Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice
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Unveiled: The Veil in Fashion
Frida McKeon Loyola
- 2025
- Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice
- Text
- Thesis
The veil is a highly polarizing topic today, laden with heavy symbolism it is frequently positioned in binaries—East versus West, oppressive or liberatory, a symbol of modesty and sensuality. Looking past these oppositions, the veil is also a point of intersection for complex themes such as women's agency, religion, politics, and culture. In the twenty-first century, the veil has increasingly become associated with Islamic religious customs. However, the practice of covering the head, hair, and face have been observed by women across various cultures and faiths throughout history. Unveiled: The Veil in Fashion is a proposed exhibition that seeks to widen the aperture of this practice. Previous exhibitions have explored the veil solely as a religious object or as the appendage of a wedding ensemble. Unveiled acknowledges the religious context of the veil and moves on. The exhibition explores the veil through its complex interwoven symbolism and brings to the fore women's agency while engaging in this practice.
Gilded by Nature: Beetle Wings in Global Dress and Colonial Entanglement
Hillary Higginbotham
- 2025
- Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice
- Text
- Thesis
Gilded by Nature: Beetle Wings in Global Dress and Colonial Entanglement is a proposed exhibition that examines how iridescent beetle wings have been used in dress and adornment across South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Indigenous communities in the Americas, and how these materials entered Western museum collections through colonial pathways. Anchored at the Pitt Rivers Museum, an institution shaped by typological classification and imperial collecting networks, the exhibition applies decolonial methods to question how museums organize knowledge and privilege certain perspectives. It brings together material study and aesthetic analysis to reframe beetle wing objects as expressions of cultural knowledge and specialized knowledge. By tracing their histories and centering the communities who created them, the exhibition positions the museum as a learning space.The project is rooted in my research on global textiles and museum decolonization. It begins with the brilliance of beetle wings, particularly the shimmering elytra of jewel beetles in the Buprestidae family, and uses this as a lens for examining the labor, symbolism, and specialized knowledge embedded in traditions across India, Thailand, Myanmar, and regions throughout Asia and the Americas. The exhibition reconsiders objects that have been historically minimized through typological classification, offering a more attentive and contextual approach to their interpretation. Following the movement of beetle wing objects from community and ceremonial into colonial hands reveals how they were removed from their contexts and reframed through Western narratives of spectacle and classification. Guided by decolonial aims that include creating visibility and decentering dominant interpretive structures, the exhibition proposes revised object groupings and clearer interpretive texts that support stronger relationships between the Pitt Rivers and its audiences. Beetle wing objects become a means to confront colonial histories and model more inclusive approaches to global dress and object interpretation.
Dressing the P-Arrrr-t: Fashioning the Pop Culture Pirate from the Seventeenth to Twenty-First Centuries
Jordain Williams
- 2025
- Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice
- Text
- Thesis
This research explores the construction and evolution of the social myth surrounding the piratical subject, with a focus on the development of costuming and the role costuming plays in characterization. By examining the historical background of the piratical subject, the changes in perception during the nineteenth century, and the effect these changes had on the way we perceive the modern and contemporary piratical subject, this paper investigates the evolution of the pirate mythos and how it influences the costuming of the subject.
Beginning in the Golden Age of Piracy, determined to cover the years 1630-1750, this paper establishes the real-life attire of the pirate and analyzes the concurrent and future romanticization by Captain Charles Johnson, writer of A General History of the Pyrates, and writers of the romantic period, such as Lord Byron and Walter Scott. Following the romantic period, the pirate once again shifts from romantic anti-hero to swashbuckling adventurer. This shift marked a turning point in the transformation of the pirate into a culturally significant figure, laying the foundation for modern and contemporary portrayals.
