Opening Night Soiree and Annual Exhibition
at the Evanston History Center

Date: Thursday, September 18, 2025
Time: 7:00-9:00pm
Location: Dawes House Interior and Lakefront Terrace

Chicagoland fashion designers and creators take inspiration from a curated selection of objects from our extensive, historically significant costume collection and create a new look of their own.

Winners will be presented with cash prizes as part of the Opening Night Soiree fashion design showcase and juried competition.

About Opening Night:
Opening Night guests will immerse themselves in an intimate fashion showcase, where featured designers share insights into their deeper understanding of the fusion of history and contemporary design followed by a preview of the Center’s fashion exhibition. Guests will indulge in stylish refreshments while enjoying live music and the ambiance of the historic lakefront terrace and interior of the Dawes House.

Dine at the Graduate Hotel Homestead Room

Chef Tyler Truesdell at the Homestead Room restaurant of the Graduate Hotel, 1625 Hinman Avenue, is putting together a special reFashioning History 4-course Prix Fix menu for the night of September 18. Offerings will include classic items such as shrimp cocktail and roasted beef, as well as new takes on old classics such as waldorf salad, trout almondine, and chicken à la King. Complete your evening in style by dining there before reFashioning History. Click here for reservations.

Your Impact:
Proceeds from reFashioning History go towards the Evanston History Center’s mission to collect, preserve and share Evanston history to educate, inspire and enrich the people of Evanston. Additionally, you are supporting collections care of the second largest costume collection in Illinois with up to 20,000 pieces.

Get your Opening Night Soiree tickets >

Thank you to our event sponsors*

*Current as of July 30, 2025

Haute Couture Level:

Pret-a-Porter Sponsors:

Susan and Dave Turner
Katie Trippi
Susan and Matthew Struve

Media Sponsor:

Style Sponsor:

Additional support provided by:

Josh and Julie Chernoff
Janet Messmer
Bob Burns

Spotlight Your Company - Sponsorships Available

A Timeless Costume Collection:
With more than 20,000 garments, textiles, and accessories dating from the early nineteenth century to the present, Evanston History Center’s Costume Collection is one of the largest in the state of Illinois. The Collection spans the breadth of Evanston’s history, including garments and accessories for men, women, and children. Collection materials focus on clothing and accessories worn by Evanston residents from all walks of life.

The Collection includes objects from significant designers, such as Dior, Callot Soeurs, Lucien Lelong, House of Worth, Jon Weston, Pucci, and Liberty’s of London. However, as befits the sensibilities of Evanstonians, the majority of the Collection includes objects from other sources. These include the works of lesser-known European designers, the works of American designers including Evanston designers, the products of local department stores and businesses, and clothing made at home by Evanston residents for themselves and their families.

The Evanston History Center regularly displays objects from the Costume Collection in exhibitions and also makes loans to local institutions.

Objectives

To inspire creativity that celebrates the history of fashion seen through the lens of each participant’s own life experience.
To provide publicity for participants as part of the EHC ReFashioning History Showcase.
To increase community participation in EHC programs.
To increase awareness of the Evanston History Center and its Costume Collection.

Prizes

Winners’ designs will be featured at the EHC ReFashioning History Showcase on June 27, 2024, at the Evanston History Center.
After the Showcase, the designs will be placed on display at EHC until the very end of September.
The four finalists will each receive a $750 prize from generous sponsors.

Rules, Regulations, and Requirements to enter At-Large Showcase

1. Participants will design and create garments or accessories inspired by objects selected from the EHC Costume Collection by the Costume Curator.

2. Showcase is open to two divisions:

Professional (Individuals engaged in theater, fashion, and other industries related to the design, construction, and manufacture of garments and accessories.)
Student/Recent Graduate/Amateur (Individuals age 18 and over who are currently students at an accredited institution or who are neither a student nor a Professional as defined above.

3. Each division will have the choice of designing a garment or ensemble, or accessories.

4. Participants must be available for and attend an in-person viewing of the selected objects sometime between April 5 through April 7, 2024 between 1 and 4 pm.

5. Potential participants who are legal residents of the greater Chicago area are eligible to enter. When necessary, a driver’s license and/or state income tax return may be requested to verify state residency.

6. Applicants must submit a design, style board, or supporting portfolio (limited to 3 images) that represents the design inspired for this contest. A short statement, no more than 150 words, must accompany the design.

7. The high-resolution image(s) of the design, together with the statement must be delivered on or before April 19, 2024 by 5 pm to an electronic location that will be shared with participants attending the viewing on April 5 – 7.

