tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22378107057265989532024-03-19T06:08:55.551-07:00Historically Fitted: Fashions of Years Gone By<center>"He who ignores fashion ignores life itself." - Cecil Beaton</center>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03022998660233465087noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237810705726598953.post-6917677489475866402013-01-29T13:28:00.000-08:002013-01-29T13:33:11.321-08:00Technology as material culture?Blogging has certainly been on the backburner this last year while I have been preparing my applications for graduate school. Now, however, that they are all submitted and I am anxiously awaiting interviews and/or acceptance/rejection (I die...) notices, my brain has been churning about what I really think I would like to study if admitted. Before graduating in 2010, I began to study lower and middle class working women at the beginning of the twentieth century. Since I never got the chance to fully explore the topic the way it should it has always been on my mind for future study. Recently, however, I have been thinking a lot about technology and material culture, or rather, technology AS material culture. Questions like, <em>"How has technology changed the fashion world? How has technology changed how society views material things? Has the curation of style and persona on fashion blogs and social media sites shifted young society's perception of self-expression from how you dress to what you blog about or post pictures of?" </em><br />
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The strong correlation between what you wear everyday to your percieved identity is one of the reasons I wanted to study fashion. Clothes are made with the intention to be used everyday, to be practical or functional, but dress (ie clothes, shoes, glasses, jewelry) is also the most accessible form of self-expression. And unless you live in a nudist colony, you are required everyday (by law) to make a choice of what you want to put on your body. The choices you make about your appearance leave instant impressions on those you encounter whether you intend for that or not. So, how has technology changed this notion of how people express their identity in an ever growing youth culture where what you "like" on Facebook supposedly lets the world know what type of person you are?<br />
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The fashion world imparticular has been impacted hugely by this shift. Today, I can watch fashion shows almost instantaneously with the editors and stylists sitting in the front row, but I get to do it in the comfort of my bedroom on my laptop. The speed at which this type of sharing happens is mind-boggling when one contemplates how long the ladies of the 19th century had to wait for fashion plates from Paris in order to know what was in vogue. I can get on sites like style.com and click through all the images of the Paris couture shows faster than the length of time it takes for one show to start and end. <br />
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To sum this string of thoughts up the question that concludes in my mind is, "Has the concept of materiality shifted to a 2-D, digital realm instead of the notion that physical objects and ownership of those objects is a form of self-expression?" I'm sure that it has not shifted completely, so rather the question should be is there new form of material culture to consider when studying fashion and technology?<br />
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I leave you with this picture I saw on The Retronaut last week. I have always said I wish we still wore hats that required hat pins.. And this is definitely a new reason why.<br />
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Using a hat pin for self-defence in 1904 = awesome.<br />
"Oh you think a fair lady that can be taken advantage of? Think again..." <br />
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<a href="http://www.retronaut.com/2013/01/hat-pin-self-defence/" target="_blank"><img border="0" ea="true" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm_xP41IIsxsYl6gMuJAqWHBzMmrc7k_WelxkQXDNfo39mWEttJnfUjyWE3LgmgSshnpUfepMgTz9R_KMkY4zn5d6wFwncceweD_jxfzVI4OFlA7mRDJkd9N8YatvEa3kvZZN6XitWkOk/s400/316969_10152423418645487_413119483_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03022998660233465087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237810705726598953.post-55961972267670482832012-08-08T13:45:00.003-07:002012-08-08T14:04:50.921-07:00Not your average coffee table books.As a perpetual student and lover of books, I make it a point to go to a bookstore every couple of weeks. It's kind of like a form of yoga for me, in that it is relaxing, I love the smell, and I'm giving myself the chance to learn something, either from a book or about myself. I've always said that I hope bookstores stay in business for as long as I'm alive and don't die with the advancement of digitil books and technology. My favorite book store in Chicago was The Book Table in Oak Park. I always found something right up my alley or discovered something I hadn't heard about yet when I went in there. In Memphis, I always go to the Booksellers at Laurelwood, formally Davis-Kidd. All the staff there is so nice and hospitable (as they should be, being Southern men and women..) ANYways, I bring up bookstores because there are a few books dedicated to fashion that I hope to see on the shelves of my favorite bookstore soon.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1219616257">Classic Hollywood Style</a></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Hollywood-Style-Caroline-Young/dp/0711233756/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344453362&sr=1-2&keywords=classic+hollywood+style" target="_blank">by Caroline Young</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Hollywood-Style-Caroline-Young/dp/0711233756/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344453362&sr=1-2&keywords=classic+hollywood+style" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" kda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw57v3BHsdSzdehOZJSxI5vQ_4LgWMoy7jENPTD7OVepw_qUEqWkqiCfNksVeYE4aGvwkpV2O_Hh15q3JJeJfDsXaKAabHiIBclRhEwR2dZj4nu4LC8J9GpGTQJex1ApP2DreOSaPKprE/s320/hollywood.