A final post about my recent trip to Berlin, before it seems like a distant memory. One of the many museums we visited, and top of my list, was the Museum of Decorative Arts (Kunstgewerbemuseum). The museum has an extensive fashion collection, mostly housed in a dedicated Fashion Gallery, but with some pieces jotted around the rest of the museum.
The collection includes garments, accessories, shoes and lingerie. I photographed quite a few of these – photos below.
Ball gown with stripes, England/France, 1865
White summer outfit, France/England, 1866
Walking Dress in silk taffeta with black velvet, England, 1855
Two piece evening gown, Madame Gres, Paris, 1973
Cocktail dress ‘Ribcage’, Pierre Cardin, Paris, 1969 (front) / Hotpants, Paco Rabanne, Paris, 1974 (back)
Micro dress ‘Ready Made’, Paco Rabanne, Paris, 1970 (front) / Hotpants, Paco Rabanne, Paris, 1974 (back)
Blue suit with blouse, Chanel, Paris, 1965 (right) / Dress suit Escale, Yves Saint Laurent for Christian Dior, Paris, 1958, owned by Olivia de Havilland (left)
Cocktail dress in trapezoid line, Yves Saint Laurent for Christian Dior, Paris, 1958
Evening gown of gold lame and beads, Jean Patou, Paris, 1937
Pistachio green evening dress, bias cut, Captain Edward Molyneux, Paris, 1932
Evening gown with horse motif, Madeleine Vionnet, France/USE, 1921-4
Dance gown with ray motif, embroidered with tambour work, sequins made of bakelite, France, 1925
Shoes
England, 1821
England, 1840
England, 1820-40
Printed ladies slippers, England, 1795
Shoes in Chinese style, England, 1785
Shoes with paste brooch, France, 1770
England, 1900
Accessories
Bust improver, 1910
Other museums in Berlin with some textile element which I visited:
Berlin’s Film and TV Museum (Museum für Film und Fernsehen) has a permanent Marlene Dietrich exhibition, including a number of her clothes.
The Bauhaus Archive is fascinating, and includes a number of Bauhaus weavings and textiles.
The DDR Museum is good fun, and includes a fashion section, including examples of East Berlin sewing pattern magazines.
And, not at all craft related, but I really enjoyed the Computer Games Museum (Computerspielemuseum Berlin).
