Ivan showed twenty dresses and accessories, all from his own collection of women's and men's fashions from 1650 to the present. The emphasis, this time, was on where in the world the material came from and cultural influences. As always, he referenced the setting, the times and political events: wars, the industrial revolution, the changing role of women, migration, travel for work and leisure, advertising and marketing and more of the many shapers of what people wore. The door prize was a perfect choice, a book from his library: 20,000 Years of Fashion.
Dianna wore an embroidered blouse, Ukranian, with lots of vibrant reds, and I wore a vintage Kimono, likely more a Spring Kimono, minus the obi. I wear the shorter version, usually, and always as an open jacket, just another way of incorporating culture into my closet. Ivan typically wears a suit, this time accessorized by a red bow tie, red for Canada, maybe, but also a neckpiece that has evolved in style, colour and places/events to which it is worn. Fred Astaire, who wore it so elegantly on stage and in the movies, once said: "Do it big, do it right and do it with style". 150 years of Multicultural Fashion, was a big show, curated and described right, with absolute accuracy, and done in style, with style, humor and shine. Check out the Doeskin outfit from Alberta, 1906. The First Nations jacket is Edwardian and features silk embroidery. The skirt is actually pants for sports and riding. The belt is hand tooled. The riding crop belonged to Ivan's mother. Interesting to see how popular style makes its way around the world and into clothing for work, for formal occasions and for leisure. As travel became more accessible, fashion from the exotic 'Orient' can be seen here in the coat. The dress is from 1909 and is very multicultural: French top, Turkish bottom and Japanese sash. The fan is made of ostrich feathers. From the wide world to Canada. Fashion is us.
