Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 23/9/2014 (2189 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.



Many women have one hanging in their closets: a little black dress that can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion.

French designer Coco Chanel is credited with being the one who transformed the black dress from being primarily worn as a mourning garment to a stylish fashion statement. The Costume Museum of Canada is showing how the little black dress has changed over the last 100 years in its new exhibition, Black is the New Black.

The Costume Museum of Canada was originally known as the Dugald Costume Museum. Moving from its Dugald location in 2007, the museum opened at 109 Pacific Ave. in Winnipeg, but was forced to close in 2010 because of financial difficulties. Thanks to the support of volunteers, such as Margaret Mills of Headingley, it is able to continue to offer the museum’s heritage fashion revues, which are presented to raise funds for the museum. Mills co-ordinates and commentates at the fashion revues.

Museum treasurer Jo Ann Greisman said the exhibition, located on the main floor at 250 McDermot Ave. in Winnipeg’s Exchange District, opens on Sat., Sept. 27 from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. as part of Nuit Blanche, a free all-night celebration of Winnipeg’s art and culture.

This is the third year the museum has participated in the annual event, and Greisman said attendance has been growing each year, with over 1,000 people visiting their exhibition last year.

"Nuit Blanche is a terrific event," she said. "It reaches a younger demographic."

The exhibition will continue from Sept. 29 to Oct. 11 and will be open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Thursdays and Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Donations are accepted.

"We’ve adopted a new approach," Greisman said. "We realized that going where the people are is very successful."

For more information, please see www.costumemuseumcanada.com

Facebook.com/TheHeadlinerWPG

Twitter: @CanstarHeadline

