Costume Historian Shelly Foote Is Featured Museum Speaker

Fashion historian Shelly Foote will present an informal gallery talk on the exhibition In Style: Costumes from the Collection, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. on March 28 at the Museum of Ventura County, 100 E. Main Street, Ventura. Foote will talk about how garments in the museum’s collections relate to garments in high-style magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue and L’Officiel. She will also describe the process of object selection for exhibitions and will demonstrate how mannequins are prepared for the display of historic costume.

A Ventura native, Foote is a nationally-recognized expert and lecturer on costume history whose 30-year career with The National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, included supervision and development of their 1700-1920 costume collection. As assistant chair of social history, she was responsible for collections, including more than 250,000 objects. Foote volunteers her extensive skills in the Museum of Ventura County’s collections area and is chair of the museum’s accessions committee.

Foote’s lecture is included as part of the museum’s general admission and is presented in conjunction with the museum’s current exhibit, In High Style: The Photography of Neal Barr. For information, call 805.653.0323.

The Museum of Ventura County celebrates, preserves and interprets the art, history and culture of Ventura County, the California Channel Islands and the surrounding region through its collections, exhibitions, events, educational programs, publications and its research library, and serves as a gathering place for the community. Located at 100 East Main Street, Ventura, CA 93001, the Museum of Ventura County is open Tuesday – Sunday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Phone 805.653.0323 for more information.