Why are they wearing that?
Open up most wardrobes in Warwickshire, and you’ll find a selection of clothes. There might be winter coats and summer sandals, woolly jumpers and cotton t shirts. If you’re interested in fashion, the wardrobe could be very full! But sometimes our clothes have a purpose or meaning beyond just keeping us warm, modest or fashionable. This exhibition explores how what we wear can do a great many things – from marking special events in our lives to showing that we’re important.
Why did Ernie Watts wear a dress?
He’s the little boy in the photograph, sitting on his mother’s lap. The picture was taken in 1900. Ernie’s father, John Watts, first wore this dress in 1857. All his children – boys and girls – also wore it when they were christened. It was a family treasure. We often wear special clothes and jewellery to mark important family events – birth, marriage, and even death.
Why would you wear a funny hat?
Hats can tell us about someone’s job, hobby, or even how important they are! The hats here were all worn for different reasons.
Why did men wear dresses?
Why did men wear dresses? Today its usually little girls who wear smock dresses, but in the 19th century smocks were worn by countrymen – both for work and ‘best’. This smock belonged to Mr Gaydon. He was a farm worker who lived at Brailes in South Warwickshire from 1809 to 1883. He wore the smock on Sundays, and for playing the fiddle for dances on the village green.
Why do people wear the same thing?
Why do people wear the same thing? Uniforms can show what group we belong to from special clothes to wear to school, to Brownie and Scout club outfits.
