Where History, Craft, and Couture Come to Life
Welcome to the Couture Pattern Museum, the only dedicated fashion museum on the Central Coast of California, located on the border of the Arts District in Santa Barbara. Nestled at 1525 State Street, we are an innovative, one-of-a-kind, private museum dedicated to preserving the history, craft, and untold stories of haute couture and Hollywood costume design. The Couture Pattern Museum is unlike anything else in the world. We house an extraordinary, comprehensive collection of rare couture patterns, original designs, and costume pieces from legendary designers who have shaped fashion history. Outside of special exhibitions, we offer private guided tours by appointment only, sign up here to reserve your visit.
Storytelling & Exhibiting the Museum's Collection in Santa Barbara
Join Our Community
Upholders of Couture
5$Every monthCommunity Support Plan for $5/mo. Couture Forum & View Database (Pattern downloads not included)- Ability to view the Database for Research & Inspiration*
- *(Does not include pattern downloads)
- Blog Access: Follow Museum Costume Reconstructions
- Select online classes and programs
- Free Monthly Community Zoom Gatherings
- Cancel Anytime
- Best Value
Founding Member Annual Pass ($25/mo)
299$Every yearOne year annual pass, annual auto renewal unless canceled- Best Value, Access to the Database and Educational Material*
- Complimentary Private Visit to the Museum +1: $250 Value
- All Online Courses & Online Seminars
- Industry Couture Techniques & Discussion in Founders Circle
- Atelier Blog: Learn how each dress is made
- Scholarly Access to Pattern Database: Education & Research
- *Only select digital pattern downloads in Founders Circle
- Educational patterns shipped + invoiced separately
- Average cost of educational material: $75 - $250 + shipping
- Monthly Community Zoom Gatherings
- 20% discount on events
- Chance to Exhibit Your Work in Santa Barbara
- Complimentary Couture Forum on iOS & Android
- *Access for 1 year, auto renews every year unless canceled*
A Hidden Gem with Global Impact
Although we may be small in size, our museum’s impact reaches far beyond our walls. We serve as a global resource for fashion enthusiasts, historians, university instructors, students, and designers alike. Our carefully curated, centralized collection showcases the craftsmanship behind some of the most iconic pieces in fashion and Hollywood, giving you exclusive access to stories and techniques that can’t be found anywhere else.
As a participatory museum, we invite you to experience the collection through rotating special exhibitions, and through our unique educational programs, cultural events, and digital member forums. Outside of special exhibitions, we offer private one-on-one visits to explore our current rotating collection. Book your appointment online to experience the museum in an intimate setting or by calling 805-303-4775.
Innovative & Forward Thinking: Learn More About CPM on TV Santa Barbara
At the Couture Pattern Museum, we preserve pieces of the remarkable "know-how" of haute couture by focusing on historical patterns. To validate the cultural and historical significance of our archive, we showcase both original and reconstructed costumes created by haute couture ateliers, professional seamstresses, Hollywood costume designers, as well as our museum members and students. Many of the patterns in our collection may be the last remaining copies in existence. Our collection provides a rare opportunity to study and appreciate the artistry and technical brilliance of couture design and construction.
Support Us: Small museums like ours are often overlooked and struggle to stay open despite their cultural value. We are a crowdfunded, self-funded museum and rely on community support. You can help by becoming a community support member for just $5 a month, becoming a Founding Member for $25 a month paid annually, by donating to our digitization and exhibition projects, or visiting us in person. Your financial contribution, no matter how small, is crucial to preserving this piece of fashion history for future generations.
Upcoming Events
Steam, Cardboard, Craft: A Rare Look at Couture Pleating with Tony GomezMembership OfferWed, Oct 15Zoom
Why Patterns Matter:
At the Couture Pattern Museum, we believe patterns are more than just blueprints for garments. Haute couture patterns are documents that hold the secrets of craftsmanship that was once accessible across America. In an era where Parisian fashion schools are increasingly exclusive and few American programs teach authentic advanced couture techniques, this specialized knowledge is disappearing from classrooms and American homes. Our mission is to preserve haute couture patterns as historical records and to build educational programs around our archive. These patterns contain more than tissue paper and measurements, they encode a designer’s philosophy, construction logic, and finishing details in a form that can be studied, reconstructed, and passed on for future generations.
Unlike traditional costume museums that focus solely on preserving garments and cloth, we emphasize preserving the information and techniques embedded within the patterns. These patterns are the designer's philosophies written on paper, they are heritage documents that are vital for understanding historical costume design, advanced pattern cutting, detailed hand-finishing, and complex construction methods that have been passed down through generations. Patterns, when archived and decoded, can be studied through a hands-on education, without risking damage to fragile museum original garments. By making these documents accessible through our educational programs and Founding Memberships, we help protect the lineage of handcraft that is vanishing from American fashion education.
