The PHG Mannequin Project was conceived of as a way to honor the French people of 1945 and the Portland Handweavers Guild which was started in the same year. Using the Théâtre de la Mode mannequins (which can be seen at Maryhill Museum) as inspiration, Dakotah Fitzhugh sculpted and created the PHG mannequins. The 1945 outfits were made by Guild members out of handwoven cloth.
Want to know more about the history of Théâtre de la Mode? Check out the notes from Steve Grafe’s presentation to the guild in April, 2023.
The Mannequins
Chris Rossi
Dress: Commercial silk taffeta fabric hand-dyed with a combination of cochineal and madder, with an underskirt of tulle.
Overskirt and cape: Commercial silk organza fabric hand-dyed with fall leaves.
Hair: Mohair dyed with madder
Chris Rossi: design, dyeing & construction
Janet Ronacher, Barbara Stollberg & Judy Heverly
Tabard: Cedar bark and wire
Chemise: Natural-dyed silk and cotton
Hat: Felted wool
Janet Ronacher: weaving & construction
Barbara Stollberg: construction
Judy Heverly: project editor
Judy Stewart & Doris Kretzschmar
Skirt: Handwoven silk in crepe weave
Blouse: Handwoven silk in Ms and Ws; lapel is a handwoven pebble weave band in silk and silk/yak
Accessories: Hat of handwoven blouse fabric, bag combination of handwoven fabrics
Judy Stewart: weaving
Doris Kretzschmar: design & construction, hair
Judilee Fitzhugh, Janis Johnson & Sarah Lajoie
Skirt and jacket: Handwoven silk houndstooth
Hat: Felted merino wool with feather
Judilee Fitzhugh: design & construction
Janis Johnson: weaving
Sarah Lajoie: hat
Dawn Seymour, Dianne Seymour & Art by Eve
Dress: Handwoven wool in Dornick twill herringbone with commercial trims.
Accessories: Hat of handwoven dress fabric, hand-braided leather belt, commercial trims
Dawn Seymour: design & construction
Dianne Seymour: weaving
Art by Eve: hand-dyed kid mohair donation
Eva Douthit & Dakotah Fitzhugh
Coat: Handwoven wool and silk twill, rabbit fur
Skirt and jacket: Handwoven cotton and hand-dyed silk pattern weft in rosepath overshot
Blouse: Handwoven shifu and silk plain weave
Eva Douthit: weaving
Dakotah Fitzhugh: design & construction
Ladella Williams & Sarah Lajoie
Skirt & Jacket: Handwoven cotton in modified plain weave with accents in commercial silk fabric.
Hat: Felted merino wool with feather.
Ladella Williams: construction, design & weaving.
Sarah Lajoie: hat
Sarah Auker & Rebecca Martin
Top: Hand-stitched smocking on commercial stretch silk charmeuse fabric
Skirt: Handwoven cotton in snowflake twill
Accessories: Pygorah hair, hat of silk charmeuse with silk organza decoration
Sarah Auker: weaving
Rebecca Martin: design, smocking & construction
Diane McKinnon & Dorothy Skea
Skirt and jacket: Handwoven hand-dyed merino / silk herringbone; peplum is commercial fabric.
Hat and purse: Wet-felted wool, nuno-felted cotton & wool, wool and mylar yarns.
Wig: Wool, silk, and mylar yarns
Diane McKinnon: Dyeing, weaving & accessories
Dorothy Skea: Design and construction.
Leanne Streit, Mandy Dorman, Sarah Lajoie & Doris Kretzschmar
Dress: Dyed and handwoven black silk in crepe weave, commercial teal silk & lace
Hat: Felted merino wool, glass beads & peacock feathers
Leanne Streit: design, hair, weaving & construction
Mandy Dorman: human hair donation
Sarah Lajoie: hat
Doris Kretzschmar: gloves