Past Exhibitions and Events
"Tongue in Chic: The Humor and High Fashion of Todd Oldham"
May 31–Sept. 15
Tyler Museum of Art, Tyler, Texas
It's all in the details! "Tongue in Chic: The Humor and High Fashion of Todd Oldham."
This exhibition draws inspiration from flea market finds to Lite Brite toys!
The exclusivity of high fashion and the familiarity of everyday life merge in the
work of Texan designer Todd Oldham (b.1961). Through Oldham’s trademark wit and commitment
to craft, the images and items around us transform into unexpected delights. Conservative
paisley neckties and plaid picnic blankets become wearable works of art, and travel
magazines and Lite Brite toys serve as sources of inspiration. Through this creative
alchemy, Oldham reminds us to celebrate the world around us and delight in the everyday.
This exhibition is presented in collaboration with the Texas Fashion Collection, an
archive at the University of North Texas College of Visual Arts and Design.
Floral in Fashion Exhibition, Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden
Floral fashion is a curated exhibit by Annette Becker, director of the Texas Fashion Collection at UNT. The pieces range from depictions
of hibiscus flowers, “Bette Ann,” symbolizing Hawaiian glamorous leisure vacations,
to a modern “Aloha” ensemble highlighting Hawaiian-inspired Japanese streetwear.
Immerse yourself in the captivating world of floral fashion at the Dallas Arboretum
and Botanical Garden. Experience the blend of fashion and nature like never before.
Exhibition
"Floral in Fashion"
Dates: June 1–Aug. 4
Location: Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, 8525 Garland Road, Dallas, Texas
75218 in the DeGolyer House
Tickets: Included with admission or membership price
Image: View the Hanae Mori Silk Chiffon Hostess Dress in the DeGolyer House. Behold
the exquisite Hanae Mori evening ensemble, featuring green floral print silk adorned
with white chrysanthemums and pink peonies. The full-length silk chiffon overdress
boasts elbow-length sleeves and tied hems, complemented by a slip-style underdress
with a crisscross back and elegant side slits. This masterpiece is a testament to
floral-inspired fashion's intricate beauty and elegance.
Texas Fashion Collection presents "Labor of Luxury" at NorthPark Center, Dallas
April 8, 2024 — Shimmering sequins, dense beads, and delicate embroidery transform
quotidian garments into extraordinary works of art. While many Euro-American luxury
designers have developed followings based on these sophisticated techniques, few people
realize most fashion surface design is executed in another part of the world: India.
The Texas Fashion Collection presents "Labor of Luxury: The Art of Embroidery from India to the World," which will be displayed at NorthPark Center in Dallas from April 8 through May 19.
The exhibition is free to the public and accessible during NorthPark's open hours.
It can be viewed near Nordstrom Court on the west wing of the Center.
Labor of Luxury features fifteen designs drawn from the permanent collection of the
Texas Fashion Collection, an archive of nearly 20,000 garments and accessories housed
within the College of Visual Arts and Design at the University of North Texas in Denton.
These high fashion garments offer opportunities to reconsider the histories of work
by designers Mary McFadden, Zandra Rhodes, Halston, Todd Oldham, and Dries Van Noten
- all designers whose highly embellished garments relied on the expertise of Indian
artisans for their production. The exhibition also highlights Indian designers who
engage with their cultural heritage to craft garments with global appeal. Featured
Indian designers include Naeem Khan, ASHISH, Manish Arora, and the brand Papa Don't
Preach.
The exhibition was curated by Annette Becker, TFC director, with support from Ailie
Pankonien, TFC collection manager, and students Anna Smith, Annie Puga, Collin Farley,
Gabby Goldstein, Jarryd Lara and Isabel Saldivar.
A second iteration of this exhibition will be on view in the UNT College of Visual
Arts and Design Gallery from Oct. 1 through Feb. 1, 2025. Further information is
forthcoming.
Exhibition Dates, Hours, and Location
April 8-May 19, 2024
For NorthPark Center hours, see the NorthPark Center's Visit web page.
Address: 8687 N Central Expressway, Dallas, TX 75225
Location: Near Nordstrom Court, on the west side of NorthPark Center
Hats: Humor & High Design — presented by the Texas Fashion Collection & the Milliners
Guild
March 1, 2022 — From Zoolander to Moschino, fashion uses outrageousness and humor
to catch our attention. During the turmoil of World War II, the “Mad Hatter of Chicago”
Benjamin Green-Field, pictured here with a hat model, declared “Anything which makes people laugh at this
point in world history may be said to have its own excuse for being.”