Through visual and semiotic analysis of nine films, two television series, and one graphic novel, this paper traces the relationship between the reality of pirates and their clothing during the Golden Age of Piracy (1650-1730) and the their successive portrayals in media during the Romantic period (1814-1911), the Modern period (1926-1996), and the Contemporary period (1997-2024). Drawing on historical and material culture methodologies, the study differentiates between authentic pirate attire and its fictionalized counterparts, revealing how garments become symbolic markers of character and cultural values and continue to perpetuate the piratical subject in popular media.
Beginning in the Golden Age of Piracy, determined to cover the years 1630-1750, this paper establishes the real-life attire of the pirate and analyzes the concurrent and future romanticization by Captain Charles Johnson, writer of A General History of the Pyrates, and writers of the romantic period, such as Lord Byron and Walter Scott. Following the romantic period, the pirate once again shifts from romantic anti-hero to swashbuckling adventurer. This shift marked a turning point in the transformation of the pirate into a culturally significant figure, laying the foundation for modern and contemporary portrayals.
Through visual and semiotic analysis of nine films, two television series, and one graphic novel, this paper traces the relationship between the reality of pirates and their clothing during the Golden Age of Piracy (1650-1730) and the their successive portrayals in media during the Romantic period (1814-1911), the Modern period (1926-1996), and the Contemporary period (1997-2024). Drawing on historical and material culture methodologies, the study differentiates between authentic pirate attire and its fictionalized counterparts, revealing how garments become symbolic markers of character and cultural values and continue to perpetuate the piratical subject in popular media.
Historical Research, Analysis, Conservation of a Cantonese Opera Costume Faan Gung Zong
Yiqian Yao
- 2025
- Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice
- Text
- Thesis
This qualifying paper explores the historical context and conservation of a Cantonese opera costume known as Faan Gung Zong, provided by the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) and donated to MOCA by the Chinese Musical and Theatrical Association (CMTA). Originally used in the play Tin Gei Sung Zi, the costume demonstrates a unique instant transforming visual effect. It features regional craftsmanship, including intricate Cantonese embroidery and decorations of metal discs and mirrors. The object is dated to c. 1910–1930 based on the decoration style, materials, and the presence of Chinese opera in the United States. This study analyzes the costume within early twentieth-century Guangdong’s export economy and the cultural life of Cantonese opera troupes in North America.
Following a condition assessment, the conservation treatment focuses on dye stain reduction methods. Orvus solution, ethanol, and acetic acid were found to lighten the stains but could not completely reduce them. This study aims to preserve both the physical object and its cultural significance.
Following a condition assessment, the conservation treatment focuses on dye stain reduction methods. Orvus solution, ethanol, and acetic acid were found to lighten the stains but could not completely reduce them. This study aims to preserve both the physical object and its cultural significance.
A Look at Sydney Wragge's Career at B.H. Wragge Through the Lens of Visual Merchandising 1936-1971
Parker Vail Ahmad
- 2025
- Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice
- Text
- Thesis
This qualifying paper examines the work of American sportswear designer Sydney Wragge (1908-1978) during his career at the New York-based fashion company B.H. Wragge, focusing on window displays as a lens for analyzing the B.H. Wragge brand Wragge sold his customers. Over the course of his almost forty-year career, Sydney Wragge worked to create an image of his customer: a confident, professional woman who was not afraid to be who she was. She was an American woman who found the beauty in ageless simplicity and exquisite tailoring. Wragge designed for a woman of like-mindedness, which became coined the “Wragge Type.” The “Wragge Type” included women such as Katharine Hepburn, who was known for including menswear garments and inspiration in her own personal style. Through utilizing display techniques, Wragge was able to advertise this mindset of B.H. Wragge merchandise to these customers. In the visual merchandising for B.H. Wragge, mannequins, lighting, props, and the merchandise created a fictional world in which the customers could envision themselves. While Wragge was a prominent designer, and some extant garments remain in museum collections, this paper primarily uses photographs and ephemera from Special Collections and College Archives at the Gladys Marcus Library, Fashion Institute of Technology to consider Wragge from the perspective of marketing and visual display. This paper incorporates a historical background of Wragge’s career, an interview with one of his daughters, and ephemera to understand the impact Sydney Wragge left on the American ready-to-wear industry through intricately constructed sportswear in well-made fabrics and tasteful colors, thoughtfully suited for the activities of the everyday life of American women, and at price points that were considered good value for the quality.