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Hollywood's hold on the pulse of fashion is influential even today. This book highlights 35 films that have influenced not only fashion but also style in their own time and continue to inspire today. Not only is the character from one of my favorite movies, "Bonnie and Clyde" with the gorgeous Faye Dunaway, on the cover of this book, but I am also so excited that a book has been written about the actual costume designers of some of the most iconic movies of our time. So many know of the little black dress from "Breakfast at Tiffany's" or the little white dress from "Seven Year Itch", but how often does anyone hear the accounts of the designers who sketched them or the costume production team that so fatefully choose those garments. Expect to see this book in bookstores on October 16th.</div>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1219616261"><span style="font-size: large;">Grace: A Memoir</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Grace-A-Memoir-Coddington/dp/0812993357/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_4" target="_blank">by Grace Coddington</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Grace-A-Memoir-Coddington/dp/0812993357/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_4" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" kda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUpG-hP3_Vv15rOTB4WAAbJMg_fjO0sgzpjIwi0kl9wQUwYHXwS_1khiEtcAzes6dsXvKS_-6dRKuUUC4zB-hO7yMe7rkYrNVUtIqjrqiQat-XolBe4IyGb2_qMhlvE8PLHCoR-n-i5K0/s320/grace.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The memoir of the beautiful Grace Coddington, creative director of Vogue, is bound to be filled with a story worth taking note of for any aspiring fashion die-hard. Out on November 20th, <em>Grace </em>is the memoir of a woman who rose through the world of fashion as a young model in London and would eventually become the right hand woman of Anna Wintour. Her creative vision has shaped the pages of Vogue for many years and a peak inside the world of Grace Coddington is certain not to disappoint.</div>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1219616271"><u><span style="font-size: large;">Antonio Lopez: Fashion, Art, Sex, and Disco</span></u></a></div>
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<u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Antonio-Lopez-Fashion-Art-Disco/dp/0847837920/ref=pd_sim_b_6" target="_blank">by Roger Padilha and Mauricio Padilha</a></u></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7sSPz7l6k_eHoXzBZX7vp2uH4uVchYysTxBVkF31qNZNoKl1BkqFRZY0cwy9Ez4ZXpOuYy1E_wI_emdbRKMkuzYPSFfrdyei1dVk08ZQxWMDnkuWJLEIFs3G4nBDo2adZYcGaS1rpuig/s1600/antonio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7sSPz7l6k_eHoXzBZX7vp2uH4uVchYysTxBVkF31qNZNoKl1BkqFRZY0cwy9Ez4ZXpOuYy1E_wI_emdbRKMkuzYPSFfrdyei1dVk08ZQxWMDnkuWJLEIFs3G4nBDo2adZYcGaS1rpuig/s320/antonio.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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My first encounter with the work of Antonio Lopez was the drawings included in the <a href="http://historicallyfitted.blogspot.com/2011/11/charles-james-genius-deconstructed.html" target="_blank">Charles James exhibit at the Chicago History Museum</a> last fall. This book cronicles the life and influence of Antonio Lopez. He created a vast collection of illustrations, photos, and paintings working with some of the most revered and respected designers, including Yves Saint Laurent and Versace among many more. This book by Roger and Mauricio Padhilha, with an introduction by Andre Leon Talley, an epilogue by Anna Sui and contributions from Bill Cunningham, is the first of its kind featuring Antonio Lopez and will certainly be a must have for the collections of historical institutions as well as fashion moguls worldwide. Look for it on September 4th!</div>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1219616287"><u><span style="font-size: large;">The Little Black Jacket: Chanel's Classic Revisted</span></u></a></div>
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<u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Little-Black-Jacket-Revisited/dp/3869304464/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y" target="_blank">by Karl Lagerfeld and Carine Roitfeld</a></u></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjykTnfMRWEE0Dv2Y34QnK8d_fOeTfWUdk0-JxAWPHFdI6MS5cMwgksPUp9mo8bvj25MCRfL1iZ6cn2u4FkYtrbFAR2fx0j9MJCuIsnqulUtKyUj2lMBB-sbmRsmwJNy1mQWei5jbJBKOk/s1600/little+black+dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjykTnfMRWEE0Dv2Y34QnK8d_fOeTfWUdk0-JxAWPHFdI6MS5cMwgksPUp9mo8bvj25MCRfL1iZ6cn2u4FkYtrbFAR2fx0j9MJCuIsnqulUtKyUj2lMBB-sbmRsmwJNy1mQWei5jbJBKOk/s320/little+black+dress.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This book is definitely the most coffee table-esque out of the others just because it mainly features photos. However, as a forever follower of anything Lagerfeld touches, I will definitely be checking this book out. This book does reflect on the timelessness of Coco Chanel's oringinal design of the "little black jacket" and its versatillity, so there is definitely some historical referene and provenance to this book. It also features some of my fashion icons, such as Yoko Ono and SJP, wearing the jacket in their own way. This book is due out on August 25.</div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03022998660233465087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237810705726598953.post-80907248141218839182012-06-05T21:47:00.001-07:002012-06-05T21:50:34.512-07:00Online collections = happy eyeballsJust in case anyone needs to kill some time on the internet or actually needs to find an object for research's sake, here are a few links that I have been perusing lately.<br />
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<a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/search-the-collections" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">The Metropolitan Museum of Art's digital collection</span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihkrP9Rpz-Ud6jThUAifh-UhsuDjtqDR2jEnViDouytm7qsurAlottXqklCliVzxNlvNfGwQzyQRrq1dQZ9crD4oI66DjnibKEX3taEt-LIoT7zXmaKBrv_qy9pE8w8KoIPVUtzPUVrWc/s1600/worthwedding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihkrP9Rpz-Ud6jThUAifh-UhsuDjtqDR2jEnViDouytm7qsurAlottXqklCliVzxNlvNfGwQzyQRrq1dQZ9crD4oI66DjnibKEX3taEt-LIoT7zXmaKBrv_qy9pE8w8KoIPVUtzPUVrWc/s320/worthwedding.jpg" width="254" /></a></div>
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House of Worth, 1896</div>
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<a href="http://digitalcollection.chicagohistory.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16029coll3" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">The Chicago History Museum's digital collection</span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPJ3_x52wZxtzC91I92LtUQhSR_F7N0ZEeduyR1U_ftKixS6O5s2omFCB3JCyl_SViJmHDBMeXO_P7cQITPkg7wlZzeMvITcYOSruDQhz7oAqbU1AKNh0ZPVprRQx0kz1iFaVy5Cn_pyY/s1600/poiretsorbet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPJ3_x52wZxtzC91I92LtUQhSR_F7N0ZEeduyR1U_ftKixS6O5s2omFCB3JCyl_SViJmHDBMeXO_P7cQITPkg7wlZzeMvITcYOSruDQhz7oAqbU1AKNh0ZPVprRQx0kz1iFaVy5Cn_pyY/s320/poiretsorbet.jpg" width="252" /></a></div>
