The Association of Dress Historians supports and promotes the study and professional practice of the history of dress, textiles, and accessories of all cultures and regions of the world, from before classical antiquity to the present day.

ADH Executive Committee

Undertaking day to day operations of The Association of Dress Historians

Kirsten Burrall, Deputy Chair

Kirsten Burrall is the Deputy Chair of The Association of Dress Historians. She is team leader for the Executive Committee and reports to the Chair of Trustees. She currently conducts research and writes for a private textile collection in New York, New York, and is a fine arts appraiser. Her scholarly area of interest is in European textile and costume histories, specifically Medieval to Early Modern liturgical vestments and textiles, and costume and fashion design during the Aesthetic Movement and into the early twentieth century. She earned a BA in art history and studio art from Hartwick College, Oneonta, New York, and studied art history in Madrid, Spain and Athens, Greece. She also worked as an intern at The Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Kirsten has an MA in art history from Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York. Kirsten is passionate about the stewardship of textile and costume collections, teaching art history, painting, and volunteering for arts advocacy in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, where she lives with her husband and four children. Kirsten can be reached at deputychair@dresshistorians.org.

Emily Taylor, Secretary
and Trustee

Dr. Emily Taylor is Secretary of The Association of Dress Historians. She is currently Assistant Curator of European Decorative Arts at National Museums Scotland, with a focus on working with the pre–1850 element of the Fashion and Textile collection. Her primary research area is on fashion construction and fashionable identities, circa 1700–1850. In 2013 she completed a PhD at The University of Glasgow, titled, Women’s Dresses from Eighteenth Century Scotland: Fashion Objects and Identities. She completed an MLitt in Decorative Arts and Design History at The University of Glasgow in 2007, and has previously had voluntary and paid roles with York Museums Trust, National Museums Scotland, and Glasgow Museums. Emily can be reached at email secretary@dresshistorians.org.

Sue Bennett,
Treasurer and Trustee

Sue Bennett is a chartered accountant with many years’ experience, much of which has been gained in the public sector in the UK. Although currently taking a career break whilst living in Austria, Sue has experience of working with Boards and Audit Committees in various roles and has held voluntary posts as a school governor. Sue has a keen lifelong interest in textiles and clothing, which is reflected in the exhibitions she seeks out and hobbies she pursues. She was taught to sew by her mother and makes some clothes as well as quilts, and she is an amateur weaver.

Scott William Schiavone, Membership Officer

Scott William Schiavone is a Fashion Historian and Curator. Scott is an alumnus of both University of Glasgow and London College of Fashion, having graduated from the MA (Hons) History of Art and MA Fashion Curation in 2004 and 2010 respectively. Scott has worked with fashion and textile collections across the UK including Glasgow Museums, National Museums Scotland and The Fan Museum. Scott recently joined the Curatorial team leading the HarrisYourPlace project at The Harris Museum & Art Gallery, a £10.4 million Heritage Lottery Funded project that will transform The Harris into a community lead centre for arts and culture. In 2020, Scott launched his YouTube channel Fashion &… which now has over 4,500 subscribers and he more recently became an Accredited Lecturer for The Arts Society. Scott is interested in manifestations of luxury and excess across the fashion timeline. His areas of expertise are nineteenth century womenswear, marginalised social histories of fashion, the 1970s and 80s and the rise of the superstar designer.

Benjamin
Linley
Wild,
The Journal
of Dress History

Dr. Benjamin Linley Wild, FRHistS, is a cultural historian and currently Lecturer in Contextual Studies (Fashion) at The Fashion Institute, Manchester Metropolitan University, England. Interested in the dress and appearance of a society’s leaders and elite, his research also considers the self- and group-presentation of people marginalised by their community. Specific areas of research interest and publishing include: history of clothing and fashion, fancy dress costume, royal dress and appearance, menswear, and masculinities. Benjamin’s most recent book, Carnival to Catwalk: Global Reflections on Fancy Dress Costume, was published by Bloomsbury in February 2020. Benjamin can be reached at benjamin.linley.wild@dresshistorians.org.

Alba
Sanz Álvarez,
Conference
and Events
Manager

Since September 2021, Alba Sanz Álvarez has been a PhD student at The University of Edinburgh, Scotland, where her interdisciplinary research approach combines the study of fashion collectors, fashion collections, and museums. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in History of Art from Universidad Complutense of Madrid and two Master’s degrees from Stockholm University: one in Fashion Studies and the other in Fashion Communication and Marketing. She has gained experience in the fashion industry by working for the Swedish high-end fashion brand Acne Studios. Alba’s research interests also include gender perspectives within fashion and the ability to work with a different range of materials. Alba can be reached at email events@dresshistorians.org.

Emmy Sale,
Executive Committee Officer

Formerly ADH Social Media Officer, Emmy is now serving as Executive Committee Officer and representative of the ADH Awards Sub-Committee on the Executive Committee team, and is Chair of the 2022 ADH conference Sport and Leisure. Emmy Sale holds a BA in Fashion and Dress History and an MA in History of Design and Material Culture, from The University of Brighton. Her research interests include homemade clothing, women’s periodicals, and interwar beachwear. Emmy has been the recipient of the following awards during her studies: The Association of Dress Historians Student Fellowship 2018, Design History Society Student Essay Prize 2018, and The Costume Society’s The Yarwood Award 2019. Emmy published an article, titled, “‘It Is Not Impossible to Look Nice Sitting About on the Beach:’ The Influence of Magazines in the Making and Wearing of Hand-Knitting Bathing Suits by Young Working Women in England during the 1930s,” in the Autumn 2018 issue of The Journal of Dress History. Emmy can be reached at email emmy.sale@dresshistorians.org.

Irene Calvi,
Volunteer Officer

Irene Calvi graduated in 2019 with a BA degree in Cultural Heritage (History of Art) from The University of Turin, Italy, with a dissertation on the museological approach to fashion. She is continuing her studies with the international MA course Arts, Museology, and Curatorship at the Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Italy, completing with a dissertation revolving around wearable technologies. Irene is passionate about the cultural significance of fashion interpretation in museums, the new and emerging technologies, and the creation of international networks. Irene was awarded a 2019 and 2020 Student Fellowship by The Association of Dress Historians. Irene is the ADH Volunteer Officer and can be reached at email irene.calvi@dresshistorians.org.