Visiting the museum, I was surprised at how much knowledge from History of Fashion assisted me in associating silhouettes and designers with certain time periods. I wrote my final paper last semester about 1940s-50s Hollywood and was immediately drawn to this Adrian dress (on the right). This garment can be thought to be ‘working’ with the body, as the sparkly embellished lines flow downwards, elongating the body. The strong, padded shoulder lines are a classic signifier of 1940s fashion, making the waistline appear smaller by having a broader shoulder frame. The embellishment design flows with the shape of the body, rather than just decorating the garment in a random way. Adrian was employed by MGM studios at the time this dress was made (1945) and had acquired knowledge of working/designing with different body shapes and sizes on set. Although in my design life I have not made custom garments for other people than myself, I am aware that my body is not ‘model shaped’ and I need to keep my body insecurities in mind (so that I can conceal, rather than accentuate them). Designing for a client one day, I will have to do the same-adapt my design to follow the form of that person’s body. In the light of the fashion is that being made and designed for the body and then put on display in a museum is kind of strange. A lifeless, standardized-sized mannequin showcases the garment, but does this do justice to the designer’s hard work of custom-making the garment for their client?
