If someone was to tell you that the vintage designs of Valentino, Dior, Halston, Carolina Herrera, Vivienne Westwood, Yves Saint Laurent, Emilio Pucci, Missoni, Oscar de la Renta and Christian Lacoix (just to name a few) would all be on display under the same roof, one would usually think this fashion Mecca would be taking place in Paris or even New York at best, but that’s not the case. The Chicago History Museum will be housing all of these magnificent designs for the Ebony Fashion Fair from March 16, 2013, until Jan. 5, 2014.

Ebony is a monthly magazine that targets the African-American market and was created in Chicago in 1945 by John H. Jonson. The magazine has had many famous faces grace its cover including Zoe Saldana, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Tyler Perry and even Barack Obama. To celebrate the many years Ebony has been involved in the fashion world, the publication is bringing itopop7kl,mhklu7k,s fair back to their home base of Chicago. The Ebony Fashion Fair began in 1958, traveling around the country showcasing years of Ebony history.

“Chicago was a launch-pad for a nationally traveling fashion show that showcased how fashion became a vehicle for African-American empowerment, pride, and achievement,” said Nicholas Glenn, communications coordinator for the Chicago History Museum.

The Ebony Fashion Fair is a monumental event for the Chicago History Museum. “This will be the largest special exhibition in the Museum’s 150-year history,” said Glenn.

The exhibition curators are Joy Bivins, a former Exhibition Developer, and Virginia Heaven, a Columbia College Chicago Fashion Professor. Bivins and Heaven collaborated on the exhibition and chose the most unique garments to best represent the world of Ebony Fashion.

“We reached out to Johnson Publishing Company and they allowed us to access their Ebony Fashion Fair fashion archive. We then chose 67 of the most significant garments,” said Glenn.

These 67 garments that were handpicked will be the focus of the exhibition. Bivins and Heaven want guests of the museum to get the full Ebony experience when arriving at the exhibit and to help ensure this is the case, guests will be greeted with a red carpet when entering the fashion exhibition.

Bivins told the Chicago History Museum that, “We hope visitors will have the impression of attending an exclusive event that was put together just for them where they will be wowed by fantastic garments and a powerful American story.”

After walking the red carpet, guests will see that the exhibition is broken up into three parts to help tell the story of Ebony’s fashion history. The first section is entitled “Vision,” and it will feature 30 outfits from the 20th century that will include designers such as Givenchy and Christian LaCoix. The second section of the exhibition is entitled “Innovation,” this section will praise the bold designs and fashion forward looks from designers such as Emilio Pucci. Finally, the last section of this exhibition, entitled “Power,” will feature almost twenty of the most glamour’s looks from Ebony’s fashion archives. This “Power” finale will feature designs from Valentino, Alexander McQueen, Halston, Lagerfeld, and Dior.

Heaven told the Chicago History Museum that picking out the perfect ensembles to feature in the exhibit wasn’t an easy task. “As we selected ensembles our challenge was not what to include, but what to leave out when presented with a collection that resembled a pirate’s booty of extraordinary fashion significance,” said Heaven.

The Chicago History Museum will kick off the exhibit, Inspiring Beauty, 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair, on March 15, 2013, with a black tie gala. Tickets to the costume ball are $1,000 per ticket and guests will have a first look at the exhibition as well as special designer garments that will only be on display for the gala.

Luckily for DePaul students we don’t have to spend $1,000 and attend a gala just to get a glimpse of these fashion archives as the Chicago History Museum offers free admission for all current students. So take a break from finals and head to the Chicago History Museum to get inspired from the vintage fashions.