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Paul Poiret, 1913</div>
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and <a href="http://omgthatdress.tumblr.com/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">OMG that dress!</span></a>, which is a blog dedicated to posting images of historical fashion from institutions from all over the world.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTwdxUpmdu_ekA-HZYrxigfXTfXVKEynfxcgrKj3R6mur8Ws3JAub6l5K-MmRtdXDw3Mh1WL-xqyl5Fvh4tqI0COq5hsIur7bfPbbdCiSc6kqkzfPWO1QzZtOE3yRznTEj2p5tjslSNf0/s1600/omgthatdress2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTwdxUpmdu_ekA-HZYrxigfXTfXVKEynfxcgrKj3R6mur8Ws3JAub6l5K-MmRtdXDw3Mh1WL-xqyl5Fvh4tqI0COq5hsIur7bfPbbdCiSc6kqkzfPWO1QzZtOE3yRznTEj2p5tjslSNf0/s320/omgthatdress2.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
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Jacques Fath, 1953, The Kyoto Costume Institute</div>
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The images in these digital collections are gorgeous and include centuries of history. So even if you are not looking for academic purposes, just browsing for the sake of your eyeballs is a good reason too.</div>
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Enjoy!</div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03022998660233465087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237810705726598953.post-89191306528395884102012-05-30T21:45:00.000-07:002012-05-31T09:36:14.491-07:00Fashion Journals: Worn and AddressI have come across two fashion publications that I have enjoyed so much in the last few months. <a href="http://addresspublications.com/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Address</span></a>, based out of London, is an independent, academic journal that presents fashion through many different creative mediums and perspectives. <a href="http://wornjournal.com/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Worn</span></a>, based out of Toronto, is another independent fashion journal that also showcases fashion and the art of appearances from many different viewpoints.<br />
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One of the reasons I love these journals so much is the incorporation of different styles of writing, perspectives, cultures, themes, and personalities. Their broad spectrum view of fashion and the ways we encounter and interpret it in our past, present, and future lives is what makes these publications different from fashion journals before them. While Address has pieces written by those in and out of the fashion industry from all over the world, Worn supports those in its local fashion community and operates in a realm of its own where an extraordinary fashion journal is cleverly disguised as a fashion magazine. Worn and Address share an important quality, however, in that they both approach dress as something that is unique and different to every culture and every individual for that matter.<br />
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I could not turn a page in either of these publications without finding something that struck me. These are just a few quotes that I could not help but make note of.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlbMoc9tr5jzGMoSxBpW-x-D8eMEZ_9htn6yFcc21r0v3st8_ZFIQkJFnHzv99icVA2MH8C3y-gji3OdrlEKhEVnBXcoeRqv7pzFznQCRivHN-32_hnw939cOYPhlCITih4KP2hmLWJQE/s1600/address.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlbMoc9tr5jzGMoSxBpW-x-D8eMEZ_9htn6yFcc21r0v3st8_ZFIQkJFnHzv99icVA2MH8C3y-gji3OdrlEKhEVnBXcoeRqv7pzFznQCRivHN-32_hnw939cOYPhlCITih4KP2hmLWJQE/s320/address.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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<i>The introduction to the opening article in Address titled "From Out of the Box" by Nathaniel Dafydd Beard: (This article discusses the ever-rising emphasis being placed on fashion exhibitions in cultural institutions and how museums are learning as they go to find the best ways to make their collections accessible to the public.)</i><br />
<i>"</i>Historically, the relationship between fashion and the museum ended at the cloakroom. Yet, just as curators began to explore the vast cultural significance of the fashion industry, their spaces saw an explosion of vitality which has now escaped from the boundaries of physical space altogether. As fashion curators develop an increasing hunger for the digital, what role does clothing now play?"<br />
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(<i>from the same article) "</i>Despite their vast wealth of knowledge and expertise, there remains a slight amateurish air over the fashion curator's role, in part because so many had to create their own jobs as they went along."<br />
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"Or as Cecil Beaton once put it, 'He who ignores fashion, ignores life itself.'" (My new tagline..)<br />
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This opening article in Address meant a lot to me. While I was still interning at the Chicago History Museum, I saw first hand the types of efforts that were being made to catalog images for future public release on the web. Fashion has always been, well, fashionable, but as for fashion in museums, the public and museum staff themselves are still trying to figure out how to receive it. I strongly suggest anyone who has any interest in this subject to order the journal from their website. This article is only one of many gems in their current issue. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKMaRDej2qGDphPBM2t7y4Bi8TKo0I0MhyfdAICNO-qtbJu7ktboFj0yeQsj22YGu4YW2OddhvdGlBtM6Lw0l8S2l_sB_O-M06i6h8JeKqAGW51UiZnmk7N9JHww95Sl3F9tx6r0IbmhA/s1600/worn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKMaRDej2qGDphPBM2t7y4Bi8TKo0I0MhyfdAICNO-qtbJu7ktboFj0yeQsj22YGu4YW2OddhvdGlBtM6Lw0l8S2l_sB_O-M06i6h8JeKqAGW51UiZnmk7N9JHww95Sl3F9tx6r0IbmhA/s320/worn.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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(Don't mind it's creased corners, I've been carrying it with me </div>
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everywhere since I got in the mail last week)</div>
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I have only been a subscriber to Worn for its last 2 issues. They are a bi-annual publication and their most recent issue was their 14th. Just as the 13th issue was, the 14th issue has been just as much of a page turner filled with insightful and refreshing articles that do not take themselves too seriously as some long-standing fashion publications might.<br />
