Chic Couture at Chicago History Museum
Couture Gilded Age Gowns Exhibit History of High Style
Jan 8, 2009
Chic Chicago: Couture Treasures from the Chicago History Museum is on exhibit at the museum through July 26, 2009. The couture exhibit features fashion gowns from the gilded age. The exhibition features Gilded Age gowns by Worth and Pingat to modern masterpieces by Chanel and Versace.
Chic Couture in Chicago
Fashionable women of Chicago supported innovated fashion designers in the hope of claiming Chicago as chic. Women of style believed that supporting fashion would transform the image of a city perceived as gritty, industrial, working class metropolis. Chicago had a negative reputation for meat processing gangland crime and as the second city.
Fashionable women of Chicago did their part to upgrade the image of the Windy City by patronized the fashion couture houses and wearing elegant gowns to elite social events.
Chic Couture
Some of the significant pieces in the exhibition helped shape fashion history. The exhibition features examples of the history of fashion from 1861 through 2008. “The pieces in the exhibition are brought to life through the stories behind the woman that wore them,” said Timothy Long, exhibition curator. “The pieces were worn by notables such as Mrs. Potter Palmer II, Mrs. Charles S. Dewey, Ruth Page, and Mrs. William McCormick Blair to events such as the Coronation of King Edward VII; the Court of Saint James in 1927; and to meet the Queen of England in 1938.
The Chicago History Museum holds a costume collection that is one of the oldest and largest in the country. There are over 50,000 pieces, consisting of couture pieces, costumes worn by famous Americans and everyday Americans. Each piece has a provenance that tells the story of the artifacts.
Pictured Gowns
- Worth & Bobergh in Paris designed this 1861 evening gown of silk satin, silk ribbon and handmade "Point de Gaze" lace.
- Pingat design made for Mrs. August Newland Eddy. This gown was designed in 1878 by Emile PIngat. The grown is of Cream silk brocade, lace, gold and yellow satin.
- Charles Frederick Worth is a 1883 gown of printed silk moire, silk faille and lace that was made by young Fannie Farwell.
- Vionnet design made for Mrs. Potter Palmer II. This gown was made in 1938 for by Madeleine Vionnet. This smoke gray chiffon gown, embellished with rhinestones and silver beads, was worn Mrs. Potter Palmer II when she was presented to the Queen of England in 1938.
- Charles James “Butterfly” was a ball gown originally designed for Mrs. William Randolph Hearst Jr. This 1954 gown is made of silk chiffon, taffeta and 25 yards of nylon net. The most notable features are the side wings and back bustle.
Chicago History Museum is located at 1601 N. Clark St., Chicago,IL 60614 1-312-642-4600. The parking lot is on the corner of Stockton and LaSalle Streets. General admission is Adults $14, Seniors and Students $12. Free for children 12 and under.
Lincoln Bicentennial at Chicago History Museum
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