As the first few weeks of lockdown unfolded, I found myself rediscovering the joys of Twitter - not just history Twitter and museums Twitter but also mainstream Twitter. What was once a stream of people screaming into the void or trying to look like they were living perfect lives, slowly became a more truthful timeline... Continue Reading →
This weekend just gone should have been the annual Pride in London and UK Black Pride events, but the current situation means that things have taken a different shape this year with Pride returning to its protest roots. Online events have sprung up too; last weekend I attended Bi Pride UK's excellent online Bi-Fi Festival... Continue Reading →
Pretty much everyone who knows me is now aware that, a few years ago, I did an MA part-time alongside my job and my Master's dissertation was on technology and the bra in the twentieth century. Since then, I have been looking for ways to share this research as I love talking about the things... Continue Reading →
There are many things that can be learnt about fashion history by studying surviving garments, but there is one question that I always get asked when I show my own personal research collection which is really tricky to answer simply by looking, or by touching the fabric with your fingers. How does it feel to... Continue Reading →
I'm a big fan of slow fashion. Buying garments because I truly love them, waiting for exactly the right thing rather than impulse purchasing and, wherever possible, investing in well-made lovingly-designed pieces that will remain in my wardrobe for years. Sometimes you need to spend a little bit more to get something that's just right... Continue Reading →
I'm not someone who usually does much exercise but, having recently moved to a building which has a gym, I thought I'd make a bit more effort to get myself moving. As I only have one top that's suitable for a workout, I headed to TK Maxx as I didn't want to spend too much... Continue Reading →
It might surprise you to learn that 80% of people are wearing the wrong clothes size*. When was the last time you measured yourself and checked if all your clothing is actually right for your body? The shocking fact is that many of is never do, we just choose the size we think we are... Continue Reading →
In the 13 years I have been writing on this particular iteration of my blog, I've considered closing it down many times and for many different reasons. Mostly it's been because I've run out of ideas of things to write about, but occasionally I will find myself thinking that a particular social media platform has... Continue Reading →
I'm not usually one for new year's resolutions or using January to attempt a fresh start, but this year that's how things have panned out. Back in February last year, I reflected on three national lockdowns and realised that, "I’m not at all sad about how I’ve spent my time over the last year, but... Continue Reading →
When I started thinking about writing a blog post to round up this year it was going to be a 'things I've learnt' format like last year but, in pondering what this year has taught me, my enthusiasm for writing it tailed off. Did this year give me any realisations that can be neatly summed... Continue Reading →
It's been another twelve months of pandemic life but, hey, you know what always cheers me up at this time of year? Giving thanks and announcing my Super Humans! Every year since 2011, I have shared a list of the people who have had positive impact on my life in the previous 12 months and... Continue Reading →
Years ago, I used to run a monthly feature on this blog called Lust List, where I'd share five lovely things that I'd been yearning for that month. Each month's list was themed and it seems like a good format to revive for the festive season as there are some rather delicious lingerie sets out... Continue Reading →
When I was studying art at school - for GCSEs that I took in 1991 and A-levels in 1993 - I was lucky enough to be able to go on plenty of study trips into London to visit galleries. These trips were usually to look at the permanent collections of large public institutions and, as... Continue Reading →