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Flower Power: Flora in Fashion and Botany in Buttons

January 15, 2023 by Gayle Strege

During building renovation, the Historic Costume & Textiles Collection partnered with the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio in Lancaster to showcase two related exhibits featuring selections from the HCTC on display in the galleries of DACO from February 4 through April 23, 2023. A digital version of the exhibition was created by DACO with Matterport to give the Flower Power exhibition life beyond its three month run. Click on the link above to virtually visit and explore the galleries.

 

Flower Power: Flora in Fashion explores the relationship humankind has with its natural environment – specifically, how we adorn our bodies with botanical elements from head to toe. From extravagant hats to sublime shoes, fashion designers have found inspiration in colorful floral motifs and botanical elements. Nature’s plant materials not only factor in the aesthetics of fashion and apparel, however, they literally are the very fabric used to make much of our clothing. Flower Power will grow your appreciation for how the bark, leaves, grasses and seeds around us have been turned into textiles and clothing we use on a daily basis.

Botany in Buttons features selections from of Ann W. Rudolph’s button collection that depict a variety of flowers rendered in various media. These are truly works of art in miniature and are a wonderful complement to the clothing on exhibit.

 

Filed Under: Carousel, Exhibitions, Past Exhibitions

Fashion & Music

September 24, 2021 by Gayle Strege

Available as a digital exhibition. Explore the intersections of fashion and music from Folk to Rock to Hiphop.

Curated by Julie Hillery, PhD and Marlise Schoeny

long sequin evening gown shading from yellow at shoulders to green at hips and blue at hem

Halston sequin gown similar to gowns worn by Motown artists, The Supremes

leather motorcycle jacket with arm patches of Union Jack flag and skull, shoulder epaulets have spike studs

Motorcycle jacket worn to punk concerts decorated with spikes on shoulders and band patches

Music and dress are a reflection of society at any given point in time. The diverse population of the United States has always, and continues to, influence both music and fashion. This exhibition displays artifacts tracing the history of American music and their influence on fashion. Beginning with the turn of the 20th century, it follows the relationship between fashion and music from its beginnings in vaudeville and with itinerant country singers to the current fashion companies run by rap superstars. From folk music to hip-hop, and related dress trends, from flapper dresses to Timberland boots, this exhibit provides examples of the interplay between music and fashion trends. Moreover, it examines how human behavior is influenced by the use of dress and how music serves as a means of communication between individuals.

Over 50 examples are on display in the Gladys Keller Snowden gallery, along with interactive links to listen to the top 10 songs of the decades of the 20th century.

Filed Under: Carousel, Exhibitions, Features, Past Exhibitions

Special Collections Digital Exhibit

November 19, 2020 by Marlise Schoeny

Patrick Kelly, Eiffel Tower dress, 1989, black wool knit

The Special Collections within the University Libraries has curated an online exhibit, highlighting treasures from each of the collections. The ongoing pandemic has made in-person exhibits impossible, but artifacts from the collections will continued to be shared. This exhibit is entitled, “Journeys: Treasures from Special Collections.” In this exhibition, the Special Collections of The Ohio State University Libraries gathered objects that represent a wide range of journeys. Some objects record journeys to remote parts of the world or journeys to bring about political change. Other objects represent journeys to overcome adversity, journeys to find home, or creative and spiritual journeys. All the objects in this exhibition show how a journey molds an object or a person into something more.
The Historic Costume & Textiles Collection chose to highlight objects that celebrate the journeys and accomplishments of several African American artists. Please enjoy this digital exhibit and discover the journey of both artifact and artist on the library.
Visit the online the exhibition.

Filed Under: Carousel

Campus Fashion: 150 Years of College Style

May 30, 2019 by Gayle Strege

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

Filed Under: Carousel, Exhibitions, Past Exhibitions

And The Bride Wore…

August 14, 2014 by Marlise Schoeny

Now available as a digital exhibition!

1903-Cullman

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 20th century and into the 21st. 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.

wedding photo no border

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

Jellison-Cover-ImageDr. 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

Filed Under: Carousel, Exhibitions, Past Exhibitions

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Welcome

The Historic Costume & Textiles Collection is a scholarly and artistic resource of apparel and textile material culture. The 11,500+ holdings encompass a range of three dimensional objects such as textiles and articles of clothing and accessories for men, women, and children, including national dress costume, from the mid-18th century to contemporary 21st century designers.

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Visitors are welcome to tour exhibitions when they are on display in gallery spaces. Gallery hours and location can be found on the visit us page or you may contact us for upcoming information on exhibitions, programs, and events.

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