Helen Larsen Collection at FIDM

The Helen Larsen Collection at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) in Los Angeles is a major collection of historically important women’s, men’s, and children’s fashions, dating from 1600 to 1950. Follow this link for more details on the acquisition.

Costumer’s Guild West, as part of their commitment to promoting the educational and cultural advancement of costume design and construction, donated $30,000  toward the purchase of the Helen Larsen Collection, starting in late December 2012. As part of the acknowledgement of this contribution, FIDM has made the collection available to CGW members for research.

Any CGW member with an up-to-date membership can make an appointment to view garments from the collection in person. With the help of the FIDM Museum curators, members are able to see all details that would be missed in a photo or an exhibit. Imagine examining the inside of the garment, or the back. You can finally see the details in the fabric and examine how the trim was attached. If you wanted to recreate an item in the collection, you would be able to do so with the greatest of accuracy! 

2021 Update: Because of pandemic-related closures, access to the collection is not currently available. As soon as FIDM is open again for visitors, we will update our website.