W
hile the the 26th Motion Picture Costume Design Exhibition at the FIDM Museum was a bit of a disappointment, there were some items in the Museum’s permanent collection that made up for it immensely. One such item was an evening gown designed by Maison Félix, a couture house that was a contemporary of the more well-known houses such as Worth and Doucet:
Evening Gown, Maison Felix, c. 1893; FIDM Museum (2016.5.26A-D)
Below are some more detail pictures:
The Train
Sleeve Detail
Trim Detail
Close-up of the bodice
Close-up of the front bodice neckline
This dress dates from 1893 and as such, lacks the gigot sleeves that were to come into vogue during the mid 90s. It has a train which is characteristic of formal evening wear but the rigid bustle/train effect of the later 1880s has clearly been discarded. The brown velvet paired with the gold/champagne silk are analogous warm colors and harmonize very nicely. The trim is relatively restrained, limited to the neck and skirt and the gold silk fabric has an embossed pattern that makes for an interesting dull/shiny contrast in the fabric’s luster. Overall, this is a design that reads elegance and restraint as opposed to a making bold statement.
This dress was one of the high points of our visit to the FIDM Museum and we look forward to viewing more from the Maison Félix in the future.
Oh my. *wipes drool off screen* This looks like it would be a lot of fun to make. Very rich and elegant.
Val
It’s definitely a good evening dress design that hits all the right notes. The combination of velvet and silk satin give a total package of elegance.