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<i>Right away in the editor's letter, Worn manages to talk about style in a way that had not occurred to me before:</i><br />
<i>"</i>When it comes to style, fashion, and taste, WORN is committed to challenging the polarizing concepts of good and bad...We believe we have as much to learn from things we don't like as things we do. Realizing that there is no one sartorial path is to accept there is no one human narrative; ultimately, our individuality is what we have in common."<br />
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Throughout the issue, from the different types of bras and their histories to the affects the military has had on men's fashion ("Shop at all seriously for a suit, and you enter a realm of things you must always or never do."), I learn more and more about the clothing I put on everyday. I also learn about the clothes that other types of people wear everyday, such as ballet dancers, or even other cultures, such as Mayan women in South America and their traditional huipils. All in all, Worn presents information about style and dress in such a thought-provoking and witty way that will make me a subscriber to their journal for as long as they keep sending them to me all the way down in Memphis. <br />
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The mere existence of these publications gives clue to the rise of this once scoffed at industry of dress as interpretive history. And as someone who hopes to have the privilege to work in this industry one day, publications, blogs, and other forms of media like these ignite my drive and passion to meet that goal even more. And for that, editors of Worn and Address, I thank you.Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03022998660233465087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237810705726598953.post-61467044683240886522011-11-29T13:30:00.000-08:002011-11-29T14:23:01.168-08:00Favorite Old Thing of the Week (??)<div style="text-align: left;">So I think I started the Favorite Old Thing post and then did maybe two weeks hence the question marks in the title sooo let's try this again, shall we?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>One of the greatest tools that I've found on the internet for studying historical objects is the online archives that museums work tirelessly to photograph and publish online for the world to see. I can't wait for the Chicago History Museum to launch their own archive of objects because that collection deserves to be seen on a world wide basis. One of the existing online collections that I continually return to for examples of historical dress, however, is the Metropolitan Museum of Art's. Currently, the Met has 341,940 objects at our disposable to browse through or to conduct a specified search. I was browsing through the collection in research of my last post on the <a href="http://t.co/Su8s5Jey">Charles James exhibit</a> when I came across this gorgeous sweater.</div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQaMGcB7hA2UKKy3OzwqSl95kmNlwICJ_xRUkVd5yeUYpC3-53pF2zzUVIzbKahQKcYbpHk5F6QTtoxxRUFB4w8hXGvj7H8zAFg8l-RnvTZdpVRI2yePNiiSIg8u8E34Zvlemmf2cW58Q/s400/38.93_CP4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680536142931342898" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 316px; " /><div>The Met dates this sweater at 1895. The clues that point to this date are the leg-o-mutton style sleeves, which came into popularity in 1890, and the intended use of this type of sweater, which would have been for sportswear. It may be hard to believe that a woman would have played tennis in an ensemble like this with our Under Armor and barely there Nike outfits that the Mrs. Williams's play in today, but it is true that this sweater would have been considered "casual wear" in 1895. The state of its condition is really remarkable and makes pieces like this very rare in museum collections because its intended use would have allowed for wear and tear and made it an unsuitable piece to be donated. </div><div><br /></div><div>Prior to the rise of women playing sports it was considered dangerous for women to participate in rigorous physical activity because her energy needed to be conserved for "childbearing and rearing." As a young woman who played college basketball, it is unfathomable to think that women had to be restricted to "calisthenics, dancing, walking, and horseback riding" for exercise. Thankfully, by 1900, even the fashion world had begun to approve of sports for women:</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>"But aside from the team spirit there are wonderful physical advantages in basket-ball. Of all the team games that men play, for many long years not one was available for the women's colleges... Basket-ball, however, was available from the first, and it was not many months after its invention in 1892 that it was welcomed in all of the women's gymnasiums...The fascination of the game attracted the girls to the gymnasiums, and they took this exercise willingly and even eagerly when chest-weights, dumbbells, and rowing-machines seemed a drudge. The excitement of play, too, permitted them more exercise with less fatigue, the advantage of which is apparent." </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>-- </i>J. Parmly Paret, Harper's Bazaar, October 20, 1900</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;">Resources are <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/80093646?rpp=60&pg=5&rndkey=20111128&ft=*&when=A.D.+1800-1900&where=United+States&what=Costume&pos=261">Metropolitan Museum of Art website</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Women-Pants-Maidens-Cowgirls-Renegades/dp/0810945711">"Women in Pants: Manly Maidens, Cowgirls, and Other Renegades"</a> by Catherine Smith and Cynthia Greig.</span></div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03022998660233465087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237810705726598953.post-74940501193563469532011-11-26T14:53:00.000-08:002011-11-26T19:51:26.334-08:00"Charles James: Genius Deconstructed"<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span">On this grey Saturday afternoon, I had the pleasure of revisiting some old stomping grounds at the Chicago History Museum and the chance to see the Charles James exhibition that has been in place since October. </span>Charles James, a London born fashion designer, first made his stake in the industry in Chicago in the 1930s. <span class="Apple-style-span">The 1940s and 1950s were the wonder years in Charles James career. In 1946, James presented his first (and only) collection in Paris. "The Paris showing was so successful that Christian Dior credited James as an inspiration for his now-famous 1947 New Look collection."