The Milliners Guild and Texas Fashion Collection announced their collaboration on
a fashion exhibition titled Hats: Humor and High Design. Free to all NorthPark visitors from March 7-May 15, the exhibition celebrates fashionable
laughs and headwear as a space for stylistic experimentation. Featured designs include
the top 10 finalists of the Milliners Guild "Bes-Ben: Humor and High Design Hat Competition" alongside contemporary and historic milliners such as Stephen Jones, Cigmond Meachen, Byron Lars, Benjamin Green-Field, Cristóbal Balenciaga, and Jack McConnell. On public view for the first time will be unique creations from the TFC holdings
by Dallas-based milliners Ian Dellar, Sue Dooley, and Edna Mye.
The inspiration for this exhibition came from the capricious and surrealist millinery
designs of Benjamin Green-Field. Known under the label Bes-Ben, his hats featured unusual trims such as dancing rabbits,
playing cards, and golden birds. The exhibition features two original Bes-Ben hats alongside examples from other milliners who bring
wit and whimsy to their designs. This project revels in the collective imagination
and ingenuity displayed by milliners of the past 90 years.
The exhibition was curated by Annette Becker, director of the Texas Fashion Collection, part of the College of Visual Arts and Design at the University of North Texas, and Laura Del Villaggio, milliner, teacher and member of the Milliners Guild.
The Milliners Guild is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to increase
the public's awareness of the skill set and products used in the headwear trade. The
Milliners Guild's membership includes small business owners, seasoned artisans and
emerging designers and supports those who design, produce, and promote handmade headwear
by offering education, access to resources and global exposure.
Exhibition Dates, Hours and Location
March 7-May 15, 2022
Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Sunday: Noon-6 p.m.
NorthPark Center, 8687 N. Central Expressway, Dallas, TX 75225
Texas Fashion Collection looks ahead to delight in the spring exhibition
Aug. 19, 2021: In partnership with the CVAD Galleries, the Texas Fashion Collection will open the spring exhibition
"Delight: Selections from the Texas Fashion Collection" on Jan. 25, 2022, said Annette Becker, TFC director and curator. Running through May 21, the project will feature more
than 35 wide-ranging examples of the collection's world-class holdings, from elite
Parisian haute couture to kitschy digital prints to playful pop art in the CVAD Gallery,
inside of the UNT Art Building.
Drawing inspiration from a New York Times best-selling collection of essays, "The
Book of Delights" by Ross Gay, poet and English professor at Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind., the exhibition
encourages visitors to seek joy, curiosity, and whimsy in the selected artifacts and
their accompanying stories. Featured designers include UNT alumnus Michael Faircloth, Dallas-based Page Boy Maternity, and Texan Todd Oldham, as well as internationally renowned designers such as Vera Wang, Rei Kakwakubo, Patrick Kelly and Cristobal Balenciaga, among others. Exhibition-related programming is forthcoming, Becker said.
CVAD Gallery, UNT Art Building
CVAD Gallery Hours: Tuesday-Saturday: Noon-5 p.m. | Thursday: Noon-8 p.m.
Address: 1201 W. Mulberry St., Art Building, Room 160
Image credit: Patrick Kelly, designer, detail of a pinstripe skirt suit with novelty dice print and buttons,
Spring-Summer 1989, Museum Purchase, Texas Fashion Collection. Image description:
Detail of boxy black pinstripe jacket with randomly placed pockets and colorful dice
buttons and blouse with black-and-white dice motif on a mannequin.
Fashion in Residence, NorthPark Center, Dallas
March 29, 2021 — Celebrating a century of at-home dress at NorthPark Center in Dallas, the Texas Fashion Collection's Fashion in Residence exhibition explores the design innovations and cultural changes
associated with clothing worn in private, domestic spaces. From transforming homes
into venues for entertaining during Prohibition in the 1920s to the COVID-19 pandemic
reshaping our living spaces into primary sites for leisure, our wardrobes have long
responded to changing demands of our times. Curated by TFC Director Annette Becker, the exhibition is scheduled from March 29 through June 6, 2021.
From a design perspective, at-home contexts have inspired styles previously unconsidered
by Euro-American fashion consumers, Becker said. While American designers turning
to the Middle East and Asia expanded their design vocabularies, this cultural curiosity
also resulted in the appropriation and the exotification of traditional forms of non-Western
dress and culture. The remnants of that humanistic yet problematic inspiration-seeking
remain today in the forms of caftans, wide-legged trousers, and kimono-inspired leisurewear.
