Art Gallery

After Dark

4th November 2011 to 26th February 2012

Evening wear from Bushey Museum's collection

Bushey Museum's latest exhibition contrasts the formality and elegance of the flappers with the hedonism and anything-goes-attitude of the late '70s - and everything in between. Whether you were wanting to dress up for the music-hall or down for the disco, the important thing was to follow the trend as hemlines rose and fell and colours changed.

In addition to the ladies' evening dresses, cocktail dresses and dinner dresses and men's formal and dinner wear, plus the essential accessories, the show will feature dinner menus, invitations and photos from formal events taking place in Bushey over the years.

The earliest garment is a short black beaded dress from the 1920s and the latest is a 1970s white and gold mini-dress. Between these decades, the long and short dresses in a variety of styles would look good when worn to any dressy evening occasion today.