What We Wore

Explore a changing exhibit of garments and their stories in What We Wore, a collections platform showcasing the rich collection of clothing and accessories at Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation.  

From practical footwear to eye-catching fashion statements, this exhibit includes men’s, women’s and children’s shoes dating from the 1780s to the 2000s.

Among the 30 pairs of shoes are 1820s women’s slippers made before footwear came in both right and left options, Civil War-era boy’s boots, trendy 1880s women’s purple boots, bathing shoes from the 1910s designed to protect the swimmer’s feet, men’s 1920s wingtip oxfords, 1940s women’s platform shoes sporting multicolored reptile leather, athletic Red Ball Jets from the 1950s, classic children’s 1960s Mary Janes, glittery 1990s women’s jelly shoes and 1990s Reebok Pumps.

Each pair offers a bit of footwear history — and, for some, perhaps a familiar style once found in their own closet.