ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Calling all hippies: Step into one of fashion's most colorful and iconic moments at Allentown Art Museum's newest show.
"Fashion as Experiment: The 60s" features hundreds of garments and accessories that show how youth in the 1960s used fashion to tell stories and ignite change.
- Allentown Art Museum's new exhibition showcases fashion from the 60s and 70s
- The free and colorful show opens on Saturday, May 6
- The exhibition also features outdoor workshops where guests can recycle their own clothes with tie-dye and embroidery
The free show opens Saturday, May 6 and is housed in three rooms.
Admission to the museum and its galleries is free.
The bilingual experience (with museum labels in English and Español) tells two stories: one aesthetic and one of social impact, according to the show's curator, Claire McRee.
"The large gallery focuses more on disruptive youth styles — things like Mod which is very understated, cutting edge and Avant-Garde," she said.
"There are looks inspired by pop art and op art, and it also shows menswear that is becoming more flamboyant. We also see psychedelic patterns and the new cuts for women — hot pants, midi-skirts and emphasis on stockings and tall boots because the legs are showing."
The second room examines how fashion was becoming connected to the protest culture and political stances of the latter part of the 1960s and early 70s.
"The previous (rooms) set the stage for more of the counter-cultural look and also this rebellion against the fashion system," McRee said. "We're looking at thrifting and doing more handmade things. Going against ideas proprietary and wearing things that aren't clean and polished."
An 'interesting era'
McRee has worked as an associate curator at the museum for seven years.
Some of her previous dives into fashion include overseeing the Deco After Dark show in 2019.
"It is a really interesting era because youth culture is becoming this driving force within the American political and social landscape in terms of causes — the anti-war movement, racism, concerns about the environment," she said.
"That is one thing that's really unique, Young people are using clothing as a vehicle for those messages, which isn't something that was done before. For their parents' generation, clothing was seen as part of a polished self-presentation. It wasn't seen as personal identity or self-expression."
Warhol and Pucci
Among the funky earrings and a lone Beatles pin, the exhibition features casual threads, flare jeans and patterned raincoats.
There are also ready-to-wear designs by André Courrèges, Vera Neumann and Emilio Pucci and the famous "Souper Dress."
The paper getup is based on one of Andy Warhol's designs.
While the actual "Souper" dress at the museum is not one of Warhol's originals, it's a nod to how the Campbell Soup Company capitalized on the trendiness of the pop artist’s work to promote sales of the piece.
Strut your stuff
It's a wearable event.
All attendees are encouraged to don their sharpest threads from the 60s and early 70s.
Museum staff is also asking guests to submit photos of themselves and their loved ones via social media wearing garb from the time period.
The photos will be used in a live gallery that will play on a TV screen in one of the rooms.
"It's a way to make it relevant to the local community and also more personal," McRee said.
"We would love for people to come away thinking about the significance of clothing both in this era and also today. The [fashion] is still relevant.
Even if you don't consider you're a fashion plate or you don't put a lot of thought in your clothes there's still significance in terms of where they come from [and] how and they were made."
Even if you don't consider you're a fashion plate or you don't put a lot of thought in your clothes there's still significance in terms of where they come from [and] how and they were made.Clare McRee, curator at Allentown Art Museum
For future fashionistas
The museum's children's area located on the second floor will join in the fun by hosting fashion-themed events such as a paper dress-making activity.
Additionally, visitors can turn their clothes into something customized, sparkly and new.
The summer series is open to all ages and will teach tips and strategies to mend, alter and repurpose clothing and accessories.
The classes incorporate tie-dye on May 6, denim on June 10 and June 11, jewelry on July 8 and July 9 and embroidery on Aug. 12 and Aug. 13.
Tunes and a tour
The exhibition, located at 31 N. 5th Street, runs through Sept. 24. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. every third Thursday of the month.
A special preview night event takes place on Friday, May 5, from 6 to 8 p.m., and will include light snacks and a DJ spinning tunes from the 60s.
There will also be a special member-only preview hour on Saturday, May 6, from 10 until 11 a.m.
The day’s attendees will be able to take a tour of the show with museum curator Claire McRee or can stop by the museum’s new kid-friendly fashion maker station.
Memberships start at $25.
