself is a work of art - and just note - turn down the volume on your computer!
Image Left: Dress by Yoshiki Hishinuma from the exhibition.

Chic Chicago - Modern Fashion from 1861-2004. This exhibition is filled with lovely lovely photos of some fantastic garments. Especially look out for the Worth and Pingat gowns. Visit the Website to read about the exhibition, but more importantly, view the Slide Show!

New York City Ballet - Bedecked Bedazzled and Bejeweled: Costume Ornamentation at the New York City Ballet - This is a great exhibition of photographic details of the embroidery, beading and applique work crafted in the costume shops of the ballet. There's an introduction to the exhibition and a flash slideshow with images of their costumes.

Versailles - Fastes de Cour et Ceremonies Royales
Okay - Take a peek at this video of the curators and exhibition designers at work setting up an amazing exhibition of French courtly dress at Versailles. There are some stunning glimpses of the courtly wear as they appeared in the exhibition. This website has some amazing photos of the palace too!

LACMA - Images of Fashion from the court of Louis XIV - Like this amazing mantua on the right. Explore the virtual Exhibition. More information about the Mantua on the right circa 1700. This is an amazing garment, and I had the pleasure of seeing it in person when I was doing research at the Doris Stein research for my undergraduate degree. If you like more modern clothes - Check out: Breaking the Mode: Contemporary Fashion from the Permanent Collection.


Of particular interest to me, as I work on the upcoming Period Impressions book, I found a copy of the illustrated book "Habitus Variarum Orbis Gentium"(Costume of the Various Peoples of the World) by Jean Jacques Boissard 1581. His illustrations are charming and full of detail. Especially of interest to me is plate 46, "North African Women", located at Los Angeles County Museum of Art. In this plate, you can really see the shape and hang of the Haik, a rectangular overwrap, a descendent of the Roman Palla that is still being worn in parts of Morocco today.