I spent the day at the Fashion History & Sustainability Symposium hosted by the Cayuga Museum of History and Art with Anneliese of the Sewphisticate. The program, presented in the Carriage House Theater, progressed from the history of hidden, deadly risks in fashion through the shift to ready-to-wear and fashion consumerism to the impact of fast fashion. I was delighted with the cohesive arch that carried through the presentation from history in the morning to present and future in the afternoon.
The opening presentation by Nellie Ludemann, of the Seneca Fall Historical Society, looked at the Silent Killers of the Past. She covered chemicals found in fashion, such as arsenic and mercury, as well as flammable aspects. I did not know celluloid could explode at a temperature close to that at which it becomes malleable.
The following presentation by Megan Gillan, guest Curator for the Cayuga Museum of History and Art, walked us From Dressmaker to Department Store. With a general overview of the transition from made-to-order clothing to standardized, mass-produced clothing and the advent of the department store. This included highlighting local to Auburn makers, merchants, and department stores I was not familiar with.
After lunch, the program shifted to the present exploring ways for Fashioning the Future and Breaking Barriers in the Clothing Industry with Denise Nicole Green, PhD, from Cornell University.
Keynote Allysa Hardy brought the discussion back around to the laborers behind fashion presently and the people behind the fashions. Of course, this was of the most interest to me as it parallels my work with the people of the millinery industry. Her presentation brought real names and faces to the story. Accompanying Hardy’s presentation was a copy of her book, Worn Out: How Our Clothes Cover Up Fashion’s Sins. I look forward to reading her work.
As the program wrapped, it did not wind down. Rather, it built a churning desire to know more and do more.
Following the program, we explored the Museum’s exhibits. The first floor featured Fabrication: Telling Stories Through Clothing.
The exhibit had many beautiful pieces that told stories beyond the garments themselves.
Upstairs included a quilt exhibit that was eye candy for textile geeks. This is the image that is also homework because I am pretty sure both main prints are in Susan Greene’s book and possibly a third.
One last photo, which is proof I am bad at selfies. I will be putting in my Loops (ear plugs) as the neighbors are having a party and I am very sleepy.
If I Had My Own Blue Box: 
The symposium sounds fantastic…and that Museum? How had I missed visiting it before? I am from Ithaca, so it’s unconscionable.
The deep lilac 1870s dress is gorgeous…the gold trim is just the right warm shade.
Very best from far-away Kentucky Bluegrass,
Natalie