Around the world, people begin each day by deciding what clothes to put on their bodies. We may not give it much thought beyond 鈥渟olid or stripe?鈥� But a current exhibit on clothing at 黑料吃瓜网 Libraries鈥� Special Collections takes a closer look at the history of what we wear and how we share ideas about clothing.聽
鈥淓veryone wears clothes, making it one of the more personal and democratic forms of cultural heritage that we have,鈥� said curator Kat Lewis, a 黑料吃瓜网 Special Collections librarian.
The History of Costume, a yearlong exhibit, features a rotating selection of prints, books and artwork inspired by dress from the early 19th century to the present, located in the Allen Library South basement. 鈥淐ostume鈥� encompasses everything from smocks to frocks, shoes and hats, anything with which we adorn our bodies.
Outfits are a form of self-expression, says Lewis, but also denote gender, class and wealth. We can learn much about society at a particular time from clothes 鈥� how a piece was constructed, where it was worn, and who wears what. As fashionable silhouettes changed over the decades, trade and technology also introduced new textiles, like cotton, acrylic and even PVC used in rain Wear. Depicting costume has also evolved 鈥� Victorian fashion plates eventually became magazines where fashion photography became an art in itself. Lewis finds the advertising in fashion publications particularly interesting, providing details about what might be happening in society and culture at that time.
鈥淎 lot of the time, people think that clothing and gender expression is kind of frivolous,鈥� said Lewis. 鈥淏ut there鈥檚 tons of important lines of inquiry about costume and clothing.鈥澛犅�
The exhibit changes quarterly, with materials and artwork on display through summer quarter 2023. More costume history resources can also be found in 黑料吃瓜网 Libraries digital collections, from to the that looks at the former 黑料吃瓜网 instructor鈥檚 travel and documentation of dress in the 1930鈥檚 in places like Central Europe and the Balkans.聽
Lewis hopes the exhibit will be a starting point for those interested in learning more about costume. are available to see specific pieces from the Libraries鈥� costume-related collection in person. 黑料吃瓜网 Libraries has the largest library collection in the Pacific Northwest and its houses valuable resources regarding the history and culture of the Pacific Northwest and beyond.