5 minute read
SEWN TOGETHER
Former dressmaker and Community House theater costume maker Carol Hansen lauds the blend of old and new at the highly anticipated Antiques+Modernism Show in Winnetka.
BY BILL MCLEAN ILLUSTRATION BY BARRY BLITT
Carol Hansen was 12 years old and living in Racine, Wisconsin, when she used a treadle sewing machine to make her first piece of clothing.
“My father (Gordon Edmonston) was very supportive of my interest in fashion, so he bought me that machine, pedal and all,” the 80-year-old Hansen, now a Winnetkan, says.
“I made a plaid skirt for myself.”
That skirt won’t be an item for sale November 3 to 5 at the 51st Antiques+Modernism Show at the Community House in Winnetka. Some things are priceless.
But Hansen could give you 100 reasons, at least, to check out the array of unique, rare wares—from local, national and international dealers—at the benefit presented by the Community House’s Woman’s Board. Ranging in styles from classic to modern, the show features exquisite home furnishings and accessories, artwork, clothing, jewelry and more from dozens of dealers.
It’s the ultimate destination for interior designers, treasure hunters, and collectors alike. The show’s snappy slogan is, “ See It. Like It. Buy It!”
All proceeds from the show go to the Community House, which first opened its doors in 1911. It remains one of the few privately funded community houses in the United States. Each year more than 250,000 visits are made to take advantage of educational, social, and recreational opportunities for people of all ages.
“The show’s biggest draw, to me, is its combination of wonderful antiques and modern design, a blend of old and new offerings that appeals to so many,” says Hansen, who, during her years as a sewgood seamstress along the North Shore, was known as “The Dressmaker on Tower Road.”
Hansen joined the Community House in 1982, costuming the theater’s adult casts, and became a member of it six years later. The Woman’s Board—of which Hansen served as president for two terms—presented an annual Antiques Show in the spring and an annual Modernism Show in the fall before the enterprising group of women chose to marry the events and stage the inaugural Antiques+Modernism in 2009.
Hansen, who also served on the Community House Board of Governors for several years, chaired the Antiques Show and the Modernism Show and later joined the committee that selected dealers for the Modernism Show.
“Professionals took over for the Woman’s Board as the primary organizers of the show in 2009, but the Woman’s Board will always play an important role in the show each year,” says Hansen, who stepped down as a Woman’s Board member in 2015. “I love the spacious rooms we let the dealers use at the Community House to display their items. The rooms are good for the dealers and for the attendees, because they’ll never have to worry about dealing with cramped booths set up in aisles—set-ups you typically see at other shows.”
Among this year’s dealers: Antique French Fine Arts (Marseille, France); Chicago Center for Print; Winnetka-based Lee’s Antiques (European and American furniture, lighting, fine art, and objets d’art); Mathew Klujian & Sons (antique Oriental and Persian rugs); Hungerford, England-based William Cook Antiques; Wini & I (vintage costume jewelry, clothing, and accessories); and Winnetka-based Ashley & Sloane (specializing in French country and formal mirrors, lighting, and furniture).
“Some shows have a tendency to focus more on furniture or on artwork,” says Carol’s husband, Jim Hansen, who was instrumental in designing logos for the Modernism Show. “What’s fun (about the Antiques+Modernism Show) is that there’s always some kind of surprise. I come here specifically to see what they brought me. They brought me something; I just have to find it.
“I know that there’s going to be something here that triggers that ‘on’ button in me, (that item) that makes me think, ‘That is really cool.’”
Carol Hansen was a shy student when she attended Washington Park High School in Racine. Before becoming a prominent North Shore dressmaker, she was an American Airlines flight attendant and an assistant buyer at Gimbels Department Story in Milwaukee.
She raised two daughters—Tari and Tania, —from a previous marriage.
Her stint costuming adult theater cast members at the Community House spanned 12 years, ending in 1994.
“My first act—no pun intended—as a costume assistant was to go backstage to help an actor with a quick costume change,” recalls Hansen, a former Glencoe resident. “I didn’t know there were five steps to get backstage, so I stumbled, slipped, and let out a squeal.
“I later found out the audience heard my fall."
The misadventure didn’t lead to “it’s curtains at the Community House” for Hansen. Just the opposite. She has thought the world of the welcoming, bustling place for 41 years—and counting.
“Our community is fortunate to have something as special and as accessible as the Community House,” Hansen says. “There is so much to do there, from taking all kinds of classes to working out at the fitness center to using spaces for business meetings and social events.
“I celebrated my 70th birthday there.”
In addition to devoting most of her volunteerism to the Community House, Hansen loves scrapbooking (she’s produced 70 books in 10 years) and collecting hats. Most of her vintage lids were popular in the early 1990s.
And her passion for fashion remains white-hot.
“Would you like to know something else about me?” she asks. “I’ve been a Minnie Mouse fan for a long time. She makes me smile.”
So does anything that has to do with the Antiques+Modernism Show.
For more information about the Antiques+Modernism Show, including details about the Preview Party on November 2, an opportunity to Shop the Show with nationally known dealer and appraiser J. Michael Flanigan on November 3, and the show’s full list of dealers, visit thewinnetkashow.com. For more information about the Community House in Winnetka, visit mycommunityhouse.org or call 847-446-0537. The Community House is located at 620 Lincoln Avenue, Winnetka.
