Fashion design students and professional fashion designers competed for four prizes at Evanston History Center’s inaugural ReFashioning History fundraiser.
Earlier this year, the museum put out a call to designers, inviting them to view its large collection of historical clothing going back to Evanston’s earliest days. The designers were asked to use the pieces as inspiration to design the outfits of their own.
As museum Executive Director Deborah Kasindorf explained during the event, which was held at the history center grounds on the evening of June 27, that the museum wanted to draw a connection between the past and the present while also celebrating Chicago-area clothing design and bringing attention to the museum.
The event also marked the opening of the eponymous exhibit, which features some of the original pieces and the outfits they inspired. The exhibit is on display on the museum’s second floor.
Thirty designers submitted their pieces, and a jury whittled them down to 12 finalists. Each finalist displayed their design, sometimes wearing it themselves and sometimes standing side-by-side with a model. Fundraiser attendees got a chance to view the pieces and ask questions. Four winners were selected from the finalists.
The field of finalists was a mix of fashion designers, costume designers and fashion accessory makers at various stages of their careers. Some submitted outfits that would be historically appropriate, while others used the collections as inspiration for something distinctly modern.
The designers who spoke to the RoundTable described the event as a great opportunity to boost their resumes and, for those who are further in their careers, a great way to promote their businesses.
The road to the fundraiser
Kasindorf said that, like all museums, Evanston History Center keeps much of its collection in storage. When she and Rachel Jennens, the museum’s costume curator, looked at their clothing collection, they decided that they “should do something with this.”
“We all know, or at least I hope we know, that history matters,” Kasindorf told the fundraiser attendees. “It’s a challenge these days, with other things going on, to make the history matter in a personal and genuine way.”
The museum put out a call for submissions early this year. The designers who spoke to the RoundTable said they found out about this through current and former teachers, social media posts and, in some cases, family members. They were given an opportunity to see the collection and take pictures, and they were given a wide berth to where they could take the inspiration.
Kasindorf said that starting an event completely from scratch was daunting, and she struggled to explain the event to would-be attendees. But in the end, she said, any fears that the fundraiser would bomb proved unfounded.
“Even though it was a brand new event, we had a lot of support,” she said.
Behind the designs
Aurora Liston, who grew up in Evanston and is a fashion student at Columbia College of Chicago, took an inspiration from a pair of red shoes and a dress to create a crimson outfit dyed with a cochineal bug dye.
“I liked the frilliness of [the original outfit], so I used it for the selves and the skirt,” she said. “I’ve done a few fashion shows but this is the first competition I’ve done, so it was a lot of fun.”
Liston said that the competition was the first time she’s been inside the museum.
“It was really amazing to see,” she said. “I felt like I was in a historical drama.”
The inspiration for the designs came from many sources. For example, School of Art Institute fashion design student Kaine Bautista, originally of Arlington Heights, said that the inspiration for her dress was a pair of shoes with small mirrors.
Several designers responded to fashion sensibilities of the original time period.
Designer Madeleine Ibach, of Chicago, said that she took the basic shape of a dress from the 1850s to create an outfit that showed off bare shoulders and collarbone – something that would have been frowned upon in the mid-19th century.
“I wanted to have it more modern, more risque,” Ibach said.
Chicago fashion designer Maribel Melanson, whose company makes design patterns, took a similar tact, saying she wanted “to showcase and provoke through fashion” with her opaque butterfly dress.
“It’s showy and classy,” she said.
On the other hand, several finalists were costume designers who stuck to the fashion sensibilities of the original time period.
Grace Koehler, of Chicago, said that she already wears late-19th-century/early-20th-century clothing in her daily life because she enjoys the style, so it made sense for her to design a dress with a cape that she could wear later. The cape had pockets, which, she noted wryly, was more than could be said for a lot of women’s clothing today.
It wasn’t unusual to see collaboration.
Columbia College senior Lauren Evans, of southwest suburban Plainfield, took inspiration from a World War II-era uniform and street fashion.
“It’s definitely something very new for me,” she said. “I’ve never done an event like this before. It’s a new experience, and I’m just happy to be here.”
Her friend Enrique Sahagun, a fellow Columbia fashion student, modeled the outfit. He said he modeled before, but never at an event like this.
“It’s a really good experience. I think I bring, like, a unique perspective because, as a fashion designer, you pay attention [to what goes into making clothes],” he said. “it’s great to see my friends be creative and be able to express themselves.”
DePaul University students Abeline Glenzinski and Riley Trzeciak took that collaboration a step further.
Trzeciak modeled the outfit that they designed together, taking inspiration from an 1860s gown that made them think of a bird. They worked together to sew the dress as well.
“It’s pretty much equal work all around,” Trzeciak said.
The winners
Fashion designer, SAIC instructor and former MasterChef contestant Tommy Walton presented the awards. He said that he was pleased to be part of the event “and support the next generation of designers,” describing them as a “panorama of talented people.”
“I want to give everyone a congratulations,” Walton said. “Everyone deserves a round of applause.”
He said that with the popularity of the Netflix adaptation of Bridgerton novels, “we all live for costume dramas,” emphasizing the word “live.”
“I think some of our designers are channeling something,” Walton said.
When he announced the winners, he made a point of complimenting them individually.
Clothing and hat designer Gregory Graham, of Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood, submitted a hat, and Walton said that, as someone who grew up in Arkansas, he appreciated a well-made hat.
Graham told the RoundTable that fashion shows tend to overlook accessories, so he was pleasantly surprised to be one of the winners.
“It’s wonderful,” he said. “I’m super-excited.”
Walton praised Melanson’s “see-through confection” as “absolutely wonderful.”
“I’m just excited to get explore for my company and this opportunity, really,” Melanson told the RoundTable.
Walton praised Glenzinski and Trzeciak for their collaboration.
“It’s great to have two people, two like-minded individuals, support each other,” he said. “it’s very important in the fashion industry.”
“It feels awesome,” Trzeciak told the RoundTable. “We put a lot of work into it, and it’s great to be recognized.”
“It feels very rewarding,” added Glenzinski. “Getting to work with a friend is very fun.”
Bautista was the “last, but not least” fourth winner.
“Check it out – it’s marvelous, it’s sexy, it’s super cool,” Walton said as Bautista and Yngride Jeanphilippe, an Evanstonian who was modeling the dress, made their way up to the front.
“It’s super exciting. Super awesome” Bautista told the RoundTable.
ReFashioning History fundraiser dazzles with historically inspired fashions is from Evanston RoundTable, Evanston's most trusted source for unbiased, in-depth journalism.