Hilary Davidson, associate chair of the Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice program in the School of Graduate Studies, won the 2025 Betty Kirke Excellence in Research Award from the Costume Society of America (CSA). Davidson will be celebrated, along with this year’s other award winners, on June 2, at the CSA’s 51st Annual National Meeting and Symposium in Los Angeles.
Davidson was recognized for her research titled “Digital Clothing Reconstruction as a Fashion History Methodology.” This approach involves using digital models and software to recreate historical garments, allowing for detailed analysis and understanding of their construction, materials, and cultural significance.
The Betty Kirke Excellence in Research Award recognizes exceptional scholarship. It is given every year to the author(s) of one abstract proposal accepted at the CSA’s annual symposium. The award, which includes an honorarium and travel stipend, was endowed by and named for the late Betty Kirke (1924-2016), who after retiring from her fashion design career, went on to become senior costume conservator at The Museum at FIT in 1979. From 1985 to 1991, Kirke also taught in FIT’s graduate program for museum studies.