(foreground) A classical 1850s silhouette with a corset, hoop skirt and petticoats and (background) a dress from the 1900s, still corseted but with a less voluminous silhouette
College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Media Office
As part of the University of Central Arkansas’s Suffrage Centennial celebration, UCA student Jillian Gregory, from Rogers, will reveal her collection “Transparent Women” alongside the Core Dance performance at 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 22, in UCA’s Alumni Circle.
A UCA senior majoring in theatre, Gregory has created five garments that display historical silhouettes from the 1840s to the 1920s. This time period demonstrates a steady change in dress silhouettes, which she has visually connected with the women’s rights movement.
“The fashion fabric on top of the undergarments is see-through because women at this time were typically ‘looked through’,” said Gregory. “The women weren’t brought into conversations, they were overlooked, they were just there.”
While “Transparent Women” displays historical silhouettes and styles, the collection is made of modern materials and sewing techniques.
Gregory also strives to portray a reflection of the modern woman in the models she has chosen to wear the garments.
She selected five UCA student models — Shalea O’Riley, Annabelle Dickson, Taylor Conway, Miriam Phwandaphwanda and Julia Dabdub — and then she created and sized the dresses to fit them.
“I chose these young women not only because they are strong and empowered women of the 21st century,” she said, “but also because they are all diverse. Four of the five models are BIPOC, some are members of the LGBT+ community, and they all feature different body types and sizes.”
For more information, contact UCA Theatre Business Manager Melissa Pearson at melissap@uca.edu or (501) 450-5092.
The College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS) includes the Departments of Art and Design; English; Film, Theatre, and Creative Writing; History; Language, Linguistics, Literatures, and Cultures; Music; Philosophy and Religion; Political Science, Sociology, Criminology, and Anthropology; and the School of Communication, as well as Reynolds Performance Hall and the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre. The CAHSS office is located in McCastlain Hall, Suite 110 on the UCA campus. Visit the CAHSS website at uca.edu/cahss or call (501) 450-3293 for more information.