Within American popular culture, advances in at-home dress empowered women by gently
challenging the acceptable-dress boundaries. While society did not widely accept women
wearing pants until the 1970s, hostess ensembles as early as the 1920s included bifurcated
garments. When televisions flooded American homes in the 1950s, designer Claire McCardell designed the first “television suit,” an ensemble somewhere between a house dress
and nighttime pajamas. The 1960s sexual revolution pushed lingerie out of the bedroom
and onto the pages of fashion magazines, enlivening intimate apparel options. And
in 2020, Nell Diamond, the creative director of “fashion world's favorite home brand,” designed the trademarked
“Nap Dress,” a lightweight cotton garment made for many people's new favorite at-home
leisure activity.
Fashion in Residence draws from the nearly 20,000 historical and designer garments
and accessories that make up the Texas Fashion Collection. Part of the College of
Visual Arts and Design at the University of North Texas and housed at the Denton campus,
this unique repository collects and documents historic dress and high fashion from
past centuries through the present. The Texas Fashion Collection was created by various
notable groups and individuals whose vision and style continue to inspire students,
researchers, and visitors.
The UNT College of Visual Arts and Design fosters creative futures for its diverse
student population through rigorous arts-based education, studio practice, scholarship,
and research.
Image: Caftan designed by Bill Blass, manufactured by Maurice Rentner, silk jersey knit, 1966, a gift to the TFC by Neiman-Marcus. Inset: Vogue, September 1966.
Media Mentions
March 29: D Magazine article — "UNT's Historic Fashion Collection are on View at NorthPark Center"
March 29: DallasCulture Map article — "Comfy Quarantine Fashion Inspires Stylish new
Special Event: You're invited! Register today!
Ever wanted to take a sneak peek into UNT's famous Texas Fashion Collection? Here's
your chance!
The UNT Alumni Association is presenting UNT Alumni Live! with Annette Becker, (2015, M.A.) curator of the TFC. You will get an up-close look and great commentary
as Annette takes you inside the vault to see some of the extraordinary and memorable
pieces in the 20,000-piece collection.
April 30, 2020 | 4 p.m., CST
UNT Alumni Live! airs via Zoom and Facebook Live every Thursday at 4 p.m. CST as
a presentation of the UNT Alumni Association. All alumni, faculty, staff and students
are welcome!
TFC Talk: April 21, 2020 | 5:30 p.m.
Reservations not required
Talk Title: The Oscars of Fashion: How Dallas Became a Fashion Capital
Location: The Town of Highland Park Harvey R. "Bum" Bright Library, 4700 Drexel Dr., Highland
Park, TX 75205
Description: Paris. Milan. Tokyo. Dallas? Yes, Dallas! Our city has long served as one of the
world's major fashion capitals, largely due to the efforts of the Dallas-based department
store Neiman Marcus and its prestigious award. Colloquially called the “Oscars of
Fashion,” the Neiman Marcus Award brought international fashion figures like Christian
Dior, Coco Chanel, Emilio Pucci, and Hanae Mori to town, exposing Dallasites to the
hottest and boldest designs. This, in turn, brought the international press to Dallas,
showcasing our city as a cultural hotspot wrapped in Southern hospitality. Join UNT
Texas Fashion Collection Director Annette Becker for a romp through history, and learn more about our city's connections with the
biggest names in fashion!
Faux Real: Fashions Inspired by Nature
On view at NorthPark Center, Dallas | March 4–May 5, 2019
Though nature and art are often seen as opposing forces, fashion designers have significantly
contributed to the ongoing and often controversial conversations about our relationship
with the natural world. While featured ensembles are made exclusively of vegetarian
materials, many incorporate synthetic surrogates that look and feel like their natural
counterparts. Others push beyond realism, with entirely fictional or exaggerated fantastical
textures and patterns offering a supernatural look at the familiar. Together, these
designers recreate, interrogate and subvert natural materials and patterns so that
we might have a better understanding of and appreciation for the world around us.
