Before an exhibition, a costume
should go through several phase, like the restoration, which we evoked in the previous
article, and the „mannequinnage“ or fitting process.
Their presentation to the public
should appeal to inert supports which will not damage them. The
"mannequinage" involves conceiving a support made to measure for the
costume and which respects its aspect and the forms of the body for which it
was made, all while integrating the constraints of conservation for the
duration of the exhibition.
Any garment that is to be
exhibited must be tough enough to stand being handled, then shown on a dummy
for some months. Once consolidated, it can be fitted on the dummy, a process
that can take up to a day when the item is a complex one. The actual setting up
of an exhibition will take the fitting team a month. The aim is not only to
recreate the look of a given period, but also to ensure that the garments will
retain their shape throughout the exhibition; heavy and sometimes well-worn,
they have to bear their own weight for several months, something they were
never originally intended to do. This is why certain items must be displayed
flat.
Fitting also uses such chemically
neutral conservation materials as polyester wadding, neutral cardboard, polyester
film and polyethylene foam, and elements of lingerie, underskirts and corsets
are sometimes remade since they are missing from the collection.
The fitting process is a delicate
alchemy involving the concrete – the measurements of the garment – and the
abstract: the spirit of an age, for example. Skilled fitting must combine
padding techniques with sound knowledge of the history of costume and the
evolution of silhouettes. Research into the cutting and assembly of clothes
provides invaluable information, which is then backed up by visual material
from the period. In this way the shapes and postures of the time can be reestablished,
while preserving an awareness of the gap between image and reality.
The type of presentation mannequin
is chosen with the scenographer of the exhibition: a pre-existing mannequin
which will be adapted with padding or sculpting; creation of a made-to-measure
mannequin which can disappear under a costume with a simple structure; black or
beige covered mannequins, or even more fanciful ones…
Fashion accessories make the same
demands. It is crucial to understand the object and identify its weak points in
order to come up with the optimal means of presentation. Every exhibited piece
is closely studied with a view to creating a support that will ensure clear,
attractive display while also taking account of its structural features and its
fragile points
