50 Years of fashion in Hawaiʻi

August 27th, 2009  |  by  |  Published in Events

Three island-style dresses from the Historic Costume Collection at UH Manoa

Three island-style dresses from the Historic Costume Collection at UH Manoa

More than 50 colorful garments from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Apparel Product Design and Merchandising Program’s Historic Costume Collection are featured in an exhibit at Ala Moana Center called “Fifty Years of Fashion in Hawaiʻi.”

On display are clothes that have helped shape Hawaiʻi’s fashion culture over the last five decades including swimwear, aloha attire, evening wear and era-inspired fashion wear. Garments include a 1950s Alfred Shaheen aloha dress; 1960s Miss Hawaiʻi women’s bathing suits and feather hats; and a 1970s Elizabeth Arden beaded maxi skirt.

Current fashions inspired by past eras, archived fashion magazines and notable Ala Moana Center advertisements will also be included in the display which celebrates Ala Moana’s 50th anniversary and is in collaboration with the Hawaiʻi Fashion Incubator.

“Fifty Years of Fashion in Hawaiʻi” is the largest showcase of the Historic Costume Collection shown outside of the university, and is free and open to the public, during mall hours. The collection is one of the largest held by a U.S. university and has more than 20,000 garments, textiles and related objects.

View the historic clothing

If you can’t make it to Ala Moana Center, check out the clothing as a Flickr slideshow or still images.


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