Journal #2

​This week's highlight was visiting a dress archive started by a textile conservator and speaking to the collector about mending and alterations. I vaguely contacted her about my project and she kindly agreed to show me some items in her collection and share her expertise with me. 

Some key notes from the visit:

• There are many examples of 19th century dresses that had been altered to newer fashion, to accommodate pregnancies, and for fancy dress
• There were examples of cross-cultural alterations/repurposing-an indian skirt was made into a blazer (the collector was able to show me proof of this by analysing the print and turning over the garment to show certain finishings and parts where the print was not matching, it was fascinating)
• Alterations made to garments to depict class and status as they changed owner/were handed down
• Parts of garments that had to be altered for utility
• Mended garments that needed repair
• Added zips and fastenings
• Alterations to garments deemed too revealing
• Questioning alterations: as a fashion historian, would you want the original or the altered version? 
• Trims that were repurposed
• Precious textiles that were repurposed because of their value

I think one of my points of interest is also what happens when mending and alterations are made--we have to imagine what the original might have looked like! And this...really interests me. It goes with the idea that in slow fashion, we are looking at the life-time of the garment. Just like humans, a garment changes, ages, has different stages! perhaps in its teenage years it is rebellious, or calms down with age?