Costume Museum Research Articles

New management approaches and sustainability: the case of the Museo del Traje in Madrid

ABSTRACT Times have changed and museums are adapting to it. Their traditional functions have evolved, and the sustainability of these institutions is becoming increasingly important. Therefore, museums are facing a paradigm shift: from heritage-focused to society, especially their audiences. These institutions must now foster and develop social and economic approaches to adapt to this new situation. Cultural democracy and audience development are emerging as an effective approach and management tool in this adaptation process. This research focuses on the case of the Museo del Traje of Madrid [Costume Museum] in Madrid. Through the study of the Museum's website on its activity and in-depth interviews, this article gathers the information analysed to highlight the effort made by this museum in terms of sustainability through its face-to-face activities. The conclusions reveal that despite the efforts made by the museum in its adaptation process, a new management approach is needed to enhance this work. In this way, by improving its management, the Museo del Traje can become a replicable model of a museum that works to promote sustainability.

Solemnly Sewn

During May and June of 2023, Carolyn Kane went to the south of England to catalogue and research the rich collection of Bexhill Museum’s pre-1930s hat collection. Located in Bexhill-on-Sea, the town of Bexhill holds an impressive local museum with many connections to Queen’s University as Isabelle Overton Bader once ran the costume museum. Over 80 hats were examined in the collection to be possibly put into a temporary exhibition at Bexhill Museum. A few of which have been chosen to highlight the rich and complex history of the Bexhill Museum. This project was also a part of the Banish the Backlog initiative in England designed to help local and volunteer run museums manage their collections and standardize collection practices around the UK.

What Drives Users to Adopt a Digital Museum? A Case of Virtual Exhibition Hall of National Costume Museum

The onset of technological innovations (mobile and handhelds, virtual reality, multi-touch screens, and interactive 3D) have provided creative ideas and perspectives for online communication, dissemination, and protection of cultural heritage for costume museums. Digital costume museums (DCM) digitized clothing collections for the Internet, conducive to enhancing visitors’ understanding, enjoyment, and positive attitudes and stimulating further learning, experience, and exploration. However, little attention has been paid to the influence and effects of these technologies on visitors’ experience toward digital costume museums. Improving users’ behavior intention and expanding the influence of digital costume museums are issues that need further discussion. In this study, we expand the technology acceptance model (TAM) by adding information quality and information richness as the system characteristics, constructing the research model, and 11 hypotheses of users’ behavior intention toward digital costume museums. Analysis of data collected from 265 costume-related respondents reveal that information quality (IQ) positively influences perceived convenience (PC) and perceived ease of use (PEOU), while information richness (IR) has a positive impact on perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived playfulness (PP). The finding also reveals that perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived playfulness (PP) are significant predictors of users’ behavior intention (BI) toward using digital costume museums. The research conclusion enriches academic theories and brings practical inspiration for managers, curators, and practitioners to construct and innovate digital costume museums.

The importance of museums in the tourist development and the motivations of their visitors: an analysis of the Costume Museum in Viana do Castelo

PurposeThis study reflects on heritage, culture and museums as vectors of the tourist development of a destination. Considering the challenges inherent in the efficient correlation of these three areas, this study intends to demonstrate the clear benefits resulting from knowledge sharing and effective cooperation.Design/methodology/approachBased on the objectives outlined, the authors conducted a survey of the visitors of the Costume Museum, which was chosen for being one of the unmistakable icons identifying the cultural heritage of Viana do Castelo (Portugal).FindingsIn an increasingly competitive tourist market, with demand resulting from growing specialization, the integration of museological spaces as patrimonial and cultural elements in the supply of tourist destinations is an important factor in differentiation and development.Research limitations/implicationsTo enhance the importance of the Costume Museum in the process of the tourist development of the city, it is fundamental to define a clear strategy for attracting and responding to the greatest demand from cultural tourists who are increasingly interested in actively participating in learning experiences. It is believed that a larger sample could strengthen the conclusions, eventually more relevant and closer to the reality.Practical implicationsThe results show that visitors to the Costume Museum very positively evaluated the museum with regard to several factors covered in this study. However, there is a great dependence on school visits. On the other hand, lower qualitative evaluations were made by older age groups and those with higher academic degrees, although the evaluations remain positive.Social implicationsThe paper presents museums as a possible factor in tourism development and social inclusion, advancing practical measures aimed at social justice through a fairer distribution of tourism revenues and the defence of historic centre residents' way, and quality, of life.Originality/valueThis paper examines the importance of the Costume Museum in the tourist development of Viana do Castelo (Portugal). This study reflects on heritage, culture and museums as vectors of the tourist development of a destination. Particular attention is given to visitors' motivations for visiting and their opinions about the quality of service, satisfaction and loyalty regarding this museum.

