Backgrounder

From Functional To Fabulous: Philadelphia’s Fashion History

PHILADELPHIA, March 30, 2006 - Whether dressing up or dressing down, Philadelphians have played a prominent role in setting America’s fashion standard for centuries, and there are many places where a modern fashion historian can bear witness to these evolutionary trends. Some of the nation’s most comprehensive collections of historic period costumes reside in the closets of Philadelphia’s cultural, historic and academic institutions, where serious fashionistas can get inspiration for their own style. All of the following collections are on view by appointment only:

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Photo by B. Krist for GPTMC

Center City, Philadelphia:

• The Atwater Kent Museum of Philadelphia serves as a repository for all facets of the city’s history, including its past in fashion. The museum’s textile archives hold 2,700 items worn by Philadelphians of all social classes. They even have a watch George Washington sported while he was president. The Religious Society of Friends has donated a generous portion of the collection, featuring clothes, linens and hand-woven dolls from the mid-18th century to 1925. 15 S. 7th Street, (215) 685-4830, www.philadelphiahistory.org
• The National Museum of American Jewish History has a collection of clothing that traces the unique yet typical lives of relatively modern American Jews. The public is invited to see approximately 300 items of clothing worn by 19th and 20th century Jews in Philadelphia, from prayer shawls and bat mitzvah gowns to camp uniforms and political tee-shirts. 55 N. 5th Street, (215) 923-2811, www.nmajh.org
• Home to one of the country’s oldest and largest collections of historical costumes, the Philadelphia Museum of Art will once again open its vast closets to scholars and writers when it moves all of its textile holdings to the neighboring Perelman Building in January 2008. Although it hosts frequent costume exhibitions, space limitations require the museum to store much of its collection away from public view, which makes a tour of the museum’s 300,000 international silk dresses, wedding gowns, shoes, garments and textiles even more special. 26th Street & the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, (215) 763-8100, www.philamuseum.org  

West Philadelphia/Germantown:

• The Design Center at Philadelphia University stores an impressive array of 200,000 pieces spanning the world’s costume history, with Egyptian Coptic fragments dating to the fourth century. Visitors can also study pre-Colombian textiles; European silk embroideries and brocades; Kashmir and Paisley shawls; Chinese imperial court robes and Japanese kimonos; hand-sewn lace; and traditional costumes from Africa, Asia and Central America. The collection also documents the history of the textile industry in Philadelphia. Artifacts like spinning and weaving implements, machinery, technology and dye books and several hundred thousand swatch cards chronicle American textile manufacturing from 1780s to now. 4200 Henry Avenue, (215) 951-2700, www.philau.edu
• Drexel University has thousands of historical fashion pieces spanning a staggering number of countries and time periods. The collection contains 200-year-old gowns, American baby clothes, menswear, hats and more. The items are meticulously organized and photographed for the Web site, so visitors can recall details after their tour. Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design, 33rd & Market Streets, (215) 895-0238, www.digimuse.cis.drexel.edu
• The Germantown Historical Society owns more than 8,000 textiles and pieces of clothing worn by American men, women and children dating back hundreds of years. Once the Society reopens its gallery space in May 2006, members of the public can view the collection, which includes wedding and funeral outfits, work uniforms, hats, shoes, outer and undergarments, jewelry, pocketbooks, fans and parasols, all worn or donated by Germantown residents through the centuries. 5501 Germantown Avenue, (215) 844-1683, www.germantownhistory.org

Philadelphia Countryside:

• The Chester County Historical Society has a well-known collection containing hundreds of items donated by county residents over the past 100 years. Visitors can browse through clothing and accessories from the 18th century to the late 20th century, including men’s, women’s and children’s short gowns, bonnets, fans, shoes, hat pins and canes, lingering on a large number of Quaker clothes and bonnets. 225 N. High Street, West Chester, (610) 692-4800, www.chestercohistorical.org

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) makes Philadelphia and The Countryside™ a premier destination through marketing and image building that increases business and promotes the region’s vitality. For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit www.gophila.com or call the Independence Visitor Center, located in Independence National Historical Park, at (800) 537-7676.

Note to Editors: For photos of Greater Philadelphia, visit our Photo Gallery. On the pressroom, you can also subscribe to RSS feeds to receive updates on topics that are specifically of interest to you: What’s New, Dining, Events, Seasonal Travel, Hotel Packages and Tourism Research.

CONTACT:

Caroline Bean, GPTMC
(215) 599-7433, caroline@gptmc.com

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