A new exhibit at the New Canaan Museum celebrates 250 years of American fashion.

Red, White & Worn explores how major moments in history shaped the way Americans dressed.

The clothing textile collection at the New Canaan Museum and Historical Society holds more than 7,000 pieces, ranging from 1720 through 1990.

Charlotte Ellis is the clothing historian.

“Choosing clothing for this exhibit was incredibly difficult because there are so many great options, and the process included a lot of research in our new digitized database.”

From men’s colonial outfits to a purse made for President Obama’s inauguration, she says many of the articles on view are items from the local community.

“Clothing and textiles, I think, is a really great way to showcase visual parts of our nation’s history.”

She hopes visitors to the New Canaan Museum will find the exhibit a fun and exciting way to learn how fashion has changed through the years.

“People should come and see this exhibit because it’s an amazing example of the collection that the museum has to offer its community. It also showcases some really cool historical objects with really amazing back stories that you get to see up close that you might not otherwise get to experience in a larger museum.”

Red, White & Worn is on view until August 8, 2026.