Grab Your Glad Rags Now

By now, word is starting to spread around town about the giant reading series by the library, Sheerar Museum, Mt. Zion Baptist Church, and the OSU Library. The series, “Two Books, One Community: The Great Gatsby and Fire in Beulah,” (2B1C) will be held March 8 – April 29. The schedule is packed full of over 20 exciting events celebrating the turbulent twenties, as well as 20 book discussion, including our new discussions with “a twist.” We are excited to have a series with two books that are so different, while also being so alike.

Two of our biggest events feature fashion, including our dance finale on April 23. That evening, we will be dancing the night away while the Stillwater Community Jazz Band takes us on a musical jazz progression from the 1920s onward. Ahead of time, we’ll be giving out coupons from Louie’s, so plan to make a whole date night of it!

Of course, we do hope that everyone will want to dress up in 1920s era costumes for the dance (plus we’ll have a costume contest!), so start planning how to get your outfit NOW! Not sure what to wear or how to get a costume?

One option for learning more about 20s fashion is to attend our Fashion Show being held at the Stillwater High School on March 22. OSU Apparel Design and Production Professor Dr. Adriana Petrova will be explaining all about 20s fashion as models show off outfits from the era. The clothing is being loaned by OSU’s Department of Theatre (a big thanks to the amazing Rana Webber!) and by Mrs. Martha Ray and the Oklahoma Historical Society. You are sure to get tons of ideas when you attend this show.

Another option is to check out the fashion links on our 2B1C website at http://library.stillwater.org/TheBeesKnees.php . It includes 1920s era catalogs, online resources and titles of costume/clothing books you can check out at the library. Some of the books include:

• “Vogue: History of the 20^th Century Fashion” by Jane Mulvagh is a wonderful book with many examples from every year in the 1920s.
• “Style Me Vintage” by Naomi Thompson has a nice little section on the 1920s that breaks down the fashion into the essentials.
• An old classic “Couture” edited by Ruth Lynam provides detailed explanation of 20s clothing, as well as examples.
• “Ladies Vintage Accessories” by LaRee Johnson Bruton features 20s items throughout the book, including shoes, hats and purses.
•  “Stepping Out: Three Centuries of Shoes” by Louise Mitchell has several pages of 20s era shoes to get inspiration if you are going to purchase similar modern shoes or adjust something you already have.

So—getting going! Start sewing, do some eBaying, scour vintage shops in the area and OKC and Tulsa or just repurpose something you already have. Grab your glad rags and get ready to dance! (and if you don’t know how to dance, be sure to attend our two dancing programs!)