Haute Couture Club visual materials

Descriptive Summary

Title: Haute Couture Club visual materials
Dates: ca 1959-1975
Identifier: 1989.0779
Creator: Haute Couture Club of Chicago
Creator
Size: .25 linear feet, including 111 images (1 box)
Language: Material is in English unless otherwise noted.

Scope and Content

Black-and-white (89) and color (22) photographic prints and contact sheets and press releases documenting the activities of the Haute Couture Club, a Chicago-based tailoring and fashion club begun by students of tailor Helen Barker including fashion shows, gatherings at fabric stores, and the Mod Hat party for which participants created decorated hats. Some images were used to publicize the club and the Central YMCA Community College through which the classes were offered. Some images of gatherings may predate the formal start of the club.

Conditions for Access

Advance appointment required to view material from cold storage.

Conditions Governing Use

Some restrictions may apply. Credit photographer.

Preferred Citation

Please cite collection as Haute Couture Club visual materials (Chicago History Museum) plus a detailed description, date, and box/folder number of a specific item.

Acquisition Information

Hertzler, Julia1989/09/16Gift.1989.0779

Biography or History

The Haute Couture Club was begun by students of Helen Barker in 1964. Barker, Chicago's first woman tailor, began offering classes in English tailoring at the Central YMCA Community College in 1962.The club staged its first fashion show in 1966, which became an annual event; the club's offerings grew to include monthly meetings, educational programming, and other reoccurring events. While adherence to Barker's traditional tailoring techniques was an initial requirement of membership, the club eventually relaxed the technical proficiency components to encourage wider membership. As of 2014, the club had approximately 160 members.

Related Material

Related materials at the Chicago History Museum, Research Center include the Haute Couture Club records, the Margaret Walters papers; Fashion tennial 76 (Call # MB003092); and the club's periodical, Tailored Tales (Call # TT500.T3).

Alternate Format Available

Parts of this collection have been digitized. Please contact the Rights and Reproductions department at rightsrepro@chicagohistory.org for more information.

Contents

Collection Access