Paul Thompson
Northeast News

The Kansas City Museum is celebrating men’s fashion at its new exhibit in the Historic Garment District.

On Saturday, October 21, Kansas City Museum at the Historic Garment District (KCM@HGD) opened a new exhibit, entitled ‘Suiting Up: Tailored Menswear in Kansas City, 1900-2017.’ Men’s clothing designer Tom Paolini collaborated with Museum curator Denise Morrison and others on the project, which features a decade-by-decade look at menswear styles over the course of more than a century.

The grand opening featured live music, refreshments, and the unveiling of the museum’s latest exhibit.

“This was a collaboration with Tom Paolini, so today really is showcasing him as a designer and his company,” said Denise Morrison, Kansas City Museum curator. “Menswear doesn’t get its due; it’s always wedding dresses and gowns and stuff like that. For the most part, menswear goes on display if they’re the groom, or if they’re in uniform.”

Paolini passed much of the credit for the exhibit along to Kansas City Museum staff, saying that most of his work as co-curator came at the beginning and the end of the process.

“I’ll start my saying it was a lot of woman hours – Anna Marie (Tutera, Executive Director), Denise and Kate (Warfield, Collections Specialist) did a lot of the heavy lifting,” Paolini said. “You get the benefit of being a guest curator or co-creator, having some of the vision of it; but they really did most of the work.”

Paolini added that he enjoyed his role in the project, especially when it came to going through the old clothing that the Kansas City Museum had in storage.

“It’s kind of like a home renovation,” he said. “When you start you’re essentially at the studs, and you’re like okay, ‘We need to turn this into something amazing.’”

The ‘Suiting Up’ exhibit will remain on display until February 24. KCM@HGD is open to the public from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday. Admission is $4 per person, and free for children 12 and under. Family level Museum Members also receive free admission.