'Dress Up': A look at the fashions of yesteryear
Historical Association stages exhibit of special occasion finery
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO
Staff Writer

(l-r) This advertisement of ladies modeling stylish costumes for the spring of 1873 is part of the Monmouth County Historical Association's exhibit "Dress Up." A deep green silk bonnet trimmed with ruffles sits in a glass case. Also, a black knit dress, indicative of the 1970s, by well-known designer Rudy Gernrich. The wedding dress, worn by Elizabeth Dubois Smock in 1870.

Elizabeth Dubois Smock married in 1870. She wore an ivory satin gown with glazed cotton lining. Her dress along with many other special occasion outfits are featured in a new museum exhibition at the Monmouth County Historical Association on Court Street in Freehold.

The exhibit, titled "Dress Up," opened on Sept. 19 and will run through July. It features about 50 special occasion dresses and suits, as well as personal accessories such as hats, shoes and jewelry, Lee Ellen Griffith, director of the museum, said.

The collection of clothing is drawn from the museum's own extensive textile collection and features colorful, elegant and some very elaborate fashions, including some worn as early as 1820.

A tour given by Griffith revealed all sorts of wonderful fashion creations, such as a dress in ivory batiste, simply designed with an empire waistline and a touch of embroidery on the hemline. Puffy sleeves and a silky shawl completed the outfit that a young woman wore to an event in 1820.

Calling the collection "amazing," Griffith said the museum has not featured a clothing exhibit for quite a while, and she thought it was time to do so.

The collection, looking pristine with hardly a wrinkle in any of the fabrics, is well cared for in a special storage room, Griffith said.

A small room lined with acid-free boxes protects the garments. Each one is individually wrapped in acid-free paper as well, to keep the sensitive fabrics free from stress and exposure to elements such as dirt, dust and even air. The collection will be changed several times during the course of the exhibit to protect the fabrics from prolonged exposure.

"Just as you would preserve a prom dress, people have kept these items over years. The dress reminds you of the event and usually holds special memories," Griffith said.

The collection displays many interesting outfits, such as the wedding dress worn by Dubois Smock, made from very heavy ivory satin with a tight waist, a long train and puffy satin sleeves.

Dresses from the "olden" days were not the only ones on display, however. The museum collection also offers the viewer a wonderful sprinkling of fashions from the 1950s and the 1970s.

When women want the best in wedding gowns, today they visit Vera Wang. Years ago, when women wanted the best for their "coming-out parties," they called on New York designer Ann Low. One of her creations, a 1957 satin, strapless, stylish, frilly pale pink gown with a snug waist is included in the collection.

Looking much like the gown worn by "Cinderella," in Walt Disney's animated film, Low has draped magenta scalloped ribbons similar to the ones crafted by the tiny mice in the movie for the fair princess.

Stepping back in time is easy when you view some of the fashions on display - a "Reception Dress," designed by Madame Washington, made in the 1870s, for instance. The lilac and ivory silk brocade and chenille dress was worn by the donor's grandmother to a reception honoring Civil War Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, or a dress of pale pink silk worn by a young Monmouth County girl to her first formal dance in 1840.

There are also two hats once owned by Julia Norton Hartshorne. A portrait of the young woman is displayed along with the two hats. It seems her husband, Benjamin, who was raised in Monmouth County, moved to San Francisco, where he married Julia in 1862. The couple had three children. To celebrate the upcoming birth of their fourth child, Julia ordered a large number of dresses and hats from Paris, according to Griffith.

By the time the trunk arrived from Europe, however, young Julia had died in childbirth. Benjamin then sold his company and moved back to Monmouth County. The two hats, unfortunately never worn by Julia, one in vivid maroon silk, which still has the paper designer tag on it, and a black hat with a long veil, are both on display.

A little boy's suit made in 1900 along with a young girl's party dress are also on display. A pair of white satin wedding shoes along with several tiny pocketbooks and a wonderful green silk bonnet (Calash) worn in 1790 sit in a glass case.

The collection also contains a variety of hats crafted from various materials such as silk, velvet and straw - some bejeweled, others trimmed with flowers or fringe.

There are several sassy-looking evening dresses from the 1920s and 1930s trimmed in sequins and beads and edged in heavy silky fringe. The exquisite dresses were indicative of the bold fashions of the era.

Included in the collection is a crisp teal green formal dress made from chiffon acetate. This dress with its chiffon overlay and full skirt depict an era that many who view the exhibit may remember with fondness

A polyester long back dress with long sleeves created by one of the most famous designers of the 1960s and 1970s, Rudy Gernrich, is also on exhibit. According to Griffith, Gernrich is responsible for introducing fashion shockers such as the topless bathing suit in 1965.

An enormous amount of work has gone into displaying the collection.

Most of the garments do not hang on just any ordinary mannequins but are painstakingly crafted by the museum's curator, Bernadette Rogoff. According to Griffith, Rogoff crafts the mannequins from PVC pipes, which are very flexible. She then has an assortment of padding that covers the pipes to shape the body of the mannequin to fit the dress. Griffith said because of the sensitivity of the fabrics, it is safer to make the mannequin fit the dress rather than the other way around.

The "Dress Up" exhibit also has a collection of accessories including jewelry, shoes, shawls and other items as well as a collection of ephemera displayed on the second floor.

Under glass are copies of "Godey's Lady's Book," a publication launched in 1930 for female readers. It featured short stories and essays with "a sentimental tone." The book featured various hand-colored fashion plates sprinkled within the pages of the book.

The second-floor room also has a collection of clothing and fashion accessory advertisements, as well as photos and etchings.

For information about the "Dress Up" exhibit, call (732) 462-1466.