Leanne M. Hinkle, Melanie Anderson and Rholedia Morgan

The "Fashions of History" project was designed by Hinkle, Anderson and Morgan as a hands-on educational venture that addresses a national obsession among most young people today - fashion. Through their program, French students at Bolton High School will gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of fashion from a historical perspective. They'll conduct research and collaborate with art students to produce a fashion designer's sketchbook of an authentic historical outfit that considers fabric colors, style, textiles and apparels. This student-driven collaborative project will also demonstrate how modern technology has affected the process of designing and creating clothing. The finished product will be presented and studied in a variety of academic disciplines: economic (cost analysis), English (written research), art (fabric colors and style) and French/History (historical research). With their interest piqued and with the hands-on techniques that this project uses, students will take ownership of their learning.