Historically-themed fashion show displays the past for the present
Media Credit: Anna Homa Stephanie Bachmeier (above), a senior apparel design major from Owensboro, shows off her dress Tuesday for the vintage fashion show. Bachmeier estimates that she and her classmates have worked more than 100 hours on their costumes. Bachmeier said she hopes people will attend the show just to be able to see the unique clothing. Fashion shows in Italy and France always showcase the newest trends.
But those hot new styles don’t reach the store racks until they’ve been displayed on the runway. On Dec. 1, an Eastern apparel, design and merchandising (ADM) class, in conjunction with Liberty Hall State Historic Site and Kentucky Historical Society, is producing a fashion show but with a twist. It won’t take a look into the future of clothing but a peek into the past. This vintage extravaganza will put on display recreated historic costumes from the 1800s-1830s, said ADM professor Lynn Barnes.
The class is recreating its own garments based on patterns and designs of the original historic costumes, she said. The public can no longer view some of the costumes at both Liberty Hall and KHS because they are too fragile to be handled or exhibited, said Jenna Yannone, a senior ADM major. “We’re giving life to some costumes that could never go back on exhibit,” Barnes said.
Barnes has done this type of show at other universities, but this is the first time her class at Eastern has attempted such an undertaking. This show has been a semester in the making, starting sometime in August with research about the time period, including the music, literature, art, politics and technological advances in design and manufacturing, Barnes said. The class also looked at the history of the clothing, who wore it and where it was worn, Yannone said.