Where You Can See a Vintage Chanel Dress from the 1920s..for Free
With the 1920s making a fashion comeback, the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles opened its gallery doors on July 27 to a spectacular display of 1920s gowns and shoes that all come from the Helen Larson historic fashion collection the school is raising money to acquire.
In the well-curated exhibit inside the FIDM Larson Gallery, you will find a 1928 Coco Chanel evening gown made of cotton gauze, glass beads and rhinestones. There is a 1920 Jeanne Lanvin evening dress made of silk netting, glass beads and metallic sequins as well as a British court-presentation dress made of silk crepe, glass beads, rhinestones and netting.
In addition, there are beautiful shoes to go along with the vintage dresses. There are a pair of Parisian N. Greco evening shoes made of gilt leather, ink rhinestones and metal as well as a pair of evening shoes designed by Francois Pinot. made of printed gilt leather.
Helen Larson was a Los Angeles historian who spent 50 years traveling Europe, buying up historical clothing. Rare garments going back to the 17th century were purchased from estates and brought back to the U.S. before antiquities law strictly regulated such exporting.
Larson died in 1998 and FIDM has been in negotiations with her daughters to purchase the 1,100 pieces in the collection. FIDM now has three years to raise $2.5 million to make the purchase.
The exhibit runs until Oct. 19, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays through Saturdays. It is open to the public and free.
