The Lois Jett Historic Costume Collection (LJHCC) in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at Illinois State University invites the public to the collection’s new exhibition, Fashion in Film: As Seen on the Silver Screen, running through August 28.
As Seen on the Silver Screen showcases 21 ensembles inspired from film. The films range from as early as 1939 to as recent as 2001. The ensembles inspired from these films date from the 1910s to the late 1990s. Visitors learn the history behind films, designers, fashion trends, and trend migration.
The exhibition was planned and installed by students in the fashion design and merchandising program at Illinois State. According to exhibition lead curators Sydney Christenson and Daisy Oregon, the goal is to showcase fashion in film and how it plays a role in society, throughout the last century.
Christenson said: “Fashion in Film features the historical garments that depict a particular period accurately: how each movie made a fashion movement with what the character wore and how the garment made such a statement. This exhibition also showcases relevant designers who were the visionaries behind such iconic looks in film which then carried over to societal trends as well.”
Spotlighting fashion trends in film is important to understanding the emergence and migration of trends. Oregon said: “In addition to film history, the exhibition will focus on Anti-Fashions that have emerged or been presented in film. The exhibition will also illustrate the Trickle-Down Theory in relation to film, how trends have started or been popularized in film, and how the trend trickled down to the masses.”
This free exhibition is in 126 Turner Hall on Illinois State’s campus and is open to the campus and surrounding community.
The LJHCC was created in 1962 by Lois Jett, a professor in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences. Over the years, the collection has expanded to more than 2,000 items of men’s, women’s, and children’s dress and related artifacts from around the world dating from the 1840s to today. Follow the LJHCC on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates and additional information about holdings.
Gallery hours through April 30 are Mondays and Wednesdays 9 to 10:30 a.m. and Thursdays 8 a.m. to noon. It will also be open Sunday, March 22, and Sunday, April 26, from 1 to 3 p.m. To schedule additional times Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or for more information, contact Jennifer Banning.
