An Ode to FIDM

When I first started my career almost eight years ago, I struggled with whether or not I had made the right choice. I did not go to school to enter this profession, and the industry held no appeal to me at all growing up (even though I had been around it my entire life). Deep down, I had longed to have a career in fashion and marketing. My friends sometimes laugh when I say this - you would too if you saw how I act and dress in my personal life. But I simply adore fashion! I love the colors, the textures, the silhouettes... it's breathtaking. I especially like haute couture and costuming - who doesn't like to play dress up once in a while?

As I struggled with my quarter life crisis in Houston (what am I doing with my life? why am I in TX? etc), Lauren Conrad and her friends on The Hills were starting school at my dream school, the Fashion Institute for Design and Merchandising ("FIDM") in Los Angeles, CA. This stunning school prepares its students to follow their dreams in design, fashion, merchandising, and digital media. Oh, how I wish I had known about this school when I was in high school (not that I could have afforded it). I watched The Hills from my tiny apartment in Houston every week, loving every scene that took place at that school, wishing I could drop everything and go enroll there.

When I moved to Southern California in the fall of 2011, I put FIDM on my "to-visit" list immediately. Lindsay Blake (of iamnotastalker.com fame) had "stalked" FIDM a couple of times, the most recent being a visit to the FIDM Museum's annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition in March 2011. Although my first visit was long after that exhibit closed, it was Lindsay's blog that inspired me to visit the museum and check it out. I was not disappointed!

First Visit to FIDM

I have gone to various FIDM exhibits since moving here, including "FABULOUS! Ten Years of FIDM Musueum Acquisitions," "6th Annual Outstanding Art of Television Costume Design," "20th Annual Art of Motion Picture Design," and most recently "21st Annual Art of Motion Picture Design." This latest exhibit was phenomenal! It included costumes from A Royal Affair, Anna Karenina, The Hunger Games, Argo, Django Unchained, Hitchcock, Les Miserables, Lincoln, Mirror Mirror, Snow White and the Huntsman, and Skyfall. They even included a special exhibit of the clay characters and costumes from the movie, ParaNorman. It was so much fun! Sadly, they do not allow pictures in the museum but you can see some of the pictures from the museum's blog. These pictures do not do the costumes justice (especially in the case of Snow White and the Huntsman and Mirror Mirror), but at least you'll get the idea. The work that goes into these costumes is amazing!

If you're ever in Los Angeles, I definitely recommend you check it out. FIDM Museum is located at 919 Grand Ave in Los Angeles, CA (Note: The door faces the park, not Grand. Walk around the building to find the opening).  It is Tuesday through Saturday, and is free (yes, free) to the public. It is definitely one of Los Angeles' best kept secrets! 

Until next time...

--- Becks