Cocktail parties in the home have been popular since the 1920s, after the onset of Prohibition. Join us for a look at cocktail culture fashion as we travel through time. We will focus on silhouettes in clothing from the late 1940s through the 1960s, including men’s and women’s styles from the popular TV show, Mad Men.

Karen (Ren) Antonowicz received her Master’s Degree in Textiles, Fashion Merchandising, and Design, with a concentration in Historic Costume & Textiles from the University of RI. She then taught History of Fashion and other courses full time at the college level for 13 years, and taught part time in the CE Program at the RI School of Design. In the meantime, Ren and her husband, Mike, opened Nostalgia Antiques & Collectibles, a 3-floor co-op located on historic Wickenden St. in Providence, RI and ran the business for five years. Ren continues to follow her passion for historic costume by conducting fashion era presentations, such as “The Fashions of Downton Abbey” at libraries, senior centers, schools, historical societies, and historic homes.