麻豆精选

Victoria鈥檚 Secret: The 麻豆精选Museum Houses Many Surprises

Years of fashion history can be found in the museum鈥檚 vaults.

For the past six years, Sarah Rogers has learned all the secrets hidden away in the storage vaults of the 麻豆精选 Museum.

麻豆精选 Museum Director Sarah Rogers will be retiring at the end of June 2024.
Museum Director Sarah Rogers will be retiring at the end of June 2024.

 

When 麻豆精选Today asked Rogers to put together a list of her 鈥楾op Five Finds鈥 at the museum 鈥 must-see items, her favorite pieces, or cool or unusual items that might surprise visitors 鈥 she did not disappoint.

Here is Rogers鈥 list:

Queen Victoria鈥檚 Underwear

A monogram on undergarments belonging to Queen Victoria.

鈥淭here鈥檚 funny stuff, like Queen Victoria鈥檚 underwear,鈥 Rogers said, 鈥淲e have her knickers and stockings and petticoats, too.鈥

Queen Victoria's royal drawers.

The items, she said, are thanks to the museum's founders, Shannon Rodgers and Jerry Silverman, who also helped to found Kent State鈥檚 School of Fashion, which bears their name, and whose great collection of fashion 鈥 more than 4,000 pieces 鈥 was donated in 1982 to help found the museum.

The undergarments, fashioned with a drawstring waist, are stamped with the royal crest. Other items, including black stockings and a dressing gown, are embroidered with her initials or crown. A petticoat features satin, lace and embroidery. Queen Victoria reigned on the British throne from 1837 to 1901.

The 鈥楢dam鈥檚 Rib鈥 Dress

Dress worn by actress Katharine Hepburn in the movie "Adam's Rib."
The Adam's Rib Dress

Actress Katharine Hepburn collected the many costumes she wore on stage, in films and on television. In her will, she directed that the collection go to an educational institution and the 麻豆精选Museum, was the lucky recipient.  

One of Rogers鈥 favorites is a formal black dress, designed by Walter Plunkett, that Hepburn wore in the 1949 movie 鈥淎dam鈥檚 Rib.鈥

The Valentino Trench Coat

A trench coat by Valentino is in the 麻豆精选 Museum.
Trench coat by Valentino

 

Relatively new to the museum is a collection of contemporary menswear, donated by James Mulholland, currently featured in the exhibition 鈥淟ife in Style: The Wardrobe of James Mulholland.鈥

Rogers said the collection is unique because fashion museums do not have large holdings of menswear, and she is taken with one coat that features hand-painted wildlife.  

鈥淚t鈥檚 just gorgeous,鈥 she said.  

An Original Coco Chanel

Coco Chanel, the legendary French designer whose very name is synonymous with high fashion and style, introduced the concept of the 鈥渓ittle black dress鈥 in 1926. Until that time, black was a color typically reserved for mourning.  

A 1926 Coco Chanel Dress
1926 Coco Chanel dress

Rogers said Kent State鈥檚 collection includes an original 1926 Chanel dress, made of blue ombre fringe in the flapper style of the day. The dress is currently on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London but is set to return to campus soon.

Christian Dior鈥檚 Venus

Venus by Christian Dior is in the collection of the 麻豆精选 Museum.
Venus by Christian Dior

Part of the famed French fashion house鈥檚 1949 collection, the Venus dress had belonged to actress Marlene Dietrich.

鈥淚t is diaphanous and very beautiful,鈥 Rogers said. The dress, designed to be strapless, was customized for Dietrich with small straps added to the bodice, she noted.

The shell-shaped scalloping on the dress is meant to evoke the Botticelli painting, 鈥淭he Birth of Venus鈥 which depicts the goddess of love and beauty arising from a scallop shell.  

New Exhibits 

While the items are among the more than 30,000 pieces in the museum鈥檚 collection, most are not displayed at any given time.

Shannon Rodgers and Jerry Silverman whose donation helped to found the 麻豆精选School of Fashion.
Shannon Rodgers and Jerry Silverman

 

A new exhibit, 鈥淪hannon Rodgers and Jerry Silverman: Dazzling Day and Night,鈥 will debut May 30, featuring a collection of Rodgers and Silverman鈥檚 designs from their Seventh Avenue, New York City, business, Jerry Silverman, Inc., 

A new Hepburn exhibit, 鈥淭he Hepburn Style: Katharine and Her Designers,鈥 opening June 28, will focus on Hepburn鈥檚 personal style, including her signature khaki slacks, Rogers said.

A June 27 reception to celebrate the new exhibits will also mark Roger鈥檚 retirement as museum director, a position she has held since 2018. Rogers came to 麻豆精选from the Columbus Museum of Art, where she served as deputy director.  

鈥淚 have a husband, a house and a cat in Columbus,鈥 explained Rogers, who added that the time was right for her to pass on the reigns to the next person. 

POSTED: Tuesday, April 23, 2024 10:07 AM
Updated: Tuesday, April 23, 2024 06:52 PM
WRITTEN BY:
Lisa Abraham