Jo Ann C. Stabb, professor emeritus design 1968-2002 and founder of the UC Davis Design Collection which is named after her, recently returned to campus for “Shape Up: Case Studies in Fashion Making” at the Design Museum.

The exhibition includes several pieces created by Stabb and numerous garments pulled from the Design Collection archives.

Curated by Adele Zhang, Department of Design lecturer, design collection curator and a former student of Stabb’s, the exhibition showcases clothing from Africa, Asia and Central America as well as western garments from the UC Davis Jo Ann C. Stabb Design Collection. The installation reveals the hidden structures, patterns and shaping methods that underlie fashion creation.

“The exhibition is superb,” said Stabb. “It is so informative and so beautifully installed…with wonderful graphics and examples to clarify the various approaches used for each garment. It is a really an exceptional job by everyone involved.”

  Stabb remains active in the fashion and textile design world and at UC Davis. She co-curated “The Image of Fashion: A Photographer’s Legacy,” an exhibition of photos and fashion from the early 20th century at the Design Museum and helped organized a donation to the collection of women’s clothing spanning the early 19th to early 20th centuries.