Dressing Up, Dressing Down

The collection of clothing and accessories reflects on the social aspects of the wearer’s lives and chronicles the cultural history of 20th century Yorkshire. The Yorkshire Fashion Archive is based in the University’s School of Design, and a key part of the archive is the belief that a garment is more than the threads of its construction. Many pieces of clothing have been donated with photos, information and anecdotes that tell stories about how and when they were worn by their owners.

Dress Rehearsal runs until 15 May in Salts Mill, Saltaire, and is open weekdays 10am-5.30pm and weekends 10am-6pm, with free admission.

The Yorkshire Fashion Archive is a publicly accessible collection of haute couture, fashion garments and everyday clothing. It provides a unique historical and cultural record of Yorkshire life and documents clothing produced, purchased and worn by Yorkshire folk throughout the 20th Century. The collection reflects changing social attitudes and multi-cultural influences, economic prosperity, global trends and the regional technical excellence in textiles and clothing over a 100-year period.