Setting up the “Dressing Up for Going Out” display at the Clayton Museum was as much fun for Sue Fletcher as it will be for you to visit.

It was the first time Fletcher has displayed all of the treasures from her great-aunts. The exhibit features an eye-catching arrangement with twinkle lights, tulle and flickering candles to spotlight hats of felt and fur, wraps, jewels, gloves, purses, kerchiefs and shoes from the 1930s and ’40s. Six sisters were born into the Stroik family in Ashland, Wis. Collette was the only daughter of one of the sisters, Agnes. Collette bore the family’s first granddaughter – Sue – who now lives in Clayton.

Over the years, all the hats and accessories lovingly worn by the sisters ended up with Fletcher. Train cases have protected the costume jewelry and other accessories, while hat boxes preserved the 40-plus hats, keeping them safe as they made their way from Wisconsin to California.

The Stroiks were not wealthy, but the sisters had hats and accessories for every occasion – reflecting the trend of the era. Fashion in the 1930s and ’40s consisted of ensembles of a hat, gloves and shoes or a hat and a purse in gorgeous colors. In the “Dressing Up” display, you will find brilliant shades of blue, green, red and fuchsia.

Agnes learned millinery skills in order to make her own hats, while others were made by then-popular manufacturers.

The style of hats during that era included the cloche hat, the Empress Eugene hat and the fedora. The cloche (meaning bell in French) was a fitted, bell-shaped hat. The Empress Eugene was a little velvet hat worn slanted over the eye. The fedora was fashionable paired with tailored suits. Wide-brimmed hats were worn to block the sun because parasols were out of style.

Most hairstyles were flat along the crown of the head and had curls that framed the face to allow for hats. There was a brief return of the halo hat, which sat on the back of the head to accommodate the popular pompadour hairdo. The hats were trimmed with netting, feathers, ribbons, artificial flowers and brooches.

Fur wraps also are on display. Fletcher notes that the women even had fur coats, even if the fur was from raccoons! Being the first girl of the next generation, Collette was adored and adorned by her aunts – who dressed her up in the hats, gloves and jewelry. She even donned custom wool coats and high button shoes.

Fletcher has allowed for this same type of dress-up at the museum, where she provided a basket with hats and gloves for children to try on. “What good are the hats if you can’t touch them?” she asks.

The hats were worn by Fletcher’s daughter during the vintage phase of the ’80s or by guests at Christmas tea. This year, the hats provided a backdrop for the Clayton Historical Society’s Camellia Tea on Feb. 14.

“Dressing Up” will be on display through March 24. The Clayton Museum, at 6101 Main St., is open 2-4 p.m. Wednesdays and Sundays and by appointment.

For more information, visit www.claytonhistory.org