Fancy fashions

Work has begun on selecting what will be included in the next Keller Gallery exhibition The Sheila Markley Black Collection opening on Friday March 27.

The hardest part of this entire process is deciding what is in and what is out.  Yesterday my volunteer Kathy and I created four sections to organize the exhibition.  They are:

• Evening Gowns
• Cocktail Dresses
• Designer Suits
• The Little Black Dress

Our goal is to narrow it down to 10 examples of each category, sprinkled throughout several decades, for a total of 40 ensembles in the exhibition.  There are also some hats and shoes which we will also display in cases.

It is very exciting to be able to display one person's collection in a thematic exhibition like this!  We are very grateful to Sheila Markley Black for donating her amazing clothing collection to us.  We heard from her today and she is planning to attend the opening on March 27.  If you'd like the chance to talk to a textile collector about her amazing finds, mark your calendar!

Although final selections have NOT been made, these are some of the pieces in the collection (photos courtesy of Kathleen Wieschaus):