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Thursday, April 2, 2026

Book cover: Dreams and Ideas in red type with a showgirl illustrationUNT Fashion Scholar Myra Walker spotlights the legacy of costume designer Winn Morton in new book

Myra Walker is bringing new attention to an influential, yet often overlooked, figure in American design history. She is a UNT Professor Emerita in the College of Visual Arts and Design and former director and curator of the Texas Fashion Collection.
 
Her latest publication, "Dreams and Ideas: The Artistry of Costume Designer Winn Morton," released by University of North Texas Press, offers the first full-length account of John Winniford “Winn” Morton’s (1928–2022) seven-decade career. The book is the third volume in the "Seeing Texas" series and reflects Walker’s longstanding commitment to advancing scholarship in fashion and design.
 
Myra is facing forward and smiling. She has short, curly brown hair and wears a black jacket.
Myra Walker, professor emerita and former director and curator at the Texas Fashion Collection

INVITATION
Book Launch, Meet the Author plus Q&A
April 23, 2026, 5 p.m.
UNT CoLab, 207 N Elm St, Denton, TX 76201
Free and open to the public

Drawing on extensive research and visual documentation, Walker presents more than 150 photographs and original illustrations across 224 pages, tracing Morton’s work in theater, circus and large-scale pageantry. Her study emphasizes how Morton used costume as a storytelling device — shaping character, movement and spectacle through carefully considered design.
 
Walker situates Morton’s career within a broader cultural and historical framework, connecting his early work in live television and New York theater to his later influence across Texas and beyond. Morton designed for venues such as the Roxy Theatre before serving 17 seasons as head designer for the Jones Beach Theater, while also contributing to Broadway and off-Broadway productions, including "Oklahoma!," and Dick Button’s "Ice-Travaganza" at the 1964–1965 New York World’s Fair.
 
Through Walker’s lens, Morton’s return to Texas in the late 1970s marks a significant chapter in his career. As artistic director of sets and costumes for Six Flags Over Texas Productions, he designed for themed musical performances across multiple amusement parks, later expanding his work to include large-scale events, private galas and the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
 
Walker also highlights Morton’s decades-long contribution to the Texas Rose Festival, where he began designing elaborate gowns and regalia in 1982 and later added set design. His work for the festival continued until 2019, when organizers honored his enduring impact.
 
In addition to Walker’s research, the book includes guest essays by Jennifer "Jen" Cronk, curator of circus history at Circus World, Baraboo, Wisconsin, and Holly Haber, journalist and a former WWD Dallas bureau chief, further contextualizing Morton’s influence across performance and fashion.
 
A leading voice in fashion scholarship, Walker is also the author of "Balenciaga and His Legacy: Haute Couture from the Texas Fashion Collection." With "Dreams and Ideas," she continues to expand the field’s understanding of design history while elevating figures whose contributions might otherwise remain underrecognized.
 
Published by UNT Press, the book underscores the UNT's role in supporting research that bridges creative practice, history and cultural impact.
 
Dreams and Ideas is available through UNT Press.