From Oscar de la Renta: "Oscar de la Renta presents ‘A Sense of Beauty,' a documentary film exploring the development of Pre-Fall 2024. Honored House codes echo as generations of collaboration unfold. We invite you inside the House to witness the art of craft."
From the Victoria and Albert Museum: "Follow Senior Textile Conservator Susana Fajardo as she works on the dress worn by Sandie Shaw for her performance of ‘Puppet on a String’ at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1967."
From the Victoria and Albert Museum: "Join dressmaking expert Sue Clark as she examines a luxurious, sparkly CHANEL trouser suit, made in 1937 – 38 for American Fashion Magazine Editor, Diana Vreeland.
From the Victoria and Albert Museum: "Join dressmaking expert Sue Clark as she takes a close-up look at an elegant CHANEL suit, made in 1959 for actress Lauren Bacall. Comprised of a rose-pink tweed skirt and jacket paired with a delicate silk blouse, the pieces were made exactly to fit Bacall's measurements and have been finished to the very highest standard."
From TODAY: "Christian Dior founded the iconic label Dior nearly 80 years ago, turning the fashion world on its head. TODAY Style correspondent Zanna Roberts Rassi gets an exclusive never-before-seen tour inside the House of Dior."
From Christian Dior: "Join mezzo-soprano Axelle Saint-Cirel for the momentous fittings of her Dior Couture ensemble by Maria Grazia Chiuri, designed for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony—masterfully orchestrated by Thomas Jolly and Daphné Bürki. Each step in the process unfolds a story of meticulous tailoring that crescendos into a creation finely tuned to echo her operatic cadence, befitting the beauty of the capital's luminous jewel."
Comic Con 2024 begins tomorrow, and with it a cavalcade of pop culture centric fans, collectors, designers, costumers, and more will descend upon San Diego. One of the central hubs where those designers will meet will be at the Her Universe Fashion Show, a geek couture, as in not a costume, fashion show inspired by pop culture. This year's show will take place Thursday, July 25, 2024, but in the meantime you can watch last year's show in its entirety, where the theme was fandom and fashion through 100 years of Disney.
From Christian Dior: "Filmmaker Mélinda Triana traces the making of the Dior Spring-Summer 2023 Haute Couture show. The behind-the-scenes mini documentary opens with Maria Grazia Chiuri who presents the collection’s starting point, archive images of Josephine Baker dressed in Dior, and heads into the Ateliers, revealing the savoir-faire behind the looks. It wraps with artist Mickalene Thomas who shares the story behind the set, composed of giant portraits of iconic personalities symbolizing a new pantheon of women."
From the Victoria and Albert Museum: "Discover changing silhouettes and key fashion developments across 100 years of British and French womenswear: from a Victorian wedding dress inspired by Indian textile motifs, to an Edwardian lace day dress, and a 1930s silk evening gown designed by Charles James. Assistant Curator Claire Allen-Johnstone unpacks the fascinating details of these different garments, revealing how fashions can be cyclical, often referencing the past, but with a modern twist."
From Cultured Elegance with Faith: "In this video, we will discuss an overview of 20th-century fashion and how to tell the difference between the different decades. 1900s, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s. We cover the Edwardian fashions, art deco fashions, Hollywood glamour, power dressing, mod looks, hippy looks, glamorous 1990s, and grunge looks."
Charles Frederick Worth was an English fashion designer who founded the House of Worth, one of the foremost fashion houses of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Considered by many fashion historians to be the father of haute couture, he first used models to "sell" his clothes and added labels to his work. If you were a Gilded Age lady of society, you would certainly have one of his designs.
From the Victoria and Albert Museum: "Join dressmaking expert and V&A volunteer, Sue Clark, as she examines one of the most iconic ensembles in post-war fashion, Christian Dior's 'Bar' suit. How was the suit constructed? And why was it hailed as 'the New Look'?"
What goes into making a fabric? Sometimes it can be made in an instant when it is digitally printed, other times it can take many, many hours. This video is an example of the latter where "this plaid textile has been laboriously handwoven by Aurélia Leblanc in her Paris atelier on a vast warp with an 800-yarn weft repeat in over 40 colors of linen, cotton, raffia and dyed silk ribbons." The textile was made as part of the Dior Autumn-Winter 2022-2023 Haute Couture collection by Maria Grazia Chiuri.
You might be as surprised as some of the students from the London College of Fashion as to what goes on inside a Haute Couture gown. These students were invited to investigate iconic garments by Cristóbal Balenciaga, "The Master" of haute couture, and "deconstructed his processes and revealed secrets of the making and construction using digital pattern-cutting technology." Enjoy the video from the Victoria and Albert Museum.
With the release of the brand new Barbie movie, we want to introduce you to the lady who is responsible for making Barbie the fashion icon she is today. Meet Carol Spencer, a "fine arts scholar who answered a newspaper job advertisement in 1963 to become Barbie’s fashion designer — a position she held for 36 years until 1999, making her the figure’s longest serving stylist."
From CNA: "You won’t hear the sound of sewing machines at the Chanel atelier, or workshop, because everything is done by hand. Find out what else goes into creating these special, haute couture pieces."
From Dior: "Follow our cameras behind the scenes for a detailed insight into the conception, realization and unveiling of the Dior Autumn-Winter 2023-2024 collection. Accompany Maria Grazia Chiuri as she reveals the inspirational role played by the founding couturier’s sister Catherine Dior, explore the treasures kept in the archives, learn about the amazing savoir-faire involved, and then watch as artist Joana Vasconceles creates the show’s scenographic installation." There is something in here for everyone. From the creation of a leather flower skirt, to straw tiaras, and fabrics woven with stainless steel.
What is the most delicate thing you have worked with? Silk, lace, antique fabric? Well, how about STRAW!?!? That's right, this dress made in 1865 was embroidered with straw and is part of the collection of the Weinmuseum in Italy. Find out how the straw was used to create this stunning ball gown that has lasted for over 150 years!
With just a bit of ribbon and a few pleats, you too could create one of these Dior outfits. Or could you? Take a look at the making of Dior Haute Couture Dress and decide for yourself.
We are always fascinated by the process of Haute Couture design. Take a look at this quick video showing how Dior embellishes one of their outfits.