Dressed for History: Why Costume Collections Matter - At the Museum of Vancouver

Months of preparation have gone into the women's fashion from 1750-2000, currently on Museum of  Vancouver (March-June 2023). Dianna Drahanchuk, a frequent Guest Writer for the blog as well as for SMOC: Society for the Museum of Original Costume, took these photos and wrote up a talk that Ivan Sayers gave recently.

Dressed For History: Women’s fashion from 1750-2000 held February 19,2023

Ivan Sayers started his presentation by explaining that the Initial invitation by the Museum of Vancouver (MOV) was to exhibit some of his favourite things. He responded that he preferred something more thought provoking, something with a title like “Orient Expressed: Asia in fashion, fashion in Asia”. The museum didn’t care for the idea because it might seem politically insensitive. However, because the exchange between Asia and Europe had been going on for thousands of years and the influence Asians had on fashion is staggering, Ivan still hopes to put on such a show in future. In the meantime several pieces that Ivan would have liked to have included in the upcoming MOV show were displayed at this presentation.

He would have included this Chinese coat altered by cutting away the original collar to suit the fashion of the day and worn as an evening coat. It was donated by the elegant Toni Bennett who had lived across the street from Hycroft mansion. Chinese women started wearing the qipao in 1911 when women were encouraged to take higher education. The garment started off as a very plain men’s scholar’s gown but as time went by they became more fitted and more fashionable.

And a circa. 1730 – 1760 coat (not shown here) from possibly one of the most important vintage dealers in the world, Martin Kammern of London, . Because it was missing buttons he gave it to Ivan who found modern fabric covered buttons to fix it. Usually coats from this era were fastened by hooks and eyes at the stomach and flared at the neck, most likely to enable the wearing of a ruff collar.  Incidentally, elaborate neck scarves worn by dashing and brave mercenary soldiers from Croatia, i.e. dressing like a Crovat, was the origin of the “cravat”. Shown here, the 1780 coat and vest for which Ivan paid $1,700, are from Uno Langmann Antiques.

Ivan told the story about the lace industry that was in trouble during the Napoleonic wars because the borders kept changing back and forth. To overcome this difficulty a man would take his dog across the battlefield from one village to another in order to obtain lace, then head back home without the dog. The lacemaker would wrap lace around the dog and cover that with fur and the dog would return home. 

1830’s girl’s cotton all  over print dress imitating 18 century pattern. The busier the pattern was the more difficult to see printed flaws

1850’s classic plaid dress

The  dressing smoking gown, made in 1900 Vienna for a German baron of Persian damask fabric lined with Chinese silk, is regarded as oriental because tobacco was from Turkey. 

Salmon colour hobble dress by Amelia Fleuge, 1910 – 12 muse of Gustav Klimt, was Illustrated in two books. She and her sister opened a dress shop in Vienna. This hand embroidered dress was deaccessioned from a private  collection.

Blue hobble coat behind the dress came from the most important Berlin fashion house Hermann Gerson, a jewish owned business started in 1830’s until it was shut down in 1938. This piece is missing a sable or chinchilla collar so if anyone has a scrap of either, Claus would like to have it. It was sold by Macey's New York.

1920 gold and silver lame fox trimmed coat lined in silk velvet has a hand embroidered Ghetts label. This Jewish owned company that sold upper end garments especially to actresses and those in the upper echelon closed in ’36. It is the only known garment that exists from this fashion house.  

Black 1931 Egyptian influence dress from Berlin with superb interior finishing belonged to a lady whose father was a bigwig in the UFA motion picture production studios. The outfit behind the dress consists of three pieces, jacket, dress and detachable train worn in 1935. The jacket is lined with same lame fabric as the train.

The story of the rise and destruction of the Jewish fashion industry by fascism has recently been documented in a book by Claus’s friend Uwe Westphal called “Fashion Metropolis Berlin”.

The 1971 Canadian machine made cotton jersey tank top dress by JC Frederic eau Canada with a print of Pierre Trudeau’s head and his famous “Fuddle Duddle” comment was deemed too whimsical to be put into the show at MOV. 

Yellow and black jacket, that Ivan bought from Cynthia May at the last Bizarre Bazaar, is by Dorothy Grant of the Haida Nation  who took design and garment construction from Helen Dafoe here in Vancouver. Penny Priddy MLA MP for the NDP asked Dorothy to make work clothing for her. She eventually gave Ivan five outfits who passed them all on to SMOC and three of them are in the MOV exhibit.  

This 50’s Seminole skirt that Ivan got the previous day is hard to find in this part of the world. It demonstrates craftsmanship and commitment because  one strip has over 400 pieces sewed together by machine.

It was a packed presentation so Ivan and Claus had to talk fast because besides describing the artefacts displayed, more than shown here, Ivan presented two slide shows, one of the preparation for the upcoming MOV exhibit, the other of past fashion displays at the MOV. Hope to see you at Dressed for History: Why Costume Collections Matter Women’s Fashion 1750-2000 after the show opens March 16.

Thanks so much, Dianna, for recording the stories and the historical details! The exhibit is on March 16 - Nov. 2023. Get to the beautiful Museum of Vancouver and to this exquisite exhibit. Please share your favourites on social media. Everyone needs to see this.