Desafios da Gestão Participativa no Museu de São Brás em Portugal

Resumo Uma organização, ao mudar de diretor, corre o risco de ver modificado seu modo de gestão. Neste caso para ensino, a mudança de diretoria de um museu comunitário tornou-se uma situação-problema ao confrontar dois modelos distintos de gestão. De um lado, um mais horizontal, baseado em processos de autonomia de grupos que se articulam em rede, e, do outro, uma mais vertical e centralizadora de processos e poderes. O foco recai sobre uma instituição que é referência da museologia comunitária no contexto europeu: o Museu do Traje de São Brás de Alportel (Portugal). O dilema nos permite compreender e aprender sobre novas dinâmicas participativas no campo da gestão museal, identificando de forma mais específica práticas de mobilização e potencialização da participação social, bem como as competências coletivas necessárias para uma liderança compartilhada. O caso busca contribuir com a formação de gestores e lideranças comunitárias que se confrontam, frequentemente, com a ausência de instrumentos adequados no momento de levar adiante um projeto coletivo de natureza cultural como é o museu comunitário. Além disso, o caso pode ser útil a todos os interessados nas questões da gestão participativa de organizações.

Non-invasive methodology for the identification of plastic pieces in museum environment — a novel approach

The preservation of modern and contemporary art and costume collections in museums requires a complete understanding of their constituent materials which are often synthetic or semi-synthetic polymers. An extraordinary amount of quality information can be gained from instrumental techniques, but some of them have the disadvantage of being destructive.This paper presents a new totally integrated non-invasive methodology, for the identification of polymers and their additives, on plastic artefacts in museums. NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) and in-situ FTIR-ATR (attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy) combination allowed the full characterization of the structure of these materials and correct identification of each one. The NMR technique applied to leached surface exudates identified unequivocally a great number of additives, exceeding the Py–GC–MS analysis of micro-fragments in number and efficiency. Additionally, in-situ FTIR-ATR provided exactly the same information of the destructive μ-FTIR about the polymer structure and confirmed the presence of some additives.Eight costume pieces (cosmetic boxes and purses), dating to the beginning of the 20th century and belonging to the Portuguese National Museum of Costume and Fashion, were correctly identified with this new integrated methodology, as being made of plastics derived from cellulose acetate or cellulose nitrate polymers, contradicting the initial information that these pieces were made of Bakelite. The identification of a surprisingly large number of different additives forms an added value of this methodology and opens a perspective of a quick and better characterization of plastic artefacts in museum environments.

Imagens que valem mil palavras… A experiência do arquivo de memórias do Museu de São Brás

In the countries of southern Europe, the economic adjustment policies being applied are causing a progressive weakening of the museological action in its various forms. Questioned within the transformation process involving a profound change of the management models and of the prevailing values, museums seek a Sustainable Museology. In this context, new museological formulas emerge associating sustainability to social creativity and to valorization of diversity. This is the case of the Costume Museum in São Brás de Alportel (MuT), in the Algarve, and its "Museology on layers". A model based on shared management, taking as its starting point a deep knowledge of the territory, the collective construction of senses and local cultural meanings, and the reframing of ancestral knowledge, with the objective of contributing to an equitable development. In this paper we present the structure, the method and the results of one of the reference projects: Photography, memory and identity (FMId). In this case, a contrastive analysis between the collaborative research and the cartography of meanings associated with pictures of each family is performed. This exercise of memorial archaeology leads to decoding diverse segments of local culture. Its resonances reach every one of the museological functions and processes of MuT, but also each of the families involved in the project, have now a current account of memory in their hometown Museum. Key-words: Museology on layers; photography; cartography; participation

Study on the Kosode of Mitsui Family - focused on the Bunka Gakuen Costume Museum -

Study on the Kosode of Mitsui Family - focused on the Bunka Gakuen Costume Museum -

Margot Fonteyn and Fashion Designers in the 1940s

This paper examines the role that ballerina Dame Margot Fonteyn played as an advocate for British fashion in the 1940s, with particular reference to the Sadler's Wells tour of the USA after the Second World War. The article draws on surviving ensembles from Dame Margot's wardrobe in the collection at the Fashion Museum (formerly the Museum of Costume) in Bath as well as material in the Theatre Museum Archive in London.

Affective textile and costume museum website design

The aim of this study was to identify and investigate the main factors involved in the affective design of textile and costume museum websites. The research was focused upon on the issues of visual assessment and the reasons why people visit and stay on a museum website. The study was carried out to develop an understanding of the factors that attract people to use a museum website and how the affective use of design may change the visitor's attitude to and image of a museum. Museums are an important resource for fashion students and therefore the understanding of affective/emotional factors in website design is important.15 textile and costume museum web pages were presented to 144 subjects (74 UK university students and 70 Taiwanese university students) and a principal component analysis was carried out on a semantic differentiation exercise. The results of this Analysis indicated that the subjects' importance ratings for the design of the museum websites were significantly affected by three factors: visual impact, content quality and simplicity. The visual impact factor can be defined as an emotional axis, the content quality factor can be defined as a functional axis and the simplicity factor can be defined as a simplicity axis, these three factor axes contribute the main visual criteria by which individuals commonly judge the impression and value of museum websites. The cluster analysis showed that the website samples used in this survey could be broken into four basic categories or groups which were stylish, highly functional, poorly functional and traditional design.

