About the Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History
The Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History is a non-profit 501(c) 3 history museum that was established in 1999. The inspiration for the Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History of Delray Beach was the phenomenally successful popular culture & retrospective exhibit "40 Years of the Barbie® Doll" in celebration of Women's History Month which was on display from March 1999 thru September 2000 in Delray Beach , Florida . More than 19,000 visitors from around the world attended this exhibit which made it the #1 attended exhibit in the history of Delray Beach and one of the most memorable Museum exhibits in all of Palm Beach County . The Barbie® Doll exhibit was conceived and curated by Lori J. Durante who is the Executive Director/Chief Curator of the Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History. The mission of the Museum is to offer retrospective and anthropology exhibits and programs showcasing lifestyle, history, cultures, people, places, fashion trends, architecture, furnishings, locomotives and toys, and information about popular uses of artifacts by people/events of the periods of time. From 2003-2005, the Museum was located in a rent-free 8,000 square feet facility in the former Pineapple Grove Shops Plaza located in the 300 Block of Pineapple Grove Way in the Main Street District of Downtown Delray Beach, FL. However, that plaza was sold and then demolished along with the entire City block where it was located. As a result, the Museum had to move. While at the facility, the Museum developed and presented exhibits about fashion history and popular culture and also hosted traveling exhibits from the Smithsonian Institution. But, Museum board members are leading aggressive efforts to secure a permanent facility. Because of this, the Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History is purchasing land in the local area on which to build a proposed permanent building. On the 4th Saturday of each month, year-round, at 11am the Museum still conducts, without interruption, the Narrated Bus Tours of Historic Delray Beach. Some of the Museum's accolades include being selected as Best New Museum in 2004 by the New Times Broward-Palm Beach Newspaper; Best Bets in Palm Beach County in 2006 & 2005 by the Gold Coast Edition of Guest Informant Magazine; and in 2006, the Museum's Narrated Bus Tours of Historic Delray Beach were selected as Unique Travel Gem by AAA Travel Home & Away Magazine of Mid-America. Most recently, in June 2006, the Museum's Narrated Bus Tours of Historic Delray Beach were selected as Best Tour of the Town by The Palm Beacher & Gold Coast Magazines. For more information call the museum at (561) 638-8277. Visit the Museum's web site at http://www.mlfhmuseum.org/
More Facts about the Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History
- The Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History opened in an 8,000 square feet facility in October 2003 in the City of Delray Beach, Florida and premiered the Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibition: "Antoin Sevruguin and the Persian Image". The museum's beginnings are very humble and its former home was located in the former McCrory store space which was a five & dime store located in Delray Beach since the 1960s. This storefront space was located in the former Pineapple Grove Shops plaza and was donated to the museum by the owner of the plaza, A.M. Davis Mercantile of Lincoln , Nebraska . The museum's mission is to host exhibits showcasing vintage fashion designs, popular culture art, decorative arts, vintage toys, interior designs, architecture history and history exhibits showcasing lifestyles of a variety of ethnic cultures. Museum is also developing a "Southeast Florida Style Exhibit Series" plus a Tanzania Art & Culture Gallery in honor of Delray Beach 's Sister City affiliation with Moshi , Tanzania in East Africa .
- As one of the services of the Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History, a history exhibit was curated and produced on the teddy bear entitled "Teddy: The Bear Beginnings" and it was on display in latter 2001.
- In 2001, the Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History also hosted the Smithsonian Institution exhibit "Wade in the Water: African American Sacred Music Traditions" which was on display at the Fulton-Holland Educational Services Center, which is the headquarters for the School District of Palm Beach County, Florida located in the City of West Palm Beach
- In 2002, the museum displayed at the School District of Palm Beach County headquarters a photography exhibit entitled "Moving the Fire: The Removal of Indian Nations to Oklahoma" which was organized by the Oklahoma Arts Council and traveled by ExhibitsUSA. That exhibit wxhibit was locally sponsored by Palm Beach County Commissioner Addie L. Greene.
- In the Fall of 2002, the Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History presented a multi-media anthropology exhibit entitled: "Hats, Handbags & Gloves: from past to present". This exhibit was re-displayed on November 1, 2003 thru March 7, 2004 at the Museum’s former location on Pineapple Grove Way in the Pineapple Grove Main Street District of Downtown Delray Beach. This exhibit was created, organized, developed, funded and produced by the Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History and curated by Lori J. Durante. The exhibit received outstanding ratings and comments. Visitors represented various cities throughout the State of Florida and from states and countries such as Pennsylvania , New York and Switzerland and Japan . This multi-media anthropology exhibit featured men’s and women’s hats, handbags and gloves in a variety of work and life uses, ethnic cultures and fashion applications from over 65 people. The exhibit included archival photos from institutions such as the John F. Kennedy Library & Museum in Boston , the Historical Museum of Southern Florida, the Library of Congress, Harry Winston Jewelers, the Archives Room of the Fashion Group International and the Schomburg Center in Harlem , New York . Additionally, corporations including Celine, Chanel, Eric Javits, Everlast, St. John , MooRoo, Stetson, Inde, the Louis Vuitton Museum in Paris , France and Kate Spade contributed multiple items to the exhibit. And, in 2002, Hats, Handbags & Gloves was listed on the Kate Spade web page www.katespade.com.
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