The Story of a Collector: Anne Zimmerman

The Story of a Collector: Anne Zimmerman highlights the donated, 25-piece anthology of clothing, dating from the 1940s - 1980s that features the styles and accessories that have become iconic in the fashion industry. The Zimmerman collection is a glimpse of one woman's love for fashion and gathering innovative pieces of clothing. The exhibit is open through April 19 from 11am-4pm on Mondays through Fridays in the Mary Alice Gallery, Morrill Hall, Iowa State University. For a catalog accompanying the exhibit, please contact tcmuseum@iastate.edu

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Introduction

The work of American designers forms a significant portion of the Anne Zimmerman collection, especially the designs of her friend Rudi Gernreich. However, despite the emphasis on American designers, an examination of the objects in the collection suggests a clear collecting vision for pieces that were important and innovative in the overall development of fashion from the 1950s through the 1980s, both in Europe and in the United States. Note, for example the white wool Andre Courreges dress, an iconic design of mid-1960s space-age fashion, and the Claire McCardell shirtwaist dress, a classic of the 1950s ready-to-wear American fashion. Many of the pieces in the collection reflect the work of a group of U.S. designers who, although they produced ready-to-wear, incorporated the type of dressmaker details, such as bound buttonholes, often seen in custom work.

The accessories in the collection, while also representing significant designers, show an awareness of the ability of fashion to have a sense of humor. The small hat by Bes-Ben, with its black cats perched atop the wearer's head, is an example of the style for which the company was known, but also demonstrates the knowledge and humor of the collector. A cashmere sweater, covered with appliqued bees and sequins, by one of the major American manufactures of decorative sweaters, is another example of playfulness and a "lets not take this too seriously" approach to fashion.

The Practice of Collecting

Individuals have been collecting for centuries. Today, collections of dolls, plush toys, figurines, baseball cards, and die-cast sculptures can be founds in almost half of all U.S. households. Clothing and textiles have also been collected and exhibited by a variety of individuals and institutions, including museums of art, design, history, and ethnography (Steele, 2008). According to Russell Belk (2001), the spectacular growth of mass production, mass distribution, and mass communication parallels the similarly dramatic growth of mass consumption, mass individual collecting, and musem collecting (p. 1). Belk continues that individual collecting is, "the process of actively, selectively, and passionately acquiring and possessing objects and experiences" (p. 67).

Objects undergo a metamorphosis when they are collected. Everyday things are transformed-they are managed and valued in ways that are much different from those of the objects' past intended use. In textile and clothing museums, fashion that was once worn and then discarded due to changing tatstes, finds a permanent home where it is suited, cared for, and exhibited in evironmentally-controlled storage and gallery spaces. These garments present opportunities to examine and interpret social, economic, technological, and political components of history. There are many reasons why people collect including, but not limited to, enjoyment of acquiring and admiring their collections, to show individualism and accomplishment, to bond as a community of collectors, and in an effort to remember and to relive the past.

References:

Belk, R.W. (1995). Collecting in a consumer society. London and New York: Routledge.

Steele, V. (2008). Museum quality: The rise of the fashion exhibition. Fashion Theory, 12(1), 7-30.

Gilbert Adrian (1903-1959)

Adrian was a costume designer and fashion designer who dressed the "Golden Age" of Hollywood stars. He began designing costume for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) studio in 1925, and created costumes to develop the individual personas of film actresses including Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer, Jean Harlow, Katherine Hepburn, and Judy Garland. In 1942, Adrian opened a design studio and showroom in Beverly Hills under the label Adrian Ltd. He stated in 1950, "Clothes should be functional, with a flattering grace that makes them un-dated and timeless in their charm."

Black dinner dress with decorative black and white bands. Rayon crepe. Mid-1940s.

Norman Norell (1900-1972)

"America's Dean of Fashion" - Norell attended the Parsons School of Design in New York and the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. His simple but stylish clothing was lauded for its glamour, timelessness, and high-quality construction. Considered the first American fashion designer to compete successfully with French coutriers, Norell's obituary appeared on the frobt page of The New York Times with the headline: "Made 7th Ave. the Rival of Paris." The designers talent was recognized in 1943 when he received the first Coty American Fashion Critics Award ever presented.

Red three-piece suit. Wool boucle, wool jersey blouse. 1960's. Label: Traina - Norell.

Claire McCardell (1905-1958)

Called the "mother of sportswear," Claire McCardell was a pioneer of the "American look." She studied at the Parsons School of Design in New York, designed for Hattie Carnegie and then for Townley Frocks. From the 1930s to the 1950s, McCardell revolutionized women's wear by designing clothing that was simple, functional, and stylish, all within the constraints of mass-production. She took simple fabrics-cotton, denim, mattress ticking, gingham, and jersey - and created clean shapes using detail as a fashion focus. McCardell effortlessly paired "separates" -skirts, pants, and sweaters - that acted as interchangeable mates, in part to make women's lives easier. In 1955, Time Magazine wrote, "She has an artist's sense of color and a sculptor's feeling for form."

Striped shirt-dress. Cotton lawn, silk organza lining. Early 1950s.

Rudi Gernreich (1922-1985)

Born in Vienna, Austria, Gernreich fled to America in 1938. He attended the Los Angeles City College from 1938 to 1941 and then worked as a dancer and costume designer. In 1948, he became a freelance fashion designer. In the 1950's, Gernreich designed swimwear for the Westwood Knitting Mills. He opened his own company, which became Rudi Gernreich Inc., in 1964. In the 1960's, Gernreich designed sportswear for a predominately youthful market. His most famous contributions included the "topless bathing suit"in 1964, and the "no-bra bra" made of molded nylon cups attached to shoulder straps and a narrow elastic band encircling the rib cage.

Brown and black mini-dress. Wool double knit. Mid-1960's.