Worth's couture salon Gazette du Bon Ton, April 1914

The Courtauld Institute provides a unique environment for the study of the history of dress.  Its collections form a rich visual starting point from which to establish the ways that dress and fashion have developed historically, and the symbolic values and meanings with which they are imbued.  Art historical methodologies provide the starting point for analysis of dress, and underpin the interdisciplinary approach taken within both BA and MA level courses.  While teaching is centered upon modern and contemporary dress and fashion, examples are drawn from a much wider period, and emphasis is placed upon a sound historical understanding of the subject.  A diverse range of sources, including painting, graphic arts, literature, surviving dress, film and oral history are considered in relation to relevant theoretical ideas to construct a rounded interpretation of themes and case studies. 

 

People


Dr Rebecca Arnold



Examples of courses taught

 



Research


The Courtauld Institute hosts a wide range of research events, which attract distinguished scholars from London and beyond. History of Dress students also benefit from the diversity of events organized by each period section, and by the Research Forum, as well as those designed to relate specifically to dress, fashion and textiles.  This creates a lively research environment in which to debate current issues in the study of art and dress history, and enables a critical awareness of their intersecting contexts and meanings.

 

Resources



Thayaht Madeleine Vionnet Gazette du Bon Ton 1923

 

In addition to the excellent resources for the study of dress and textiles provided by the Book Library’s main holdings, we are lucky to have exceptional collections of rare books, which range from Vecellio’s Habiti Antichi et Moderni di tutti il Mondo (1598) to Les Robes de Paul Poiret (1908), magazines including Gazette du Bon Ton and a selection of fashion plates, which date from the eighteenth to twentieth century.  The collections also include Stella Mary Newton’s archives, which contain material connected to her designs for the theatre during the 1930s, as well as to her work in setting up the first History of Dress course at the Courtauld Institute in 1965.  These provide a rich counterpoint to the prints, drawings and paintings collections of the Courtauld Gallery.  Students can also study the Harris Collection, a handling collection of textiles, which comprises an overview of different types of fabric technique and design since the Renaissance.

Students are encouraged to use the wide range of resources available for the study of dress and fashion within London, including the National Art Library and the Art and Design Archive.  Strong links exist with relevant museum collections in London, and beyond, and regular visits to storerooms enable close analysis of surviving dress and accessories in, for example, the V&A Museum and the Museum of London.