Fashions from the OBHS Collection Exhibit; Wearing History: Women the Force behind Fashion
The current exhibition Oyster Bay Historical Society, Wearing History: Women the Force Behind Fashion is the background to their upcoming Harvest Moon Ball annual fundraiser, on Saturday, Nov. 5, from 7 to 11 p.m. The theme is Harvest Moon, “an elegant evening among friends to revel in the mysteries of the changing season.”
OBHS Curator Yvonne Noonan Cifarelli said that many of the dresses from their collection dating from the 1890s to the 1930s could be worn today. Ms. Cifarelli is planning a great evening for guests. “The Anne Taylor Corporation gave us 100 free necklaces and a beautiful retro dress from their 2012 fall preview to showcase their updated take on an historical “Ann Taylor” shirtdress from the early ’60s.
“We are delighted that they are taking an interest in us. My daughter Katie will be the runner for the auction on Nov. 5, and she will be wearing the dress. They want the photographs from the event for their website. So they have shown an interest in us – which is wonderful – and we are hoping for and looking for more funding for a restoration project for the textile collection.
“The dresses I picked out for what was envisioned as a ‘cream and black show’ was because they were the more stable pieces in the collection.
“Seeing them on display at the Koenig Center, it is amazing that they are all wearable today. We had to figure out how to install the items with care. Planting Fields Foundation lent us the two mannequins we used for the show. One displays a dress that we believe was worn by Mrs. Miner C. Hill. She was Brad Warner’s grandmother and he is looking at family photos to see if he can be sure it is hers. It was his grandmother who started the OBHS. I found two little pieces of old tape on the dress that had her name on them. Brad said it was from about the age of his grandmother. It is from the ’20s.
“The wedding dress is by Mrs. Osbourne Co. Circa 1910. There is another of her dresses in the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection. We are not certain who donated our dress. The designer was the Vera Wang of her time.
“I would like to do a catwalk with contemporary girls wearing these dresses. Fashion is a wonderful thing and the concept was to show higher end fashion in the collection. I hope to be able to do another fahion show using some of our florals and embroideries, but that will be in the spring,” she added.
The Harvest Moon Ball will take place under a candlelit tent on the grounds of the Koenig Research Center, of the Oyster Bay Historical Society, on Saturday, Nov. 5, from 7 to 11 p.m. The event features hearty hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, and live music from John Schwartzberg and his jazz accompaniment. In addition there will be several items available for the silent and live auction. This year the society is pleased to present Philip Weiss, as seen on Antiques Roadshow, to be their guest auctioneer.
Some items to be auctioned include a night for two at the Montauk Yacht club; a dinner for 12 hosted by Christina’s Epicure; a photo portrait by Kramer Portraits; art; jewelry; and other donations from many of your favorite locations.
Tickets are $125 per person and can be purchased at the door or online at the society’s website: www.oysterbayhistorical.org. Sponsorships are available starting from $500 and include recognition in the giveaway literature and at the event.
The Koenig Research Center is located behind the Earle-Wightman House, 20 Summit Street, Oyster Bay. Please call 922-5032 for further information or directions.
