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Fashion through history’s lens

For as long as civilization has existed fashion has been a part of it. Whether through the lack of it or not, clothing has always had great cultural and sometimes religious significance.
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Fashion historian Ivan Sayers (top) transformed model Teva from modern day woman to the height of fashion in 1904 at Touchstones on Wednesday night.

For as long as civilization has existed fashion has been a part of it. Whether through the lack of it or not, clothing has always had great cultural and sometimes religious significance. The story of Adam and Eve itself tells the tale. Fashion has always been a reflection of society.

Wednesday night renowned fashion historian Ivan Sayers hosted a vintage fashion show at Touchstones Nelson and conducted an engaging lecture on women’s fashion from the Victorian era to the 1950s.

The fashion show, given in support of Touchstone’s textile exhibit Night or Day: Day Clothes vs. Evening Wear and their permanent textile collection, featured one model that Sayers dressed from her underwear to outerwear in an example of clothes worn in 1904.

Night or Day: Day Clothes vs. Evening Wear references the relationship clothes have to historical roles of gender, labour requirements and social status by comparing material, designs and functionality through select pieces from the museum’s permanent textile exhibition.

“Fashion throughout the ages is very much a reflection of gender roles,” says Touchstones’ executive director Leah Best. “Women’s fashion is definitely what their role in society is and it’s always changing.”

As to what lesson guest curator Katherine van der Veen, who conceived the exhibit, wants visitors of exhibition to take away from the spectacular exhibit?

“I want people to take from the exhibit is that there has been a lot of change throughout time and it’s important to remember that the styles we have today are influenced by the past,” she says.

Night or Day: Day Clothes vs. Evening Wear runs until November 20 at Touchstones Museum.