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January 16, 2009
Meet a fashion expert
Ivan Sayers has others strut his historical stuff.
OLGA LIVSHIN
As professions go, fashion historian is a rare one. On Jan. 11, the Jewish Museum and Archives of British Columbia presented Retrophilia: A Historical Fashion Show – it was conducted by Vancouver fashion historian and collector Ivan Sayers.
Taking place at King David High School, the show enchanted its audience with glimpses into the past, from the late 1940s to the early 1960s, as Sayers offered a humorous, informative commentary, while his models paraded along the podium in garments from his private collection.
Sayers answered every question his fascinated public had. Why did women wear seamed stockings? When did shoes with platforms first appear? How did the fashion industry change during and after the Second World War? What was appropriate to wear for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth? He knew it all.
Sayers is one of Canada's leading authorities on historical fashion, starting as early as the 18th century. In the last decades, he has produced a score shows using his private collection. In February 2009, it will be 40 years since his first exhibit. Throughout Canada and the United States, his collection of men's, women's and children's historical clothing is considered one of the best in private hands.
"I had my first collection when I was 13, in my parents' garage," he recalled. At that time, he collected everything old – toys, ceramics, tools – but, as he grew up, the objects of his interest aged as well. Buying and selling antiques kept him fed and clothed as a University of British Columbia student, albeit sometimes a starving one, as he had to choose between buying a secondhand vase or a burger for lunch.
At university, he studied to be a classical archeologist. He wrote papers on Greek and Etruscan clothing, as he was interested in garments even at that age. But upon graduation in 1969, he discovered that it was impossible to find a job as an archeologist in Vancouver, so the young Sayers took the first position that came his way – as a volunteer at the Vancouver Museum, unpacking a collection of clothing.
The museum job fit his personality, inquisitive and inclined to quiet research. Three months later, he was hired by the museum. After six years, he was promoted to curator of the history department. "I enjoyed it. I have always been interested in history, in people's lives," he said. But with every new promotion, he moved farther away from artifacts and closer to administration and politics, which he disliked so, after 20 years, he quit. Since then, he has been supporting himself by offering exhibitions, public lectures, insurance evaluations of private collections and occasionally serving as a guest curator.
"I collect everything people used to change their appearance," Sayers said. "Dresses and buttons, patterns and fabric books, shoes and fashion magazines, hats and gloves. The older the better." He frequents thrift stores, looking for vintage clothing. Often, people sell him things or donate them. When someone's grandmother dies, the heirs are usually loath to throw her wedding dress into the garbage. They want to find it a good home, so, as often as not, it ends up in Sayers' or another similar collection.
"Sometimes, I have to wait for 20 years to get my hands on certain items," he said. Although he is trying to include in his collection at least one sample of every typical garment of every epoch, it doesn't always work. He still doesn't have a specific hat specimen from the 1850s, called Wide Awake, and he has been looking for it for 40 years. "I'll find it, eventually," he said with a rueful smile.
Many items in his collection reflect unique historical periods: the extravagance of the Victorian era or the clothing restrictions during the Second World War. While some pieces are faceless, others have touching personal tales attached. One dress belonged to Miss Canada 1954. "I got it for my birthday last year. A man never knows where his next dress is coming from," Sayers joked.
He has several entire wardrobes belonging to women who have passed away. He knows their names and can recite their years of birth and death. Fantasizing about their lives, he speaks of them with utmost reverence. "Those wardrobes are like their biographies in fabric. Every garment represents a pivotal event in the woman's life."
Sayers doesn't aspire to have everything. "There are two most important rules of collecting," he remarked. "First, you can't have it all. Second, be grateful for what you have." In his opinion, any collection has to delight its owner: "When someone collects because he wants to gloat, to make other collectors jealous, he collects for the wrong reason."
Sayers himself started collecting historical clothing because there wasn't much competition. He was one of the first on the West Coast. "People threw old clothing away, and I wanted to preserve it from being destroyed," he explained.
Sayers' collection is his life and his family. It gives him joy and an occupation. It also connects him to like-minded friends. In 1993, he and a group of other enthusiasts joined together and created the Original Costume Museum Society of British Columbia. Their ultimate goal is to open a museum, so everyone can come and look at how people lived centuries ago. Sayers was the society's president for its first 10 years.
While the museum is still a dream, Sayers longs to share his knowledge and his collection with as many people as he can. He frequently offers classes on the history of various clothing items: from underwear to accessories to boots. His past presentations, solo or in conjunction with other members of the society, have included several thematic shows at the Vancouver Museum, shows for local guilds of quilters, knitters, lace makers and embroiderers, college and university presentations and consultations for theatres and museums.
Well known on the West Coast for his bright, eccentric personality and generous nature, Sayers also participates in many fundraising events and offers private consultations in his home for school projects, provided every child comes accompanied by a parent. Always ready to explore new audience, he once conceived a show for the blind. "They read a lot of historical fiction," he explained. "They should be able to touch historical fabrics, to feel the difference between velvet, muslin and lace." To his surprise, they asked him about colors.
Sayers likes showing off his collection, not to brag but to give. "Clothing teaches us a lot about human nature," he said.
Olga Livshin is a Vancouver freelance writer.
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