Glamorous garments worn by Red Deerians through the years are now on display at the Red Deer Museum + Art Gallery.

“All of these dresses were worn by somebody who lived here in Red Deer whether very early or more recently; they were worn to various events,” said Valerie Miller, curator of collections at MAG.

The 40 outfits showcased in the exhibit are a small fraction of the Museum’s full collection, which is made up of 15,000 pieces.

“This just scratches the surface of what we have,” Miller said.

“What we wanted to do was show the best representation of dresses that we have that were related to glamorous events.”

The exhibit presents a glimpse into the City’s history. Dresses worn in every era, from as early as 1891 all the way to present day.

Included in the show are three wedding dresses (none of them white) and as gowns were worn to the Penhold spring formal.

The dress Irene Parlby wore to address the League of Nations in Geneva is on display, as well as the outfits that Mayor Crawford and his wife wore to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

Some of the clothing on display was owned by significant players in the City’s history, like the aforementioned mayor or Parlby, who was one of the Famous Five, who helped women obtain the right to vote, and was an MLA in Alberta as well.

But the exhibit also includes clothing worn by ordinary people, like the grad dress of Karli Kendall who is a member of staff at the Museum.

“It kind represents life in Red Deer—what fashion was available and how fashionable people were,” Miller said.

She added that even back before the turn of the last century, “Red deer was not isolated from the world – these women were fashionable and so were the men.”

Beyond the showcase in the GLAMOUR exhibit, the entire collection is available for viewing for research purposes by appointment.

The exhibit will run until March 11th.