Take the time to look closely enough and a garment can be read almost as clearly as words on a page. In this way, archives of garments can provide a unique window into the past, revealing valuable clues to how previous generations shopped, dressed and laundered their clothes. Intact department store tags allow us to... Continue Reading →
As you've probably noticed, I appear to have lost my blogging mojo this month. I felt a bit guilty when the lovely Shasleigh from My Betty Woo mentioned Rarely Wears Lipstick in her recent post on blogs she loves reading, as there's not been much new content here lately. Not a single blog post has... Continue Reading →
Are you interested in what we wear and why we wear it? Are you captivated by snippets of social history? Even if your curiosity only extends to the costumes in Downton Abbey or the current 1990s fashion revival, I think you might find the work of the UK's Costume Society rather fascinating. I've been a... Continue Reading →
Today is Thanksgiving and, over the last few years, some of my American friends have helped me to appreciate the heart and soul of this holiday. Gathering together to eat, drink, appreciate friendships and share what each of us is thankful for is something I really enjoy. As I hand in my Master's dissertation at... Continue Reading →
I've always had a fondness for old clothes. Whether I'm looking through my mother's lovingly saved garments, rummaging in a vintage shop or browsing an antique market, touching a piece of the past has always been my most powerful window into history. Whilst looking at images of what people used to wear is fascinating; being... Continue Reading →
If you have read any newspaper or magazine article where the topic of bra size comes up, you will probably have seen the often quoted statistic that 70-85% of women are wearing the wrong size bra. Apparently. I did a small amount of digging into this at the end of last year and discovered very... Continue Reading →
This time last year, I sat down with a bunch of strangers who were all about to embark on a similar journey to me. All with different backgrounds, we had a common goal. Whether we'd studied literature, history, business or design; were working as designers, trend analysts or university administrators; had an interest in sustainability,... Continue Reading →
It's been a long time since I was last in full-time education. In 1997, I graduated from UMIST (now merged with the University of Manchester) with a BSc in Textile Design and Design Management, but still had a desire to learn more. I just wasn't completely sure what it was I wanted to learn. Since... Continue Reading →
I hear on the radio this morning that schools may remain closed today due to bad weather, forcing some to postpone GCSE and A-level exams. Radio 1 interviewed a girl who said that, if this happened, she would be forced to sit eight exams in the summer and wasn't sure how she would cope. Erm,... Continue Reading →