Displaying fashion

A young persons view: Why do we display fashion in museums?

by Louise Moracchini, a Look Again team member.

Besides looking pretty, of course, fashion history continues to capture the imaginations of the public. Imagining yourself in those organza gowns and elaborately embroidered jackets is a transportation to a world now far gone.

But fashion deserves more recognition than just period clothing. Our work on the Look Again project is an insight into how fashion is displayed, but I hope I can provide a little insight into why I think the work is important. 

Let’s start with a little history. In 1753, the first public museum, free for entry, was established: The British Museum. Its interest in art, which in our modern definition includes fashion too, was more antiquarian than it was comprehensive. 

In 1852, the V&A, or Victoria and Albert Museum, was established. The Victorian obsession with clothes and status likely had something to do with the curators new found interest in fashion history. Its reputation as a house to talented historians and restorers has ensured the collection to grow as people begin to recognise its importance. 

Much of the change in the perception of fashion as history comes down to the shift from fashion as utilitarian to fashion as art, as well as the expansion of the global market. Fashion has become something akin to the paintings at the Louvre, but unlike those static bits of art, it is in a constant flux. Fashion, like art, also has a history in why people wore the clothes, or what they represented, and are close to being treated with the same respect now within the museum. 

In an article for The New York Times, journalist Suzy Menkes says:

“The explosion of museum exhibitions is only a mirror image of what has happened to fashion itself this millennium. With the force of technology, instant images and global participation, fashion has developed from being a passion for a few to a fascination — and an entertainment — for everybody.”

And she is right, fashion is a global revolution, even if only a little of it is visible in the collections at The Salisbury Museum. Those who are interested in displaying it don’t just care about the way it looks, but a good historian will know that the way it was made and who wore it are equally important to the exploration of centuries of changing culture. Working with some of the items in the collection, I know that the influence of the individual is paramount to its meaning.

Jinny Townsend’s wedding dress is a typical late 1870s piece, but its immaculate preservation speaks volumes about how important it might have been to her.

Fashion history is not merely the change in style, but in technology, in sexuality, in warfare; and this is why it should remain as a permanent fixture of any museum.