The library of the Fashion Museum, Province of Antwerp: a collection and an objective

Although the library of the Fashion Museum of Province of Antwerp is only five years old, it already boasts an exciting history. Evolved from the collection of the national Vrieselhof Textiles and Costume Museum, the Fashion Museum Library opened its doors in 2002, in the heart of Antwerp, the Fashion City. This article relates the history of this library, with a look at both today and the future, attempting to pinpoint the uniqueness of what it means to manage a collection on the phenomenon of ‘contemporary fashion’.

The ‘Waterloo Ball’ Dresses at the Museum of Costume, Bath

The ‘Waterloo Ball’ Dresses at the Museum of Costume, Bath

From strength to strength – a short history of museums and women in Portugal

The relationship between museums and women in Portugal streiches back much further than might be imagined, beginning (paradoxical bough it may sound) some three centuries before the first institution called a ‘museum’ was created in that country. The author holds an M.A. degree in museology, is the author of Os primeiro museus criados em Portugal. The First Museums Created in Portugal, 1984, and is at present director of the National Costume Museum Lisbon. Her address in Museu National do Fraje, Parque do Monteiro Mor. Largo Júlio de Castilbo, Lumiar, Lisbon (Portugal).

The Museum of Costume and Fashion Research Centre, Bath

The Museum of Costume and Fashion Research Centre, Bath

The Museum of Costume, and the Costume and Fashion Research Centre, Bath

Journal of Art & Design EducationVolume 1, Issue 3 p. 423-433 The Museum of Costume, and the Costume and Fashion Research Centre, Bath PENELOPE BYRDE, PENELOPE BYRDE Keeper of Costume at the Museum of Costume, and the Costume and Fashion Research Centre, Bath, author of A Frivolous Distinction: Fashion and Needlework in the Works ofJane Austen, Bath City Council (1979) and The Male Image, Batsford (1979).Search for more papers by this author PENELOPE BYRDE, PENELOPE BYRDE Keeper of Costume at the Museum of Costume, and the Costume and Fashion Research Centre, Bath, author of A Frivolous Distinction: Fashion and Needlework in the Works ofJane Austen, Bath City Council (1979) and The Male Image, Batsford (1979).Search for more papers by this author First published: October 1982 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1476-8070.1982.tb00008.xAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Volume1, Issue3October 1982Pages 423-433 RelatedInformation

Shambellie House Museum of Costume

Shambellie House Museum of Costume

The National Museum of Costume, Lisbon

The National Museum of Costume, Lisbon

The National Museum of Costume, Lisbon

Museum International (Edition Francaise)Volume 33, Issue 2 p. 94-98 The National Museum of Costume, Lisbon Natalia Correia Guedes, Natalia Correia Guedes Natalia Correia Guedes was born in Leiria, Portugal, in 1943. History degree at the Faculty of Arts, Lisbon (1966). Museum curator's course (1969). Specialization in ancient textiles (course at the Museum of the History of Textiles, Lyon). Curator of the National Museum of Ancient Art (1971–75); Director of the National Museum of Costume (1977–79); Director-General of the National Cultural Heritage (1979–80). President of the Portuguese Cultural Heritage Institute. Has published O Palácio dos Senbores do Infantado em Qiieluz (Lisbon, 1974); Traje Civil em Portugal, (Lisbon, 1974); catalogues of the exhibitions held in the National Museum of Costume from 1976 to 1979.Search for more papers by this author Natalia Correia Guedes, Natalia Correia Guedes Natalia Correia Guedes was born in Leiria, Portugal, in 1943. History degree at the Faculty of Arts, Lisbon (1966). Museum curator's course (1969). Specialization in ancient textiles (course at the Museum of the History of Textiles, Lyon). Curator of the National Museum of Ancient Art (1971–75); Director of the National Museum of Costume (1977–79); Director-General of the National Cultural Heritage (1979–80). President of the Portuguese Cultural Heritage Institute. Has published O Palácio dos Senbores do Infantado em Qiieluz (Lisbon, 1974); Traje Civil em Portugal, (Lisbon, 1974); catalogues of the exhibitions held in the National Museum of Costume from 1976 to 1979.Search for more papers by this author First published: January/December 1981 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-5825.1981.tb01985.x Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume33, Issue2January/December 1981Pages 94-98 RelatedInformation

Ellis Quaker Collection in Wygston's House Museum of Costume, Leicester (Leicestershire Museums)

Ellis Quaker Collection in Wygston's House Museum of Costume, Leicester (Leicestershire Museums)

The Costume and Fashion Research Centre by Penelope Byrde

The Costume and Fashion Research Centre at Bath complements the Museum of Costume in the same city, providing a study collection of costume and a library of primary illustrative and written source material and of relevant reference works. It is open, for reference purposes, to students, and the public. Similar centres could usefully be developed to complement costume collections elsewhere.