My love affair with the neckline known as 'boat neck' or 'bateau neckline' is a long one but, following the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on Saturday, I imagine it's going to be a lot easier to find that style in high street stores than it has been in recent years! Inspired... Continue Reading →
As I have more than a passing interest in men's fashion, I figured that my 'brief history of' blog series should probably feature menswear at some point. The idea sat dormant for a while, until British brand T.M.Lewin - best known for their men's and women's smart shirts - sent me the infographic below. It... Continue Reading →
As part of my Master's degree research, I took a look into the history of an icon of the British high street - Marks & Spencer. This post is an extract from my dissertation and forms part of an occasional 'brief history of' series. Freelance writer and broadcaster Stephen Armstrong perfectly sums up the significance... Continue Reading →
I was recently invited by artist Rosalie Schweiker to give a talk to her bra research group, as part of an ongoing project to start a bra shop for large cup and plus sizes which "thrives on cheap humour, not overpriced sexism". Here is a summary of what I covered in my talk. It's a... Continue Reading →
I wrote a number of academic essays as part of my MA course, and all but one were on lingerie. The remaining piece was on the history of women's swimwear and I found it so interesting to write that I thought I'd cut it down to the highlights and share with you here. I've spared... Continue Reading →
When I visited San Francisco this summer, I was thrilled to be there over Pride weekend. I expected the parade and a whole lot of other fabulous goings on, but what I didn't expect was to find an LGBT history lesson in a department store. Hanging in the atrium of Bloomingdales was a gigantic flag... Continue Reading →