You can learn a lot about people by looking at the clothes they wear, according to Barbara Adams.
Sam Tenney / The Citizen
Barb Adams models an antique dress that a suffragette would have been likely to wear on the steps of the Scipioville Presbyterian Church. The church's collection of antique dresses will be showcased during the Parade of Historical Fashions show at the Frontenac Museum in Union Springs this weekend.
Barb Adams models an antique dress that a suffragette would have been likely to wear on the steps of the Scipioville Presbyterian Church. The church's collection of antique dresses will be showcased during the Parade of Historical Fashions show at the Frontenac Museum in Union Springs this weekend.
For instance, women who lived in this area during the late 1800s and early 1900s were very practical, Adams said.
“If you look at their outfits and see how the hems were worn and mended, you see how practical people were,” she said.
Adams is familiar with the clothes of yesteryear through Scipioville Presbyterian Church, where she is a member. The church occasionally shows pieces from a large collection of vintage women's clothing dating back more than a century.
Adams has been participating in these events for approximately a dozen years. Scipioville Presbyterian will provide the costumes Sunday for the Parade of Historical Fashions, a vintage fashion show at the Frontenac Museum in Union Springs.
The show is one of two fashion-related events this weekend. The Onondaga Historical Association Museum in Syracuse will host its own “Unfashion Fashion Show,” which will feature outfits through the 1950s and 1960s.
The Scipioville church's collection includes outfits that would have been used for a variety of occasions, Adams said. This collection includes dresses sported by the flappers of the 1920s, and there is a white suit worn by a suffragette during a march.
Each show ends with a finale of wedding gowns.
The pieces have been shown at the state fair as well as many museums over the years. Many of them have to be modeled by pre-teen girls, Adams said.
“You realize that body shapes have changed, and women have gotten bigger,” she said.
The Scipioville church's collection started to form 25 years ago when a couple members were looking through their attics for old clothes. One of those members was Dorothy VanNostrand, who still participates in the shows.
Over the years, people have added pieces from their own closets and attics to the collection, VanNostrand said. Today, there are close to 100 outfits, as well as accessories and other personal items to go with them.
VanNostrand, who stores the entire collection in her basement, said she is still shocked by some of the things women would have to do to get dressed a century ago.
Between the layers of petticoats and hoops, it can be difficult to even move much in some of the dresses, she said.
“How we ever let ourselves talk each other into wearing those hoops and bustles, I don't know,” VanNostrand said.
But for Adams, there is a certain amount of fantasy that makes the shows fun, especially for the younger participants. It is almost like playing dress-up, she said.
“You look at some of the outfits that are made of just beautiful silk, and they are so delicate,” Adams said.
And for the older crowd, the dresses can bring back memories, she added.
“We've shown them at nursing homes, and some of the women will say they owned ones like these. They want to see them up close and touch them,” Adams said. “These things can be very personal for people.”
Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net.
If you go
What: Onondaga Historical Association Museum's “An Unfashion Fashion Show”
When: 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday
Where: OHA Museum, 321
Montgomery St., Syracuse
Cost: $15
Info: Call 428-1864 or visit www.cnyhistory.org
What: Parade of Historical Fashions
When: 2 p.m. Sunday
Where: Frontenac Museum, 178 Cayuga St., Union Springs
Cost: Free
Info: Call 889-5875
“If you look at their outfits and see how the hems were worn and mended, you see how practical people were,” she said.
Adams is familiar with the clothes of yesteryear through Scipioville Presbyterian Church, where she is a member. The church occasionally shows pieces from a large collection of vintage women's clothing dating back more than a century.
Adams has been participating in these events for approximately a dozen years. Scipioville Presbyterian will provide the costumes Sunday for the Parade of Historical Fashions, a vintage fashion show at the Frontenac Museum in Union Springs.
The show is one of two fashion-related events this weekend. The Onondaga Historical Association Museum in Syracuse will host its own “Unfashion Fashion Show,” which will feature outfits through the 1950s and 1960s.
The Scipioville church's collection includes outfits that would have been used for a variety of occasions, Adams said. This collection includes dresses sported by the flappers of the 1920s, and there is a white suit worn by a suffragette during a march.
Each show ends with a finale of wedding gowns.
The pieces have been shown at the state fair as well as many museums over the years. Many of them have to be modeled by pre-teen girls, Adams said.
“You realize that body shapes have changed, and women have gotten bigger,” she said.
The Scipioville church's collection started to form 25 years ago when a couple members were looking through their attics for old clothes. One of those members was Dorothy VanNostrand, who still participates in the shows.
Over the years, people have added pieces from their own closets and attics to the collection, VanNostrand said. Today, there are close to 100 outfits, as well as accessories and other personal items to go with them.
VanNostrand, who stores the entire collection in her basement, said she is still shocked by some of the things women would have to do to get dressed a century ago.
Between the layers of petticoats and hoops, it can be difficult to even move much in some of the dresses, she said.
“How we ever let ourselves talk each other into wearing those hoops and bustles, I don't know,” VanNostrand said.
But for Adams, there is a certain amount of fantasy that makes the shows fun, especially for the younger participants. It is almost like playing dress-up, she said.
“You look at some of the outfits that are made of just beautiful silk, and they are so delicate,” Adams said.
And for the older crowd, the dresses can bring back memories, she added.
“We've shown them at nursing homes, and some of the women will say they owned ones like these. They want to see them up close and touch them,” Adams said. “These things can be very personal for people.”
Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net.
If you go
What: Onondaga Historical Association Museum's “An Unfashion Fashion Show”
When: 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday
Where: OHA Museum, 321
Montgomery St., Syracuse
Cost: $15
Info: Call 428-1864 or visit www.cnyhistory.org
What: Parade of Historical Fashions
When: 2 p.m. Sunday
Where: Frontenac Museum, 178 Cayuga St., Union Springs
Cost: Free
Info: Call 889-5875
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