When Fashion and History Collide

I love history. I love fashion. When these worlds collide, I have to be in the building. Last year, I attended the Cleveland Museum of Art’s exhibit on the Jazz Age and the Western Historical Reserve Society’s 150th-anniversary party. So it shouldn’t surprise you that Saturday night, I attended Somewhere in Time: Satin & Soot, a tribute to 1870s Cleveland at the Western Reserve Historical Society.

The obvious elephant in the room: the 1870s wasn’t a great time to be black. Sure slavery was technically over, but... That reality was not lost on me or the other party goers. People went out of their way to make us feel included “this time around.” By the end of the night, I blocked it out and enjoyed the evening. With help from the open bar, of course.

Walking around the event was like walking through time. There were so many elaborate and well-executed costumes; ranging from Victorian to Steampunk to vixens. I had a great time taking it all in.

The event was the perfect way to kick off this year in fashion and it made me wonder if I should combine my love of history and fashion for the blog. Would you guys be into it if I posted a weekly historical fashion fact? Let me know in the comments.