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Getting a costume ready for exhibition is rarely as simple as slipping it on a mannequin, and it’s a process we’ll perform with more than 60 pieces as we prepare for the opening of Chic Chicago: Couture Treasures from the Chicago History Museum. We have to tweak the fiberglass forms to match the exact measurements of the original woman who wore each dress. This is a long and sometimes complicated process, but it’s necessary to show the clothing in the way they were designed to be seen: full of life and representative of the original wearers.

One of the most important steps during the preparation of each garment is ensuring that it is physically strong enough to be put on display for the duration of the exhibition. The older the dress is, the more likely it will be to have problems. Dresses from the 1920s, for example, are infamously difficult to keep in good condition because they’re often comprised of heavy embellishments (rhinestones, sequins, embroidery) on flimsy materials (silks or chiffons). If it’s not in good condition, putting a dress like that on a mannequin could be very harmful; gravity could cause seams to tear and straps to break.

Once a garment has been given the stamp of approval, we start the fitting by choosing a particular mannequin type to work with. For our 19th century pieces we’re somewhat limited by the period mannequins we have available (they require a particular corseted silhouette), but for our modern garments we have a stock of mannequins called Schläppis (pronounced shleppies). The Schläppis are very cool, because even though they’re much taller than the average woman, 85% of clothes still fit them well. There is actually a mathematically sound reason for this, but the rest of the staff and I prefer to think of it as magic.

So, after we select a fiberglass form, we try the dress on and see where it needs some help. Then, using the extremely high-tech materials of nylons and polyester batting, we provide curvature anywhere it’s needed. This is often the lengthiest part of the process, and the most frustrating, because it can take a lot of trial and error before you get the look you really want. But it’s also very rewarding to see a garment blossom into a dress full of movement and life; you can almost imagine the original owner is trying it on for you.

Sounds complicated, doesn’t it? It is, but it’s also fun. And until the exhibition opens, visitors to the museum have the chance to see it in person; we’re doing our work in the costume and textile gallery, which is located on the first floor next to the ticket counter.

So, if you’re counting down the days until Chic Chicago opens, give yourself a treat and come see us tweak and perfect the masterpieces.

> Learn more about Chic Chicago

Tags: Chic Chicago, Costume and Textile, Fashion, Mannequins, Meghan Smith

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008 at 4:50 pm and is filed under Collections, Exhibitions, Multimedia. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.