The Missouri Historic Costume and Textile Collection

08/29/2026

😍

Where does high fashion end and fine art begin?

Join us for a rare New York appearance by internationally acclaimed couturier Guo Pei 郭培. Through a visually rich presentation of her iconic designs, Guo Pei will open the doors to her creative universe and reveal how centuries of Chinese cultural heritage are transformed through imagination, artistry, and exquisite craftsmanship into unforgettable haute couture.

Her monumental creations have captivated audiences at leading cultural institutions around the world, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.

✨ Friday, September 11, 2026
🕖 7:00–8:30 PM ET
📍 China Institute of America: 100 Washington Street, New York, NY 10006
🥂 Light refreshments included

RSVP here: https://chinainstitute.org/event/guo-pei-designing-beyond-fashion-art-culture-and-the-world-of-haute-couture/

08/24/2026

Hmmm... this one's tough. Do we have to choose just one?

Good luck to students all over Missouri headed back to school this week. Are you team Saddle Shoes or Team Mary Janes?
-------
Undated photo from the Missouri Ruralist Photographs collection (P0030).
-------

08/22/2026

07/28/2026

07/28/2026

😍

07/26/2026

07/26/2026

The first collaboration between Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dalí wasn't a dress—it was a powder compact.

Designed by Dalí in 1935 for Schiaparelli's "Stop, Look and Listen" collection, this ingenious compact transformed a modern telephone dial into an elegant fashion accessory. Clients could personalize the center with a monogram, turning a practical cosmetic case into a witty, highly personal object.

It marked the beginning of one of fashion's most celebrated creative partnerships, one that would soon produce some of the twentieth century's most iconic Surrealist designs.

📞 Telephone-dial powder compact, c. 1935.
🏛️ The Costume Institute, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Object Number: 2019.57
🔗 Read about Schiaparelli's collaborations with artists in the VFG Featured Designer article: Inspired by Schiaparelli: vintagefashionguild.org/designer/inspired-by-elsa-schiaparelli/

ElsaSchiaparelli

07/21/2026

07/21/2026

One can also view Colonel John Clark's POW uniform and related artifacts on display in our current exhibition "W[A]RN and TRANSFORMED: Uniforms as Stories of U.S." through August 15th.

Join us for a Conversation with Colonel John Clark
and Historian Joel Rhodes
Friday, July 24, 2026, noon–1 p.m.
605 Elm Street in Columbia, Missouri
-------
Join us in honoring Colonel John W. Clark (USAF. Ret.) with a conversation chronicling his inspirational journey as a Prisoner of War in the infamous Hanoi Hilton during the Vietnam War. Colonel Clark’s Phantom II jet was shot down during a reconnaissance flight on March 12, 1967. For the next six years – 2,176 days – the North Vietnamese held him in captivity under squalid and horrific conditions, and he endured cruel mistreatment, torture, and suffering as a POW. His courage and perseverance speak to an indomitable spirit and faith that still carries him forward. Colonel Clark’s decorations include the Silver Star, two Legions of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, and two Purple Hearts, and his engraved name on metal POW/MIA bracelets was worn by thousands of Americans in the Vietnam era. Historian Dr. Joel Rhodes, executive director of the State Historical Society of Missouri, joins Colonel Clark in telling his story of POW brotherhood, 1973 homecoming, and a life of service.
-------
Clark will also sign his book The Eagle Hunts which can be purchased in SHSMO's Richard Bookstore inside the Center for Missouri stories or online at shop.shsmo.org. -------
Clark's personal POW artifacts are also featured in the “W[A]RN and TRANSFORMED: Uniforms as Stories of U.S.” exhibition that is currently open in the William Guitar Little Gallery of Art inside the Center for Missouri Studies through August 15.
-------