Did they really used to dress like that? A question often asked. Fashion in all its many forms and from whatever period of history provides an ongoing fascination for millions of people around the planet. Indeed, we can only guess at the overall size of the world’s fashion industry today in all its forms and the contribution it brings to the international economy. For the huge number of people around the globe with an interest in period millinery, fashion in general and textiles, the following list offers details of some of the more notable fashion museums, collections and archives in the United Kingdom, North America, mainland Europe and around the world. These venues offer much to interest both locals and visitors alike and I am greatly indebted to the knowledgeable Anne Bissonnette Phd – Curator, Clothing and Textile Collection, University of Alberta, Canada for her generous input and expertise in providing this information.
United Kingdom:
Victoria & Albert Museum, London. www.vam.ac.uk
Also view – collections.vam.ac.uk
Museum of London. www.museumoflondon.org.uk
Wardown Park Museum. www.wardownparkmuseum.com
Stockport Hat Works Museum. www.stockport.gov.uk/hatworks
The Fashion Museum, Bath. www.museumofcostume.co.uk
Norwich Castle Study Centre.
North America:
The Hat Museum, Portland, Oregon. www.thehatmuseum.com
Fashion Institute of Technology, New York. www.fitnyc.edu
Philadelphia Museum of Art. www.philamuseum.org
Los Angeles County Museum of Art. www.lacma.org
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. www.mfa.org
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. www.mfah.org
Ohio State University Costume Collection. www.costume.osu.edu
University of Alberta Clothing & Textile Collection. www.ualberta.ca
Costume Museum of Canada. www.costumemuseum.com
Museum of Costume & Textile of Quebec. www.mctq.org
Royal Alberta Museum. www.royalalbertamuseum.ca
Royal Ontario Museum. www.rom.on.ca
Phoenix Art Museum, Costume Department. www.phxart.org
Texas Fashion Collection. www.tfc.unt.edu
Textile Museum (Washinton DC). www.textilemuseum.org
The Valentine Museum, Costumes and Textiles. www.richmondhistorycenter.com
de Young Museum, Textile Arts Collection. www.deyoung.famsf.org
Kent State University Museum. www.kent.edu
FIDM Museum. www.fidmmuseum.org
Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design. Costume/Textiles. www.ridsmuseum.org
Museum of the City of New York. Fashion, Costumes and Textiles. collections.mcny.org - United States
Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. www.metmuseum.org
Europe:
Musée des Arts Décoratifs. www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr
Espace Mode Mediterranée. www.m-mmm.fr
Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris, Paris Galliera. www.museums-of-paris.com
Musée de L’impression sur Etoffes, Mulhouse. www.musee-impression.com
Mode Museum, Antwerp. www.momu.be
German Historical Museum. Textiles and Clothes Department. www.dhm.de
International:
The Costume Museum of Japan. www.fashionmuseum.or.jp
Kyoto Costume Institute. www.kci.or.jp
The C.P. Nel Museum, Oudtshoorn, Western Cape Province, South Africa. www.cpnelmuseum.co.za
Professional Organisations:
Costume Society of America. www.costumesocietyamerica.com
Costume Society of Great Britain. www.costumesociety.org.uk
International Council of Museums. www.icom.museum
International Textiles and Apparel Association. www.itaaonline.org
The Textile Society (UK). www.textilesociety.org.uk
The Textile Society of America. www.textilesociety.org