Fashion show at Johnson County Museum illustrates swing in politics, society, culture

If you remember the vibrant colors of the swinging ’60s or just feel like a blast from the past, the Johnson County Museum’s new fashion exhibit might be just the ticket for you.

“Free to Be... A 1960s Fashion Revolution” features 32 vintage outfits, mostly sourced from Johnson County Community College’s fashion merchandising and design department’s collection. Other pieces come from other nearby resources, such as Kansas State University’s Historic Costume and Textiles Museum.

“We think of the ’60s as a decade of massive change in politics, in society, in culture. And that was true in fashion, too, especially women’s fashion,” said Andrew Gustafson, curator of interpretation for the Johnson County Museum.

Although the fashions themselves show national and even international trends, many, if not most, of the pieces on display are pieces people bought and wore here in the Kansas City area. Gustafson said the decade presented consumers with many more options through patterns, styles, fit and prices.

It’s not the first time the museum has partnered with JCCC’s fashion department, but the previous exhibits have been much smaller in scope.

“We have a collection on campus, but we don’t have a space on campus where we can get it out of the closet and show the public. This provides a way for us to get some exposure for the collection and let the community see it,” said Joy Rhodes, chairperson of the department.

She said she’s currently looking into grants and fundraising opportunities that might be able to fund such a space at the college to display some of their thousands of pieces.

Rhodes and two others from the college worked with the museum to do research and narrow down what would go into the current exhibit.

“It’s probably one of my favorite decades in history,” Rhodes said. “It was the first time there no rules. It was the beginning of the ‘anything goes’ in fashion. There was something for everybody, and it’s neat to see it tied to what was going on in history at that time. It tells a story.

“A lot of people don’t really think of fashion as a historic thing. They don’t really realize how much it parallels history in general — arts and architecture and all of that.”

There are four main divisions in the exhibit. The naturalist section encompasses things such as the counter-culture and craft movements, contrasting with the modernist display that showcases a space age influence. Nearby are examples of workplace attire and high society socialite fashion.

Text-based panels put each style in historical context with what was going on at the time. They also highlight local designers such as Nelly Don and Cloteele Raspberry.

“I think the goal is for people to have a chance to see some fun, in some cases zany, clothes but really come away with the idea that out of 1960s, we get our present fashion. Before the 1960s, especially in the 1950s, it was a real prescribed look and to do otherwise painted you as a rabble-rouser,” Gustafson said.

Casie Lacey, of Osawatomie, brought her three kids to see it, as they visited the museum for the first time. One attractive feature of the exhibit for them was the fabric swatches in front of each display.

“I like the sample you can actually touch,” she said.

A passion for vintage clothing brought Mission resident Lauren Loya to the exhibit.

“I love learning about decades past, the handiwork and the embellishing,” she said.

Mission resident Chris Wright had a different perspective upon seeing the collection.

“It looks unique, but none of it looks comfortable to wear,” he said.

The exhibit opened June 1 but lasts through Jan. 11, so there’s plenty of time to see it. It’s included in the regular admission price for the Johnson County Museum, $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, students and military and $4 for children.

The museum will host related programming throughout the year. The next program — “The Psychedelic Revolution of the 1960s”, about the influence of drugs on artistic expression of the decade — is at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 18. Tickets for that are $8.