New museum exhibit: Thread worn and Palmetto perfect
The S.C. State Museum in the Vista is showcasing more than 200 years of South Carolina clothing in a new exhibition “Threads: The Story in Our Clothes” opening Saturday.
Out of the museum’s collection of nearly 4,000 clothing and accessory pieces, the museum’s curator of history JoAnn Zeise chose 50 handmade, historic, popular and unique pieces that tell the story of why people wore what they did and the role society, fashion, the environment and practicality played in those choices. Here, Zeise discusses the new show.
How did the idea for the exhibit come about?
“The idea came about a year ago but it’s been six months of work and then three months of dedication. A lot of our artifacts are in storage, especially clothing. It’s hard to have clothing out for a long period of time without damaging it. So it’s something we haven’t done in a while.”
That’s one of the nice things about a museum. There’s always new things to learn.
JoAnn Zeise
How did you decide on which pieces to feature in the exhibit?
“First I look at the condition. You have to pick items that can stand being on display for six months, which is the length of this exhibit. And then it was choosing which clothing told the story that I wanted to tell with this exhibit. Since this exhibit is about the story of South Carolina clothes, we picked pieces where we had a really good idea of who wore it or the circumstances of it being worn. I know the name of almost everyone who made it, wore it or was associated with it.”
That’s what a curator does: tell a story through artifacts.
SC State Museum curator of history JoAnn Zeise
What’s the history behind the most interesting piece featured?
“There’s a bag from 1839 a man bought for his bride. It’s a Native American-made beaded bag and it’s a gorgeous piece in pristine condition purchased in what is now Greenville County. Greenville at that time was not what we think of today. It was rather out in the middle of nowhere. So this beautiful and delicately crafted Native American purse is one of my favorite pieces. It’s not the oldest piece we have in the show but it’s so beautiful and I just love the story.”
Did you see any fashion trends that have come back around through the decades?
“The thing I noticed that has come back and forth is the platform shoe. Platforms have been around since the middle ages when people wore them as overshoes. But in the ’30s and ’40s actresses like Carmen Miranda made them really big, and then they went away. Then they came back in the late ’60s, ’70s and then they went away. And then they came in the ’90s. Another look we included is that classic Chanel-type suit that Jackie Kennedy wore. You could wear it today and it would still give you the idea of the early 1960s, but it’s one of those trends that became iconic.”
Will people be surprised by anything in the exhibit?
“I think the breadth of what’s in the collection. I really want people to think about what people wear and why they wear it. Even people who say, ‘I don’t think about what I wear’ are saying something about what they wear. And we often jump to conclusions about what people wear. It’s about thinking about why we wear what we wear and what it means to us.”
How is the exhibit displayed?
We decided not to do it in time, because I wanted the visitor to think about it in sections. The first section is clothing made for a purpose. It could be a fez hat for a Shriner or a bridesmaid’s dress. Another section is special occasion clothing like wedding dresses and tuxedos. Another section is trends. So those things that you can look at and place what time period it’s from. Then there’s a section of clothing made in South Carolina and a section of South Carolina iconic pieces.”
People always want to do history in a time line but I think its fun when we challenge that notion.
SC State Museum curator of history JoAnn Zeise
How is the history of South Carolina clothing different from other states?
“There are things that are just very South Carolina. Immediately we think of bow-ties and seersucker. And the idea that you can put a Palmetto tree on anything. And the sundress. But the exhibit is also riddled with questions that prompt you to ask, what are we missing? The answer is a little different for each South Carolinian. Somebody from Upstate might answer different from someone in Charleston. Some things immediately spring to people’s minds, but I think there are other things that we could add and I hope people come up with some great ideas for us.”
This story was originally published August 21, 2015 at 8:01 PM.