Addendum to #MeMadeMay and Other Inspirations

 Although most of the Neighborhood Groups in the Northern Virginia Chapter are devoted to garment sewing, there are techniques that can be used from other specialty sewing groups, such as quilters (hello, little French jacket). One exhibit in the DMV can employ simple clothing designs as a foundation for creativity, such as crazy quilt techniques. 

The Maryland Center for History and Culture (MCHC) is featuring an exhibit "Material & Memories: Elizabeth Talford Scott and the Crazy Quilt Tradition" featuring the works of Elizabeth Talford Scott through December 2024. Talford Scott's work uses scraps of family members' clothing and decorative household fabrics embellished with topstitching, ribbons, buttons, and stones to create meditative works of art. 

Even better, the exhibit Claire / McCardell is on display through November 2024! Viewing her designs with modern eyes, they don't seem that radical, but "spaghetti straps, the ballet flat, and pockets and zippers on dresses were all McCardell innovations" (The 50-Year-Old Fashion Book That Still Feels Radical Today (harpersbazaar.com)). 

Another innovative designer featured in an exhibit this summer until October 11, 2024, is Mary McFadden. Drexel University's exhibit, "Modern Ritual: The Art of Mary McFadden - Robert and Penny Fox Historic Costume Collection (drexel.edu) highlights her signature techniques, "including Marii pleating, one-of-a-kind hand-painted textiles, and opulent beading and embellishment." In a New York Times article, McFadden said, "The effect I'm searching for is to have the fabric fall like liquid gold against the body." Approximately 40 mannequins will be on view, donning some of McFadden’s most intricately crafted gowns, coats and separates, alongside a rich array of ephemera, including design drawings and personal papers.

Looking for a link between song and style? Check out "Instrumental Fashions: Attire and Song," on view through November 14, 2024 at the Shippensburg Fashion Archives and Museum, Pennsylvania. Dr. Karin J. Bohleke, FA&M director, says, “Music and fashion have more in common than one might think. Like fashion, musical genres have their moment of prominence, only to have another style emerge to replace them as newcomers on the scene attempt to differentiate themselves from the current trends. In addition, musicians incorporate keen observations on contemporary society. Naturally, fashions—from the elegant to the absurd—find themselves immortalized in catchy lyrics.” 

Visitors will enjoy seeing historical boots and whether they really were “Made for Walking,” as well as the “Lady in Red,” the “Devil with a Blue Dress On,” a selection of “Sharp Dressed Men", and many other examples of fashions explored in pop songs. But sadly, unless someone has one to donate, the permanent collection has no yellow polka dot bikinis from the 1950s.

Schedule a road trip soon to Columbia, SC, because this exhibit closes on July 7. Sergio Hudson is famous for dressing style icons, and his design philosophy is that fashion should be for everyone and include everyone. He designs to empower the wearer and often includes a nod to the ’90s of his youth. See eight signature garments from key moments in his revolutionary career alongside more than 20 sketches and drawings exploring his career from the early days winning Bravo’s Styled to Rock in 2013 up through the present day.

Continue your trek through the south with an exhibit at the Frist Museum of Art in Nashville, TN. Lee Alexander McQueen & Ann Ray: Rendez-Vous offers a rare glimpse into the life and mind of McQueen and introduces French photographer Ann Ray to audiences in the United States. With a partnership built on friendship and trust, Ray was provided unfettered access to McQueen’s world and captured everything from contemplative moments in the design studio to models posing backstage. In total, she shot forty-three collections over the course of thirteen years, creating a massive body of work and an indelible record of McQueen’s creative process at his namesake label and during his tenure as creative director at Givenchy. This exhibit ends on August 25, 2024.

You can end your summer US tour with a stop in Oklahoma City where the Oklahoma City Museum of Art is featuring will feature 70 costumes that capture the height of designer Edith Head’s career and were worn by stars such as Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Ginger Rogers, Shirley MacLaine, Veronica Lake, Barbara Stanwyck, and Kim Novak. 

“Head was famous for wearing sunglasses, but most people don’t realize there’s a reason behind the shades,” said Catherine Shotick, guest curator for Edith Head. “Her trademark glasses had custom, blue-tinted lenses, which allowed her to see how the costumes photographed in black and white: a trick used by costume designers during the Golden Age of Hollywood.”

Are you planning any road trips this summer? If you're near any of these exhibits, let us know what you saw and how you were inspired!