Students close to campus can beat the summer heat with the little-known treasure found in the Historic Costume and Textile Collection. Located in the Geraldine Schottenstein Wing in Campbell Hall, it is just a few minutes’ walk from central campus. This building houses one of the largest collections of historic costumes, clothing and accessories in Ohio – more than 11,500 pieces and growing.

The goal of the Collection is to preserve and interpret textile and apparel material culture, according to its Web site.

“The collection is unique because it’s an interesting repository of material culture and its history,” said Gayle Strege, the curator of the collection. “It’s the type of collection that straddles both art and history.”

Although it is called the Costume and Textiles Collection, the assortment has a lot more to offer than merely a look at beautifully-crafted historic garments.

It also houses numerous period fashion magazines, fashion plates, swatch books and commercial patterns.

Exhibits at the collection typically run from October through May. This summer, however, is an exception. The Collection is currently housing an exhibit entitled “Special Collectors: Featured Benefactors to Multiple Special Collections.”

The display, which runs from June 5 through Aug. 30, is comprised of a wide range of collections – from buttons and rare books to film posters and theatre design art.

“We don’t get a lot of traffic in the summer, so it’s rare that we’re putting on such an exhibit because they take extreme amounts of work,” Strege said.

The Historic Costume and Textiles Collection has existed at OSU in some way, shape, or form since the 1920’s. It began with objects that professors used as teaching tools in their classrooms and slowly grew over the next few decades.

During the growth period, the collection obtained garments from fashion industry icons, such as Christian Dior and Bergdorf Goodman. The collection is even home to a dress made circa 1889 by Charles Frederick Worth, who is known as the originator of Haute Couture fashion.

The oldest garments in the collection are from the mid-18th century, but the earliest textile samples date back to between 1450 and 1510.

Strege said her favorite aspect of the collection is the stories behind all of the pieces.

“There are so many great anecdotes connected to these because they’re essentially historic documents fashioned as great dresses,” Strege said. “The collection is certainly not limited to people interested in fashion.”

The current exhibit at the OSU Historic Costume and Textiles Collection is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Admission is free.