About

Welcome to the Texas Fashion Collection in the College of Visual Arts and Design at the University of North Texas.

The TFC is dedicated to preserving and documenting historically significant fashion as an educational resource for students, researchers, and the general public. This mission draws from a long history of institutions and individuals passionate about fashion history and design.

TFC facilities include two spaces: a storage facility and administrative space located at Welch Street Complex 1; and a smaller study collection, the Gloria and Bruzzy Westheimer Student Research Gallery, located in the UNT Art Building, Room 259. Both spaces are open by appointment only.

Over 7,000 individual items have been photographed and documented in the UNT Digital Library. Creating a comprehensive record of the TFC holdings is an ongoing project and will continue to develop through strategic partnerships and as funding and staffing allow.

The TFC regularly partners with cultural institutions to mount exhibitions featuring its world-class holdings. Recent exhibition partners include NorthPark Center, the Tyler Museum of Art, the McNay Art Museum, the San Antonio Museum of Art, the Bullock Texas State History Museum, Salve Regina University Galleries, the UNT College of Visual Arts & Design Galleries, and the Greater Denton Arts Council, among others. TFC artifacts have been featured in exhibitions at the Kimbell Art Museum, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Meadows Museum, the Queen Sofia Spanish Institute, the George W. Bush Presidential Library, the de Young Museum, the Museum at FIT, and the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Image: Wedding ensemble of ivory silk embroidered with green and yellow crewel flowers. A) Dress. The dress has a sleeveless bodice with a scoop neck and fitted seaming. The skirt is floor-length at the front, with a train at the back. The surface of the skirt is decorated with crewel embroidery of flowers in pinks, greens, reds, and blues. The lower part of the skirt has a wide band of lace in floral patterns, with an underlayer of pleated plain net with embroidered dots. The dress has a center back zipper closure, is lined in ivory fabric, and has an attached petticoat. Read more about the wedding dress on the UNT Digital Library.