Santa Barbara County is blessed with a diversity of vital nonprofit organizations dedicated to improving the health, well-being, growth, civic leadership and compassion of our community.
Charitable giving and philanthropy are part of our identity, which is why Noozhawk is proud to support the nonprofit community through sponsoring local community organizations and events.
To showcase our support of the 1950s Vogue with Author Rebecca C. Tuite event, Noozhawk spoke with Cara Austine-Rademaker, Founding, Managing Director at Couture Pattern Museum to learn more about their event.
Couture Pattern Museum
Question: What is the name and date of your event?
Answer: Community Zoom Gathering: Author Presentation, 1950s Vogue, December 3, 2- 3pm.
Q: What is the mission, goal, and/or theme of this occasion?
A: This community Zoom author conversation studies how an editor can shape the cultural direction of a generation. Before the famous Diana Vreeland was Vogue’s editor-in-chief, there was Jessica Daves, the editor-in-chief who led Vogue Magazine for an entire decade during the golden age of couture, but has since been lost to history.
Daves believed women were more than housewives wearing pretty dresses; she used Vogue to raise the intellectual expectations of its readers, and exposed its readers to high society, art, history, architecture, literature, and thoughtful criticism, all with a link to fashion and lifestyle. Her work raised expectations for women’s self image and their engagement in all aspects of culture.
Examining her story also shows what happens when thoughtful leadership disappears. We lost something when we stopped expecting women’s magazines to engage intellectually or engage with the broader world.
Daves believed that taste could be learned, no matter one’s background or education, and treated Vogue as a cultural education. She didn’t just focus on the glamorous, beautiful fashion that the 1950s were known for, although she did that well, but she was also an editor who treated leadership as a cultural responsibility.
Today, cultural standards are often shaped by viral, short-term, financial metrics. This event brings attention back to an editor who treated her position as a cultural trend setter and educator of modernity.
For example, she introduced to her readership, Aldous Huxley, Frank Lloyd Wright, Igor Stravinsky, and Pablo Picasso. Our goal is to restore her influence to the historical record and show how editorial decisions have long shaped social values.
Q: Have you held this event before?
A: No. This is the first program focused on Daves’ editorial legacy. It’s part of a series of programs sponsored by the Couture Pattern Museum featuring an author or a custodian of a cultural heritage.
This is in keeping with the mission of the Couture Pattern Museum: to preserve our cultural heritage through education, the preservation of original archival materials, and the preservation of haute couture sewing techniques.
Q: Tell us some more details about your celebration?
A: Authoritative expert and author on Jessica Daves, Rebecca C. Tuite, will discuss the impact of Jessica Daves’ career. Daves was an astute business woman and kept Vogue Magazine profitable throughout her tenure.
She was the only woman selected by Esquire Magazine (amongst eleven other men) as the most influential cultural leaders of their era. And yet, she’s forgotten today, despite her far-reaching influence.
Many patterns in the museum’s archive were published during Daves’ years at Vogue. Our first exhibition in Santa Barbara, “Paris Night Looks,” displayed dresses that were in Daves’ Vogue. By placing these designs back into their editorial context, we hope that this discussion will reintroduce the connection between fashion, media, and cultural thought.
Jessica Daves’ niece is expected to join us on this Zoom call, and we hope that she will share some personal memories for our fashion community in Santa Barbara.
Q: How do people get involved with your event? (volunteer, attend, etc.) – If your event includes ticket sales, please note the price and include a link to purchase tickets.
A: Join us live on Zoom! You will be emailed the link after you sign up.
Members join for free. Memberships begin at only $5/mo!
Non-members can join this Zoom event for $25.
Tickets are available through the museum’s website: https://www.couturepatternmuseum.com/events
The richly illustrated book, “1950s in Vogue, the Jessica Daves Years,” is available on Amazon.
Q: Is this a fundraising affair? If so, how will the funds raised help your organization?
A: Yes. Proceeds support the museum’s work in preserving and digitizing our patterns and strengthening cultural programming for Santa Barbara that connects our community to fashion history.
Since our launch in 2022, we have digitized over 12,000 pattern pieces, but we have much more work to do ahead. We are the largest and only archive in the world focused solely on these historical records, some dating back to 1921.
That makes us historically significant, yet the unique specialization of our work makes us deeply vulnerable, and we need to find ways to keep this work going through creative engagement like this event.
We are run entirely by volunteers, so every dollar raised is used efficiently for educational programing, preservation, and events.
Q: Who is sponsoring your event, and why is their support important?
A: The Couture Pattern Museum presents the event. Support comes from our current members and visitors, which helps to sustain our independent cultural institution on State Street. We are always grateful to work with sponsors; please contact us if you are interested in collaborating and sponsoring an event in the future.
We also appreciate memberships at all levels. It’s only $5/mo to become a Upholder of Couture member, and you’ll have access to the digital database, museum blog that shows how couture dresses are made, and to our digital events like this one.
Higher level memberships are also available. Help support a unique Santa Barbara cultural organization found nowhere else on earth, except right here in Santa Barbara.
Q: Do you work with an Event Planner? If not, who are the key people who make it all happen?
A: All research, programming, and production are done in-house by the museum.
Q: Does your organization have any other upcoming events this year?
A: The museum offers ongoing Zoom conversations, private tours, and educational programs throughout the year. Updates are posted on the website and newsletter. Sign up for the newsletter on our website, or follow us on Instagram to stay in touch!
Q: What are you planning as a post-event follow up?
A: We will make the recording available under our “Online Programs” on the website.
To learn more about the 1950s Vogue with Author Rebecca C. Tuite event click here!
If you would like to apply for Noozhawk’s 50/50 Match Sponsorship Program for your upcoming nonprofit event please click HERE to view our sponsorship application. The deadline for consideration is 30-45 days prior to the event. You can also contact our sales team at sales@noozhawk.com.