Dress Codes

Opens May 22, 2022, Members-only Preview May 21

The Autry in Griffith Park

About the Exhibition

Dress Codes is about what we wear, how we wear it, and why. Visitors can explore how the clothing in our closets have long and often surprising histories, unpacking cultural histories of icons of western style  

The exhibition is organized around six enduring icons of western style: blue jeans, plaid shirt, fringed jackets, aloha shirt, China Poblana dress, and the cowboy boot. Join us for a fun and subversive look at what our clothes have to say about Western identities. 

Over 150 objects will be on display and the exhibition draws primarily from the Autry's extensive clothing and textile collection plus art, photography, and historical artifacts. In addition, Dress Codes includes loans from the Levi Straus & Company Archives, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Harry S. Truman National Historic Site, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, and private lenders.
 

Highlights (Click image for details)

The team is taking measurements of the clothing to build over fifty custom mannequins for the Dress Codes Exhibition.

Can’t Bust ‘Em denim jeans recovered from a mine in Goldfield, NV, circa 1890. Donated by Jeffrey Spielberg, Autry Museum; 2011.77.6

The collection team is attaching exhibition tags on objects. These tags record object information such as lender, exhibition section, and exhibition numbers.

Aloha shirt made for Martin & Co. Guitar Makers, circa 1990. Courtesy of Amanda K. Wixon

Aloha shirt made by Avanti and purchased for a wedding anniversary in Hawaii, circa 1995. Courtesy of Elizabeth Short and Michael Freidman

Prior to the exhibition, representatives from conservation, exhibition fabrication, collections, curatorial, and the design department collaborate to determine how to best display these fringe jackets.

Northern Plains jacket worn by William “Buffalo Bill” Cody, circa 1900. Acquisition made possible in part by John E. Bianchi Jr., Autry Museum; 85.1.517

Denim Jordache jacket with custom additions worn by writer, rodeo marshal, and LGBTQ activist Patricia Nell Warren. Donated by Patricia Nell Warren to the Autry Museum; 2010.12.1

The conservators will create a form for the garment that will highlight the historic silhouette.

Blouse from China Poblana dance ensemble, collected in Mexico, circa 1935. Southwest Museum of the American Indian Collection, Autry Museum; 2010.G.72

Skirt from China Poblana dance ensemble, collected in Mexico, circa 1935. Southwest Museum of the American Indian Collection, Autry Museum; 2010.G.73

Conservators inspect the garment for its overall condition and to see if there are any potential strains that might require extra care.

Board shirt made by Pendleton Woolen Mills, Oregon, 1950s–early 1960s. Autry Museum; 2019.47.3

A mockup was created to determine final placement of objects for the cowboy boot case. The collection team uses sandbags and twill tape to weigh down the boots that cannot stand on their own.

Cowboy boots worn by Gene Autry. Made by Lucchese Boot Company, mid-20th century. Donated by Mr. And Mrs. Gene Autry; 91.221.137

Cowboy boots worn by Roy Rogers in the Rose Bowl Parade, circa 1945. Donated by Lora and Robert U. Sandroni to the Autry Museum; 2011.29.1

A physical mock-up of the exhibit is created to demonstrate the layout of objects on display.

The designer and curator will make changes to the layout, colors, images, and text to this computer mock-up of Dress Codes.

Dress Codes Is Sponsored by:

PALOHEIMO FOUNDATION

ELIZABETH SHORT AND MICHAEL FRIEDMAN

DAVID CARTWRIGHT • MARGUERITE MARSH