Stitching History from the Holocaust

Summer School 2025

This year’s summer school was very fun and something close to my heart…we looked at the history of fashion and fashions from around the world!

We had a small list of books and hands-on activity kits that were the basis for our historical knowledge:

  • Fashion: The Definitive History of Costume and Style
  • What People Wore When: A Complete Illustrated History of Costume from Ancient Times to the Nineteenth Century for Every Level of Society
  • Sketch Your Style: A Guided Sketchbook for Drawing Your Dream Wardrobe
  • Coco Chanel: Pearls, Perfume, and the Little Black Dress
  • Fancy Party Gowns: The Story of Fashion Designer Ann Cole Lowe
  • Klutz Tiny Fashion Studio Craft Kit
  • Fashion Design Kit

From there, we started with the basics…how color, pattern, and texture are the foundations of any fashion, and how fashion and true style are different. This was the part of the summer where I got to share my opinions on the topic, especially emphasizing that “fashion is about fitting in; style is about standing out.” We talked about things like couture vs. fast fashion, how popular fashions have influenced body image, the purpose of uniforms in various settings, and how things like rationing during war times forced styles to change. We even watched some bits from fashion shows, and discussed how the styles at shows do not necessarily reflect what even the designers expect the average person to wear in any given season.

What was really exciting, though, were the field trips we were able to go on, neither of which I was aware of when I chose the topic! First, we went to “Roaring” at the St Louis Art Museum, which focused on art, fashion, and automobiles in France from 1918-1939. We got to see a lot of cool designs (including one by Coco Chanel!), and Chickadee worked on sketching some of her favorites:

They even had a whimsical photo opp, which we both enjoyed:

And on a more serious note, we also toured the “Stitching History from the Holocaust” exhibit at the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum. This exhibit gave us beautiful clothes to admire, but also a lot to think about…I’m very grateful that I ran across it!

There were plenty of opportunities for crafting and creativity this summer:

And we even had a guest designer make a beautiful creation…Bunny crafted this gorgeous pink dress!

This year’s summer school was very different because I only had one student, but it was also a lot of fun to talk about fashion throughout time and across the world!

Stitching History from the Holocaust

On Monday, Chickadee, Moose and I visited the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum for the first time. The reason for our visit was the new special exhibition, “Stitching History from the Holocaust,” which was created by the Jewish Museum Milwaukee and is now traveling around the country. This was an excellent addition to our fashion-themed summer school, and really encouraged us to look at fashion in a very different way.

This exhibit tells the story of Hedwig “Hedy” Strnad, a Jewish dress designer from Prague whose plans to flee Czechoslovakia with her husband and come to America were never realized. She was killed in the Holocaust, but some of her dress designs were found in an envelope by extended family members decades later, and they have been brought to life in this exhibit. She was a very talented woman, and seeing her work displayed made me think of all of the other people’s potential that was lost forever due to the horrible acts of the Holocaust.

Hedy was a very talented designer…eight of her sketches are styled for the exhibit, and this blue coat and dress combo was my favorite. The details, from the fur trim on the cuffs to the row of double buttons down the bodice of the dress are exquisite, and the rest of the styling, including vibrant blue shoes and a fun hat is outstanding. I enjoyed seeing a picture of the original sketch next to the mannequin to compare the two:

This floor-length gown looks like it was meant for happy times at balls or other formal events:

This lovely purple ensemble also caught my eye…the diamond-shaped detailing on the bodice is especially interesting:

I liked the bright color and belt detail on this teal dress:

This is another example of excellent styling, from the gloves and handbag down to the shoes:

I adore a jaunty hat and a well-appointed skirt suit!

The pattern on this dress is bright and fun, and the tiny hat is darling!

And the t-strap shoes and hat accessorize this floral dress perfectly:

Each of the designs was giving a couture tag in the style of the time, featuring Hedy’s name taken from her own signature, a detail that I especially loved:

And there was also a look toward the future, where you can write a postcard to yourself that will be mailed to you in the new year, so you can encourage yourself to pursue your own dreams.

This was our first visit to the museum, but I’m already planning to go back during the upcoming school year when Chickadee is learning about WWII…it is a great place to learn about a serious and important subject.

Chickadee Thursday

On Monday we visited the “Stitching History from the Holocaust” exhibit at the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum…it was very thought-provoking, and an excellent addition to our summer school.

While we were out and thinking about fashion, we stopped to see the “Shoe of Shoes” on the campus of the old Brown Shoe Company (now Caleres).