Avenir Museum collection feature: Designer Nancy Johnson two-piece set

The Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising at Colorado State University recently acquired a collection of garments from American designer Nancy Johnson. Representing almost two decades of Johnson’s design work from the late 1970s through the 1990s, the collection reflects evolutions in American culture and changes in the manufacturing of fashionable dress, namely the shift to overseas production. Many of Johnson’s pieces were made in India, Pakistan, and Hong Kong, where she sourced readymade textiles such as embroidered tablecloths to rework into garments.

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Avenir Museum Collection Feature: Butterfly Dress

Mr. Blackwell often thought several steps ahead of the industry.  Including pockets in a day dress while not interrupting the design lines is just one example of his forward-thinking design aesthetic. The tie at the neck floats down from the collar mimicking the flutter of a butterfly wing. The angular shape of the tie contrasts with the curvilinear lines of the print reinforcing the bold design lines of the dress.

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