* </span>The exhibit, titled "Charles James: Genius Deconstructed," presents James's work through the lens of construction. James approached dressmaking with techniques that he had acquired making his daring style of hats in the late 1920s. Therefore, James's designs were constantly ahead of their time in style and technique, as well as considered masterworks of art and construction.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">One of the highlights for me (outside of the gowns themselves) of the exhibit were the CT scans that were taken of several of the gowns at the Field Museum. The scans revealed the very meticulous construction of the gowns which included intricate metal stays and boning in many of the gowns.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAPjwukYyBJpZugW4m5QgS7zl7opai3Xs0EKLDtCGhiSY0xzhm_4oWeeG5eYgfZgJWANCpB4BWQyOMcuN92pL-UwYI40lWb4XPlST8HHAHzuo_DkVkWOrGHmJMmZ4m30O7XBTZDzsZObc/s400/1973.CTScanTree_2114.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5679516504572880994" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px; " /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;">CT scan of Charles James's "Tree" gown</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></i></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBT9hoAE9mjCCyEIS3e7adcNILomzgR7y4a33anbi0kfJfwk5BN9IwdEBi_jPYK4LrDKF53yMom3jps-w6q-X08EMhNZrldVUaJ433-gYpCuaj7TLFMf1V1ikvkELpZiE_w5tW-jdfhN4/s400/charlesjamescatalog.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5679517521832408146" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 317px; height: 400px; " /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><i>Cover of exhibit catalog** featuring a side by side image of the "Tree" gown and the CT scan taken of the gown</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;">Another highlight of the exhibit for me was a little tidbit of fashion history that I learned about one of my favorite James pieces, the Infanta or also known as the Williamsburg. The two different names for this gown refer to the two different time periods in which a similar style of gown was worn. "Infanta" was a name used for women in the royal Spanish court in the seventeenth century whose wide style skirts are infamous in paintings by Diego Velazquez. The name "Williamsburg" refers to the panniers, an undergarment that widened the appearance of the hips, that <span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;">women wore in the eighteenth century in the United States.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4R21QuqcR74EXvcW5LohuR68q4nDyFSNeSbKl2y7XrQywQESVuaxqGpowP7zlq7l4MhnyHxtEcq8DDgqSE9_mlcBeCTl4u1cyBcxcXCKM9IJrWy1-V7DxtMClCPPxguNKkCvoIjI7Szo/s400/infanta.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5679493430766732722" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 186px; " /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><i>Left to right: </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">Velázquez, Infanta Don Margarita de Austria, 1660; </span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">Charles James, Infanta, 1952; Robe a l'Anglaise, 1784-87.</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family:georgia;font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">The illustrations of Antonio Lopez are another interesting and beautiful aspect of the exhibit. James and Lopez collaborated in the mid 1960s when Lopez was beginning to be recognized in the art world. This collaboration has been a vital point to the survival and legacy of James's work. 106 of Lopez's illustrations were donated to the Chicago History Museum during Charles James's visit to the Chicago History Museum in 1974.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family:georgia;font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR3tXIOPoGiG5z8aMvADIGbgo-cyRQ3r1HKDTHvUm-_FUNhKB-feFCyUrC3ND64_RKzHBNsZTWhpvP6CFr937sVPwM6tY5jGreDDnSnMOCDxxsaBmW7lYwYPrZoHlNv7mzJFhFsIppUDA/s320/lopezjames.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5679501924700282178" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 238px; height: 320px; " /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><i>Illustration by Antonio Lopez of Charles James design</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><i>"The artist, Charley James, who chose silks or furs instead of stone or paint </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><i>as his media, built sculptures and created paintings around the living flesh." </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><i>- Franklin Rose, friend of Charles James</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><i><br /></i></span></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik153rtHbUIm4mONRsOMNOuOSLrMq7R1hv_hzc0OJYrTX9_SLANjciFQFBs3awsItEgEsTWlEkLy-Fy0VUKdcHQ_Kh1w-88XY-uc5VG1wwqi_vRvNLlLu1AmZ1HULSbJLQBTg0t9BovGk/s400/N3601_08.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5679504702553604066" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 355px; height: 400px; " /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;">Charles James on his visit to Chicago History Museum in 1974, </span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;">the purpose of which was to examine the collection of his gowns.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;">*Quote from exhibit catalog.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;">**The exhibit catalog for Charles James: Genius Deconstructed can be purchased <a href="http://shopchicagohistory.com/a560/books-magazines/exhibition-catalogues/charles-james-genious-deconstructed.html">here</a>.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;">Images from Metropolitan Museum of Art and Chicago History Museum.</span></i></div></div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03022998660233465087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237810705726598953.post-86795712084338920022011-10-20T01:05:00.000-07:002011-10-20T01:40:01.773-07:00L'influence<div style="text-align: left;">I was perusing the runway images from Paris and Milan's most recent fashion weeks (Spring 2012 Ready-To-Wear) and I came upon this fabulous hat (or visor, really..) in the Balenciaga show. Instantly, the famous Irving Penn photographs of Balenciaga fashions circa 1950 came to mind, but also..and please bear with me on this one..images of trench warfare soldiers from World War I. Something about the almost cape-like brim reminded me of the drawings and cartoons of trench soldiers that were plastered on propaganda posters and war bond posters. Whatch'all think?