JLN Costume Mounting LLC is owned and operated by Jennifer Nieling out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and provides costume exhibition and collections services throughout the United States.
With expertise in fashion history and a sensitivity to conservation concerns, we prioritize accuracy and object safety to create beautiful, dynamic displays that bring your historic and modern costumes and accessories to life.
JLN Costume Mounting LLC is a registered United States federal contractor and woman-owned small business.
Courtesy of the Nantucket Historical Association
Our Approach
Effective Interpretation
Costume mounting is interpretation – how a garment is mounted can change the way it looks, and effectively communicate the era and mood of a piece. We understand fashion history and garment construction, and we prioritize accuracy in shape and styling, for both historic and modern pieces, to bring your costumes to life. We create a body to fit the clothes, and we do our research to make sure it’s the right body. Whether the focus is on the garment, or you are using costumes to support a larger theme, the right costume mounting will make the most of your display.
Object Safety
We are trained in object handling and conservation ethics and practices, and we understand the delicate nature of many costumes and accessories. We create mounts that both beautifully display and safely support your costumes, using materials that will not compromise their condition and integrity.
Creative Problem Solving and Collaboration
Do you need something to fit in a small display case? Want a non-standard pose? We find creative solutions to mounting costumes, and can work within your limitations to create an innovative costume display. We are able to take the lead on logistics, planning, and supply sourcing, and we are also happy to collaborate with your team and our colleagues in design, mountmaking, curation, conservation, and more.
About Jennifer
Jennifer Nieling has been interested in clothing since she starting sewing as a child. She received her BA from Boston University and after an early career in costume production for professional theater, she earned her Master of Arts in Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, and Museum Practice from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. Jennifer has worked with costumes and textiles in a wide variety of institutions including art, history, and science museums, and academic collections, and has lectured on fashion history, costume mounting, and French language skills for fashion studies. In 2017, she performed an IMLS-funded inventory and rehousing of the costume and textile collection at the Nantucket Historical Association, making the collection more accessible with thorough cataloging, incorporation of costumes and textiles into exhibitions, and public programs. In 2018, she worked on Fabulous Fashion: Dior’s New Look to Now at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where she assisted in costume mounting, curatorial research and logistical planning. Jennifer joined the staff of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco later that year as Costume Mounting Assistant in the Textile Conservation department, and traveled with two large-scale costume exhibitions, Contemporary Muslim Fashions and The Summer of Love Experience, to three international destinations.
Jennifer is passionate about exploring clothing and fashion’s connections to art, history, economy, technology, self-expression and individuality, and believes that costumes can be effectively interpreted to support almost any story. She looks forward to bringing her expertise in costume mounting and fashion history, sensitivity to conservation concerns, and passion for accurate and engaging interpretive displays to your next project.
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