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 →
Clothing and textile archives are fascinating places. Although, as a fashion historian, you might expect me to visit archives as part of my research, they're also very useful places for designers to look for inspiration. Even more so now that many museums have extensive online catalogues with images, available from anywhere in the world, but... Continue Reading →
Sustainability can seem like such a huge subject, that it's easy to become overwhelmed and wonder what on earth you can do that will possibly make a difference. The more you read, however, the more you'll start to work out which aspects really speak to you and where you'd like to focus your efforts. For... Continue Reading →
I have kept a close eye on the London College of Fashion BA (Hons) Fashion Contour graduates since 2014* and was lucky enough to be invited along to the catwalk event organised by this year's graduating class. On Thursday 12th July, I headed to east London for an evening of lingerie, loungewear and swimwear, featuring... Continue Reading →
Last Friday, the British Fashion Council hosted a panel discussion on sustainability, a pillar of their Positive Fashion initiative, as part of London Craft Week. Chaired by Frances Corner - Head of London College of Fashion and Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of the Arts London - the discussion aimed to 'craft fashion through a... Continue Reading →
Last Thursday was one of those days when I had tickets to one evening event and then spotted another that I'd love to have attended as well. The one that I sadly only found out about once I already had plans was a panel discussion at London College of Fashion (LCF) on formulating a flawless... Continue Reading →
Every year since 2014, I have been lucky enough to attend the end of year show organised by graduating students of the BA (Hons) Fashion Contour course. This year's contour cohort worked together to arrange a showcase of their final collections at LCF's John Prince's Street site in central London on Friday 16th June. Students... 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 →
Founder of the ultimate vintage boutique, William Vintage, there must be very little that William Banks-Blaney doesn't know about twentieth century fashion history. Christened "The Vintage King' by British Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and The New York Times, William travels the globe for the ultimate in vintage and hand-picks every single William Vintage piece. Now an... Continue Reading →
Yesterday, I was lucky enough to attend the opening show of London Fashion Week Men's. Nine graduate collections from the MA Fashion Design Technology Menswear course at London College of Fashion, UAL, were showcased in the grand surroundings of converted church St John's Smith Square, kickstarting four days of menswear shows. My favourite collection was... Continue Reading →