Past Exhibitions

FANtasy: The Mona Lee Nesseth Fan Collection at the FIDM Museum Orange County

October 26, 2019 – March 12, 2020

FANtasy celebrated outstanding examples of fan makers’ art spanning three centuries. Recently gifted to the FIDM Museum by Fashion Council member and renowned gemologist Mona Lee Nesseth, this remarkable collection of masterworks spans the golden age of fan creativity. Additionally, a specially commissioned fan from France’s leading eventailliste, Sylvain Le Guen, highlights the talents of this present day artisan of the haute couture. Together, these handheld artworks attest to both the skills of their creators and the connoisseurship of their collector.

Majesty & Mystery: Saving a Napoleonic Court Gown

February 5, 2019 – April 13, 2019

After a distinguished military career and surprising coup d’état, Napoléon Bonaparte (1769-1821) was crowned Emperor of France on December 2, 1804. Beside him at the coronation was his wife Marie-Joseph-Rose de Tascher de la Pagerie de Beauharnais (1763-1814), whom he called "Joséphine." Emperor Napoléon’s reign lasted until 1815; together, he and Empress Joséphine ushered in a remarkable new era of artistic expression. A strict dress code was mandated at royal court functions and the Empress was the ultimate arbiter of style. The astonishingly rare Napoleonic court ensemble at the focus of this intimate exhibition was worn by a high-ranking member of the imperial circle – possibly even the Empress herself.

Capturing the Catwalk: Runway Photography from the Michel Arnaud Archive

May 24 – July 7, 2018

Capturing the Catwalk was the first exhibition to explore the pioneering photography of Michel Arnaud, whose work for Harper’s Bazaar and British Vogue spans the 1970s–1990s. Featuring garments and accessories from brands such as Christian Dior, Chanel, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Gianni Versace alongside selections from the unparalleled photographic archive donated by Arnaud, Capturing the Catwalk highlighted the synergy of fashion journalists and trendsetters, couture and ready-to-wear clientele, and runway spectacle in the age of supermodels.

Acquiring Beauty: FIDM Museum Fashion Council, Est. 2011

Feburary 6 – July 7, 2018

Established in 2011, the FIDM Museum Fashion Council has underwritten – or as they say, "Adopted" – both individually and as a collective many rare and beautiful objects for our Permanent Collection. This exhibition showcased garments and accessories purchased, donated, or fundraised for by the Fashion Council; all of the items were chosen exclusively because they represented the very best of their kind. The exhibition celebrated the dedication, enthusiasm, and depth of outreach of the FIDM Museum Fashion Council.

Thierry Mugler: Alien to Angel

December 9, 2017 – June 7, 2018

This exhibition on the FIDM Orange County campus explored the unconventional and otherworldly work of Parisian designer Thierry Mugler. The display included garments, sketches, runway photography, and perfume bottles, painting a holistic picture of a provocative fashion icon.

Fashion Philanthropy: The Linda & Steven Plochocki Collection

June 6 – December 23, 2017

This floral-themed exhibition presented an extraordinary selection of garments and accessories acquired through the generous support of Linda and Steven Plochocki, long-time benefactors of the FIDM Museum.

Sun-Drenched Style: California Mid-Century Women Designers

November 12, 2016 – June 10, 2017

Glamourous, colorful, and full of leisurely fun: California in the mid-twentieth century was as much a lifestyle as a location. Seen as a destination for golden opportunity and new ideas, designers, artists, and architects embraced the freedom and modernity of California culture. As suburbia expanded, outdoor activities and home entertaining increased, creating high demand for casual-chic attire that transitioned from poolside to dining room. The five women designers featured in this exhibition used their uniquely West Coast points-of-view to create the wardrobe staples of the modern lifestyle. Louella Ballerino, Agnes Barrett, Margit Fellegi, Addie Masters, and Rose Marie Reid designed swimsuits, patio pajamas, play clothes, and relaxed separates that defined the quintessential mid-century California aesthetic.

Exotica: Fashion & Film Costume of the 1920s

February 7 – April 22, 2017

Location, Location, Location! Exotic locations have long inspired fashion designers to re-imagine contemporary dress into hybrid silhouettes mixing East and West. Their creations evoke lands outside Western borders through unfamiliar motifs and patterns. In the 1920s, cinema storylines whisked viewers to out-of-the-way locales ruled by maharajahs, sultans, or conquistadors in fantasy productions of epic proportions staged on vast sets with thousands of exotically garbed extras. Hollywood’s influence on fashion trends was unstoppable as millions of fans bought into the dream that they, too, could inhabit their idols’ identities in store-bought coats and dresses mimicking Egyptian wraps, Mayan tunics, or Chinese cheongsam. Exotica: Fashion & Film Costume of the 1920s took visitors on global adventures to explore fashion’s fascination with the "foreign" in film.

ManMode: Dressing the Male Ego

August 2, 2016 – December 23, 2016

Ego! It comes across loud and clear through a man’s wardrobe. Boldness and confidence translate into strong silhouettes, dominant colors, and militant embellishment. Victorian aesthetes were impeccably tailored, showcasing mastery of sartorial connoisseurship. The educated gent’s prowess for art and sportsmanship were revealed through his neckwear and shoes: Ascot or bow tie today? Wing-tips or spectators? Embracing innovation-cutting-edge textiles and space-age silhouettes–meant a mid-century man could inhabit out-of-this world concepts. Modern hipsters pair straight-off-the-runway fast fashion with vintage or eco couture to express a calculated interest in fashion. From the bedroom to the ballroom and the office to the outfield–male egos demand attention! ManMode: Dressing the Male Ego presents three centuries of menswear from the FIDM Museum collection.