Substitutes, Sacrifice, and Symbolism: Conservation of a Fire-Damaged Acetate Naval Nurse's Jacket from the Second World War
Annalise Mary Gall
- 2025
- Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice
- Text
- Thesis
This qualifying paper discusses the conservation of a World War II era acetate naval nurse’s jacket (c. 1944) that was damaged in a storage fire at Sampson Military Museum (Romulus, New York) in July 2008. The jacket distorted and discolored from the heat and pollution, predominantly along the proper left sleeve which was most exposed. The qualities of acetate posed unique challenges regarding reversibility of both the damage and the treatment. The decision-making process is detailed in this paper, as well as curatorial and contextual considerations, including the symbolism of the uniform and the mobilization of the American textile industry for mid-century military production.
The treatment goal was to restore flexibility and improve discoloration, so the jacket could be displayed without distraction from its solemn history and the service of its wearer, Caroline Dunn. A range of treatment methods were explored due to the extent and uncommonness of the damage; few objects affected by fire are salvageable, and fewer have been the subject of publication. Ultimately, the jacket was brightened with a hydrogen peroxide bleaching treatment, and the distorted sleeve was relaxed dually with small tacking irons and a preservation pencil.
The success of this treatment provides a framework for treating additional Sampson uniform pieces in the future, which are essential to make available for display and study given the extensive loss of their collection in the fire. As a case study, it also contributes to thinking around disaster recovery and man-made materials in the textile conservation field more broadly.
The treatment goal was to restore flexibility and improve discoloration, so the jacket could be displayed without distraction from its solemn history and the service of its wearer, Caroline Dunn. A range of treatment methods were explored due to the extent and uncommonness of the damage; few objects affected by fire are salvageable, and fewer have been the subject of publication. Ultimately, the jacket was brightened with a hydrogen peroxide bleaching treatment, and the distorted sleeve was relaxed dually with small tacking irons and a preservation pencil.
The success of this treatment provides a framework for treating additional Sampson uniform pieces in the future, which are essential to make available for display and study given the extensive loss of their collection in the fire. As a case study, it also contributes to thinking around disaster recovery and man-made materials in the textile conservation field more broadly.
A Bead-ing Heart: The Ethics and Process of Conserving Costume for Active Use
Claire Isabel Zimmeth
- 2025
- Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice
- Text
- Thesis
This qualifying paper documents the conservation treatment of a privately owned circa 1922-1924 evening dress with the goal of returning it to active use.
The first section of the paper examines the historical context and provenance of the dress. Investigations into the color and inspiration for the beaded motifs show how this dress exemplifies the fashion of the time that it was made. The second section of the paper is a full documentation of the condition of the dress and treatment proposal. The third section details the treatment performed and results.
The final section of the paper is a post-treatment reflection, discussing how the results of the treatment relate to ethical considerations surrounding wearing historical clothing. The paper seeks to evaluate if a conservator can approach a treatment with the goal of active use while still adhering to accepted ethical guidelines set forth by professional organizations governing conservation practices such as ICOM and AIC.
The first section of the paper examines the historical context and provenance of the dress. Investigations into the color and inspiration for the beaded motifs show how this dress exemplifies the fashion of the time that it was made. The second section of the paper is a full documentation of the condition of the dress and treatment proposal. The third section details the treatment performed and results.
The final section of the paper is a post-treatment reflection, discussing how the results of the treatment relate to ethical considerations surrounding wearing historical clothing. The paper seeks to evaluate if a conservator can approach a treatment with the goal of active use while still adhering to accepted ethical guidelines set forth by professional organizations governing conservation practices such as ICOM and AIC.
