i love costume exhibits and could probably spend an entire day in a gallery like that. however, one thing that has always frustrated me in regard to costume exhibits is that i can not touch the clothing. i recognize that a lot of it is very fragile and so i would have to wear gloves and handle gently (while in a biosuit and holding my breath), but so much of a piece of clothing’s personality is its texture, and so much of texture is feel. so, you know.

i used to work at a museum that had a HUGE textiles archive. i’m talking, thousands of pieces. mostly antebellum wear, but many post war and contemporary pieces as well. hundreds of wedding dresses. beautiful lace gloves, beaded clutches and handbags, quilts, gowns, petticoats. as a treat, the museum director let all the teachers in the museum’s educational department visit the textiles archives. it was such a dream. i wish i could do it again.