It was tricky to choose a second garment for my Wardrobe Stories series, but I figured it had to be something pre-loved. Something I'd fallen in love with on first sight but that had a previous owner. All of my clothing has stories attached to it, but I started this series as a way to... Continue Reading →
I found her in Beyond Retro on Great Marlborough Street, when I was looking for something to give me a 90s look for an event that I have long since forgotten the details of. I went into the shop thinking I could perhaps find a vintage slip and style it appropriately, but I quickly found... Continue Reading →
I feel like I've always known how important clothes were, but until I started studying them at university, I didn't have the vocabulary to talk about it. Then, when I had the vocabulary, I found that not many people outside of my immediate group of peers wanted to talk about clothes. I remember clearly going... Continue Reading →
As I think most of my blog's readers know by now, in addition to having a full-time job and updating this site in my spare time, I also help to run The Underpinnings Museum and undertake a bit of academic research into fashion history. I had originally been scheduled to deliver a talk on my... Continue Reading →
So, what a weird year 2020 is turning out to be, huh? I thought that this year had to be an improvement on the last one, but here we now are in the middle of a global pandemic. We're currently on week 3 of lockdown in the UK with trips outside only allowed in order... Continue Reading →
First came the dress that rustles when I move. Although it's not a party frock it very much sounds like one, and this startled me at first. I bought it second hand sometime around 2009, and the design is clearly based on a 1950s wide-collar full-skirt dress. I loved it from the second I tried... Continue Reading →
So, as you can see, my writing's been a bit 'on hold' so far this year. I'm two weeks into a brand new job with a brand new employer and have to admit that I'd forgotten how much energy and brainpower it takes to do that. It's been a great experience so far (really great!)... Continue Reading →
I've spent more years than I care to imagine working out how to love my reflection. It might sound strange to anyone who doesn't identify as a woman, or wasn't raised as female, but the constant stream of messages we receive about how our appearance is the most important thing about us takes a certain... Continue Reading →
For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I am working with the UAL Lingerie Society to organise a mini-symposium entitled 'Breasts and Bras: History, Health and Fashion'. The event is taking place on Thursday 24th October 2019, 6.00-8:30pm in the RHS East lecture theatre at London College of Fashion, 20 John Prince's Street, London W1G 0BJ. The... Continue Reading →
I love clothes and, as a result, I have a lot of them. Although they are essentially practical items, designed to protect me from the elements (and the unwanted attention that going without would bring!), I don't really buy them for that purpose. I'm pretty much a collector of garments, the way some folk collect... Continue Reading →