Past Exhibitions
Age of the Supermodel
On view at Galleria Dallas
September 15 - October 28, 2018
Presented in partnership with 1814 Magazine and Maison Christian Lacroix, this exhibition features the world of haute couture in the early 1990s. Shown alongside Donna DeMari's behind-the-scenes photographs of supermodels preparing for Paris Fashion Week and runway footage from the Paris catwalk, the TFC offers ten haute couture and high fashion ensembles by Balmain, Oscar de la Renta, Hubert de Givenchy, Christian Lacroix, and Valentino. Together these illustrate a highly charged mement in fashion history when haute couture faced the challenge of defining itself and fashion was defined by superstar models. (Photo courtesy of Sheryl Lanzel)
Galleria Dallas, "Age of the Supermodel"
Daniel Kusner, Dallas Morning News, "Travel to the glamazon '90s with 'Age of the Supermodel'"
West Dressed: Fashions Inspired by the American Frontier
On view at NorthPark Center, Dallas
April 13 - June 17, 2018
The American West looms large in our imaginations, with tall tales, spaghetti westerns, and other forms of visual culture creating a fantastical and idealized view of the past. Fashion designers often explore these tropes, shaping, reinforcing, and challenging contemporary ideas through their own interpretations of popular history. Drawn from the holdings of the TFC's permanent collection, this exhibition presents American, Native American, and international fashion designers whose work encourages us to think more deeply about our own ideas of this larger-than-life past.
Holly Haber, Women's Wear Daily, "'West Dressed' Exhibition Opens in Dallas"
NorthPark Center, "West Dressed"
Aashni Pabley, DFW Style Daily, "West Dressed: The Wild Old West Meets High Fashion"
Christian Allaire, Vogue, "How Six Indigenous Designers are Using Fashion to Reclaim Their Culture"
On Bodies: Highlights from The Goss-Michael Foundation and the UNT Texas Fashion Collection
On view at The Goss-Michael Foundation
November 3, 2017 - March 1, 2018 | Gallery Hours: Tues-Fri 10am-4pm
"On Bodies" features works from the permanent collection of the TFC and The Goss-Michael Foundation, one of the premier collections of contemporary British fine art in the United States. High fashion ensembles by John Galliano, Jean Paul Gaultier, Todd Oldham, Zac Posen, and other illustrate the ways that fashion designers literally and figuratively shape our bodies, while artworks by Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst, James Gilbert, and others offer more abstracted ways of considered our complex embodied experiences. (Photo credit: Abigail Firth)
Sportswear to Athleisure: The Creation of Comfortable Clothing
On view at UNT Fashion on Main
September 8 - December 8, 2017 | Gallery Hours: Wed & Thurs 10am-3pm
“Sportswear to Athleisure” draws from the holdings of the Texas Fashion Collection, part of the University of North Texas College of Visual Arts and Design. This exhibition features historic ensembles from iconic sportswear designers Claire McCardell, Vera Maxwell, and Calvin Klein and includes recent acquisitions by Riccardo Tisci, Yohji Yamamoto, Charles Smith II, and Mary Katrantzou. Together these ensembles demonstrate the chronology of comfortable clothing, from early outdoor leisure fashions to stylish gym-to-street athleisure of today. (Photo credit: Brandon Nichols)
Reimaginging the Kimono
On view at Northpark Center, Dallas
May 1 - June 26, 2017
Reimagining the Kimono, organized by the UNT Texas Fashion Collection, explores the ways in which the kimono has inspired designers through its form, fabric, and floral motifs. Late twentieth-century Japanese wedding kimonos, known as uchikake, represent the traditional garment with a bold use of color and pattern. Selections of silk chiffon haute couture gowns by Hanae Mori offer modern interpretations of Japanese iconography and the iconic form of the kimono. Historic designs by Oscar de la Renta, Pauline Trigere, and Karl Lagerfeld for Chloe, among others, offer high-fashion examples of the multiplicity of ways in which the kimono has inspired American and European designers.
