2022
Historical Fashion tours are the last Thursday of the month
(May-October)
May 26, June 30, July 28, August 25, September 29, October 27

Although women first borrowed suit jackets from men in the 1890’s, the man’s suit first appeared three hundred years earlier in the late 1600’s. Those late 1600’s suits only resemble the current version of the man’s suit in that they consisted of three pieces: a loosely fitted coat (jacket) and waistcoat (vest) ending at the knee, and the precursor to trousers (pants) in the form of full knee length breeches, like a woman’s divided skirt. Two schools of thought exist about the development of the man’s suit. One is men’s fashions stagnated with those plain suits, and the other is men adapted to modern clothing much earlier than women. More functional than their previous clothing, the suit allowed men to transition into what eventually became white collar work. Likewise, when women began to participate in activities outside the home in the 1890’s, they also adopted the more functional suit, but less stagnant with more variety than the men’s versions. To provide a context, this exhibit opens with a look at three men’s coats like those worn in the 1890’s. In addition to women’s versions of the mans tailored jacket, the remainder of the exhibit includes a 1907 bolero jacket, two 1915-1923 suits with long loose jackets, a late 1920’s cardigan suit, a 1940’s dinner suit, a 1960’s Chanel knock-off suit, and a 1960’s “space age” pants suit.

Historical Fashion Tours: Reservations are required. Tickets are $25.00 per person and are available for purchase at The Conrad Mansion or over the phone at 406-755-2166. The Conrad Mansion is open Sunday-Sunday from 9am-4pm. All proceeds benefit the Conrad Mansion. Tickets are non-refundable. Historic Clothing Tours are family friendly but we do not recommend children under 10 attending.