Fashion exhibitions tend to focus on the vision of a single designer, or the trends of a decade, or a theme like sustainable dressing or Hollywood glam. We rarely get a glimpse into the practical garments of past generations. This fall, however, the New-York Historical Society unveils an exhibition of women’s quotidian clothing from the past 200 years. Exploring an archival collection of outfits on loan from Smith College, the show offers a fascinating narrative on the evolution of women’s labor, economics, and social roles. Divided into sections such as “Home: All Work, No Pay,” “Service: Capable and Accomplished,” and “Rites of Passage: What She Wore,” the material history of women’s rights is on full display. Highlights are sure to include a 1917 Abercrombie & Fitch suit refashioned into a W.W. I Relief uniform, and that American classic of the 1950s, the pink waitress uniform. —Lucy Horowitz