Fashionistas: Icons of History
Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson, Elizabeth L. Block, Piper Huguley*, with Camille Kashaka moderating.
France Hall
Maryland Center for History and Culture
610 Park Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21201

The Writer’s Room with Piper Huguley
*1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Counting Room

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Enter the bold world of fashion, as three esteemed authors take to the stage with widely lauded work to engage in a striking conversation about culture and fashion, history and unsung women designers who set the tone for the glamorous world of fashion. Get introduced to icons such as Claire McCardell, in Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson stellar work by the same name, The Designer Who Set Women Free, and“hidden figure,” the unjustly forgotten, Ann Cole Lowe in Piper Huguley’s striking novel, By Her Own Design, who rose from the Jim Crow era to a storied career, and the exuberance and glamour of the Gilded Age, with Elizabeth L. Block’s newly published Gilded Age Fashion. Both a work of art and a historical accounting of “sumptuous gowns” of that era, it’s an exploration of the women who wore them, and a peek into the social etiquette and customs of the wealthy. “When one ill-advised gown could define a reputation.” We are braced for an extraordinary conversation about the culture of a time, landing on a woman’s right to choose how we dress and how we live. Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson is the critically acclaimed author of the biography Claire McCardell: The Designer Who Set Women Free, which was named a New York Times 100 Most Notable Books of 2025, and a best book of the year selected by NPR, Time, The Washington Post, Kirkus, and more. Piper Huguley is an English professor at Clark-Atlanta University and the author of two historical fiction novels: By Her Own Design (recently optioned to Sony TriStar) and American Daughters. “The facts of Ann Lowe’s life are remarkable, but Huguley has taken us a step further, harnessing the art of fiction to invoke the emotions of her experiences and bring Ann Lowe to life.” – Elizabeth Way, Associate Curator, The Museum at FIT and editor of Black Designers in American Fashion. Elizabeth L. Block, PhD, an art and culture historian, is a Senior Editor in the Publications and Editorial Department at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. She is the author of Gilded Age Fashion and writes the Gilded Age Fashion newsletter on Substack. “A new book by Elizabeth Block is cause for celebration. She offers a unique and rare insight into the fashion and style of the Gilded Age… a true behind-the-scenes look at the elegance and fashion that created the Gilded Age,” writes Carl Raymond, host of The Gilded Gentleman podcast. Moderated by Camille Kashaka, the Managing Director for Joe’s Movement Emporium and Creative Suitland, who has contributed to the broad and powerful community-focused cultural and artistic impact of these institutions.

*The Writer’s Room with Piper Huguley (on historical fiction)
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Counting Room

THE WRITER’S ROOM debuted at the virtual 2021 CityLit Festival, designed to engage participants face-to-face with authors in an informal conversation about the different aspects of writing, including questions about craft, research, writing process, challenges, and publication. Featured wind down from being ‘on’ and simply engage with the writers assembled about all sorts of things. In the past, EMILY ST. JOHN MANDEL, TERRANCE HAYES, NIKKY FINNEY, JENNY OFFI LL, HANIF ABDURRAQIB, FATIMAH ASGHAR, BERNICE McFADDEN, and ROXANE GAY participated and simply loved it. Roxane Gay was so taken by the diverse and inclusive writers assembled that – to our delight and surprise, she stayed for an hour. A hit with festival attendees! This year’s featured TWRs are meant to engage you and for you to ask questions:  Reyna Grande – Cultural Witness: Migrant Heart for the Seekers & Dreamers (on the immigrant experience)  & Piper Huguley – Fashionistas: Icons of History (on historical fiction).

*The Writer’s Room is an informal convening where the featured author takes the lead with an introduction that speaks as an invitation to attendees to open up and engage with their questions.

Visit the News Section for detailed information.

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CityLit Project in partnership with Maryland Center for History and Culture present Bearing Witness: Literature as a Revolutionary Act. This celebration of the arts showcases a bevy of leading poets and writers on April 11, 2026. We’re talking fiction, nonfiction, poetry galore, and ways to up the ante on your craft.

Download the CityLit Festival: Bearing Witness flyer with the schedule.

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