</div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgZInb_HRaeIUbCj5cO5lVbpFYdPqMJmIXRwVj1XQkZURmjDbwRg66P3HhA__iuidqI1zbQH8AGTziyUL1Vmdhm5H7za32CI1zxynfgn-TtJeSKBvTNBMp4qzlzn8cEotTDj3M_K1VVU/s400/balenciaga+hat.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665486051230268642" style="text-align: left; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /><div><div style="text-align: center;">Balenciaga Spring 2012 RTW</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSeQjFfR7qmemJUUNGDw7f1DhHA7EiI68CLE1LzuhB1-pV-1_iIegCFxHVWSDSWZFM-bUyTA080tHasLnGHmvBOeY3jcMO_VMIry3fFxW-MCcA6YYbiiPXAOdvdr-tt-IBthlY9MDFzt0/s400/irving+penn+hat.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665486081728011778" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 358px; height: 400px; " /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px; font-family:georgia;font-size:medium;">Lisa Fonssagrive in Balenciaga, taken by Irving Penn, 1950.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px; font-family:georgia;font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 296px; height: 400px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTEY7ve87AHgf5jOam9GdTnJPPMngZDit4mvzMpNNvaoQunBjbnh8FIxjbJvW9jPe-AvU91Fy2pLyqmv_j_PbgWu1EDkmYzz2IA_FWlAE0HOC7i-RMRTO6PEs3kRelckVcTIkI9-B5G-w/s400/trench+2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665486410838023634" /><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRw4voq1qYlCI1MPoaGj4o3jWqPE-ofAzQQ531FkSzEXpdRzeerjhiqbHtj4I5iBjsNhy_H31o4PSTNB8lRfPHooFS8mdA9ntStsvMLfe0RNRD4H5jaaK4tg5JGrQOaYBtaJYzLGj7scQ/s400/irving_penn4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665486086741821042" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8pcl3gS01S9iD3KQtQNPG9-THHAte2hxfabotcudjbx5nyKp8RPGnHbL9anpSTHAzZH7sz2UveAO94ZZaYnLlSqHIHbKmELv0T9CUdA1I0U-BuXxTk610QtoIZknUd7cboToKaxro0V4/s400/trench.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665486405126261186" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 260px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnkPXo0u_xbAggUit5f1nc0GYFchGzZQOEKG40JSaY4xy5L8UW3b6UcryusketzxdhuOw-2noXjHeiy7oQhk5EiD232nO0Ult8SWSZNpex2unOmJF99cacr-GE0i8riBnJ7Y0snNIV2hs/s400/3g12195u-1330.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665486080839689826" /><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOc89G3H2a0gi_TektjnS0APzY0nvup6LjscknJhEBj5jw0pxAj7kuFbjVSFSS0aJC2JqS1pewqBymiSATmvAaZyaqsrY-ljmtwp-g7Gxwop6e7652tz1vk8U3UXgoLjnM_jYHPsXWEi0/s400/balenciaga+hat+3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665486053059746562" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;">Love, love, love.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">O and just for fun...Another gem from Spring 2012. Yall know I love some Barbie shoes...Especially some YSL Jack Sparrow meets Marie Antionette Barbie shoes..<i>*sigh*</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu3is7cs_8um8KAsozcPJ7zWExV7Msp9sNui1qn8Scvta6li4MFAP59dCrrZrS38jgx9FsTsUWavTP3qcxGAVmisNAme3y0cPsOaWv98WZLIRuZHnWvsK4UELVVABVb9XqEIb5Tn7h4gA/s320/yves+saint+laurent.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665489096614276498" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:78%;"><i>Runway images property of Style.com</i></span></div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03022998660233465087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237810705726598953.post-83169768646771755752011-09-27T00:10:00.000-07:002011-09-27T01:18:12.264-07:00"We all get dressed for Bill."<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2lG0idWAGdU-1OBIw5SAqChfXFuc33bRss3VOwIvclMRD_7aOLKezojJWpj0G1Ccib0uJmMnlmR3gDaRDeBMOhC1cbH-Vk66UvnAJItHFP2T5Occ9MkwNiLHVo82onSjMzvL5Lv524HE/s1600/bill-cunningham-0411-2-de.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 313px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2lG0idWAGdU-1OBIw5SAqChfXFuc33bRss3VOwIvclMRD_7aOLKezojJWpj0G1Ccib0uJmMnlmR3gDaRDeBMOhC1cbH-Vk66UvnAJItHFP2T5Occ9MkwNiLHVo82onSjMzvL5Lv524HE/s400/bill-cunningham-0411-2-de.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656946954558199810" /></a><br />Every one who is interested in fashion, especially fashion journalism, needs to watch the documentary on Bill Cunningham. Simply titled "Bill Cunningham New York," this documentary chronicles the life and work, which are one in the same, of the photographer who has captured fabulous, real women in fashion on the streets of New York since the 1960s. Historically speaking, he has seen and captured all the major works and looks of high fashion and "street" fashion of the second half of the 20th century. He continually references historical influences in his weekly columns for the New York Times as well as in the audio for <a href="http://video.nytimes.com/video/2011/09/23/fashion/100000001071668/bill-cunningham-zip-it.html">online videos that accompany his "In the Street" column</a>. Bill Cunningham is a staple character in the streets of New York City as well as an icon in fashion journalism. His mission is not to define trends or fashion, but to merely capture and portray beautiful men and women in their clothes or their "armor to survive everyday life" as he puts it. It is because of people like Bill that fashion has become so accessible to everyone across the globe. He dedicates his life to capturing everyday people in the wonderfully fashion forward city of New York for his own pleasure as well as for the pleasure of small-town girls like myself who dream of the day when our photograph is casually snapped by the likes of Bill Cunningham. The documentary is available on instant streaming on <a href="http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Bill_Cunningham_New_York/70141814?trkid=4213507">Netflix</a> right now so I suggest you all hop to it and check it out. <div><br /><iframe width="500" height="284" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/NYqiLJBXbss" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03022998660233465087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237810705726598953.post-24010335569409809192011-06-11T14:47:00.000-07:002011-06-16T00:06:43.149-07:00"Unmentionables: Foundations of Fashion"<div style="text-align: left;">In the spirit of embracing my move back to Memphis I am seeking outlets of history and fashion history in my dear ole hometown to not only continue my own education of the subjects but also to learn more about the place in which I was born and raised. So it was my delight to learn that <a href="http://www.memphismuseums.org/">The Pink Palace</a> was opening a display of fashion undergarments titled "Unmentionables: Foundations of Fashion." As every other broke post-grad does in this situation, I looked up when the museum offers free admission :) So last Tuesday in between 1-5 I trekked over to check it out. (I will be writing a separate post about the general history of The Pink Palace and the other textile and garment pieces I encountered while on my visit there.)