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20th century fashion at Northport Historical Society
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Northport Historical Society's current exhibit, "20th Century Mirrored in Fashion & Events," is a stunning in-depth examination of how the events of the last 100 years — World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, the coming-of-age of the baby boomer generation, technological advances and the women's rights movement — shaped the feminine role, and were reflected in the fashions of the day. The exhibit, curated by Dolly and Ward Hooper, is one of the museum's most comprehensive to date, and has been extended so that it runs through Aug. 20.
Included are garments gleaned from the museum's extensive collection as well as items on loan from members, including the Hoopers. Highlights include a red poodle skirt — a hallmark of the fabulous fifties; a rhinestone and pearl-studded deep pink velvet flapper dress from the roaring twenties; the power suit worn by women in the 1980s in the hope of cracking the "glass ceiling"; and the jeans, tie-dyed shirt and floppy denim hat emblematic of the flower children of the 1960s. A flamboyant jacket inspired by Picasso, a vision in purple, red, green and yellow, makes a dramatic statement.
Carole Kehoe, a member of the exhibits committee, said that her fringed brown suede jacket is both a tangible reminder of a long-gone era and a piece of family history.
She wore the jacket, which was manufactured by Schott, a New York company and purchased by her brother in 1969, to a Grateful Dead concert in 1977.
The concert, which was held in Saratoga Springs, also featured Chicago and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, she recalled, adding that although it looks none the worse for wear, the jacket accompanied her on her travels as a nurse over the course of three decades.
Also smacking of personal history is a little brown number that Dolly Hooper whipped up in the 1960s when she rendezvoused with Duke Ellington at a party in the Hamptons. Visitors will marvel at an amazing fuchsia dress designed by Claudia Skoda of Germany. Created from an innovative elasticized yarn, the dress can stretch from mini to maxi length, Hooper indicated.
At the opening reception, the Hoopers were honored for 35 years of creative excellence and service to the museum. Longtime friend and museum founder, Dick Simpson, spoke of the instrumental role that "Northport's most artistic and creative couple" played in opening the museum in 1974, and bringing its first exhibit, "Folk Art," which included a "quilt maze," to fruition.
Fashion exhibit
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Other standout exhibits curated by the couple included "Ceremonies of Life," "The Incurable Collector" and "You've Come a Long Way, Lady," Simpson said, adding that "A Touch of Class" was undoubtedly Dolly's finest exhibit.
Candace Hamilton, who cochaired the current exhibit with Ellen McLaughlin, described the Hoopers as "treasures of information and experience." She said working with the duo provided invaluable lessons about "the art of staging an exhibit".
She also gained a deeper perspective into history's impact on fashion. For example, with the advent of one of our greatest technological advances at the turn of the 20th century, Henry Ford's automobile, American women needed less restrictive "motoring" clothes. Wartime shortages affected hemlines, Hamilton noted.
While in the past, Hamilton said that women tended to emulate glamorous styles popularized by movie stars, including cinched waists and hourglass shapes, she doesn't feel that one or two "looks" dominate today's fashion scene. "There are more choices," Hamilton said.
Showcases of memorabilia work in tandem with the fashion retrospective in terms of evoking the flavor of each era. Photographs highlighting the graceful elegance of Jacqueline Kennedy's trend-setting suits and pillbox hats provide an interesting counterpoint to the more garish Indian and gypsy styles favored by the hippies in the 1960s. The display relating to the 1930s provides a nostalgic reminder of the influence of America's curly haired darling, Shirley Temple, and screen stars such as Greta Garbo, Jean Harlow, Joan Crawford and Katharine Hepburn on fashion and culture.
In another display case, Elvis Presley, Jack Kerouac, Audrey Hepburn and the "beatnik look" reign as icons of the 1950s.
Bruce Adams, Daniel Brooks, Kari-Ann, Elizabeth, Sarah and Abigail Carr, Selma Deniz, Danielle and Nick DiMauro, Darcy Little, Pinky McQuade, Lois O'Hara, Donna Perry, Theresa Reid, Melissa Simon, Rhoda Wright, Jeff Yule, Rosemary Feeney and Joshua Ruff, curator of The Long Island Museum, also worked on the exhibit.
The Northport Historical Society is located at 215 Main St., Northport Village. For information, call 757-9859 or visit www.northporthistorical.org.
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