Browse Items (27 total)

Dominating post-World War II fashion, the House of Christian Dior set a precedent that still carries its legacy today. Christian Dior (1905-1957) began his career in fashion working for designer Robert Piguet (1898-1953) prior to World War II. In…

The dress is believed to have been made between the years 1975 and 1980. McFadden (b. 1938) launched her first collection in 1973 and patented her “Marii” pleating technique two years later. She began Mary McFadden Inc. in 1976, which focused on…

Hubert de Givenchy (1927-2018) can be remembered as one of the greatest couturiers in twentieth-century fashion history. His inspiration often came from his background. His muse was Audrey Hepburn, and his idol was Balenciaga. Some of his greatest…

This suit is part of the Frankie Welch archive in the University of Rhode Island’s Historic Textile and Costume Collection (URI HTCC). The inventory papers which accompany the donation provide important information for many of the pieces, such as the…

According to a letter from the donor Rita Grossman, this Givenchy coat is one of several couture pieces she had custom-made in Paris between 1955 and 1974. Grossman cut out the labels to avoid paying a duty tax. The coat and the other designer…

This coat of beige silk crepe decorated with braid and cording has a label identifying it as designed by Lucien Lelong (1889-1958). The tag stitched into the lining of the coat labels it as Lucien Lelong, made in Paris, France at 16 Rue Matignon and…

Ceil Chapman (nee Cecilia Mitchell, 1912-1979) worked in New York City as a designer from the 1940s through the 1960s. After working on Fifth Avenue for over seven years, in about 1940 Chapman briefly entered into business with Gloria (Morgan)…

This dress was given to the University of Rhode Island prior to the establishment of the Historic Textile and Costume Collection. Information concerning the donor remains incomplete. Information on the probable original owner of the dress can be…

This peacock blue dress is from the Liberty department store in London, England. Arthur Lasenby Liberty (1843-1917) began his career in fashion at Farmer and Roger’s, a firm selling cloaks and shawls imported from China and India. The 1862 Great…

This is a material culture analysis, using Fleming’s Artifact Study Model, of a shift dress with a matching jacket from the University of Rhode Island’s Historic Textile and Costume Collection. Dr. Beverly D. Cusack, dean of the College of Home…