Advance Pattern Co., 1932-1980: A Company Lost to Time
Taleah Cameron
- 2025
- Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice
- Text
- Thesis
Though unknown now, between 1932-1966 Advance Pattern Company was one of the biggest competitors in the sewing pattern industry. They did this by selling themselves as a fashionable brand with easy-to-sew patterns. This reputation, paired with their vast array of sewing patterns meant to appeal to various customers, was what solidified their place in the home
sewing market. Despite utilizing all sorts of branding and advertising tactics to build a successful business the company disappeared and fell into obscurity. How did this once strong company disappear without much explanation, while its former competitors, Simplicity, McCall’s, Vogue, and Butterick, still manage to maintain relevance in the home dressmaking market
today? An analysis of older articles, archival materials, books, and the company’s sewing patterns help in understanding what business decisions elevated or ultimately hindered the company, in hindsight.
sewing market. Despite utilizing all sorts of branding and advertising tactics to build a successful business the company disappeared and fell into obscurity. How did this once strong company disappear without much explanation, while its former competitors, Simplicity, McCall’s, Vogue, and Butterick, still manage to maintain relevance in the home dressmaking market
today? An analysis of older articles, archival materials, books, and the company’s sewing patterns help in understanding what business decisions elevated or ultimately hindered the company, in hindsight.
All that Glitters...
- 2025
- Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice
- The Museum at FIT
- Image
- Exhibitions (events)
- Exhibition installation photographs
Exhibition Date: February 26–March 23, 2025
Untying the Bow
- 2024
- Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice
- The Museum at FIT
- Image
- Exhibitions (events)
- Exhibition installation photographs
Exhibition Date: March 1–24, 2024
Advance Pattern Co., 1932-1980: A Company Lost to Time
Taleah Cameron
- 2025
- Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice
- Text
- Thesis
Though unknown now, between 1932-1966 Advance Pattern Company was one of the biggest competitors in the sewing pattern industry. They did this by selling themselves as a fashionable brand with easy-to-sew patterns. This reputation, paired with their vast array of sewing patterns meant to appeal to various customers, was what solidified their place in the home sewing market. Despite utilizing all sorts of branding and advertising tactics to build a successful business the company disappeared and fell into obscurity. How did this once strong company disappear without much explanation, while its former competitors, Simplicity, McCall's, Vogue, and Butterick, still manage to maintain relevance in the home dressmaking market today? An analysis of older articles, archival materials, books, and the company's sewing patterns help in understanding what business decisions elevated or ultimately hindered the company, in hindsight.
Fashioning in the Flat: Collage as a Contemporary Approach to Self-Styling
Claire A. Calvert
- 2024
- Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice
- Text
- Thesis
Fashion and collage are related in that they have historically been—and remain—intertwined with self-expression and the development of personal style. Like fashion, collage, which is created by collecting, cutting, and combining things, conveys meaning through a system of signs. Historically, collage has been defined rather strictly as a paper medium. However, leaving space for more expansive material parameters lends greater significance to aspects of collage such as the ways in which fragments are combined. Examples of fashion-collage from the seventeenth century through today exemplify that the activity of collage uniquely allows for individuals to explore style expression beyond the physical body and demonstrate material literacy. For fashion media and retailers, collage can be a means of encouraging fashion consumerism and suggesting choice. Examining fashion magazines from their seventeenth-century emergence to their present-day state illuminates the ways in which magazine images evolve. As printing and photography become more accessible and widely used, editorials become more collage-like. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the disposability of magazines, combined with their abundance of enticing illustrations and photography, encouraged readers to use them as materials for fashion-collages–serving as what I term "off-the-body fashion expressions." In the twenty-first century, the now-defunct fashion-collaging website Polyvore took fashion collaging from the physical to the digital, serving as a platform to both create and share digital fashion mood-boards. As the majority of twenty-first-century fashion is ready-to-wear, and consumers have largely lost their material literacy, digital fashion-collage proved to be an excellent medium for building sartorial-sign literacy, and continuing the longstanding relationship of fashion and collage.
