Why Clothing?

Why clothing you ask? Well, it all started with a small obsession with having the best Halloween costume every year. It led to a Diploma in Costume Studies at Dalhousie University and resulted in an interest in researching historical clothing trends.

Typically a reflection of the time, fashion moves in cycles (http://www.filly.ca/taste_and_style/fashion_report/fashion_history/polka-dot-chic.asp, http://stuff.co.nz/4165794a11215.html, http://www.costumes.org/ ). Its influences relate to social and political issues, personal expression, availability of materials, culture, weather, class...the list goes on. Clothing can be an excellent historical source for researching a particular period in time but a tricky area of study as there many complexities associated with it. For instance, dress in paintings can sometimes be deceiving to the eye or examples of clothing found in museums could have been altered to bring the original design up to a more fashionable mode. Or, some examples of clothing might not exist at all in physical form. As a child I recall, as most people probably do, my mother turning my old grass-stain ridden pants into rags. Presumably this was also done in the more distant past.

While Assistant Curator at Puke Ariki and District Libraries (http://www.pukeariki.com/) I found that caring for a textile collection has its challenges. Garments have unique needs so they can be preserved for future generations. Hats need to be mounted, large gowns need to lie flat and linens rolled. Rusting metal buttons should be separated from the delicate silk in which it fastens and shoes filled with an acid-free form to help them maintain their original shape. The list of ways to care for these artifacts also goes on...

Dress is an important part of public history within museums and heritage sites around Canada. I hope to learn a lot this year that is relevant to this exciting field.


Special Note: Props go out to Rach Griffin (of the University of Western Ontario's Master's in History Program) who helped me brainstorm ideas for getting this blog started!