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">The emphasis of the display is on silhouette and how fashion's history has been defined greatly by shape and the undergarments that create said shapes. The display includes 12 examples of women's undergarments spanning from the 1880s to the 1960s and 4 examples of men's undergarments. The display also includes 6 women's dresses, including one wedding dress, that exemplify the type of garment that would be worn with their counterpart understructure, all spanning from the 1880s to the 1960s. The study of silhouette has always been an area of interest of mine, especially in relation to corsetry and the women's movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I complain when a belt or a pair of pants is too tight so I can only imagine the discomfort that these women dealt with daily because of tight corsetry. On the other hand, today's woman will walk around in 4 inch heels all day giving herself blisters all for the sake of beauty and fashion, so is there really that big of difference? All I can conclude is that I am thankful that it is no longer considered in vogue to wear those type of garments under my clothes everyday and to thank designers like Chanel, Poiret, and Fortuny for setting the trend on a mainstream level in the 1910s and women like<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> Ameilia Bloomer, Annie Oakley, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton for starting the trend among women at the grassroots level in the 19th century.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgawHRN1LRYKhalJ_3Up5I7DEcf1TeBGHy02bJhPe0KrObAd5-BcTlU63JCQuv33Lue7_U7AmEhK6qJJ1PwTvSJZpa7PdUOCby8eDuFNd0NE3BDkCbI1RkVJiAF_PO_mv0u102sSil7_hE/s400/IMG_0447.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618590394918911042" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUdcY_m74t1N4DP4nd_skyCm13T3UmPem_oSAWaJb21Fyy8QVjfnCSIPoKCqrpqEED1byFHyx6lJXcGhPMtYLZ6syHpsE7XerVZyDlpDD6hnTbaZPjWHS97V_M3kHsAwL2hx-PzDvuTZw/s400/IMG_0450.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618590407264646018" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKp3Q28Fk7G8f96SsBA9yCghX6Z4OPqOGgbhsTM6jES5mxx-vV4_ANjdIJ5YneTdaZjXHM-RZ5RdnCcOBkw2uAki9gqVjE5_bIMhCV2i46rMprqL9Np0cWabZ9bcycr2BJyyFEiaeSDJE/s400/IMG_0471.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618597401121326578" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUv-aObfTh84h9IDydYUkhYF-hYcJ36k1oL0JK-M0fs6h17QJbU5VOSPGPMPoRj_jmN9bMXG0fdvwdMzuXVMOeZhzbj7lAue8wbAQO5Pj3vfiGowIdRvr19TNxFjZbLbQYiAn_spW8qT4/s400/IMG_0470.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618597167255546818" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLUpVrH_ZOSDGfu4RtyIgauYVPiXeFIW3f1RA2gwMeMM94_J6O5vOKCEwarPyT0HoME51UPR1oK0Eb7erMairqOAak-v1GRuKXloyT1W2iK8REYgqFrQkppPQeT7BXsaVs2FXhSnazhs/s400/IMG_0451.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618597405627678338" /></div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03022998660233465087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237810705726598953.post-48399138528008750612011-05-31T18:39:00.000-07:002011-06-02T16:06:56.945-07:00Working Girl.<div style="text-align: left;">Okay, so... I know I've taken a little bit of a hiatus from blogging, a month to be exact, but the "moving back to Memphis, new job, and trying to settle" madness is behind me I promise I will be more diligent. Besides blogging, other things that I need to tend to are studying for the GRE (yuck....) and getting on top of editing my paper that will be submitted with my grad school apps in the fall. I thought bringing the topic of this paper into today's blog post would be a nice way to kick start everything :]</div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Working girls..</span></i> </div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH95R_fCfQUD9yA7Mz8PR5TAEshZkXq53m5xy3zVSFNDUey5KaJ1YONE9lu9ZoyuUqvZtsSy2jGVD7XAQjjKhDZCsDF0Ta1kPhomMVK4y4EiE8N2dzP81vlGPJlYq-QiSFXB5yqiv1r8s/s400/IMG_0430.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613750929952722402" /><div>In today's society working women are more than common place. In fact if a woman isn't working it's usually because she married wealthy, is retired, or is under 15. Before the late 1800s, however, a woman's "sphere" was restricted to domestic settings. As the Industrial Revolution took off in America during the late 19th century, work opportunities for women outside of the home also rose. Factories and shops needed cheap labor and there were plenty of single, immigrant women in the urban communities across the east that needed to support themselves.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Most commonly these women are known for the hardships they experienced such as dire working conditions, meager pay, long work hours, and the danger they encountered in the factories, like the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911.* Historians like Kathy Peiss and Nan Enstad, however, have presented a different side of the story for these young women. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQyU2qgb0Yhmf4tFyAPlBUTcKEo5epkl10JYk0TtEM4tssA1h5p6V-d0Nqi75H1wZ4LRsvEL4DX3M7kGm3kAvoGctgEKxOEQLmUElIVj_WK78uENhsMSCi74eoOXY8obPM7MMBhoXXEZw/s400/IMG_0429.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613750154101425698" /></div><div>These young, single women made up a demographic that this country had never encountered before. The garment factories in which they worked were producing ready-to-wear fashions that they could afford to purchase in the department shops popping up in shopping districts across the metropolis's of America. Dance halls in which men and women intermingled were breaking down the Victorian concept of separate spheres for the sexes. In part, these women laid the foundation for the social revolutions of the 1920s and the middle class flapper girls.</div><div><br /></div><div>The image of young working women in the early 1900s may look very different from my comrades and I running around bringing you your food and drinks in our Blue Monkey shirts, shorts, and tennis shoes, but essentially the ideals of making a living and taking steps toward bettering ourselves are there for the young working woman of 1911 as well as 2011.