Age of the Supermodel
On view at Galleria Dallas | Sept. 15–Oct. 28, 2018
Presented in partnership with 1814 Magazine and Maison Christian Lacroix, this exhibition
features the world of haute couture in the early 1990s. Shown alongside Donna DeMari's
behind-the-scenes photographs of supermodels preparing for Paris Fashion Week and
runway footage from the Paris catwalk, the TFC offers ten haute couture and high fashion
ensembles by Balmain, Oscar de la Renta, Hubert de Givenchy, Christian Lacroix, and
Valentino. Together these illustrate a highly charged moment in fashion history when
haute couture faced the challenge of defining itself and fashion was defined by superstar
models. Photo courtesy of Sheryl Lanzel.
Galleria Dallas, "Age of the Supermodel"
Daniel Kusner, Dallas Morning News, "Travel to the glamazon '90s with 'Age of the Supermodel'"
West Dressed: Fashions Inspired by the American Frontier
On view at NorthPark Center, Dallas
April 13–June 17, 2018: The American West looms large in our imaginations, with tall
tales, spaghetti westerns, and other forms of visual culture creating a fantastical
and idealized view of the past. Fashion designers often explore these tropes, shaping,
reinforcing, and challenging contemporary ideas through their own interpretations
of popular history. Drawn from the holdings of the TFC's permanent collection, this
exhibition presents American, Native American, and international fashion designers
whose work encourages us to think more deeply about our own ideas of this larger-than-life
past.
Holly Haber, Women's Wear Daily, "'West Dressed' Exhibition Opens in Dallas"
NorthPark Center, "West Dressed"
Aashni Pabley, DFW Style Daily, "West Dressed: The Wild Old West Meets High Fashion"
UNT News, "Texas Fashion Collection Takes 'West Dressed' to Dallas' NorthPark Center"
Christian Allaire, Vogue, "How Six Indigenous Designers are Using Fashion to Reclaim Their Culture"
On Bodies: Highlights from The Goss-Michael Foundation and the UNT Texas Fashion Collection
On view at The Goss-Michael Foundation | Nov. 3, 2017–March 1, 2018
Gallery Hours: Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
"On Bodies" features works from the permanent collection of the TFC and The Goss-Michael
Foundation, one of the premier collections of contemporary British fine art in the
United States. High fashion ensembles by John Galliano, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Todd
Oldham, Zac Posen, and other illustrate the ways that fashion designers literally
and figuratively shape our bodies, while artworks by Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst, James
Gilbert, and others offer more abstracted ways of considered our complex embodied
experiences. Photo credit: Abigail Firth.
UNT News, "UNT's Texas Fashion Collection features ensembles along British art in new exhibition"
Sportswear to Athleisure: The Creation of Comfortable Clothing
On view at UNT Fashion on Main | Sept. 8–Dec. 8, 2017
“Sportswear to Athleisure” draws from the holdings of the Texas Fashion Collection,
part of the University of North Texas College of Visual Arts and Design. This exhibition
features historic ensembles from iconic sportswear designers Claire McCardell, Vera
Maxwell, and Calvin Klein and includes recent acquisitions by Riccardo Tisci, Yohji
Yamamoto, Charles Smith II, and Mary Katrantzou. Together these ensembles demonstrate
the chronology of comfortable clothing, from early outdoor leisure fashions to stylish
gym-to-street athleisure of today. Photo credit: Brandon Nichols.
UNT News, "Texas Fashion Collection explores the history of comfortable clothing in new exhibition"
Reimagining the Kimono
On view at NorthPark Center, Dallas | May 1–June 26, 2017
Reimagining the Kimono, organized by the Texas Fashion Collection, explores the ways
in which the kimono has inspired designers through its form, fabric, and floral motifs.
Late 20th-century Japanese wedding kimonos, known as uchikake, represent the traditional
garment with bold use of color and pattern. Selections of silk chiffon haute couture
gowns by Hanae Mori offer modern interpretations of Japanese iconography and the iconic
form of the kimono. Historic designs by Oscar de la Renta, Pauline Trigere, and Karl
Lagerfeld for Chloe, among others, offer high-fashion examples of the multiplicity
of ways in which the kimono has inspired American and European designers.
WFAA Good Morning Texas, "Reimagining the Kimono at NorthPark Center"
Deborah Fleck, Dallas Morning News, "University of North Texas presents kimono display at NorthPark Center"
UNT News, "UNT's Texas Fashion Collection presents exhibition of kimonos at NorthPark Center"
NorthPark Center, "Spring at the Park: Reimagining the Kimono
An Artistic Alliance: Art and Couture by Amy Zerner from the collection of Torie Gibralter
On view at UNT ArtSpace, Dallas | Nov. 2015–Jan. 2016
This exhibition represents the bond that was formed between the artist Amy Zerner,
and her friend, patron, and client, Torie Gibralter of Dallas. The designs include
an array of jackets, robes, kimonos and tapestries created by Amy for Torie to enjoy
over the past decade. Fashion designers are often inspired by their clients in compelling
ways, forming a unique kind of exchange that goes on between the customer who comes
to a specific designer seeking a custom-made garment.
