Enfilade

Robe Volante, France, ca. 1745, Brocaded silk, silk passementarie & linen
(Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection FIDM Museum)

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From the FIDM Museum & Galleries:

Opulent Art: 18th-Century Dress from The Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection
FIDM Museum & Galleries, Los Angeles, 10 February — 2 July 2015

Curated by Kimerly Chrisman-Campbell and Kevin Jones

Ladies and gentlemen living in 18th-century Europe dressed opulently. Luxurious silks, handmade laces and precious metal trimmings were de rigueur for those aligned with royal courts and attending state theaters. In this exhibition are displayed lavish garments and accessories spanning the century, including a rare Figaro costume worn by an actor portraying the rascal servant in Beaumarchais’s famed opera trilogy. The stories of this character’s hijinks undermining his aristocratic employer sparked revolutionary tensions with real life rulers, who tried unsuccessfully to ban the popular productions.

The exhibition is part of the programming for LA Opera’s Figaro Unbound: Culture, Power and Revolution at Play. More information is available here.