News

This month, we spoke with Brennan Lowery of Uovo, a fashion, art, and wine storage and services business that houses brands from Vera Wang to Oscar de la Renta and client wardrobes from Olivia Palermo to Sarah Jessica Parker. The history of dress and the future of fashion act in dialogue, always interfacing to inform our present moment. The Costume Society of America’s diverse members exemplify this reality like no other; through the constant connections across time and disciplines they draw, our membership of costume curators, designers, artists, and so much more embody fashion’s ubiquitous presence - and dress’s daily power to teach us all something new. We hope you will join us for CSA’s new Dialogues on Dress series, interviews now available monthly in our e-News and here on our website. Interested in getting in touch? Email enews@costumesocietyamerica.com

Cue the applause— Costume Society of America’s 2025 Symposium was a blockbuster success!

After thorough deliberation by our Membership Dues Taskforce and approval by the Board of Directors, Costume Society of America has established the following updated membership rates: Standard Membership: $130 (previously $95) Student Membership: $65 (50% reduction from standard rate) Emerging/Retired/Emeritus: $105 (approximately 20% reduction) CSA Patron (covers the discount for one Emerging or Retired/Emeritus membership): $155 CSA Champion (covers one student membership): $195 Museum/Association: $260 (includes 2 memberships) Business Associate: $380 (includes 2 memberships plus $200 value in promotion to CSA members) These rates reflect both the actual cost of providing member benefits ($125 per member) and adjustments for inflation since our last dues increase in 2012. The new structure maintains our commitment to accessibility through discounted rates for students, emerging professionals, and retired members. Implementation Timeline: The new membership rates will take effect on July 1 st Membership renewal dates will still operate on a rolling basis Members with renewals due before the July 1 st implementation will be processed at the current rates Your Membership Value: Your CSA membership continues to provide exceptional value, including: Access to our professional network Discounted registration for our annual symposium and regional events Subscriptions to Dress and Fashion Theory Professional development and grant opportunities Free access to popular webinars like Dress & Drinks and Conversations on Dress Looking Forward: The Board has committed to establishing a regular review cycle for membership dues every [3-5] years to avoid substantial increases in the future. This approach will allow for smaller, more predictable adjustments that keep pace with inflation and operational costs. Frequently Asked Questions: Q: Why is such a significant increase necessary? A: Our dues have remained unchanged since 2012, while the cost of operations has steadily increased. Rather than gradually adjusting rates over time, we've had to make a larger correction now to ensure financial sustainability. Q: What about regional subsidies for membership? A: The taskforce has recommended that regional leadership explore alternative ways to support members through scholarships, free event registrations, travel funds, and other programs rather than membership subsidies, which have been unevenly available across regions. Q: How was the new rate determined? A: The taskforce considered several factors: the actual cost per member ($125), inflation since 2012 (which would make the equivalent rate approximately $133), and the need to balance organizational financial health with member accessibility. Q: What if I can't afford the new rate? A: Those for whom the rise in member fees will cause a financial hardship can apply for a subsidy that will allow them to maintain their current fee level for one year. This will involve filling out a short form stating their need for a subsidy; we will not ask for any details about that need. Renewing members must complete the form and receive instructions before the membership is renewed; subsidies will not be provided after a membership has been renewed. If you have additional questions or concerns, please contact Vice President for Internal Affairs Katie Baker Jones at kathryn.jones@mail.wvu.edu . We value your feedback and are committed to addressing members' needs. Thank you for your continued support and understanding as we take this necessary step to ensure CSA's financial health and continued service to our community.