Art Meets Fashion: 1965-2015
On view at NorthPark Center, Dallas | August 2015–January 2016
This celebratory exhibition features specific examples of dress chosen to reflect
the synergy between art and fashion during the past fifty years, from 1965 to the
present. The works included illustrating the highly creative ways that art and fashion
have intersected and continue to break new ground. Fashion revivals champion design
elements of the recent past and continue to be reinterpreted as visible, vibrant markers
of culture today.
American Brides: Inspiration and Ingenuity
On view at Patterson-Appleton Center for the Visual Arts, Denton, Texas | June–October
2014
For a complete tour of the gallery installation please view the American Brides gallery
The Joy Losee Collection: Art and Dress Along the Silk Road
On view at UNT Art Gallery, Denton, Texas | January–February 2013
Celebrating selected international dress from recent donations to the TFC by Joy Losee,
this exhibition draws together garments from across the Eastern Hemisphere and encourages
the contemplation of traditional dress as a vital part of material culture. It provides
an opportunity to examine costumes that incorporate designs and motifs derived from
the artistic traditions of peoples from a six-thousand-mile area of overlapping trade
routes.
Adrian: Glamour in the Age of Austerity
On view at UNT Fashion on Main, Dallas, TX | Sept. 15–Nov. 11, 2011
Gilbert Adrian, best known as Adrian, was born in Connecticut in 1903. He quickly
made his mark as a costume designer, designing for all the great stars of the time,
such as Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford. He encountered substantial obstacles resulting
from WWII, such as rationing restrictions on fabrics and dyes, but he realized that
the war brought a special opportunity for American designers to gain recognition.
With great versatility and a wide range of inspirations, Adrian became a leader to
other American designers and helped establish the American high-fashion industry.
Whether it was a sparkling gown or a tailored suit, Adrian dared to design American.
American by Design: The 1950s
On view at UNT Fashion on Main, Dallas | Jan. 28–March 25, 2011
The fashion of the 1950s is synonymous with the full-skirted, tiny waist silhouettes
prompted by Christian Dior's New Look. People were optimistic as the economy boomed.
Women were ready to look feminine and pretty, which began with the `right' dress.
Impeccably groomed and accessorized, American women gained a reputation around the
world for their beauty. New York became a style center in the world market. American
fashion designers became household names. Each of the designers featured in this exhibition
found creative ways to deliver the perfect dress for every occasion. They promoted
comfort, versatility, and functionality while embracing fine tailoring and innovative
design. Synthetic fabrics were introduced which opened new possibilities for the designer,
and the ease of care for the consumer. American design made its mark during the 1950s
and continues to impact the world of high fashion.
Child's Play: A Children's Fashion Story
On view at UNT Fashion on Main, Dallas, TX | Feb. 19–May 7, 2010
This exhibition allows us to peek through the social, historical lens of childhood
through time beginning with the post Civil War through The Great Depression. Girls'
party dresses, several boys' outfits, and many other children's wear treasures from
the Texas Fashion Collection and the private collection of Steven Porterfield, owner
of the Cat's Meow in Midland, Texas are featured. We see children's influence shaping
and shifting fabrics and palettes, and casting off corsets and crinolines in the name
of Child's Play.
Egyptian Elegance
On view at UNT Fashion on Main, Dallas, TX | Feb. 5–May 15, 2009
Explore evening gowns inspired by the garments of ancient Egypt in a new exhibition
from the Texas Fashion Collection, part of the University of North Texas College of
Visual Arts and Design. Egyptian Elegance coincides with the Dallas Museum of Art's
ongoing Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs exhibition. The exhibition
draws from the 20th-century holdings of the Texas Fashion Collection and features
twenty dramatic evening gowns inspired by such ancient Egyptian garments as the kalasiris,
tunic or caftan and neo-classical draping by designers such as Oscar de la Renta,
Giorgio di ‘Sant Angelo, Ralph Rucci, and Germain Monteil.
University of North Texas 
The innovative designs and designers featured in 
Exhibition: March 2–May 17, 2020