The Jewels of the Costume Collection
For National Jewel Day, CHM costume collection manager Jessica Pushor shares a bit about the jewelry in our Costume and Textiles Collection and highlights the variety of our holdings. The … Learn More
Tag: fashion history
Yolanda Lorente: Designing for a Golden Girl
Our exhibition Back Home: Polish Chicago opened in May 2022, and as part of our series highlighting stories of Polish Chicagoans, CHM educational assistant Joanna Bak shares a story told … Learn More
“What shall I wear at the World’s Fair in Chicago?”
CHM research and insights analyst Marissa Croft writes about the gap in experience between high society dress and visitors to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition who traveled in from all … Learn More
Remaking History: Sewing a Women’s Bicycle Costume from an 1897 Pattern
For National Bike Month, CHM research and insights analyst Marissa Croft writes about sewing a women’s bicycle costume using an 1897 pattern from the Abakanowicz Research Center. Daisy, Daisy, give … Learn More
Apportioning Rulers: The Secret to Scaling Historical Patterns
A Tutorial on Using the National/Diamond Garment Cutter Systems Would you believe me if I told you that drafting custom patterns for historical clothing could be as easy as playing … Learn More
Fashions of the Hour: The Axis of Art and Industry
This post is from Marissa Croft, CHM’s research and insights analyst and author of our Fashion and Costume Research Guide. As a PhD candidate at Northwestern University, she also researches … Learn More
Scotty Piper, “The Dancing Tailor of 47th Street”
In our latest blog post, CHM costume collection manager Jessica Pushor talks about the fascinating life of Louis “Scotty” Piper, his career as a tailor, and his generous donations to … Learn More
Elizabeth Keckley: White House Dressmaker, Author, and Civil Activist
On May 26, 1907, dressmaker, author, and civil activist Elizabeth Keckley passed away at the age of 89. She was born into slavery in 1818, but her dressmaking skills were … Learn More
Dior: L’anthologie
Two years ago, Christian Dior in Paris submitted a request for an inventory of our Dior holdings. The House was compiling an anthology to honor the seventieth anniversary of the … Learn More