Magic Carpet Fashions with Ivan Sayers in Support of the Vancouver Unitarian Refugee Fund (van.ca/refugee-give) Saturday May 24, 2025

Magic Carpet Fashions is about the fashion inspired by African and Middle Eastern cultures here, in the USA and in Europe, as evidenced in the clothing and accessories Ivan Sayers brought from his collection of historical clothing 1700 to the present. He showed 15 or more outfits in a two hour presentation, and discussed where he acquired his finds, the fabrics construction/production, geography, cultural and political events, trends and how the outfits would have been accessorized and who would have worn them and for which occasion. Additionally, Designer Somaya Ahmadi showed a selection of her designs, which you can find on her Instagram, The Vancouver Unitarian Refugee team, hosted the show in the VanU Sanctuary and Catherine Stewart opened the event by telling us about the refugees they sponsor and support. Last year they sponsored more than 80 refugees from all over the world. This very well attended event raised funds from the fashion show tickets, and sales of donated clothing, jewellery art cards and refreshments. You can learn more here. Here are my photos and notes from the presentation. Everyone always asks for more. For more Ivan Sayers events: https://www.ivansayersevents.com

Looking at African Motifs on the dress, beneath the jacket. Ivan knows the details!

Black and gold with African camel motif, dress, jack and scarf (Africa) and Caftan - a very popular African inspired trend, world wide.

1960's dress worn to dance at a Diplomatic Event, with King Hussain of Jordan. White fox fur from Nairobi.

Leopard prints, hat and coat are real leopard, image of power. Brown cocktail dress, lion fur bag. (Exotic animals)

1948 Wedding dress, damask, classic white, lustrous, elegant, inspired by Dior, emphasis on skirt, lots of fabric after the war, platform shoes.

Turban hat matches colour with dress pattern. 1940's. Skirt and top - war time so pieces are interchangeable. Monkey fur jacket from Gold Coast. She carries a large plastic purse, practical for carrying essentials in case she has to go to an air raid shelter.

Turban and scarf again, with black and gorgeous African embellishments. 

Emphasis on beads, some of which became the gorgeous buttons on this outfit. 

1930's gold closures on red cape Ivan got from local group: Jericho Players, over a black and red dinner dress embellished with gazelles, bias cut dress gives a long and lean figure

Brown is the colour of desert sand/Africa/Egypt, Turban/scarf (Lawrence of Arabia) furs and beads, travel to far off lands

1920's machine embroidered, now, gold = riches, exotic furs, long and slim, stockings match dress, note gold work closure on bag

Long slim body, long necklace,  stockings match dress, Mummy brown colour to match King Tut's Tomb.

Bring on the ostrich feathers (Egypt) and diamonds and gold and glass! 1920's!

A 'basic' black dress, perfect for accessorizing with as many necklaces and scarves as you want. 1924 was the opening of King Tut's tomb and the beads and symbols reflect inspiration from Egypt and ancient cultures. Beads made in Czechoslovakia. Cloche hat frames face! Stockings show colour but not skin. Red gloves distinctive as most were white or brown.

Outfit is 1968-69 but inspired by harem pants (1917) Harem was a popular 'exotic' fantasy, Persian inspired. Her baton is a powder puff. Hand-made outfit, embroidery from a pattern.

Sarah wearing a Bernuse cloak, with hood, inspired by Berbers in North Africa. Her turban covers a bob haircut, 1920's, breaking away from Edwardian era. Figure is natural, no corsets, now. Long beads for tall and slim effect.  

Catherine Stewart (@catherinemstewart2425)  Vancouver Unitarians bringing Refugees here, through the Canadian Refugee Sponsorship Program