A new exhibition titled Real Clothes, Real Lives: 200 Years of What Women Wore at the New York Historical examines the complex, intimate stories embedded in women’s everyday garments. Based on pieces from the Smith College Historic Clothing Collection, the exhibition and its companion book (Rizzoli Electa, 2023) reveal how ordinary apparel from the late 1800s to near-present day can illuminate the lived experiences of women across generations in the United States. From colorful housecoats and waitress uniforms to a corsage fashioned from sugar cubes and a canister of shoulder pads, the collection captures a nuanced narrative about how clothing reflects and shapes women’s lives.
To delve into the interaction between garments and their wearers, the exhibit pairs each piece with archival photos and objects from the museum’s Center for Women’s History. Text etched onto the display cases circles significant construction details with thoughtful annotations, offering visitors a guided and engaging experience that feels both educational and personal. The exhibition is arranged into thematic segments, covering areas such as public and private attire, unpaid domestic work and service roles, moments of protest and rebellion, and life’s pivotal milestones.
In contrast to mainstream fashion exhibitions that often celebrate haute couture and renowned designers, this showcase honors the clothes of real women. Many of the garments were homemade or mass-produced by brands like Wrangler, Penney’s, and Lane Bryant. Their signs of wear—stains, mends, and tears—are presented not as flaws but as historical evidence of a life lived. Though a few items belonged to notable individuals, including Sylvia Plath’s 1945 chambray Girl Scout uniform adorned with merit badges, the majority once belonged to women outside of public fame. Carefully chosen props enhance the storytelling, such as a mannequin in a nurse’s uniform clutching a pill bottle, or a waitress outfit with drinking straws poking from the pocket.
Throughout the exhibit, a spirit of adaptability and resilience emerges. The turquoise morning wrapper from around 1895 includes an adjustable underbodice that could be tailored for pregnancy or bodily change. Women’s ingenuity surfaces in choices like sewing buttons instead of using metal zippers to support wartime rationing, or transforming early-20th-century skirts into “leg partitions” for cycling. The garments reflect not only style and function but also women’s efforts to make fashion meet the practical needs of their lives.
Ultimately, this exhibition is not just about what women wore — it’s a declaration of presence and persistence. In a socio-political climate where women’s identities have sometimes been marginalized or erased, these garments stand as tactile reminders of women’s bodies and experiences. They represent growth, labor, rest, joy, and transformation. The image of an ’80s woman preparing for a night out in red high-heeled sneakers and a peplum suit, or a bride savoring a hot dog after her city-hall wedding, evokes both celebration and connection. Other scenes, such as a worker in a McDonald’s maternity uniform or a woman mending her hosiery after a long day, strike chords of tenderness and solidarity.
Real Clothes, Real Lives reframes the narrative of fashion by focusing on the ordinary. In doing so, it achieves something extraordinary: it roots visitors in the quiet heroics of daily life. Through fabric and thread, it offers stories of survival, creativity, and self-expression on women’s own terms.
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