The Queens College Fashion and Textiles Collection contains over 2,000 dress and textile items, from 19th century day dresses to couture evening wear from the 21st century. The archive features works by designers including Adolfo, Bill Blass, Chanel, Oscar de la Renta, Perry Ellis, Galanos, Givenchy, Halston, Hattie Carnegie, Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino, Balmain, and Ungaro. It holds accessories including shoes, hats, bags, parasols, bonnets and fans, and a variety of undergarments including 19th century corsets, drawers, and cage crinolines. Additionally, it contains a group of Bedouin robes, Japanese kimono, Chinese and Korean ceremonial robes, and men’s military uniforms. Jayne Wrightsman donated a sizable group of haute couture evening gowns to the collection, and other notable donors include Kate McNally Cote, Marie-Josée Kravis, and William Lipton.

The material culture of dress has become an increasingly essential multidisciplinary subject, and the Queens College Fashion and Textiles Collection is a vital teaching and learning tool for the students on the college campus. Students are offered a unique hands-on experience working with a historic fashion archive, from collections management to research, curation, and exhibition practices.

As of Fall 2019, the Queens College Fashion and Textiles Collection will be moving as an entity from the department of Family, Nutrition, and Exercise Sciences to the department of Drama, Theater, and Dance.

For more information please contact:
Emily Ripley, Curator and Collections Manager

emily.ripley@qc.cuny.edu