History is marked by impeccable fashion. Currently, two incredible exhibitions are happening in Oklahoma City right now that highlight the fashion from these moments in time.
Inaugural Impressions
The Oklahoma History Center on NE 23rd Street is a gem that showcases many aspects of our great state. While the entire museum is worth exploring, now through May 30, 2025, the Inaugural Impressions exhibition can be found in the Sam Noble Gallery. This exhibit features 24 gowns worn by 24 of Oklahoma’s First Ladies.
The oldest gown in the collection is from Mrs. Lillian Haskell, the First Lady at the time of Oklahoma’s statehood in 1907. The dress includes over 5,000 French knots and was purchased at the Chicago World’s Fair for $500, which is an estimated $16,705 in today’s money. The most recent garment is a gown on loan from the personal collection of Mrs. Sarah Stitt, made by Sherri Hill, a couture designer of formal and pageant wear.
Heather Franks, Curator of Collections, said that her favorite pieces in the collection are “Ann Bartlett’s pink chiffon number that has a sheer train attached to the shoulders, and Jeanette Edmondson’s white 1950s ballgown—it’s absolutely stunning.” Franks noted, “This exhibit is important to Oklahoma’s history because the gowns themselves represent our state and how we wish to be perceived by the rest of the country. For example, Mrs. Haskell’s gown—it was very much meant as an example of, ‘Look at us, we’re a state now, and we are just as classy and as fancy as anyone on the East Coast.’”
For more information on Inaugural Impressions and the Oklahoma History Center, visit okhistory.org/historycenter/
Edith Head: Hollywood’s Costume Designer
If you haven’t seen it yet, definitely make plans to visit the Oklahoma City Museum of Art before Sept. 29 and catch Edith Head: Hollywood’s Costume Designer. This exhibition was exclusively designed by the Oklahoma City Museum of Art and will not be shown anywhere else in the world! Edith Head was one of the most important costume designers of the 20th century. A powerhouse at both Paramount and Universal Studios, Head has over 400 films to her credit, and won a whopping eight Academy Awards, more than any other woman to date. Three of these Oscars, all for Best Costume Design, are on display in this exhibition.
It spans the entire third floor of the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, where visitors can view 70 costumes, original sketches and two screening areas highlighting Head’s career and personal life. This is the largest retrospective of Edith Head’s costumes ever seen in the United States.
Guest Curator for Edith Head, Catherine Shotick, said, “My favorite costume in the exhibition will always be Grace Kelly’s black organza dress for Hitchcock’s Rear Window. Edith Head and Grace Kelly worked on several films together and became good friends. When I watch Rear Window, I imagine Edith Head must have had such fun designing for that script, with Grace Kelly playing a high-fashion magazine editor. The entire wardrobe for this film is impeccable.”
To learn more about the Edith Head exhibit and to plan your trip to the OKCMOA, visit okcmoa.com/visit/events/edith-head/
