Fashioned From History

Tucked away on the second floor of Milam Hall, a surprising collection is bursting with 527 hats, 2,939 garments and decades’ worth of fashion history. Whether students are constructing corsets in the sewing lab or exploring late Victorian mourning dress, the Historic and Cultural Textile and Apparel Collection offers beautifully preserved examples of clothing and textiles from the 17th century onward for up-close viewing. During winter term, Jennifer Mower, M.A. ’06, Ph.D. ’12 — the collection’s manager and a design instructor in the College of Business — asks students in her historic fashion class to pick a decade during the 20th century and curate a display based on items found within the apparel collection. Their work is then exhibited for the campus community, and the Corvallis Museum selects one group to show there. Started in the 1930s when home economics professors began donating fashion samples, the collection has taken on a life of its own. Now, with the two rooms overflowing, Mower must be strategic about what new items to add. Her dream is to remodel the space so there is more room for garments and more public display space. Learn how to see the collection and donate here.