Theatre - Costume History

The Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion explores all aspects of dress and fashion on a global level, from pre-history to the present day.

The FIDM Los Angeles campus houses a Permanent and Study Collection of over 12,000 costumes, accessories, and textiles from the 18th century through the present day, including film and theatre costume. It is one of the largest such collections in the United States, and top designer holdings include Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Dior, and Lacroix. The FIDM Museum also houses the early Hollywood Costume Collection on loan from the City of Los Angeles, Department of Recreation and Parks.

The Museum’s permanent collection now encompasses some 50,000 garments and accessories from the 18th century to the present. Important designers such as Adrian, Balenciaga, Chanel, and Dior are represented. The collecting policy of the Museum focuses on aesthetically and historically significant “directional” clothing, accessories, textiles and visual materials, with emphasis on contemporary avant-garde fashion.

Several rare and unusual published resources of interest to students of western dress and fashion from the 19th to the early 20th-century. Includes historical surveys as well as manufacturers' booklets and sample swatch catalogs.

The collection covers fashionable dress from the 17th century to the present day, with the emphasis on progressive and influential designs from the major fashion centers of Europe. The V&A collections also include accessories such as jewellery, gloves and handbags.

An extensive searchable collection of runway shows over the years.