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 Conferences & Events
The Association of Dress Historians (ADH) invites you to join our events!
Conferences are open to all, but discounted to ADH members.
Select additional events are exclusive to members, in recognition of their contribution to our charity.
To become an ADH member for 10.00 GBP per year visit our membership page.
ADH International Conference 2023:
Our 2023 autumn conference is themed “Ad-Dressing Margins”: Historically Underrepresented Fashion and Style, to be held entirely online 27-28 October. The conference is in partnership with Drexel University, focused on centring historically marginalized communities, fashion, style, and dress in historic and modern contexts, the event will include specialist theme workshops.
Read our Ad-Dressing Margins: Historically Underrepresented Fashion and Style conference schedule. Please note this is an indicative version but panels will not change. All times are EST
Further information on the call for papers, registration and the programme can be found on our International Conference 2023 page.
Special event: Curating fashion & history
via Zoom at 17:00-18:30 BST on Thursday 14 September 2023.
We are excited to announce this one-off online event where we will be joined by three leading UK curators to discuss their 2023 fashion exhibitions and related publications:
Anna Reynolds, Deputy Surveyor of The King’s Pictures at the Royal Collection Trust, presenting on Style & Society: Dressing the Georgians at the Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, London, until 8 October.
Polly Putnam, Curator, Collection at Royal Historic Palaces, presenting on Crown to Couture: The Fashion Show of the Centuries at Kensington Palace, London, until 29 October.
Georgina Ripley, Principle Curator of Modern and Contemporary Design at National Museums Scotland, presenting on Beyond The Little Black Dress at National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh from 1 July – 29 October.
This will be a fabulous opportunity to hear a behind-the-scenes perspective on concept, creation and making the leap between research to exhibition.
Free for ADH Members and a small administrative fee for non-members.
The ADH monthly seminars via Zoom will return for 2023/24. Convened by Irene Calvi and Amelia O’Mahony-Brady, the programme will be announced in late summer 2023.
We are pleased to announce that The Association of Dress Historians is partnering with University of the Arts London, Central Saint Martins to host the conference Beau Brummell and New Masculinities on 4 & 5 April 2024.
The conference is convened by Melanie Davies (Central Saint Martins), co-convened by Emily Taylor (ADH) and will include workshops and centre interdisciplinary research, collaboration, and conversation.
The call for papers is open. View it here.
To submit a proposal, please send: a 200-word abstract, a 100-word biography, and an image that can be published in the programme to Melanie Gale Davies (m.g.davies@csm.arts.ac.uk) by 00:00 GMT Thursday 30 November 2023.
Autumn International Conference 2024: Dress and Art: Clothing and Textiles in Portraiture
Planning in progress for 7 & 8 October at the National Portrait Gallery, London, UK.
The call for papers will open in autumn 2023.
Spring 2025: New Research in Dress and Textile History
A return to the ADH annual open call for new research. Venue to be confirmed.
Call for papers will open in April 2024.
Do you have an idea for an ADH event?
The ADH is always interested in hearing ideas for new events, curators’ or archivists’ tours, and networking get-togethers. The ADH is also interested in discussing potential new venues for our conferences.
Please contact events@dresshistorians.org to discuss your ideas for new events and ADH conference venues. Thank you!
Select an ADH conference to read the programme.
21 April 2023
New Research in Dress History Conference
Winter 2022/2023
ADH Winter Seminar Series
30 September – 1 October 2022
Fashioning the Body for Sport and Leisure
27 May 2022
New Research in Dress History Conference
21-22 October 2021
Curation and Conservation:
Dress and Textiles in Museums
Turin Long Conference Programme
7-13 June 2021
The New Research in Dress History Conference
Winter 2020/2021
ADH Lecture & Conversation Series
25–26 October 2019
The Victorian Age:
A History of Dress, Textiles, and Accessories, 1819–1901
24 May 2019
The New Research in Dress History Conference
26 October 2018
Dress and War:
Clothing and Textiles at Home and Abroad during the First World War Era, 1910–1920
13-14 April 2018
The New Research in Dress History Conference
27-28 October 2017
Interwoven:
Dress that Crosses Borders and Challenges Boundaries
25 February 2017
The New Research in Dress History Conference
5 November 2016
Out of the Dark and into the Light?
Dress in the Early Modern Period and the Age of Enlightenment, 1400–1800
20 February 2016
The New Research in Dress History Conference
31 October 2015
Survival and Revival:
Clothing Design that Survives and Fashion Trends that Are Revived
21 February 2015
The New Research in Dress History Conference
12 July 2014
The Legality of Dress:
Historical and Modern Approaches to the Control of Clothing and Textile Production
Copyright © 2021
The Association of Dress Historians (ADH)
Registered Charity #1014876 of The Charity Commission for England and Wales
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