Visiting the Largest Fashion Collection in Texas!

6.18.24

2 hrs.

First On-Site Visit!

I had the opportunity to drive into Denton on Tuesday afternoon and meet with Ailie and Annette. When I arrived, I was greeted by Ailie as we went inside the Texas Fashion Collection building. Annette was busy preparing some mannequins for an upcoming exhibition, so Ailie and I were able to catch up on my progress. First, she took me on a quick tour of the archival space. I had been there before, but it had been many years, plus, every time is like the first time because there is always something new and exciting to see. I took a peek at some men’s 18th-century jackets with amazing embellishments! I saw the Michael Faircloth garments for which I had just finished writing the finding aids. We then walked across campus to a local coffee shop, which is always so nostalgic for me and takes me back many years, reminding me of my early years working on my undergraduate degree. Ahhh, fun times! At the coffee shop, we reviewed my work on Page Boy, and Ailie told me she decided to go with the expanded DACS version of the archives! I was so excited to see my coursework come to fruition and be utilized that way! So, with that in mind, I will need to create a workable template for that version so that Ailie and the students can follow those standards for organizing information.

When we returned to the TFC, we began to discuss my next project: cross-referencing the Neiman Marcus Scrapbook images found in the UNT Digital Library with the garments actually stored in the TFC. Ailie brought out these amazing antique scrapbooks of photographs of Carrie Neiman's garment collection. We went through the four volumes of books and made a list of the ones marked as part of the TFC Collection. My goal is to complete 50 references.

Overall, it was an amazing visit. It was great to meet and have that face-to-face time with Ailie. I admitted to her that the most challenging part of the online program was not having that conversational part with teachers and other students. Ailie and Annette have been so amazing to work with. I am feeling very fortunate!

Below are two photos of the garments and one image taken from the 1905-1948 Neiman Marcus scrapbook.