NHM, NATIONAL HELLENIC MUSEUM, DORA STRATOU CHAMPAGNE RECEPTION 04-06-1994
The photos of the Dora Stratou Champagne Reception begin with Museum President Aristotle Halikias, Dino Armiros and friends, next is Helen Alexander on right with two friends, followed by Coula and Gus Hastalis, Madeline Gelis and Theodora Vasils, and next a friend, Maria Pappas, Niki and John Marks and Theodora Vasils. After the band is Bill Vranas and friends, Aristotle Halikias with representatives from the Department of Cultural Affairs, Jim Mezilson, a friend and Dorothea Touris, Olga Kenneburg Csar with hat and two friends, remarks given by Elaine Kollintzas Drikakis, Maria Pappas and Aristotle Halikias, followed by Mary and Tom Drikakis with friends, next is Consul General Yannis-Alexis Zepos of Greece in Chicago (1992-1995), Daphne Zepos and Metropolitan Iakovos of Chicago, followed by a friend with Olga Kenneburg Csar in a hat, Jerry Weiner and Susan Alexander. With the young child are brothers, Terry Halikias and Michael Halikias and finally the exhibit with Dora Stratou costumes on display.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/1994/03/17/exhibit-offers-a-peek-at-greece/
EXHIBIT OFFERS A PEEK AT GREECE
By Chicago Tribune
UPDATED: August 9, 2021 at 1:59 PM CDT
“We wanted to bring a world-class exhibit to the city,” said Roula Alakiotou, gazing around the opening of “Threads of Tradition,” a dazzling exhibition of 41 turn-of-the-century Greek costumes at the Chicago Historical Society.
The show was organized by the recently formed Hellenic Museum and Cultural Center, of which Alakiotou is a board member.
The Hellenic is the only museum in the country dedicated to preserving the history of the Greek immigrant experience and showcasing Greek culture.
Museum President Aristotle Halikias said the money raised from the evening-about $25,000-will be used to find a new home for the museum. It is headquartered on the second floor of the building formerly occupied by the Chicago Public Library at Kinzie and Franklin Streets, but the plan is to find a location near Greektown, just west of the Loop.
The costumes are part of the Dora Stratou Theater Costume Collection in Athens and had never been exhibited outside of Greece.
Stratou, who died in 1987, was the daughter of a former prime minister. She began collecting traditional Greek costumes after World War II and accumulated more than 2,500 articles.
The Stratou Foundation also stages musical and dance events, and initially the costumes were worn by performers. Today, they are regarded as an attraction in themselves.
The bulk of the collection, and the current exhibit, is women’s clothing (there are a few men’s garments) and runs the gamut from the 19th Century equivalent of a house dress to extravagant holiday and wedding styles.
The styles that drew the most attention were, predictably, the bridal dresses. Many are in unexpectedly vivid colors and are richly embroidered with gold thread. Matina Papoulias, vice president of the foundation, said these painstakingly elaborate gowns often took several years to make. “Girls would begin making them when they were children,” she said.
They also were meant to be worn frequently. Women sometimes wore their bridal dresses right up to the birth of their second child. Many women were buried in them.
The gowns are accessorized with authentic jewelry of the period.
———-
“Threads of Tradition” runs until March 25 at the Chicago Historical Society, 1601 N. Clark St., and will move to the Hellenic Museum, 400 N. Franklin St., from April 1 to June 1.
Originally Published: March 17, 1994 at 1:00 AM CST
The photos of the Dora Stratou Champagne Reception begin with Museum President Aristotle Halikias, Dino Armiros and friends, next is Helen Alexander on right with two friends, followed by Coula and Gus Hastalis, Madeline Gelis and Theodora Vasils, and next a friend, Maria Pappas, Niki and John Marks and Theodora Vasils. After the band is Bill Vranas and friends, Aristotle Halikias with representatives from the Department of Cultural Affairs, Jim Mezilson, a friend and Dorothea Touris, Olga Kenneburg Csar with hat and two friends, remarks given by Elaine Kollintzas Drikakis, Maria Pappas and Aristotle Halikias, followed by Mary and Tom Drikakis with friends, next is Consul General Yannis-Alexis Zepos of Greece in Chicago (1992-1995), Daphne Zepos and Metropolitan Iakovos of Chicago, followed by a friend with Olga Kenneburg Csar in a hat, Jerry Weiner and Susan Alexander. With the young child are brothers, Terry Halikias and Michael Halikias and finally the exhibit with Dora Stratou costumes on display.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/1994/03/17/exhibit-offers-a-peek-at-greece/
EXHIBIT OFFERS A PEEK AT GREECE
By Chicago Tribune
UPDATED: August 9, 2021 at 1:59 PM CDT
“We wanted to bring a world-class exhibit to the city,” said Roula Alakiotou, gazing around the opening of “Threads of Tradition,” a dazzling exhibition of 41 turn-of-the-century Greek costumes at the Chicago Historical Society.
The show was organized by the recently formed Hellenic Museum and Cultural Center, of which Alakiotou is a board member.
The Hellenic is the only museum in the country dedicated to preserving the history of the Greek immigrant experience and showcasing Greek culture.
Museum President Aristotle Halikias said the money raised from the evening-about $25,000-will be used to find a new home for the museum. It is headquartered on the second floor of the building formerly occupied by the Chicago Public Library at Kinzie and Franklin Streets, but the plan is to find a location near Greektown, just west of the Loop.
The costumes are part of the Dora Stratou Theater Costume Collection in Athens and had never been exhibited outside of Greece.
Stratou, who died in 1987, was the daughter of a former prime minister. She began collecting traditional Greek costumes after World War II and accumulated more than 2,500 articles.
The Stratou Foundation also stages musical and dance events, and initially the costumes were worn by performers. Today, they are regarded as an attraction in themselves.
The bulk of the collection, and the current exhibit, is women’s clothing (there are a few men’s garments) and runs the gamut from the 19th Century equivalent of a house dress to extravagant holiday and wedding styles.
The styles that drew the most attention were, predictably, the bridal dresses. Many are in unexpectedly vivid colors and are richly embroidered with gold thread. Matina Papoulias, vice president of the foundation, said these painstakingly elaborate gowns often took several years to make. “Girls would begin making them when they were children,” she said.
They also were meant to be worn frequently. Women sometimes wore their bridal dresses right up to the birth of their second child. Many women were buried in them.
The gowns are accessorized with authentic jewelry of the period.
———-
“Threads of Tradition” runs until March 25 at the Chicago Historical Society, 1601 N. Clark St., and will move to the Hellenic Museum, 400 N. Franklin St., from April 1 to June 1.
Originally Published: March 17, 1994 at 1:00 AM CST
© Diane Alexander White PHOTOGRAPHY