You can view a digital version of this exhibition online by visiting our Fashion2fiber website, or you can just view the gallery installation here.

The Ohio State University began celebrating its 150th anniversary this academic year and we are doing our part with an exhibition that takes a look at what people were wearing on college campuses for the past 150 years. The exhibit features what people wore to class, what they wore in the dorms (today sometimes those garments are the same but that was not true in the past), what was worn to football games or other activities, and what clothing was worn for special occasions related to college life such as formals or joining honors societies, fraternities or sororities.

Maxine and Loyal Richard while students at Ohio State University in 1932. Looks like they are going to a football game!

Formal gown worn by Ruth Weinman Herndon when a Freshman at OSU in 1925

In addition, we are featuring some student projects from design, construction, pattern-making and tailoring classes from years past. Pictures from the OSU Archives photograph collection in the exhibition highlight student life over the decades. A particular interesting series highlights the evolution of classes in Nutrition and Fashion from the early days of the Department of Domestic Science, and School of Home Economics.

Spotlights about alumni who’ve worn clothing in the exhibition include Grace Heck Faust, who graduated OSU Law School in 1930 (one of two female law graduates) and was the first woman in Ohio to be elected as a prosecuting attorney.

Dr. Ruth E. Moore is another notable OSU alumna. She received all her degrees at Ohio State and was the first African American woman to earn a PhD in a natural Science. She taught at Howard University Medical College and also chaired the Department of Bacteriology from 1947-58.

Gallery location and hours can be found here

Now available as a digital exhibition!

And the Bride Wore…

And The Bride Wore… had two installations, one during Fall semester 2014, and the second in Spring semester 2015 to maximize the number of dresses to display in the upper gallery space.

View exhibition installation images 

Explore digital exhibit on Fashion2Fiber

The exhibition was organized around several themes, instead of being a strict timeline of wedding gown fashions, and featured dresses from the 1880s through the end of the 20^th century and into the 21^st. All have interesting stories which accompany them. The themes include, “Something Old” and “Something New” which are pretty self-explanatory, “Something Borrowed”—a dress borrowed or re-cycled from a previous bride, “Something Blue”—a non-white wedding gown, “Generations”—more than one generation of brides in a family, “War Brides”—dresses worn around various war times, and “Local Interest”—dresses with stories and connections local to Columbus and Ohio. Each installation will feature 15-16 gowns and all thematic areas.

Henriette Seroi and Colin Robertson 1919

Henriette Seroi’s story was featured in a Columbus Bride blogpost. Click here to read more.

The gowns featured in the exhibition, as well as other wedding gowns in the museum’s collections, can be viewed online on our website Fashion2Fiber

Dr. Katherine Jellison joined us for a talk about her book,  It’s Our Day: America’s Love Affair with the White Wedding 1945–2005 and the research related to it on February 25, 2015, as a public program related to the exhibition.

 

Please contact us if you have questions about our exhibitions and programs