 "Photo: Julia Christie-Robin")
If anyone were to wonder what fashionista Carrie Bradshaw's dream clothing collection is, a room on the second floor of Alison Hall could certainly provide a close answer.
There's no need to drive to Philadelphia or New York to take a look at some vital pieces from fashion history - the university's department of fashion and apparel studies has its own treasured clothing archive, known as the Historic Costume Collection.
Tucked away in Room 210 of Alison Hall West, the collection is a fashion guru or vintage lover's dream, featuring back-to-back racks of dresses, blazers and more, and closets full of hats that would probably only be worn by women of the British monarchy.
Assistant professor of fashion and apparel studies Dilia López-Gydosh sees the collection as a storytelling element of past cultures.
"The clothes don't only tell what was in fashion at the time, but it is also reflective of culture and society," López-Gydosh says. "Clothing says who we are as people and tells us what is happening in the given era or time. That goes hand in hand with decorative art."
The collection, which started in 1971 under the former home economics curriculum as part of the textiles and clothing class, has grown substantially over time. Today, there are more than 3,000 archived pieces, which have a mixture of contemporary designers and historical pieces that date back as early as the 1700s.
"All these pieces tell a story and people can see that there are recurring elements of fashion being repeated over time," López-Gydosh says. "It's like a little treasure trove."
Families in the area, as well as the Philadelphia Museum of Art, donated all the clothes and accessories to the collection. The items are given a value and the donors receive a tax write-off for their contribution to the department. The most notable garments range from a classic "new look" Christian Dior suit from 1947 to multi-colored spandex boots from the mod-era of the late 1960s.
Julia Christie-Robin, a first-year graduate student in fashion studies, is one of the few students who help maintain the archival collection of the pieces. She has been working in the collection since her junior year when she was studying apparel design and says it has played a big part in getting ideas for her own designs.
"The collection helped my interest in the culture of dress and helped me appreciate trends since most people dismiss trends as fads," she says. "I've gotten a lot of inspiration here for my own designs."
Christie-Robin says there are several projects to ensure the collection's organization and preservation. Currently, she is photographing every item, then archiving them accordingly with a tag.
"All items are tagged with the donor's name and an accession number before being put away," she says. "It makes it easier to find and helps keep our collection organized."
The most recent donation was 28 contemporary pieces from one woman, which included clothes from designers like Betsey Johnson, Elie Tahari and Lilly Pulitzer.
Not all donations are accepted, though. Since space and money are an issue, some garments and pieces have to be rejected, López-Gydosh says.
"We have to consider whether the piece is fitting for the collection," she says. "We have to ask whether it fits in our mission, will it help serve the rest of the community who come here and most of all, will it need conservation work done?"
But for those coveted items that eventually make their way into the collection, they go through extensive processes in order to ensure their preservation. All garments are dry cleaned by a special vacuum before entry into the collection.
"They are never to be touched by human hands again," López-Gydosh says. "But they can be touched if the white gloves we have are worn."
If an item has stains or wrinkles on it, the exhibit workers have to let it go, to ensure that they don't cause further damage to the garments.
"Sometimes we just have to let nature take over in cleaning the clothes," López-Gydosh says.
While some clothes are hung on hangers, many other items are placed in acid-free boxes to ensure their full preservation.
The biggest challenge in maintaining the collection isn't necessarily keeping track of the collection itself, but dealing with the limited space and items that have no tag and no donor indicated on them.
Junior Travis Watkins, an apparel design major, volunteers to archive the pieces. Watkins says he has been volunteering for three weeks and loves every minute of it.
"I first found out about the costume collections by an announcement Dr. López-Gydosh made in class," Watkins says. "She said that she was looking for someone to help out in the collections and someone willing to gain some hands-on experience."
Watkins, who helps Christie-Robin in maintaining the archive, says he feels his volunteering in the collection has helped expand his imagination for his future designs.
"The best part about working in the collection is being able to see the actual costumes that people wore in the past and how clothing has evolved over the years," he says. "Volunteering in the costume collection helped me learn about historic fashion trends and incorporate new innovative ideas for our fashion shows held on campus."
The collection is open to all students, whether it's for research purposes or for simple admiration of fashion history. Students must e-mail López-Gydosh to set up an appointment in order to visit the collection.
López-Gydosh says she is more than grateful to have the collection for students and the university community.
"To have this space is a benefit," she says. "Even though it's not a gallery, it's a display case with big bonuses."
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