Savoir-Faire: Safeguarding Cultural Heritage and Preservation of Haute Couture Know-How
As a heritage museum, we serve as an educational hub where founding members can deeply engage with culture and history by retracing the steps of master couturiers. Through studying these patterns and reconstructing historical costumes, members gain hands-on experience with the techniques that define couture, promoting the art of craftsmanship and connecting modern creators with time-honored skills.
By preserving these historical patterns, we also act as a cultural bridge, celebrating the achievements that have shaped the fashion industries of France and the United States. Our collection chronicles fashion history while fostering a rich cultural dialogue that intertwines high fashion with dressmaking.
Become a Founding Member today and join us in preserving this rich heritage for generations to come. Founding Members of the museum have access to the archives to order research and educational material for study and reconstruction.
Unique & Special Events
Our museum goes beyond preserving patterns; we leverage these unique artifacts to celebrate the artistry and glamour of the Golden Age of Couture and Hollywood through a variety of engaging exhibits and events. From special presentations like Coronation Couture, Audrey Hepburn photography exhibit, to exclusive book signings, such as "Balenciaga: Through the Lens of Tom Kublin," we bring the stories of fashion's most iconic moments and figures to life.
Help us with Conservation & Digitization
Sponsor a Pattern to Digitize
95$Your Name Displayed Next to the Pattern in the Museum DatabaseValid for one year- Your name displayed next to the pattern in database
- One year access to the database for research and inspiration
- (Digital downloads not included)
- Social Media and Newsletter Acknowledgment
- Access to Complimentary Couture Forum on iOS & Android
- Great Corporate or Gift Idea!
The Urgency and Importance of Preserving Historical Couture Patterns: Our Mission
Very few haute couture houses have maintained archives of their significant designs, and many of these once-prominent houses no longer exist. The only remnants of their legacy often lie in the patterns they released. Furthermore, pattern publishers typically did not retain copies, records, or contracts of the patterns they issued.
Our museum's mission is critical: to safeguard and digitize these invaluable paper patterns before the delicate tissue paper and accompanying instructions deteriorate, ensuring their preservation as they risk fading from our collective memory.
Unlike other museums that hold paper pattern archives, ours specializes in haute couture patterns from the golden age of couture, a period when fashion significantly influenced the social and cultural domain. We hold the largest comprehensive commercial haute couture pattern archive in the world. The stories of democratization within fashion are often overlooked in other collections, due to their vast collections. These collections also tend to be less accessible, and typically do not provide complete digitization of both the front and back of pattern envelopes. Often, their pattern schematics are derived from rough illustrations scanned from backs of pattern envelopes, and they lack accuracy and technique, and do not include detailed instructions.
The Couture Pattern Museum is committed to the rigorous process of digitizing the entire contents of the patterns by investing in and using specialized equipment to digitize our collection. We are undertaking and investing in the intense labor required to digitize. Our effort ensures every detail is preserved, making our collection a complete repository and an active, educational resource dedicated to the meticulous documentation of haute couture’s rich history.
Meet the Directors at CPM
3 hr
From 1,000 US dollars
Digitizing & Reviving the Museum's Collection
The Couture Pattern Museum is undertaking a monumental project to digitize our vast collection of haute couture sewing patterns. Holding some of the rarest physical copies from the world's most celebrated haute couture designers, including items of historical significance like the Coronation robe and frock blessed by Queen Elizabeth II, we recognize the importance of preserving these treasures for future generations. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our members and supporters, who play a crucial role in advancing our mission.
Make an Impact: Join the Couture Council. Influence Santa Barbara Arts & Culture
Couture Council of Santa Barbara
5,000$Every yearMaximum Benefits with Influential Role. Annual Membership. Renews Until Cancelled.- Influential Member to help fund exhibitions and programming
- Funds the conservation of the collection
- Study Authentic 40s & 50s Dior, Balmain & Gres: $7,200 Value
- Exclusive, unlimited behind the scene tours. Guests are free
- Includes access to the database
- Access to patterns and educational research, 10 patterns
- Inclusion in the Founders Circle as a Founding Member
- Includes all online classes, workshops, and events
- Free bi-annual lunch with the directors at Ritz-Carlton
- Unlimited visits to the Museum in Santa Barbara
- Your name next to a pattern in the database as sponsor
- Naming recognition on website, in exhibitions, and events
- Annual subscription, renews annual until canceled
A Commitment to Education:
Visit Us in Santa Barbara, CA
By Appt. Only
1 hr
125 US dollars
4 hr
2,400 US dollars
4 hr
2,400 US dollars
4 hr
2,400 US dollars
The Couture Pattern Museum's address is: 1525 State Street, Ste. 301, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
We are located on the penthouse floor, the only commercial on the third floor. There's street parking nearby, no covered parking available. We look forward to welcoming you either in our location or out in the community.
Phone or Text: 805-303-4775