Bustles to Bras

From hoops to halter tops, from bustles to bras, this presentation of original clothing and images reveals 200 years of influences that led to the most outrageous changes in the feminine silhouette.

As there is no fashion without foundation, we also peek underneath to see the many layers and underpinnings that padded, pinched, poufed and cinched women into the latest styles.

A Journey Through Time

Whether appealing to the opposite sex, establishing their class, or instigating political statements, women’s fashions were far from arbitrary. Changes in technology, culture, politics, and the social climate all affected the fabrics and the fashions of an era.

Bustles to Bras (Before and Beyond) connects women, their history, and the clothes that tell their story.