As with times gone by there is still the worry about what to wear for certain events or for just doing the daily work that needs to be done. It's the same as it has been for over 100 years, what should I wear?



The Fashion Museum in Abilene, Kansas will give you a good look at what the styles have been over the past 100 years. You will be able to think of how certain outfits would be to wear today and decide if that is something you would like to be seen in. Other outfits you will know you are glad you don't have to wear.

The 1850's had their own style. There were garments that we don't even give a thought to today such as men's drawers, long and short. These draw string drawers were ankle length and made of medium weight cotton sheeting. The short drawers are linen twill (2 over, 1 under). Certainly different than the undergarments men wear today.

Men's shirts were different too, in the mid-nineteenth century. The fabric was usually cotton sheeting for the body of the shirt and fine linen for the collars, cuffs, and plaited fronts. The styles usually had a square cut, drop-shouldered style with underarm gussets.

Think about getting out of your Capri's and into a full length, long sleeved, dress. The plaits were either box or knife of the dress or gathered and flounced. The fabric of the skirts was often a thin cotton or a light weight wool. The tops were held together with either buttons or hooks and eyes and the sleeve styles were either a loose-fitting bodice with bishop sleeves or a one piece peg-top sleeve.

Ever heard of a "round dress"? These were called round dresses because the bodice was attached to the wasteband rather than being separate like so many of the dresses were at the time. They had a drop-shouldered yoke with the bodice being lined and lightly boned front closing. The sleeves were often banded just below the yoke and then flared above the elbow for freedom of movement.

Ever heard of a "round dress"? These were called round dresses because the bodice was attached to the wasteband rather than being separate like so many of the dresses were at the time. They had a drop-shouldered yoke with the bodice being lined and lightly boned front closing. The sleeves were often banded just below the yoke and then flared above the elbow for freedom of movement.

Bell bottom pants and mini-skirts probably weren't even a twinkle in the eye of those that designed clothing in the 1850's. But with a museum that has cloths from the 1850's through the 1960's you see a radical change in the styles.

The museum is located at 212 N Broadway in Abilene, Kansas and is open 10 - 4 Tuesday - Saturday and after hours by appointment. Admission to the museum is $3 and well worth it to see all the different styles from over the years. Children under 12 are free.