York: York Castle Museum launches its enhanced Fashion Gallery, featuring the ‘Secrets of Dress’ exhibition set for 2025. Highlights include local artisans’ contributions and historical fashion items, exploring 500 years of clothing and textiles reflecting York’s rich social history.
York Castle Museum has recently unveiled an enhanced Fashion Gallery, set to showcase the newly themed exhibition titled ‘Secrets of Dress’ in 2025. This remodelled space not only highlights the evolution of fashion but also provides a social history perspective, illuminating how clothing and textiles reflect personal stories and societal changes.
The exhibition features a wide array of items, from 400-year-old sequins to utility shoes from the Second World War, each with its own narrative and historical significance. Visitors can explore the contrast between the cottage industries of historical Yorkshire and the mass-produced garments of the industrial era, offering insights into the regional attire development over the centuries.
A significant addition to the exhibition is the ‘York Makers’ section, specifically focused on the City of York. This new segment, developed through research by the museum’s volunteers, showcases a variety of locally made clothing, textiles, and textile-working tools that span from the Middle Ages to contemporary creations. The stories and contributions of local artisans are also highlighted, recognising those individuals who have made an impact in both regional and national fashion sectors.
Among the notable contributors to the York Maker’s display are Angela Holmes, the founder of Droopy & Browns, and Vivien Smith, creator of Vivien Smith Simply Clothes. Their brands, renowned on the high street from the 1960s to the early 2000s, have left a lasting mark on York’s fashion scene. The exhibition also pays homage to historical figures like Victorian shirtmaker Herbert Morris Crouch, who operated a shop on Coney Street, and Mrs. Maria Cook, whose “made in York” label inspired the volunteer research project.
A spokesperson for the museum mentioned, “Secrets of Dress showcases 500 years of clothing, accessories, and textiles, including items never previously displayed.” They also noted that many of the objects exhibit signs of repairs and adaptations, suggesting that practices such as upcycling and remaking have deep historical roots rather than being modern phenomena.
Alongside iconic fashion items from the 1960s and 1970s—described as “instantly recognisable”—the exhibition encourages interactive engagement with visitors through opportunities to touch and try costumes designed by local artisan, Textiles by Gnomes. Additionally, family-friendly trails created by Little Spotters Trails are available for children.
York Castle Museum welcomes visitors on Mondays from 11am to 5pm, and from Tuesday to Sunday between 10am and 5pm. Tickets are priced at £17 for adults, £10.20 for children, with concessions available. Notably, children from York residents can enter for free, and tickets remain valid for 12 months. Further information is accessible through the museum’s website or via telephone.
Source: Noah Wire Services