This edition of Dialogues on Dress features Cara Green. A newly minted graduate, the stylist is entering the NYC sartorial scene with a bang, from assisting Kerry Taylor in their first auction in the United States to striding about the city in search of her client’s next ensemble. The history of dress and the future of fashion act in dialogue, always interfacing to inform our present moment. The Costume Society of America’s diverse members exemplify this reality like no other; through the constant connections across time and disciplines they draw, our membership of costume curators, designers, artists, and so much more embody fashion’s ubiquitous presence - and dress’ daily power to teach us all something new. We hope you will join us for CSA’s new Dialogues on Dress series, interviews now available monthly in our e-News and here on our website. Interested in getting in touch? Email enews@costumesocietyamerica.com

Call for Papers Dress in America: 250 years of American Fashion

This edition of Dialogues on Dress features Heather Ujiie. From her upbringing amongst a family of artists, to designing for avant-garde theater, to hours upon hours spent painting and making in her studio, Heather’s story is quite reflective of the magical and mythical works she creates. The history of dress and the future of fashion act in dialogue, always interfacing to inform our present moment. The Costume Society of America’s diverse members exemplify this reality like no other; through the constant connections across time and disciplines they draw, our membership of costume curators, designers, artists, and so much more embody fashion’s ubiquitous presence - and dress’ daily power to teach us all something new. We hope you will join us for CSA’s new Dialogues on Dress series, interviews now available monthly in our e-News and here on our website. Interested in getting in touch? Email enews@costumesocietyamerica.com

