Clothing is such a major part of how we present ourselves to the world. What you wear can say so much about you: who you are, where you are from, where you are going, what you think about the world around you ...the list goes on and on.

 

Because clothing is an important characteristic of our identities, one can see how significant it is to our memories. One question about what you wore can spark the memories of everything you did and felt in those clothes. Whether it was an ordinary day with someone you love or the best day of your life, clothing is a spark for those memories.

 

Using the Historic Costume & Textiles Collection at the University of Delaware, The Way We Wore features conversations based on the memories of clothing worn by real people, and those close to them, throughout the last seventy years. These memories showcase the significance of dress to the individual identity and human culture as a whole. In the exhibition, the conversations highlight a variety of themes in connection to what women wear. These themes include explorations of social norms and constructs, gender roles and expectations, and representations of generational and class perspectives.

 

We hope The Way We Wore will inspire you to think about your own clothing and the memories attached to them. Hopefully, you will see for yourself how the clothes you wear are more a part of you than you think.

 

Enjoy the clothing and memory experience.

 

 

Sequoia D. Barnes, M.S. Fashion Studies, Curator.