Description
Conversations on Dress: As Seen at Symposium
Hilary Davidson's "Digital Clothing Reconstruction as a Fashion History Methodology"
Wednesday, December 10, 2025
7:00 pm Eastern/4:00 pm Pacific
Exclusively for CSA Members
Join us this December for a timely revisit of one of the Symposium’s most forward-looking topics—where emerging technologies intersect with textile history. We are pleased to feature the 2025 Betty Kirke Excellence in Research Award Winner Hilary Davidson and her talk, “Digital Clothing Reconstruction as a Fashion History Methodology.”
Drawing on recent advancements in computer-generated imagery (CGI) and 3D modeling, Davidson examines how digital fashion reconstruction has become a vital tool for studying fashion history. Using technologies such as active and passive scanning and 3D CAD software, she demonstrates how detailed garment recreations can aid in interpreting and preserving historical dress, testing theoretical construction, and shaping future research directions.
Following an introduction by CSA Vice President for Education & Programs Dr. Monica Sklar, attendees will view a recording of the original talk while Dr. Davidson joins us live in the chat to answer questions and share insights in real time. The session will conclude with an interactive discussion, as Dr. Sklar, Dr. Davidson, and attendees come on camera to engage directly.
Whether you missed the live event or are eager to revisit the conversation, this members-only offering provides a unique opportunity to engage with cutting-edge research in fashion history.
Hilary Davidson is a fashion and textile historian and curator; Chair of the MA Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice and Associate Professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York; and an Honorary Associate at the University of Sydney. Formerly curator of fashion and decorative arts at the Museum of London, she holds an MA in the History of Textiles and Dress and a PhD from La Trobe University, Melbourne, focused on knowledge-making and embodiment in dress objects.
Dr. Davidson’s research centers on the relationship between theory and materiality, and the pedagogical value of reconstruction—physical or digital—as a method for understanding historic dress. A trained shoemaker, she has re-made historic garments for over twenty-five years. Her scholarship spans publications, lectures, broadcasts, and teaching across a wide range of expertise. She is the author of two books on British Regency dress published by Yale University Press; her latest, A Guide to Regency Dress: From Corsets and Breeches to Bonnets and Muslins, will be released November 11.
Registration closes 24 hours prior to the event.
If you missed the deadline, email conversationsondress@costumesocietyamerica.com.