Costume Society of America (CSA) is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2025 grants, projects, awards, and honors . "We are excited to celebrate this year’s awardees, honorees, and grant recipients. We could not do this without the dedication and effort of our committees,” says Colleen Pokorny, CSA Vice President for Awards and Honors. Patricia Edmonson, Vice President for Grants and Projects adds, “Our dedicated committee members and chairs have worked hard this year to give each submission the attention it deserves. I also want to thank members who applied for their efforts in the process and hope more continue to engage with us!” All awards, grants, and projects are funded through the generosity of donors to the CSA Endowment . Two Costume Society of America Fellows have been chosen this year to honor their significant contributions to the field of costume, including their work as editors of the organization’s publications: Christina Bates and Kelly L. Reddy-Best. Bates, costume historian and longtime curator at the Canadian Museum of History, has been the recipient of numerous CSA awards and honors, including the Scholar’s Roundtable Honor (2008), the Betty Kirke Excellence in Research Award (2023) and the Millia Davenport Publication Award (2013). Her most notable service to CSA was as Editor-in-Chief of Dress from 2014 to 2022. Reddy-Best is Morrill Professor in the Fashion Design and Merchandising program at Iowa State University, and starting July 2025, she will be Professor and Chair of Family and Consumer Sciences at Illinois State University. Her service to CSA includes guest editing the first special issue of Dress on LGBTQ+ fashions and developing and leading CSA’s first diversity committee. She has served as the editor for the Costume Society of America book series with Kent State University Press since 2023. In addition to this esteemed recognition, CSA annually celebrates its members by presenting a variety of awards to honor their accomplishments. For example, this year’s Betty Kirke Excellence in Research Award is given to Hilary Davidson for her research titled Digital Clothing Reconstruction as a Fashion History Methodology. The Millia Davenport Publication Award goes to Beyond Vanity: The History and Power of Hairdressing by Elizabeth L. Block. This year’s Mary D. Doering Guardian Honor goes to Megan Osborne, Collections Manager and Assistant Curator at the Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising, Colorado State University. The Costume Design Award is given to Dennis Wright for his work on House of Desires at Brigham Young University and The Howard Vincent Kurtz Emerging Theatre Artist Award is given to Henry Cawood for the designs for Once Upon a Mattress at Stage West Theatre, Fort Worth, Texas. This year, three Richard Martin Exhibition Awards were given: Gilding Northeast Ohio: Fashion and Fortune, 1870-1900, curated by Brian Centrone for The Massillon Museum (large exhibition); Fashion After Dark, curated by Patty Edmonson at the Western Reserve Historical Society (small exhibition); and Harlem Noire: Fashion Movement, Moment, & Memory, curated by Dyese L. Matthews for Cornell University (student exhibition). The recipient of the new Creative Work Honor will be chosen at this year’s symposium in Los Angeles, and the Presidential Award Winner(s) will be announced, as well. As well as presenting honors and awards, CSA provides grant funding to support individuals and organizations within the field. These include theCSA Travel Research Grant , which has been given this year to Rachel Silberstein for her research International Diplomacy and Industrial Collecting: Charting Qing Dynasty Chinese Dress and Textile History in the Collections of National Museums Scotland. The 2025 Angels Project Grant is given to Flight Path Museum in Los Angeles. Two Adele Filene Student Presenter Grants go to LaDyra Lyte and Mfon-Abasi Obong. A full list of all of CSA’s grants, honors, and awards can be found below. They will be celebrated on Monday, June 2, 2025, during CSA’s 51 st Annual National Meeting and Symposium in Los Angeles . Costume Society of America Fellow Honor: Christina Bates, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Kelly L. Reddy-Best, Ames, Iowa Mary D. Doering Guardian Honor: Megan Osborne, Collections Manager and Assistant Curator, Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising, Colorado State University CSA Creative Work Honor: to be determined CSA Costume Design Award: Dennis Wright, House of Desires , Brigham Young University CSA Richard Martin Exhibition Award, Large Exhibition: Gilding Northeast Ohio: Fashion and Fortune, 1870-1900 , Brian Centrone, The Massillon Museum, Ohio CSA Richard Martin Exhibition Award, Small Exhibition: Fashion After Dark , Patty Edmonson, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio CSA Richard Martin Exhibition Award, Student Exhibition: Harlem Noire: Fashion Movement, Moment, & Memory , Student Curator: Dyese L. Matthews, Faculty Advisors: Denise N. Green and Catherine Blumenkamp, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York Millia Davenport Publication Award: Beyond Vanity: The History and Power of Hairdressing by Elizabeth L. Block (The MIT Press) Millia Davenport Publication Honorable Mention: Shopping All the Way to the Woods: How the Outdoor Industry Sold Nature to America by Rachel S. Gross (Yale University Press) CSA Howard Vincent Kurtz Emerging Theatre Artist Award: Henry Cawood, Once Upon a Mattress , Stage West Theatre, Fort Worth, Texas Betty Kirke Excellence in Research Award: Hilary Davidson for her research titled Digital Clothing Reconstruction as a Fashion History Methodology Scholars’ Roundtable: From Zoom to Lectra: The Tools, Theories, and Technologies That Move Dress Forward ; Laura Camerlengo, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco; Daniel Drak, Parsons School of Design; Alyssa Ridder, Metropolitan State University of Denver; and Dina Smith-Glaviana, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University CSA Travel Research Grant: Rachel Silberstein, International Diplomacy and Industrial Collecting: Charting Qing Dynasty Chinese Dress and Textile History in the Collections of National Museums Scotland College and University Collection Care Grant: Alabama A&M University, Huntsville, Alabama CSA Small Museum Collection Care Grant: Coastal Mississippi Mardis Gras Museum, Biloxi, Mississippi CSA Dependent Care Grant: Nadia Abdallah Adele Filene Student Presenter Grants: LaDyra Lyte, Louisiana State University; Mfon-Abasi Obong, Louisiana State University CSA Angels Project: Flight Path Museum, Los Angeles, California Presidential Award Winner(s): announcement forthcoming Pictured above from left to right: Detail of ensemble loaned by Lana Turner to the Richard Martin Exhibition Award winning exhibition H arlem Noire: Fashion Movement, Moment, & Memory , curated by Dyese Matthews (Parsons, The New School) at Cornell University (Photo by Ryan Issa for Cornell University, 2024); cover of Beyond Vanity: The History and Power of Hairdressing by Elizabeth L. Block (The MIT Press), recipient of the Millia Davenport Publication Award; “Final Costume 2 – Castano,” a costume for House of Desires at Brigham Young University by Dennis Wright, recipient of the CSA Costume Design Award.

This edition of Dialogues on Dress features Emily Stoehrer of MFA Boston. Sartorial story detective and pillar in the dress community, Stoehrer occupies the sole Senior Curator of Jewelry position at US fine arts museums. The history of dress and the future of fashion act in dialogue, always interfacing to inform our present moment. The Costume Society of America’s diverse members exemplify this reality like no other; through the constant connections across time and disciplines they draw, our membership of costume curators, designers, artists, and so much more embody fashion’s ubiquitous presence - and dress’ daily power to teach us all something new. We hope you will join us for CSA’s new Dialogues on Dress series, interviews now available monthly in our e-News and here on our website. Interested in getting in touch? Email enews@costumesocietyamerica.com