Stephens College museum exhibit explores children's fashion

How Kids See Clothing, the latest exhibit by the Stephens College Costume Museum & Research Library.

Whereas past shows have been equal parts analysis and boast — they've explored fashion's cultural significance while also highlighting some of the collection's most stunning pieces — this display is designed to be more interactive, inviting visitors not only to take in the stories presented but to tell their own.

Monica McMurry, dean of the School of Fashion and Design and curator of the Costume Museum and Research Center, said the idea for the exhibit came from interactions between students in the fashion department and younger students at the Children's School at Stephens College.

There are, among others, a police officer, a firefighter, a Marine, a Boy Scout and a Girl Scout as well as "princesses" in evening wear, a 1950s nuclear family and a series of cowboys and cowgirls.

Students from the Children's School then were invited to the gallery to look at the mannequins and tell stories — through drawings and written word — about the people they thought wore the garments.

McMurry's favorite response from the children is a short story called Fashion People — inspired by some evening gowns — which reads: Once there was a lot of fashion people and everyone would see the fashion shows.

[...] one petite mannequin wears a brightly embroidered cowgirl outfit that had belonged to a young McMurry.

There also are bins of props — tiaras, tutus, capes, pirate hats — so that children can have the experience of dressing up and becoming someone else for a short while.

[...] while thought-provoking, the exhibit also offers plenty in the way of play.