8. When submitting to the ReFashioning History Showcase keep in mind that your submission will be evaluated on multiple dimensions, your entry will be judged together with its design, realization techniques and material of choice.

9. Participants give the EHC permission to use photograph(s) or video of participants and their entries for promotion of the EHC and the EHC Design Showcase.

10. Winning participants, and their models if applicable, must participate in a rehearsal for the Showcase on June 19, 2024.

11. All selected design winners must be present and they, or their designated models, must model their designs at the EHC ReFashioning History Showcase on June 27, 2024 at the Evanston History Center.

How to Enter

Participants must either:

Complete the EHC ReFashioning History Entry Form online, or,
Print the EHC ReFashioning History Entry Form, fill it out, and deliver it in person or by mail, to the Evanston History Center, ReFashioning History Showcase, 225 Greenwood Street, Evanston, IL 60201.
Submit a $10 entry fee for each Age Division or Category entry. The fee can be submitted online by clicking here. Checks (payable to the Evanston History Center) and cash can be delivered in person or by mail to the address above. All requests for waiver of fee will be honored.
Entry Form Deadline (EXTENDED!): April 6, 2024, at 5 pm (CST).

Delivery of Finalists Entries

Fold or roll entries and pack in a box of appropriate size; use tissue paper between layers to prevent wrinkles. Garments should be placed in a garment bag or paper cover for protection. Do not include hangers.
Garments or accessories and a copy of the entry form must be delivered in person or by mail, at the participant’s expense, on or before June 3, 2024 at 5 pm. Late entries will be disqualified.

Judging

The Jury is composed of both Academics and Professionals. The winning designs are selected according to form, functional and evocative aspects of the garments and/or accessories. The entries are considered for their degree of innovation, aesthetic qualities, choice of materials and fabric, and realization techniques, in addition to the demonstrated inspirational link to one or more of the selected EHC Costume Collection items. The decision of the judges is final.

Participants must select all fabrics, materials and supplies. Participants must sew, knit, crochet felt, or otherwise construct or build all garments or accessories. They may receive instruction and advice from teachers or advisors, and they may work in teams of two or more for the final realization of the object. If a team creates an entry, all team members must be credited.
Participants agree to abide by all the rules and regulations, and will accept the decision of the judges as final. Failure to comply with the rules will result in disqualification.
Participants will be notified of initial selection by April 26. Selected participants must complete the realization of the submitted designs in order to participate in the Showcase.
Participants will be notified of results after the final judging by June 14.
Decisions of the judges will be final.

Post Contest

Keep a “back-up” copy of all paperwork, and photos.
Winning garments and accessories will be returned to the participants in the same containers as they were received. Winning garments or accessories must be picked up between September 29 and October 4, 2024

2024 Highlights:

The inaugural reFashioning History Opening Night was on June 27, 2024. Twelve Chicagoland designers and pattern-makers participated with winners presented with prizes as part of the fashion design showcase and juried competition. Following, the reFashioning History Exhibition was on display at the Dawes House through Chicago Fashion Week.

Designer Finalists included:

Kaine Bautista (winner), Dunja Cicek, Jess Crane, Lauren Evans, Ameerah Floyd, Abeline Glenzinski & Riley Trzeciak (winner), Gregory Graham (winner), Madeleine Ibach, Grace Koehler, Aurora Liston, Gnivol Loving and Maribel Melanson (winner).

Special thanks to: MC Tommy Walton, faculty member of The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, cofounder of the design duo Price Walton and Reality TV Chef on FOX-TV’s MasterChef Cooking Competition.

Opening Night Soiree and Annual Exhibition
at the Evanston History Center

Get your Opening Night Soiree tickets >

Thank you to our event sponsors*

Haute Couture Level:

Pret-a-Porter Sponsors:

Media Sponsor:

Style Sponsor:

Additional support provided by:

Spotlight Your Company - Sponsorships Available

For those who want to participate in the competition, here is how:

Rules of Entry:

Opening Night Soiree and Annual Exhibition at the Evanston History Center

Get your Opening Night Soiree tickets >

Thank you to our event sponsors*

Haute Couture Level:

Pret-a-Porter Sponsors:

Media Sponsor:

Style Sponsor:

Additional support provided by:

Spotlight Your Company - Sponsorships Available

For those who want to participate in the competition, here is how:

Rules of Entry:

Opening Night Soiree and Annual Exhibition
at the Evanston History Center