Costume sketch of "Showboat" costume from Hallelujah, Hollywood! production number  Photo courtesy of Karan Feder — Costume sketch of "Showboat" costume from Hallelujah, Hollywood! production number Photo courtesy of Karan Feder

Preservation Spotlight: Karan Feder, Costume/Clothing preservationist

May 30, 2014

I had heard about Karan Feder's work as clothing and costume preservationist before I met her last September. When our paths finally did cross, it was because my mother was moving to a Senior Living establishment and the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas was interested in some of her and my late dad's vintage clothing (my mother had outfits dating back to the late 1960s/early 1970s).

Karan has long been interested in preserving clothing but the classic Las Vegas era from the 1950s-1980s with its entertainers, showroom production numbers and the way that people used to dress to see a show, is of special interest to her.

She is the President of Entertainment Exhibitions and the Volunteer Curator of Costumes and Textiles at the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas.

We had a great time talking about the challenges of preserving clothing and costumes:

CLV Blog: How did you become interested in preserving clothing and what makes clothing an important part of history?

Feder: The bulk of my professional background is in costume design and fashion design. The foundation for both fields is built on the study of the history of dress. The varying physical silhouettes of dress throughout the ages are definitely a fascinating science, but even more interesting are the reasons behind the variations. Culture and fashion are connected at the hip. With every new fashionable mutation, there is an intriguing story that serves to define the wearer's society, philosophy, sophistication, morality, economic status, etc.

Costume & textiles are often not afforded the value of study and preservation as are other collections within a traditional museum. Who would argue against preserving a beautiful 20th century oil painting, but a 20th century pantsuit? We put on clothes every day, wash our clothes and buy and dispose of clothing on a regular basis. Our culture has made clothing ubiquitous, easy to obtain and thus our relationship with it has been changed. We don't necessarily regard dress as artifact. By and large, current culture isn't contemplating the beauty of the pantsuit or the expert skills required to manufacture it, the

Breaking News: Las Vegas Centennial Commission supports Huntridge Revival!

May 19, 2014

Congrats to Michael Cornthwaite and the Huntridge Revival Group! They have managed a major breakthrough!

The Las Vegas Centennial Commission has awarded a $1 Million grant to the Historic Huntridge Revival Group!

This means that work can continue on saving the building and renovating it!

Lost Vegas: The Mint

May 14, 2014

It was a majestic mid-century modern piece of architecture sitting right there on Fremont Street amid the western motif of the Golden Nugget and the western flavor of Benny Binion's Horseshoe Club.

The Mint, all pink and adorned in a necklace of chaser lights and neon, is the one hotel on Fremont Street that to this day, when Hollywood set designers want to reference that era and Las Vegas, the Mint is the go-to choice. With its pylon sign and the chaser lights rising into the night sky to light the neon star at the top of the pylon, the Mint gloried in its mid-century modern finery.