Take a look back at how fashion has changed in 150 years of the Kentucky Derby

Since the first running of the Kentucky Derby in 1875, horse racing and swanky fashion have been intertwined and on display at Churchill Downs racetrack.

While the essence of fashion at the Kentucky Derby is always to show up and show out, turning back the pages of history reveals a glimpse into societal trends, particularly for women, through the decades.

Scouring collections in various Kentucky museums, fashion expert Jo Ross, who has spent decades dressing fashionable women for a day at the races, has curated four important moments in Kentucky Derby fashion for an exhibit at Churchill Downs.

"I chose examples which were turning points in women's fashion and their place in society," Ross told the Courier Journal. "A lot of fashion was based on standards women had to meet about their looks and how they were expected to act."

The fashion installation of historic ensembles will be displayed at Churchill Downs for the 150th Kentucky Derby in the exclusive Mansion section of Millionaires Row. While most of us won't have access to the exhibit, Ross is giving the Courier Journal a sneak peek.

Here's how fashion at the Kentucky Derby has evolved over the past 150 years.

What was fashionable at the first Kentucky Derby in 1875?

Turns out, modern-day shapewear and stilettos, which many find uncomfortable after 10 hours at the racetrack, are a walk on the beach compared to what was considered fashionable 150 years ago.

Decades before modern shapewear like Spanx, which is meant to smooth the body by compressing and moving the flesh to other areas, women at the first Kentucky Derby endured tightly synched whalebone corsets beneath their full-length skirts.

"A woman in the late 1800s would have worn a dress with a big hoop skirt underneath and her waist would have been sucked in with a constrictive corset," Ross said. "The garment I chose from the Fraizer History Museum's collection is ivory and celery green in silk and satin. There is a great deal of craftsmanship in this garment with handsewn pipping and semi-pleated sleeves."

Many women would have worn a dress made of silk because of the warm weather and carried a parasol to create shade and keep the sun off their faces. Additionally, a chic Derbygoer in 1875 wore gloves and a decorative bonnet tied under the chin with a large bow.

"These little bonnets were embellished with florals and sometimes feathers were attached to the back of their hat," Ross added.

What was the fashion like at the turn of the century at the Kentucky Derby?

At the turn of the century, women were doing everything they could to earn the right to vote. Ross selected a dress that might have been worn by a suffragette who had been petitioning for the right to vote outside the racetrack.

"Dresses and skirts at that time are significant because of the 'hobbled skirt,'" she said. "The skirt is very narrow and then it fans out so that women had to hobble along. Their knees were so tightly bound they couldn't take full strides."

Thankfully, at the turn of the century, women began wearing corsets of more forgiving fabric, but they still would have been constrictive and hot during a long day at the racetrack. Gloves remained a must-have accessory and small embellished bonnets tied under the chin.

What was Kentucky Derby fashion during the 1920s?

In the 1920s, hats and gloves were still in vogue although hemlines were on the rise. It was now acceptable for a woman to show her ankles and constrictive undergarments made of bone and metal were no longer part of daily attire.

Close-fitting hats called a "cloche" were now in style and they might be embellished with floral trimmings, feathers, or netting.

Small dangling handbags called "a pouch" were the height of the fashion of the 1920s and the flowy dresses of the decade were often trimmed in intricate beading or fringe.

What was Kentucky Derby fashion like in the 1970s?

The final look in Ross's exhibit in The Mansion at Churchill Downs shows a casual infield outfit from the 1970s.

"We were enjoying wearing mini skirts and bellbottoms in the 70s," Ross said. "I put together an outfit a young lady might have worn to a Derby when there was rain in the forecast. Plastic rain bonnets may look silly today but they are what we had at that time."

In 1977, Seattle Slew won the Kentucky Derby on his way to becoming the 10th horse to win the Triple Crown. A typical female fan that year would have cheered the racehorse to the finish line by wearing a Zodiac t-shirt, platform sandals, and bellbottom pants, which were the trend in casual style.

What do women wear to the Kentucky Derby in modern times?

As the longest continually held sporting event in the country, fashion at the Kentucky Derby has evolved through the decades. The "bigger the better" look took hold in hat design at the Kentucky Derby during the 80s and 90s. That style has held fast even as smaller flirty fascinators, which are inspired by British racetrack fashion, have come into their own at American events.

Having studied the changes in race-day fashion, Ross notes that hemlines have gone up and down, hat brims have contracted and expanded, gloves have been tossed to the wind, and dress silhouettes have waned and ebbed the ocean tides. But through it all, "dressing to the nines" has remained a constant part of a trip to the Kentucky Derby.

Reach features reporter Kirby Adams at kadams@courier-journal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky Derby fashion trends through 150 years