Gallery of Costume- Manchester

Last week I had the pleasure to go to the Gallery of Costume located in a lovely little manor house known as Platt Hall in an even more lovely park. It is only a half-hour ride from the city center on a bus.  The hall itself is a lovely structure and each room has clothing and accessories from the Tudors through the 20th century. The older fashions are on the upper floor and the newer fashions on the ground floor.

I purchased a few postcards to share with my mother who suggested the museum in the first place. The photo above is typical of what both my grandmothers and mom would wear decades ago. And the photo of the dresses below showcases some of the printed cottons that Manchester was known for making in the early Industrial Revolution.

The postcard on the right are two suits worn by the original owner of Platt Hall.

The museum is relatively small, but has a wonderful selection of fashions. It is organized well and has a load of information about the fashions, fabrics, and social significance. I particularly enjoyed reading the biographical information about the people that wore the clothes. Many of the dresses were originally used as wedding gowns before being reused as evening gowns. The two pictured are described as day dresses.

I highly recommend going to this museum if you have even the slightest interest in fashion.

http://www.manchestergalleries.org/our-other-venues/platt-hall-gallery-of-costume/

Public Art in Manchester

 There is a lot of public art works scattered around downtown Manchester. I've given them pet names as the artists have not titled their works, as far as I can tell. The above is a wonderful work that covers 3 sides of a building that I like to call The Canal. The artist obviously got inspiration from the canals and locks just two blocks away. I love that the early industrial age history is honored here. Indeed, many of the buildings in my neighborhood are old cotton mills that have been converted into apartments and office buildings.

 I call this one "Big Bird". I waited two weeks for a sunny day to come and take these photos. I'm happy that I did. I love the imagination and colors on this mural that covers the entire side of a three story building.

The "Industrial Dragon" is only a few blocks from the Arndale Center, a huge shopping center/mall in the town center. I was disappointed that the sun didn't reach all the shiny bits. It's quite difficult to describe, but is another fun and whimsical construction.