About the Project
Clothing reveals us.
It communicates who we are, what we do, and what we value.
By examining historical garments, we can learn about a person’s occupation, social and economic status, gender and cultural identity, and political and religious affiliation. We can understand when the wearer lived and the kinds of material resources and technologies available to them.
Adornment & Identity presents a collection of women’s garments created between 1750–2000. Each reflects the design, materials, and construction techniques of its time, telling the story of a past that can inform our future.
It is available as both an immersive and accessible experience.
The artefacts selected for this exhibition come from the collections of three prominent fashion historians and collectors, Ivan Sayers, Claus Jahnke, and Melanie Talkington.
Additional artefacts were contributed by the Museum of Vancouver and the BC Society for the Museum of Original Costume.
This project would not have been possible without their commitment to the collection and preservation of the historical garments.
Developed with the support of Digital Museums Canada, an investment program managed by the Canadian Museum of History.
Adornment & Identity is presented by
the BC Society for the Museum of Original Costume (SMOC)
Founded in 1992, SMOC’s collection holds more than 3,500 garments and textiles from the 18th century to the present. Highlights include post-World War II fashions by international and Canadian designers.
SMOC’s mandate is to collect, preserve, and study historical and contemporary fashion and textiles. They seek to interpret the collection’s history for the community, scholars and designers and to preserve local stories of how people have adorned themselves in all walks of life.
- Curator
Ivan Sayers
Ivan Sayers is a fashion historian who specializes in the study of women’s, men’s, and children’s fashions from 1700 to the present. He has collected period costumes for over 50 years and now has one of the largest and most comprehensive private collections of historical clothing in Canada.
- Board Chair
Melanie McIntosh
- Treasurer
Lynne Fisher
- Vice President
Kelly Millin
- Executive Director
Melissa Ratcliff
- Marketing Director
- Marlo de Vaal
- Secretary
- Anna Dyck
- Grant Proposal
- Lyne Talbot
- Michael Rouse
- Denise Jacques
- Jason Ng
- Caetllonn Seadjwyc
- Charlotte Burke
- Trustees-at-Large
- Angela Champ
- Angela Clarke
- Melanie Talkington
- Jonathan Wells
- Lara Damabi
- Past Trustees
- Denise Jacques
- Charlotte Burke
- Dakota Felow
- Claus Jahnke
Adornment & Identity was produced by
Denman Digital
Denman is a creative digital agency helping organizations create high-impact digital products and experiences that connect, inform, and inspire.
- Creative Director
- Sean Embury
- Design and Technical Director
- Steve Mackey
- Lead Producer
- Laura Grieco
- Producer
- Marta Mazus
- Art Director
- Margot Coffineau
- Creative Producer
- Michael Rouse
- Development Producer
- Özgün Gündüz
- Writers
- Caetllonn Seadjwyc
- Cheri Hanson
- Technical Developers
- Paul Walton
- Reeve Jarvis
- Jérémie Boulay
- 3D Modellers
- Matthew Losiak
- Evgenia Krichanovskaya
- Photographer
- Tanya Goehring
- Make-Up/Hair
- Molly Etherington
- Director of Photography
- Yves Bernadet
- Audio Director
- Rich Crooks
- Teleprompter
- Jill Rabin
- Video Editor
- Alix Buck
- Visual Researcher
- Wendy Wan
- Audio Post Production
- Rich Crooks
- Closed Captioning/Translations
- Art One Translations
SMOC Project Advisors
- Project Board of Advisors
- Marija Djordjevic
- Charlotte Burke
- Suzie Mah
- Ki Wight
- Research Assistant
- Emma Harris
- Michelle Blaine
- Project Planning
- Irine Prastio
Student Focus Group
- Grace Scheepers
- Rebica Thapar
- Moises Macadangdang
- Danni Yuf
- Kross Ewasechko
- Alice Grieco
- Satya Stelting
- Fanny Sachet
- Ellis Wood
- Alyson Courtney
- Vienna Tambre
- Lue Khalil
- Katie Baskerville
- Diba Goldbarg
- Jordan Chambers
- Katherine Kerr
- Malcolm Eden
- Aria eve Civitarese
- Valentina Camarena
Film Images Supplied
Courtesy of Toronto Public Library, Courtesy of Vancouver Public Library, Courtesy of North Vancouver Museum & Archives, Courtesy of Kariya Family, Courtesy of Toronto Public Library, Courtesy of Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre, Courtesy of Library and Archives Canada, Courtesy of Canada. Dept. of National Defence/Library and Archives Canada, Courtesy of Nova Scotia Archives, “NFB Letter from Camp Borden” courtesy of National Film Board of Canada, Courtesy of Jason Wilson/John McLaren, and Courtesy of Jason Wilson/Stephen Plunkett.
Film Music
“Coal-black mammy”. Music by Ivy St. Helier; Lyrics by Laddie Cliff. Toronto, Canada: Leo.Feist 1921.York University Libraries, John Arpin Sheet Music Collection, JAC010217 retrieved from URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10315/35667
Archival footage is presented with its original soundtrack. The music reflects the attitudes of its time and is considered inappropriate today. It is included solely for historical accuracy and does not reflect the views of the filmmakers.
Dressed for History
Select images and text taken from “Dressed for History: Why Costume Collections Matter, Women’s Fashion 1750-2000.” Museum of Vancouver, Exhibition Catalog. Guest Curator: Ivan Sayers. Photographer: Tanya Goehring.
Special Thanks to
Eiko and Ron Kariya, Daien Ide, Museum of Vancouver and their Curator of Collections - Wendy Nichols, and the University Women’s Club of Vancouver.
© BC Society for the Museum of Original Costume
We acknowledge that SMOC is located within the unceded, ancestral territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.