Farragut Museum to display ‘Fashionably Late’ collection
Farragut Museum is looking at fashions of yesterday with its upcoming exhibit, “Fashionably Late.”
The exhibit, which opens Monday, Jan. 23, in the museum housed in Farragut Town Hall, features clothing and hats from the museum’s collection that are representative of those worn during the mid-20th Century, plus a couple of “undergarments from the 1800s,” said Julia Barham, Farragut Museum historic resources coordinator.
“I always feel excited about exhibits where we display items the public generally does not get to see,” Barham said. “We have so many wonderful items in our collection, and I love being able to pick a topic, such as fashion, and really showcase what we have.”
Friends of Farragut Museum are invited to an invitation-only tea Saturday, Jan. 21, to kick off the exhibit.
Anyone interested in attending the tea but currently are not a Friends member is invited to join the organization before the event.
One such item in the exhibit is a hoop, which was worn under women’s skirts and was provided by Joyce Moran, a museum volunteer. “My sister, Jan King, gave it to me. She found it in her mother-in-law’s attic,” Moran said. “It was in an old farmhouse that was renovated.”
When Jan found the hoop she asked Moran if she would have any use for it.
“I’ve had [the hoop] for about 30 years,” Moran said. “I hate to throw it out because I know it’s very old. It still has the wood hoops, not the plastic [ones].
“When I get something, I always check with Julia to see if it’s worthwhile,” she said.
As a result, the hoop was added to the Town museum’s collection. Now yellowed with age, the hoop is a size 12 but is about 20 inches around the waist.
The exhibit originally was titled “Fashion Through the Ages,” but Barham said after looking over the collection, she thought “Fashionably Late” was more fitting. “I decided to do this exhibit because we have so many wonderful clothing items in our collection that are rarely on exhibit,” she said.
The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, in Town Hall, 11408 Municipal Center Drive. Admis-sion is free.
To learn more about “Fashionably Late,” call 865-966-7057 or e-mail Barham at jbarham@townoffarragut.org.
