This 1894 Grace Hospital of
Detroit nurse's uniform is
featured in the Historical
Museum's "The Seven Ages
of Woman" exhibition.

F

FAS Fl IONAIBLE
M USEU M

or centuries both
women and men alike
have been intrigued
as well as influenced
by the latest and most up-to-date
fashion trends available.
Many have designed their lives
around fashion, while others
have made their marks in history
because of fashion.
The city of Detroit has been
blessed with the Booth-Wilkinson
Costume Gallery, a major gallery
which exhibits garments from
turn-of-the-century designers, as
well as clothing and uniforms
worn by some members of
Detroit's historical society.
The Detroit Historical Society,
in cooperation with the Detroit
Historical Museum opened the
gallery for the exhibition's 50,000
item costume collection, "The
Seven Ages of Woman," in

118

IN STYLE

DETROIT HISTORICAL
MUSEUM MAKES A FASHION
STATEMENT WITH THE
BOOTH-WILKINSON COSTUME
GALLERY AND TAVY STONE
FASHION LIBRARY.

BY DEBBIE L. SKLAR

November, 1987. It will remain on
display until July 1988.
One of the nation's largest
collection's of clothing, it contains
the apparel of Detroit area men,
women, and children from the
late 18th century to the present.
"This inaugural exhibit, explores
the roles of woman, changing
and eternal, as infants, young
girls, sportswomen, working

women, brides, housewives,
social butterflies, and matrons,"
said Barry Dressel, director of
the Detroit Historical Department.
"The exhibition will give visitors a
glimpse of the range of the
department's costume collection."
Chief curator, Maud Lyon, says
that one of the major strengths
in the exhibit is the fact that
many of the items in the
costume collection were worn by
and donated from families, public
services, and other organizations
prominent in Detroit area history.
She says a Grace Hospital
nurse's uniform circa 1894; the
opulent wedding dress worn by
Caroline Merrill Canfield when
she married Frederick Ducharme
in 1894; gifts from the Joy and
Newberry estates; and a navy
blue three-piece silk crepe dress
Continued on Page 120