Bitesize fashion history, with Amber Butchart

Have you ever wanted to learn more about our sartorial past, but don’t have the time or inclination to enrol on a course? Well, if you live in London, there are plenty of opportunities to dive in without the commitment, and we have fashion history supremo Amber Butchart to thank for a lot of that! I recently attended one of her series of lectures at The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities on Mare Street in Hackney, and it was a fascinating evening discussing tailoring, Savile Row and the one and only Sebastian Horsley. Next, Amber will be getting everything ship shape ready for the release of her book on Nautical Chic, and this begins with a talk on Uniform, Power and the Sea at the Design Museum on Monday 23rd March:

Nautical motifs are a perennial on contemporary catwalks, from regimental naval glamour to the square sailor collar. But how did these elements of men’s uniform — created as a spectacular display of sartorial power and military might — cross into women’s dress, and how did their meanings change with this transition?

Fashion historian Amber Butchart discusses the complex relationship between uniform, war, power and fashion, from the development of naval uniform to its appropriation into womenswear, covering areas based on research from her latest book, Nautical Chic (2015): a look at the history of high fashion on the high seas.

I do hope to see you there! However, if you can’t make it to that, perhaps you can join Amber at the Viktor Wynd Museum on Tuesday 28th April when she will be discussing sailor style and tattoos with Dr Matt Lodder. I may be already planning what I’m going to wear to these events, but will try to hold off on the nautical puns!

Image shamelessly swiped from Amber Butchart’s Twitter feed.