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 →
We're closing the 'Lockdown Clothing' project, leaving it in 2020, but before we go here's one last follow-up interview with one of our first batch of participants. Today we’re catching up with Sigita M, who answered the original questions back in April 2020. 1) Can you describe how your daily routine and/or social life has... Continue Reading →
Today's story in the 'Lockdown Clothing' project is from Ilu, who is a software developer and member of the goth subculture in Germany. In his free time he spend time with his wife, the cat, his Brompton bicycle and his (retro) computers at home. You can find him on Twitter as @dec_hl. 1) Can you... Continue Reading →
As the end of the year approaches, and I get myself ready to meet my friends on Zoom and fill out the Year Compass, I thought I'd also take a little bit of time to write a blog post reflecting on what I'll be taking away from the last twelve months. A global pandemic was... Continue Reading →
Well, this year has been quite something, huh? Still, not even a global pandemic is going to stop me from 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, in my opinion, deserve an... Continue Reading →
I've been dying my hair since I was 18. First blonde (until I was 30), then red until last year when I decided that I absolutely must have pink locks. It looked fantastic, but sadly I don't have the patience for the upkeep and so I always knew it was going to be a far... Continue Reading →
Today in the Lockdown Clothing project we’re catching up with Dr Ingrid E. Mida (aka The Dress Detective), who answered the original questions back in May 2020. Despite being extremely busy working on the manuscript of her next book, Ingrid got in touch to share a couple of insights on how her approach to dress... Continue Reading →
Between 2010 and 2018 I worked in an office that was extremely close to H&M at Oxford Circus. On the days when their latest designer collaboration was launching, I would exit the tube station in the morning and walk past a gigantic queue whilst wondering if I should have made an effort to be in... Continue Reading →
The wind whipped her hair across her face as she tucked the elastic of her poinsettia print mask behind her ears. It wasn’t December yet, but it had been one hell of a year and so she was determined to start Christmas early. The last decade had seen her gradually lose her love of the... Continue Reading →
Phase two of the Lockdown Clothing project is well under way now, with two new stories and follow-up chats with eight of our participants from earlier in the year. Today's story is a new one from Astrid Lopez. Astrid is a Spanish London dweller who loves 40s-50s-60s music, dancing, DJing, cava and cake. You can... Continue Reading →
Today’s story in the ‘Lockdown Clothing’ project is from Shaun Cole. Shaun is a writer, lecturer and curator. He is Associate Professor in Fashion at Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton, co-director of Intersectionalities: politics, identity, culture (iPIC research group) and author of a number of books on men’s fashion and dress. You can... Continue Reading →