WFAA Good Morning Texas, "Reimagining the Kimono at NorthPark Center"
Deborah Fleck, Dallas Morning News, "University of North Texas presents kimono display at NorthPark Center"
D Magazine, "A Look Inside Reimaginging the Kimono"
NorthPark Center, "Spring at the Park: Reimaginging the Kimono
Art Meets Fashion: 1965-2015
On view at Northpark Center, Dallas
August 2015 - January 2016
This celebratory exhibition features specific examples of dress chosen to reflect the synergy between art and fashion during the past fifty years, from 1965 to the present. The works included illustrate the highly creative ways that art and fashion have intersected and continue to break new ground. Fashion revivals champion design elements of the recent past and continue to be reinterpreted as visible, vibrant markers of culture today.
An Artistic Alliance: Art and Couture by Amy Zerner from the collection of Torie Gibralter
On view at UNT ArtSpace, Dallas
November 2015 - January 2016
This exhibition represents the bond that was formed between the artist Amy Zerner, and her friend, patron, and client, Torie Gibralter of Dallas. The designs include an array of jackets, robes, kimonos and tapestries created by Amy for Torie to enjoy over the past decade. Fashion designers are often inspired by their clients in compelling ways, forming a unique kind of exchange that goes on between the customer who comes to a specific designer seeking a custom-made garment.
American Brides: Inspiration and Ingenuity
On view at Patterson-Appleton Center for the Visual Arts, Denton, TX
June - October 2014
For a complete tour of the gallery installation please click here.
The Joy Losee Collection: Art and Dress Along the Silk Road
On view at UNT Art Gallery, Denton, TX
January - February 2013
Celebrating selected international dress from recent donations to the TFC by Joy Losee, this exhibition draws together garments from across the Eastern Hemisphere and encourages the contemplation of traditional dress as a vital part of material culture. It provides an opportunity to examine costumes that incorporate designs and motifs derived from the artistic traditions of peoples from a six-thousand mile area of overlapping trade routes.
American by Design: The 1950s
On view at UNT Fashion on Main, Dallas, TX
January 28 - March 25, 2011
Fashion of the 1950s is synonymous with the full-skirted, tiny waist silhouettes prompted by Christian Dior’s New Look. People were optimistic as the economy boomed. Women were ready to look feminine and pretty, which began with the `right’ dress. Impeccably groomed and accessorized, American women gained a reputation around the world for their beauty. New York became a style center in the world market. American fashion designers became household names. Each of the designers featured in this exhibition found creative ways to deliver the perfect dress for every occasion. They promoted comfort, versatility, and functionality while embracing fine tailoring and innovative design. Synthetic fabrics were introduced which opened new possibilities for the designer, and the ease of care for the consumer. American design made its mark during the 1950s and continues to impact the world of high fashion.
Adrian: Glamour in the Age of Austerity
On view at UNT Fashion on Main, Dallas, TX
September 15 - November 11, 2011
Gilbert Adrian, best known as Adrian, was born in Connecticut in 1903. He quickly made his mark as a costume designer, designing for all the great stars of the time, such as Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford. He encountered substantial obstacles resulting from WWII, such as rationing restrictions on fabrics and dyes, but he realized that the war brought a special opportunity for American designers to gain recognition. With great versatility and a wide range of inspirations, Adrian became a leader to other American designers and helped establish the American high-fashion industry. Whether it was a sparkling gown or a tailored suit, Adrian dared to design American.
Child's Play: A Children's Fashion Story
On view at UNT Fashion on Main, Dallas, TX
February 19 - May 7, 2010
This exhibition allows us to peek through the social, historical lens of childhood through time beginning with the post Civil War through The Great Depression. Girls’ party dresses, several boys’ outfits, and many other children’s wear treasures from the Texas Fashion Collection and the private collection of Steven Porterfield, owner of the Cat’s Meow in Midland, Texas are featured. We see children’s influence shaping and shifting fabrics and palettes, and casting off corsets and crinolines in the name of Child’s Play.
Egyptian Elegance
On view at UNT Fashion on Main, Dallas, TX
February 5 - May 15, 2009
Explore evening gowns inspired by the garments of ancient Egypt in a new exhibition from the Texas Fashion Collection, part of the University of North Texas College of Visual Arts and Design. Egyptian Elegance coincides with the Dallas Museum of Art’s ongoing Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs exhibition. The exhibition draws from the twentieth century holdings of the Texas Fashion Collection and features twenty dramatic evening gowns inspired by such ancient Egyptian garments as the kalasiris, tunic or caftan and neo-classical draping by designers such as Oscar de la Renta, Giorgio di ‘Sant Angelo, Ralph Rucci, and Germain Monteil.
Futher exhibition information coming soon.