UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Inside Penn State’s School of Theatre, there’s a treasure trove of fashion from throughout history. The Fashion Archive, which houses more than 3,000 fashion pieces ranging from linen shawls to intricate gowns, gives visitors an up-close look at how clothing has developed and changed throughout history.
Through internships, classes and scheduled visits, the Fashion Archive brings multiple disciplines together to examine fashion trends and construction. The physical archive is open by appointment only, but much of the collection is also available online for the public to explore at their own pace.
“In these high-definition images, you can zoom in and look at seam lines and colors,” said Charlene Gross, who took over as the director and curator of the collection in 2022. “Our goal is to continue to refine fashion research, and we've done all kinds of photography and even some 360-degree video.”
Prior to Gross’ time with the archive, it was limited to use within the School of Theatre. Now, it serves as a melting pot of various disciplines, Gross said. Other museums and programs on campus have been essential in building up the collection and studying pieces, she said. While most of the collection is made up of donations from individuals, there have been donations from Palmer Museum, the All-Sports Museum and the University Libraries.
“People from all these disciplines have come and visited and said, ‘Oh my gosh, all these little rooms with all these wonderful clothes.’ It's consistently been one of these big reactions,” Gross said.
The oldest pieces in the collection were acquired from the Palmer Museum of Art, Gross said, and date back to as early as the 1850s. They’re used to study details like style lines, patterns, and fabric composition in the University’s costume design and production programs. Students in the College of Arts and Architecture have used the garments to create digital versions of the patterns and prints of fabric to create their own textiles.
Gross has also worked with the Center for Virtual/Material Studies to collaborate on creating the digital inventory and projects within the archive, including working with interns in art history and theatre. The collaboration between the two just launched the digital exhibition “Linen: Soft & Strong.”
“I am trained as a theatrical costume designer, and we have to understand fashion history. We have to research everything,” Gross said. “Art historians look at it from such a different angle. I'm saying, ‘Costumers have to look at the big picture,’ and they're thinking, ‘Let's look at the specific dyes.’ That's what I’ve found so exciting when working with them.”
Just under half of the archive’s collection is available digitally, Gross said, but they’re working to add more pieces all the time. Interns over the last year have been able to move on to cataloguing older, more fragile pieces.
Part of the joy of the archive is the surprise as they work through their collection, Gross said. They’ve found gowns that transition “from day to night,” she said, a precursor to current trends that fashion companies still prioritize. Many of the pieces are examples of incredible craftsmanship, Gross said, and it’s easy to appreciate them.
“I have to say, we have ten racks of boxed garments. We haven't gone through all of them. And every time we open one of those, I go, ‘Oh, this is my favorite garment,’” Gross said.
The School of Theatre Fashion Archive is open by appointment only during the semester. Contact Charlene Gross at cag83@psu.edu for more information.