This post will be a little unusual since I don’t have many pictures. Yesterday I went to the exhibit Hollywood Costumes at the old May Company. I think I’ve mentioned before that when LACMA owned the building they erased any mention of the May Company – we were to call it LACMA west, I’m glad to see historic accuracy returning, although soon it will be known as Academy Museum.
While they are raising the money for this project, they have put on this exhibit, of course photography was forbidden, hence – not many photos.
I recommend going to your search engine of choice and looking at images, it is quite a production. So much so, that I had sensory overload. First of all, the exhibit is completely in the dark – because everything except the costumes are all Audio-Visual media – of every kind, labels, stills, movie clips, interviews – a cacophony of light and sound. In one area they had small screens with the faces of the actors right where they should be in the costumes.
So how easy was it to view the costumes themselves? It wasn’t. Sure, the costumes are an important part of the movie – but even in this exhibit – they weren’t the star. I would recommend this show, it is very well done and it is fun, but like all of Hollywood, it’s the production, it’s the glamour, it’s hiding the product under a very glitzy package.
Which brings me to FIDM, This Fashion and design school has a wonderful little museum, open to the public free of charge. Go and lose yourself in this website for a while: Annual Art of the Motion Picture Costume Design. And if you are in LA from mid February to late April, go see the exhibit in person. No photos allowed, but you can get up very close and personal with the garments. I was there 22 years ago for the first exhibit and have seen most of them since then, it is incredible to see how the making of the costumes has improved over time. More money, higher definition film, means that one can no longer ‘cheat’ by using puff paint and plastic gems.
I always enjoy seeing the small details, that we probably never notice on screen, but are there non the less.
For glitz and glamour – go to the May Company, for real workmanship and a closer look – go to FIDM.
Leah