Heritage New West AGM & Live Vintage Fashion Show – The Sanctuary on 6th

Immediately following our AGM, Ivan Sayers, collector and curator of historical fashion, will explore how world events shape fashion and daily life, featuring rare examples of haute couture and Vancouver-made clothing and accessories that reflect how WWII changed society.

The show will trace the dramatic shift from wartime austerity to postwar affluence. During WWII, women adopted practical, even masculine, clothing for work. Ivan’s five models will don period pieces, including a wartime wedding dress, a set of Boeing Vancouver overalls, and a Montreal Switlik parachute factory work coat.

In the Postwar Era, Ivan will show how traditional gender roles re-emerged and fashion transformed. The rigid utility of wartime attire gave way to the lavish fabrics and structured silhouettes of Dior’s “New Look”, alongside designs from celebrated European fashion houses that continue to influence style today.