Abstract

This thesis discusses the development of 20th century fashion within the space of Canadian museums. I argue that while Canada has the means to conceive groundbreaking exhibitions of 20th century dress, the absence of costume collections in Canadian fine art museums and the lack of collaboration between human history and fine art representatives have inhibited Canada’s contribution to the evolving multi-disciplinary trend of fashion exhibitions. By analyzing the evolution of dress history and exhibitions on an international scale, I study the differentiation offered by Valerie Stele between the antiquarian costume exhibit and the modern 20th century fashion exhibition largely influenced by the likes of Diana Vreeland and Cecile Beaton. After an analysis on the history of dress collection and exhibition in Canadian museums, I completed two case studies on Golden Age of Couture: Paris London 1947-1957 hosted at the Musée National des Beaux Arts du Québec and Elite Elegance: Couture Fashion in the 1950s conceived at the Royal Ontario Museum. A comparison is then made between these two exhibitions, coming from fine art and human history institutions respectively, between the realities of hosting and conceiving a dress exhibition, the reception of sponsorship, and the use of supplementary material.