This week, Ira Sternberg spoke with Karan Feder, Guest Curator of Costume & Textiles at the Nevada State Museum in Las Vegas, who’s been responsible for organizing and presenting showgirl exhibits featuring the original costumes from Les Folies Bergere and Jubilee. In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Feder talks about her first encounter with Las Vegas costumes at the Liberace Museum; her decision to pursue her passion to curate the costumes from classic Las Vegas productions; the reason why there are so few costumes around from the original production of Les Folies Bergere; the historical contributions of Debbie Reynolds and Nancy Williams; and the most interesting character she has met in her search for Las Vegas show artifacts.

Feder is a leading expert in the field of entertainment costume history, preservation and exhibition. She is an experienced museum professional with expertise in the development and execution of compelling costume exhibitions. She is a veteran of the entertainment industry with professional experience and resources in the museum, attraction, fashion, and marketing fields.

Feder contributes commentary and expertise to various national and international media including the television series Extreme Collectors and National Public Radio.

She is author/co-author of six publications focused on classic entertainment culture and costume.