Fall Fashion and Textile Symposium

Saturday morning, I had the pleasure of being the opening speaker at GCVM’s Fall Fashion and Textile Symposium, presenting Unveiling Rural Milliners, a look at small town milliners and their millinery shops.

Accompanying my talk, I shared a sampling of extant bonnets and bonnet blocks from my collection, including a unique 1880s squash bonnet.

The second presentation by Tricia Noel of the Yates County Historical Society, looked at the Public Universal Friend and their clothing in the late 18th century.

Following lunch, Wilma Townsend, of the Ontario County Historical Society, shared collection pieces illustrating the textiles produced and purchased in Ontario County.

The final speaker was Nicole Rudolph, looking at the construction of 19th-century shoes. Nicole’s very informative presentation was accompanied by the opportunity to examine in hand several original shoes and boots, including a waterproofing insole that I was captivated with because I think it be warm and comfortable. (I also think it is molded pasteboard inside peeking the FanU side of my brain.)

I was excited when someone asked if I was going to share more about the milliners’ stories I included in my presentation. I already scheduled a few of the stories I gathered on Patreon I. The coming weeks. I was also toying with the idea of turning the stories into mini-podcasts. Being asked about the stories, I am going to move forward with that. (I have yet to decide which platform to put those on.)

I talked with a few local(ish) people who were interested in me speaking at their organizations/sites. This is absolutely something I would like to explore further and welcome inquiries. ( I will admit, I am more comfortable with spring through fall as winter driving makes me very anxious.)

I also walked away with some homework of my own. I had a few questions I need to look further into, including the profit margin milliners saw and the names of straw varieties used for millinery. I plan to develop a video presentation focusing on exploring millinery billheads and one or a series looking at specific images/photos.

Listening to Wilma’s presentation, I found my mind churning up an idea around “How was it made”, hopefully a safe spin on the popular cable show from some years back. I could see a whole day program looking at how different textile & fashion materials were made. Imaging a half hour on a myriad of focused topics: MOP buttons, gutta percha, ribbon, tape, straw foundations, buckram and other stiff foundations, beads (glass blowing), etc..

Brandon Brooks announcement the Spring Symposium will be a 2 day event in April, mentioning new research from graduate students.

If you attended the Symposium, in-person or virtually, I invite you to share feedback or ask questions through this Google form.