Fashion Merchandising students took their style on the road when they traveled to the Chicago History Museum on April 4 to see the “Dressed in History: A Costume Collection Retrospective” exhibit and take a behind-the-scenes tour. 
“The exhibit showcased several clothing items from the museum’s impressive collection, including a piece as old as a glorious 18th century robe à la Française to 20th century designs from the likes of Christian Dior and Coco Chanel,” said Sarah Cosbey, associate professor and area coordinator of fashion merchandising. “In addition, the Huskies took a behind-the-scenes tour of the museum’s historic costume storage facilities.”
Jessica Pushor, the museum’s costume curator and collection manager presented additional items from the collection, talked about the technicalities of costume preservation, and answered questions.
“In more recent years there have not been as many well-known designers or companies based out of the city so it is not as well-known as a fashion capital, like New York or California,” said Kylee Broholm, a senior majoring in fashion merchandising. “However, there is so much fashion history and so many iconic fashion moments or pieces that came from Chicago or a Chicago figure.”
Broholm said along with being a learning experience, the trip was a great opportunity to spend time with fellow students and professors.
“It’s always so much fun to spend time with them outside of class and interact with them off campus,” Broholm said. “I will miss this program and all the professors a lot after I graduate. I have had a ton of learning opportunities and really interesting experiences that I would have never had the chance to do without them.” 
Learn more about fashion merchandising at NIU.
