Costume and Fashion in Chicago

This write-up for a Chicago History Museum exhibition of the same name explores the wardrobes of familiar Chicago names such as Bertha Honoré Palmer and Frances Macbeth Glessner.

A look into the changing ways Jewish women who immigrated to America dressed between 1880 and 1920.

As one of the most influential fashion designers of the twentieth century, Christian Dior revolutionized the fashion industry in 1947 with his first collection: the New Look. His designs expressed nostalgia, fantasy, opulence, and femininity, creating an idealized image of womanhood that dominated fashion throughout the 1950s. The exhibition, Dior: The New Look, explores why the collection was so important to fashion and society, focusing on postwar America, its Chicago connection, and the women who loved this feminine style, as well as those who opposed it.

Chic Chicago: Couture Treasures from the Chicago History Museum features the most stunning pieces from one of the greatest costume collections in the world. From its earliest days, Chicago was viewed as a grimy upstart consumed by business and the almighty dollar. Nicknames such as hog butcher to the world, gangland, and second city persist even today. In response to this perception, a small number of wealthy women purchased and wore high fashion in the hope of claiming Chicago as chic; fashion, they believed, was a powerful way to overcome this prejudice and to re-imagine Chicago as a place of beauty, sophistication, and elegance.

At the turn of the 20th century, Kentucky born, Bertha Honoré Palmer reigned as
the grande dame of Chicago society, while her travels, her prominent social and
political connections and her celebrity, captured headlines around the world.
Supported by immense wealth and her unwavering commitment to social and civil
organizations, Palmer leveraged her influence to become a champion of women's
achievements, an ambassador for her adopted city, and an international celebrity.

The Museum's vast costume collection includes a stunning array of wedding attire—for brides, grooms, bridesmaids, and more—that reveals 150 years of fashion favored by Chicago couples. I Do presents forty-five dresses, plus accessories, corsets, and men’s attire. The exhibition catalogue beautifully captures the essence as well as all of the pieces from the exhibition and more.

One of less than a handful of American designers to have worked in the pure tradition of haute couture‚ Charles James has been described as the greatest couturier of his time by the Parisian design world. He was most famous for his unique ability to balance the intuition of an artist with the precise technical skill of an engineer. Charles James: Genius Deconstructed explores the history of couture fashion designer Charles James and why nearly 40 years after his death he is still a relevant force in the fashion world

Inspiring Beauty: 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair tells the story of the country’s most popular traveling fashion show and the inspirational woman behind it, Eunice Johnson. Three provocative essays and more than 60 full-color images weave the Fashion Fair’s tale of vision, innovation, & power that has inspired African American women for decades.

This catalog explores the development history of the world-famous Magnificent Mile and the trendsetting fashion pieces that kept and continue to keep the legacy alive today.

Chicago-born Mainbocher (1890–1976) established a fashion empire serving royalty, Broadway icons, and the social elite. Raised in a modest home on the city’s West Side, he leveraged his passion for the arts to become a tastemaker of twentieth-century style. His acclaimed designs include the wedding dress for the Duchess of Windsor in 1937 and a corseted style that anticipated Christian Dior’s New Look.

This exhibition explores how a glamorous new American style emerged from the harsh realities of a tumultuous era. Thirty ensembles from the Museum’s permanent collection trace Hollywood’s influence on American fashion. These garments illustrate how a distinctive American style emerged from Hollywood during an era that was bookended by the financial crash of 1929 and the devastation of World War II.