The Costume Society of America advances the global understanding of all aspects of dress and appearance. We work to stimulate scholarship and encourage study in the rich and diverse field of costume. The Costume Society of America is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded on March 23, 1973 and incorporated in the state of New York on September 12, 1973. The Costume Society of America serves it members, and promotes its goals with national symposia and publications including the annual journal DRESS, its quarterly newsletter CSA News and the monthly electronic newsletter CSA E-News. CSA began forming regional groups in 1978. There are six regional groups in the United States and Canada, and one international group. Individual regions hold annual meetings, sponsor programs and publish newsletters. The CSA Series is a special series dedicated to the history and conservation of dress adornment and to interpreting culture through appearance. The series is the result of a partnership which started in 1999 between Texas Tech University Press and Costume Society of America.