WOMEN’S FASHION 1750–2000

An exhibition in partnership with the Museum of Vancouver showcasing pieces from the collections of SMOC, Ivan Sayers, Claus Jahnke, and Melanie Talkington.

Clothing is the most personal of artefacts. It reveals so much about who we are, what we do and what we value. Clothing conveys information about occupation, social and economic status, gender and cultural identity and political and religious affiliation. 

Clothing not only expresses aspects of a wearer’s identity, it also reveals much about the larger context of production. As products of available raw materials, textile technologies, designs and styles, what we wear connects us to local and global stories of resource extraction, trade, labour and technology.

featuring some of the rarest garments and fabrics in the world, Dressed for History: Why Costume Collections Matter makes the case that fashion and costumes are significant and enduring expressions of personal identity and of political and social change.