20th Century Designer Collection

The Collection’s main strength is its selection of women’s twentieth century designer garments, primarily by American fashion designers. Showcasing a history of twentieth century fashion, the majority of artifacts date from mid to late century.

Several designers are well-represented with over fifty individual examples of their work; some with close to a hundred. American designers James Galanos, Arnold Scaasi, Pauline Trigere, and Calvin Klein have all donated garments from those designer’s archives to the Collection. In addition to these designers, the collections of both Irene and Bonnie Cashin garments include photos, sketches, and other documentation.