A Graceful Gift: Fans from the Mona Lee Nesseth Collection

February 7, 2016 – July 2, 2016

Fixed, folded, or fontage – fans have cooled the air, aided elegance of movement, and spoken a silent language for centuries. A Graceful Gift displayed the fantastical ornamentation of these miniature artworks that hold our gaze and draw us in to look ever closer: minutely painted leaves depict courtly lovers, expertly carved mother-of-pearl scenes reveal convoluting cherubs, and delicately entwined silk filaments form bouquets of lace. As intended, these remarkable late-Victorian and Edwardian accessories were complemented by couture ensembles dressed for varied occasions that required a final flourish at the wrist.

Fashion Council member and world-renowned gemologist Mona Lee Nesseth exercised her jeweler’s eye when forming this remarkable collection of Belle Époque fans. The FIDM Museum is enriched by her generous gift.

Hooped: Dress of the 1860s

August 24, 2015–April 6, 2016

During the 1860s, women’s dress expanded to enormous circumferences thanks to hoopskirts manufactured from graduated sprung-steel rings held together with vertical cotton tapes. This infrastructure suspended many yards of fabric around the waist without the need for multiple starched petticoats, which unencumbered the legs and created an elegant sway in motion. This exhibition presented objects from the FIDM Museum Permanent Collection that showcased this unique decade in fashion history.

Fleurs: Botanicals in Dress from the Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection

July 21, 2015–December 19, 2015

Roses…Tulips…Orchids…Lilacs…Botanicals have grown around the human body for centuries through trompe l’oeil woven petals, shade-embroidered leaves, and dimensional silk bouquet applications. Fleurs examined these sartorial techniques that allow springtime to be eternal and the flowers to never fade.

Inspired Eye: The Donald and Joan Damask Design Collection at the FIDM Museum

June 12, 2015–December 19, 2015

Donald and Joan Damask have devoted their lives to creating and collecting outstanding design. Their professions have focused on luxury marketing and fashion design; a shared collecting vision serves as inspiration for this work and resonates with the couple’s personal aesthetic. This exhibition presented an overview of the Damask’s important gift to the FIDM Museum including: historic avant-garde fashion and world dress; limited edition art books; seminal images by high-fashion photographers Willy Maywald (1907–85) and Horst P. Horst (1906–99); photographs, sketches, and books by artist-aesthete Cecil Beaton (1904–80); and theatrical designs by Erté (Romain de Tirtoff, 1892–1990).

Opulent Art: 18th–Century Dress from The Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection

February 7–July 4, 2015

Ladies and gentlemen living in 18th–century Europe dressed opulently. The designing, producing, and wearing of fashion was elevated to an art form. Luxurious silks, handmade laces, and precious metal trimmings were de riguer for those aligned with royal courts and attending state theatres. In this exhibition are displayed lavish garments and accessories spanning the century, including a rare "Figaro" costume worn by an actor portraying the rascal servant in Beaumarchais´s famed opera trilogy. The stories of this character´s hijinks undermining his aristocratic employer sparked revolutionary tensions with real life rulers, who tried unsuccessfully to ban the popular productions.

International Inspiration: The Donald and Joan Damask Collection

June 26, 2014–February 14, 2015

International Inspiration: The Donald and Joan Damask Collection contained highlights of an outstanding design collection donated to the FIDM Museum in the summer of 2013.

Residents of Newport Beach, CA, Donald and Joan Damask have devoted their lives to creating and collecting outstanding design. Their professional lives have focused on luxury marketing and fashion; their collecting vision serves as inspiration for this work and resonates with their shared personal aesthetic. Included in their gift were over 75 pieces of vintage clothing and world dress; seminal photographs by high-fashion photographers Willy Maywald (1907–85) and Horst P. Horst (1906–99); over 80 photographs, sketches, and books by artist-aesthete Cecil Beaton (1904–80), and theatrical designs by Erté (1892–1990).

Bound to Impress: Corsets from The Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection

July 22, 2014–December 20, 2014

For centuries, corsets contorted the female figure into the reigning ideal. Bound to Impress: Corsets from The Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection highlighted these unnatural fashions between the 1760s and the 1820s. Whether conically shaped with rigid backs and flattened breasts or rounded hourglasses with sloped shoulders and cinched waistlines, garment silhouettes followed the dictates of these concealed undergarments. This exhibition covered sixty years—from the Ancien Régime, through the French Revolution, during the age of Napoléon, to the era of British Romanticism.

Designing Hollywood: Sketches from the Christian Esquevin Collection

June 11, 2014–December 20, 2014

An exhibition of rare Hollywood costume sketches from the collection of Christian Esquevin, author of Adrian: Silver Screen to Custom Label. Featuring the work of Walter Plunkett, Irene, Travilla, and many other costume designers and costume illustrators, Designing Hollywood offered a glimpse into the Golden Age of Hollywood costume design.

BLISS: 19th-Century Wedding Gowns from The Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection

February 11, 2014–June 14, 2014

Yards of satin and faille, froths of lace and tulle, glimmers of beads and rhinestones: the stuff of dreams that clothed the female transition from maidenhood to matrimony. BLISS: 19th-Century Wedding Gowns from The Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection looked at a century of idealized brides dressed in simple sheaths of the First Empire to complex draperies of the Gilded Age; each decade represented by the reigning silhouette. Meant to celebrate a single day, these rare ensembles continue to inspire nostalgic happy-ever-afters.