History's Closet full of treasured items for public display

COLUMBIA — Century-old wedding dresses, military uniforms and evening wear are a few examples of the clothing that will be showcased at History’s Closet, an fundraiser organized by the MU department of textile and apparel management.

The event will raise money to support the Missouri Historic Costume and Textile Collection. It features selections from the collection dating to 1828 and organized by genre.

“The event is special because we’re bringing things out for the public to see that haven’t been seen before,” said Laurel Wilson, curator of the collection.

About 5,000 pieces constitute the Historic Costume and Textile Collection. History's Closet is a rare opportunity to see items from the collection because they are kept in storage most of the time. Although a few items from the collection are periodically shown around campus, in places such as a display case in Ellis Library, this is the only opportunity to see such an extensive selection, according to the collection officials.

“There have never been this many garments on display from the collection before," said Nicole Johnston-Blatz, the collection manager. "It gives people a chance to see the wide variety of garments we have.”