ANDERSON'S FORMAL WEAR history

High crowned hats with turned up brims were in style in the 1870’s, and were generally worn tilted forward or towards the rear of the head depending on the hairstyle.

In 1884 Doctor Jaeger, a German professor of Zoology in Germany, developed scientific theories about the hygiene of dress, & recommended the wearing of only wool next to the body

The Silhouette progressively deflated from that which had considerable back fullness and puffy drapers, to the narrow one of the early 1890’s.

By 1894, skirts were mostly free of decoration, but after 1894, decorative panels extended from the bodice and continued down the skirt with braid or fringe at the edge of each panel.

By 1897, most bodices were gathered evenly all round at the botoom and had a belt which went mostly straight around.

The 1898 sleeve was slender, and the head was cut with a built in puff.

These gathers and pleats remained until about 1900.

Anderson also frequented Harlem dressmaker Agnes Cully Peters, who began designing concert gowns as well as making and altering items of clothing for Anderson’s personal wardrobe beginning in 1939.

She wore it to several performances as well as for a series of portraits taken by Carl Van Vechten in 1947.

Following Anderson’s death in 1993, the garments were purchased by Bette Midler and donated to the museum with the express purpose of preserving the singer’s legacy.

Marc Jacobs cited Tenenbaums as the one film that most influences his work in 2008.

Not only has Prada worked on a number of Anderson’s films, but the designer commissioned Anderson and Canonero to make the short film “Castello Cavalcanti” in 2013.

Anna Sui’s Fall 2014 line borrowed heavily from Swinton’s looks in the film.

Perhaps the largest moment for Tenenbaum-chic to date came in 2015’s fall collections, when no fewer than six designers cited the film as an influence on their collections.