On Thursday, Feb. 8, the M. Estella Sprague Costume Collection opened in the Homer Babbidge Library. The exhibit is located in the Gallery on the Plaza and contains clothing and textiles from all over the world. The collection dates back to 1898 when Mary Estella Prague worked in the Home Economics department at UConn. Estella is known for being the first woman to hold a dean’s position at UConn. The display is split into four parts: identity, history, fashion and economics — each an important factor in the history of fashion.
The economics case shows the history of John Meyer who originated the “preppie look” in the 1960s. He became president of G&M and transitioned the company from focusing on just menswear to building a full womenswear collection. Meyer’s objects were collected by Nellie Gard, a UConn faculty member of The School of Economics in the 1920s and 1930s. She would travel to Europe and bring back clothing and textile pieces, making her a huge donor for this collection.
In the historical section of the collection, the innovative use of fashion plates is mentioned. They’re essentially drawings of pieces of clothing with descriptions to help seamstresses replicate the style. They were used in the United States so that women were able to wear popular French fashion. With fashion plates, the clothing was able to be individualized to each customer, depending on their size or fabric preferences. Now, they allow us to study fashion history. The fashion plates featured throughout the collection are from The Historic Textile & Costume Collection at The University of Rhode Island. Also featured in the history section was a handbag made from a rank square. Rank squares were most often used in China from the Ming Dynasty to the late Qing Dynasty. These squares showed your rank in society and dictated social status, such as signifying what stores you were able to go into.
The economics section includes some menswear vests. Interestly, the backs of these vests were designed with cheap materials because men were never seen without a coat on. Elizabeth Hawes, author of “It’s Still Spinach,” a book discussing fashion standards, wrote: “Men’s clothes will really be revolutionized when the male asserts his right to be considered as alluring and decorative and beautiful as women.” Written in 1954, this idea is still relevant in today’s fashion world.
It’s hard to miss the fashion section of the collection, as a pair of gorgeous women’s ankle shoes dated between 1905 and 1915 stand out. They have multiple button straps and are beaded — a striking style. Shoes like these got popular at the turn of the 20th century as hemlines were beginning to rise and attention was being given to women’s shoes and stockings. The collection’s information panels mention novels like “Sense and Sensibility” by Jane Austen and “The Age of Innocence” by Edith Wharton, and explains how books allow us to understand the fashion of the time through descriptions in writing. Writing also allows authors to make comments about different characters, whether it be their wealth or personality, clothes can simply bring a character in any circumstance to life.
Two womens suits stand between the fashion and identity cases. One is a vintage 1959 Christian Dior, the other a 1955 Hattie Carnegie. As a former fashion student, these made my heart skip a beat. Written under the Hattie Carnegie suit is information on Beatrice Fox Auerbach. She became the president of G. Fox & Co. after her father died. Auerbach soon became successful in a man’s world and has had lasting effects on women’s rise to executive positions. She established a retail training program at what is now Connecticut College to teach future executives.
Throughout the exhibit are lists of books that coincide with each topic, all of which are available in the Homer Babbidge Library. The collection will be on display through May 17, so if you’re ever in the library and want to learn more about Connecticut’s fashion history check it out.