Pockets to Purses: Fashion + Function
- 2018
- Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice
- Image
- Exhibitions (events)
- Annuals (exhibitions)
- Exhibition installation photographs
Pockets and purses are often presented as opposites, yet both function as places to carry and store valuables. A close examination of their history reveals a nuanced interconnection rather than clear divisions between masculine and feminine uses and designs.
The Traphagen School: Fostering American Fashion
- 2019
- Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice
- Image
- Exhibitions (events)
- Annuals (exhibitions)
- Exhibition installation photographs
An exploration of the legacy of one of the first institutions dedicated to educating fashion industry professionals in New York City
Adrian: Hollywood and Beyond
- 2017
- Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice
- Image
- Exhibitions (events)
- Annuals (exhibitions)
- Exhibition installation photographs
An exploration of Adrian’s costume and ready-to-wear designs through two categories of technique: construction and textile design
The Women of Harper's Bazaar, 1936-1958
- 2016
- Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice
- Image
- Exhibitions (events)
- Annuals (exhibitions)
- Exhibition installation photographs
An exploration of the collaborative relationship among Carmel Snow, Diana Vreeland, and Louise Dahl-Wolfe during their time working together at Harper’s Bazaar
Lauren Bacall: The Look
- 2015
- Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice
- Image
- Exhibitions (events)
- Annuals (exhibitions)
- Exhibition installation photographs
The first exhibition to exclusively celebrate the film and theater star's unique style
Beyond Rebellion: Fashioning the Biker Jacket
- 2014
- Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice
- Image
- Exhibitions (events)
- Annuals (exhibitions)
- Exhibition installation photographs
Traces the rise of the black leather jacket from utilitarian outerwear to iconic high-fashion garment
Boots: The Height of Fashion
- 2013
- Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice
- Image
- Exhibitions (events)
- Annuals (exhibitions)
- Exhibition installation photographs
An examination of how boots emerged as a modern fashion phenomenon during the 20th century and evolved to become a staple of the fashionable woman's wardrobe
Youthquake! The 1960s Fashion Revolution
- 2012
- Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice
- Image
- Exhibitions (events)
- Annuals (exhibitions)
- Exhibition installation photographs
An exploration of the dramatic impact of youth culture on fashion during the 1960s
Vivienne Westwood, 1980-89
- 2011
- Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice
- Image
- Exhibitions (events)
- Annuals (exhibitions)
- Exhibition installation photographs
Three different views of Westwood’s work during the pivotal decade of the 1980s
Scandal Sandals & Lady Slippers: A History of Delman Shoes
- 2010
- Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice
- Image
- Exhibitions (events)
- Annuals (exhibitions)
- Exhibition installation photographs
A vibrant and detailed selection of the glamorous, innovative, and classic styles that made Delman Shoes a leader in women's footwear
Muriel King: Artist of Fashion
- 2009
- Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice
- Image
- Exhibitions (events)
- Annuals (exhibitions)
- Exhibition installation photographs
An exhibition focusing on on the artistry of King's designs and seeks to define her contribution to the history of American fashion
Sole Desire: The Shoes of Christian Louboutin
- 2008
- Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice
- Image
- Exhibitions (events)
- Annuals (exhibitions)
- Exhibition installation photographs
An exhibition tracing the course of Louboutin's career and placing him in context with other important designers while examining the major influences and themes that have informed his designs
Modern Master: Lucien Lelong, Couturier 1918-1948
- 2006
- Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice
- Image
- Exhibitions (events)
- Annuals (exhibitions)
- Exhibition installation photographs
The first exhibition to trace Lelong's thirty-year career and examine his contribution to the history of fashion