Introduction
Everyday, the clothes we choose to wear give clues to how we view ourselves and our relationship to others. Our wardrobes contain items based on numerous influences, including our age, our work, our politics, and that mysterious moving target called fashion. The cumulative effect of all these choices comes to define a style, and every decade has several of its own, often easily recognizable. "That's right out of the fifties," we'll say, or "that is so seventies."

Fashion is the look of the moment, that, for complicated reasons, just seems to feel right. That look can be as subtle as a shift in waistline placement, or as dramatic as a hemline suddenly zooming to mid-thigh. Elegant or functional, daring or dowdy, shockingly controversial or reassuringly familiar, fashion can dazzle our eyes, stir our emotions, or appeal to our sense of fun, and to our sense of history.

The clothes on view in this exhibit, all part of the Museum's extensive collection, give us a glimpse of what Wilmette residents have actually worn, decade by decade, all through the turbulent 20th century. Some were designed for comfort and practicality, others for the sheer enjoyment of display, but all express some hidden element of their era.

When you've "toured" the exhibit, contemplate what you are wearing today. What does it say? In ways that 21st century museumgoers will someday appreciate, they reflect not just your own personal style but the customs and culture of everyday life in the beginning of a brand new century of American fashion.