Henri Bendel Fashion and Costume Sketch Collection

Image: "Henri Bendel Fashion and Costume Sketch Collection. Sketch HB 001-34. Day gown, Summer 1912.", 1912. Fashion sketch, 12.25 x 8.5 in (31.1 x 21.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum


The Brooklyn museum has a great collection of fashion sketches called, the Henri Bendel collection. These fashion sketches caught my eye as a vintage lover and collector. This type of source is great for study of eras and styles. Other sources such as old ads, sketches, patterns and other archives are all key alternative to textbooks. This collection is impressive at over 11,255 images ranging from 1912-1939. The Fashion archives itself continues until 1950. For a fashion student or collector; the Fashion and Costume Collection at the museum library is fundamental. This is a perfect span of time to learn from! As a prominent store for women's fashions the sketches show some important designs for each era.





Henri Bendel: A Short History
The sketches are in the name of the Henri Bendel firm itself. If you are thinking, hey I know that name you're right. The very store still exists in NYC now at 712 Fifth Avenue near 56th Street. Henri Bendel founded an upscale women's store in 1913 on West 57th street in NYC, which all began with a millinery shop in Greenwich village. Henri was important in terms of the history of fashion for a few reasons: "Bendel's was the first to introduce the young designer Coco Chanel to the United States, the first to stage a fashion show in New York, and the first to design a complete wardrobe of exclusive fragrances to suit the many facets of a woman's mood and lifestyle" (http://www.nycago.org/Organs/NYC/html/BendelStore.html).

Image: "Henri Bendel Fashion and Costume Sketch Collection. Sketch HB 24-03, 1917.", 1917. Printed material. Brooklyn Museum.

The Collection:
With over 11,255 images they could hardly make them available online. However, the collection online shows looks from 1912, 1913 and a few from the late teens. It skips over to the 1930's and the Elsa Schiaparelli designs which due to copyright you can only few the thumbnail sketch. In terms of Schiaparelli, being one of the most important fashion designers, it is a pleasure to admire her looks on paper. Thus, if you would like to see the span of the collection, research in the archive would have to be viewed on site in the library. The sketches represent all the garments made by or imported by the company some of which include many famous french designers such as Lanvin and Chanel. The last public exhibit I could find mention of was part of the collection shown in April of 1944.


Examples of Styles:

Classic Box Coat. Worn with tailored skirt. Image: "Henri Bendel Fashion and Costume Sketch Collection. Sketch HBI 11, 1912.", 1912. Printed material. Brooklyn Museum.

We see the draping and change in silhouette at the end of the Edwardian era going into the 1920's. Image: "Henri Bendel Fashion and Costume Sketch Collection. Sketch HB 28-01, 1918.", 1918. Printed material. Brooklyn Museum.

Wonderful example of an Edwardian Gown. Image: "Henri Bendel Fashion and Costume Sketch Collection. Sketch HB 004-23 1913.", 1913. Printed material. Brooklyn Museum.