All dressed up

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/04/2008 (6524 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

During the turn of the century Winnipeg was a city that was considered the gateway to the West. The railway had just been built and with it came an influx of people looking to live in and visit this metropolis.

Elaborate hotels were being built for the rich and famous who graced our fair city, massive homes were being erected along the Assiniboine River and industry was booming.

Winnipeg’s social scene was also buzzing — arts and culture were at the forefront of the social scene and you weren’t anybody if you didn’t attend one of the many balls held for the upper crust of the city.

With all these social events to attend it was just a matter of time before someone would see this as an entrepreneurial venture — and that someone was Sara Mallabar. Sara Mallabar knew there was a need to provide fashionable attire for the women who were attending all these social events and in 1903 she opened up her first Mallabar store in the heart of Winnipeg.

Just a short time later, Sara Mallabar — though her relationship with the Winnipeg Operatic Society — also began creating the elaborate costumes for the local arts scene. Her costumes were used for almost all arts productions, from theatre to the opera.

Many of those costumes still exist (though through a family falling out, they didn’t pass to Mallabar’s grandson, Scott Malabar, who today runs Harlequin Costume & Dance, but stayed with Sara’s namesake store, which was bought by employees when it went bankrupt). About 15 years ago, the owner of Ragpickers Antifashion Emporium, Kristen Andrews, was given the opportunity to buy all of the costumes in the Mallabar Apparell collection, as the company was getting out of the costume business and focusing on tuxedos and dancewear. The Exchange District store now cares for and rents out the costumes.

The entire collection contains anywhere from 15,000 to 20,000 items — from accessories to full outfits. Here you will find gorgeous kimonos and Chinese brocades of a quality that is rarely seen these days. The Mallabar costume collection also includes the entire wardrobe from an early Rainbow Stage production of The Sound of Music.

Among the most elaborate pieces is a collection of gorgeous floor-length velvet Royal Robes from Cinderella that will make any woman feel like a princess on her way to meet Prince Charming.

Of course, with Winnipeg being a prairie town, there are also a number of costumes that reflect the early 1900s, such as dresses with layers and layers of lace bustled up at the back and a plethora of full men’s suits.

Some of my favourites are the flapper dresses from the 1920s. These gorgeous, sexy dresses can be rented and worn to a costume party or to a special event. In fact, Ragpickers is currently awaiting an order of reproduction ’20s dresses that will be available for rent or sale.

The style of the ’20s is hugely popular these days — the drop waists create an elongated look and the fabrics and beading create an air of sophistication and wealth. The nice thing about renting one of these dresses — or any of the Mallabar costumes — is it gives you a chance to wear something lavish and beautiful for one night without breaking the bank.

connietamotofashion@hotmail.com