Costume Mounting
Dressing an ca. 1882 maternity dress for The Costume Institute's spring 2026 show, Costume Art.
Dress, ca. 1882. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1985.363.9.
Left: mounting began with Kyoto mannequin, padded out with Ethafoam and polyester batting beneath pantyhose. Bum pads were arranged to mimic a pregnant stomach.
Center: a prop crinoline was added to support the skirt and give the illusion of legs.
Right: multiplele prop petticoats were added to further support the skirt with the correct silhouette.
Dress, ca. 1882. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1985.363.9.
Left: dressing the garment.
Center: final dressed garment (with a normal Kyoto mannequin head).
Right: dress installed in Costume Art.
Muslin toile and custom invisible mount for a circa 1950s Balenciaga cocktail ensemble (dress and a stole).
The ensemble was in extremely poor condition (detached strap, torn and brittle silk, missing buttons, and a broken zipper). A pattern was taken from the ensemble, and a muslin toile was created.
An invisible mount was made using Fosshape, Vivak, polyester batting, cotton jersey, and Ethafoam.
Mount of a 1932-1937 men's evening suit, using a prefabricated fiberglass mannequin.
The collar, bowtie, cuffs, and shirt front were custom made out of white cotton piqué to create a more fully realized ensemble.
2 custom Fosshape mounts for Lanape turkey feather capes, to be exhibited in the Triennial exhibition Making Home at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. The capes were handmade by a Lanape artist, each with inherent asymmetries such as offset banded feathers and slanted hems, that needed to be addressed in mounting so it would appear visually balanced. The capes will be on display for 6 months, so the mounts need to be supportive & secure without damaging the pieces over the long display period.
Small pocket stitched to hold magnet for secure mounting (left). Whip stitch holding fabric in place temporarily.
Magnet in place on Proper Left side of cape, with hand stitched red cover to obscure it (below).
Detail of prick stitching to finish the edges of the fabric openings (above), cut to allow access to the hardware of the mount. A second piece of fabric was placed behind it to ensure proper coverage of the Fosshape.