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9pXGWa7pw5w6J6cSHHPao-LaAT9fsX5d8nsQWNKaBsAXmJMwaSMF3ew-56gOpv7aEkxPP4-DdojVT6mXozJ3ljgbjQSYZMp_sMynpAx02zu3mLSH0SvXNW-btTmp94VU52i87zVyJDGI/s400/IMG_0428.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613750463648193314" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">*</span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">146 women perished in this industrial disaster due to locked doors and no fire exits in the factory</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">.</span></span></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Images from Cheap Amusements: Working Women and Leisure in Turn-of-the-Century New York by Kathy Peiss and Ladies of Labor, Girls of Adventure: Working Women, Popular Culture, and Labor Politics at the Turn of the Twentieth Century by Nan Enstad.</span></i></div><div><div><br /></div></div></div></div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03022998660233465087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237810705726598953.post-34839804876565741162011-05-02T21:47:00.000-07:002011-05-02T23:08:46.186-07:00Gala's, Weddings, and McQueen...O My!<div style="text-align: left;">Sorry for the hiatus this past week, folks. It's moving time for me. I am leaving my sweet home Chicago and going back to my other sweet home, Memphis, Tennessee. So with all my stuff packed away and ready for the big haul down south tomorrow morning, I, of course, can't sleep...</div><div>What better time to blog :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>A lot has been going on in the world of historic dress in the last week. So I thought I'd give a little synopsis of the main events.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Today was the ever-so-elegant and celebrity-attracting Costume Institute Gala. An event put on every May at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. This event is sponsored by many of fashion's "higher-ups," but most notably Vogue and Anna Wintour. The event draws every notable celebrity, designer, model, etc. etc. from around the globe and the reason they come is to lend support (and by support, I mean $dollars$) for the Met's Costume Institute. This year's gala marks the opening of an exhibition featuring the designs of the late (and great) Alexander McQueen, titled "Savage Beauty." This exhibition chronicles the masterpiece creations of McQueen and includes approximately 100 pieces from throughout his career from 1994 to 2010.</div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 223px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD9nafBzYITReH5LJuz4A7UKslBtgZEu-YOSu8IEMWGmDoPuNYYxSTXZWun_VdbRkR58zCAeC88xH7qIAKdug8NUepm5G9BDZ21u-UgAiyzEjYpm3Dgx_hEpZFImg5LTMxctxTTY4iTUY/s320/savage.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602352476680591090" /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Pieces that are to be included in the exhibition were shown at a press preview.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">And, of course, there's the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">Royal Wedding</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">.</span></span></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Which, ironically, also brings up the name of Alexander McQueen. The best kept secret of the RW was the designer of Kate's dress. As Kate stepped out of the car at Westminster Abbey, the world learned that it was in fact Sarah Burton, creative director at Alexander McQueen, that Kate collaborated with on the design and aesthetic of the dress. And may I say....flawless. Classic. Elegant. Perfection. Of course, the hype surrounding Kate's dress intrigue's one to look back at royal wedding dresses of the past. Historic Royal Palaces released the video below last week displaying some of the rarest royal wedding dresses, including the infamous "first" ivory gown that Queen Victoria wore when she wed Prince Albert in 1840. With all this wedding buzz, I wish that Chicago History Museum's own exhibition of wedding dresses("I Do: Chicago Ties the Knot"), which ran from May of last year until this past January, was still on display. If you missed it, however, the catalog can still be purchased at </span><a href="http://www.shopchicagohistory.com/a560/books-magazines/exhibition-catalogues/i-do-chicago-ties-the-knot.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366FF;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">chicagohistory.org</span></i></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.</span></span></span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" id="TelegraphPlayer-TMG8467473" width="560" height="315" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/flashplayer/current/swflash.cab"><param name="movie" value="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/template/utils/ooyala/telegraph_player.swf"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"><param name="wmode" value="window"><param name="salign" value="LT"><param name="scale" value="noscale"><param name="FlashVars" value="embedCode=14c21lMjodWXvjCov0HtoX2NkjPI9LhS&offSite=true&showTD=true&thruParamDartEnterprise=site%3Dfashion%26section%3Dfashion/video%26pt%3Dvid%26pg%3D/videos/TMG8467473/Royal-wedding-dresses-revealed.html%26spaceid%3Dvid%26ls%3Df%26transactionID%3D12345677890%26psize%3D620x415%26view%3Dviral"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/template/utils/ooyala/telegraph_player.swf" pluginspage="http://www.adobe.com/go/getflashplayer" menu="false" quality="high" play="false" name="TelegraphPlayer-TMG8467473" height="315" width="560" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" bgcolor="#000000" wmode="window" salign="LT" scale="noscale" flashvars="embedCode=14c21lMjodWXvjCov0HtoX2NkjPI9LhS&offSite=true&showTD=true&thruParamDartEnterprise=site%3Dfashion%26section%3Dfashion/video%26pt%3Dvid%26pg%3D/videos/TMG8467473/Royal-wedding-dresses-revealed.html%26spaceid%3Dvid%26ls%3Df%26transactionID%3D12345677890%26psize%3D620x415%26view%3Dviral"></embed></object></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-style: italic; font-family:georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Senior curator, Dr. Joanna Marschner, discusses the six dresses on display at Historic Royal Palaces.</span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 245px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Og1yacxQGLeju5ajXuCvO40v7kV8yDM7STkN73UoHWmpvkLsH9c23rVHomGFS7jknuPsSesZAolG4eel7-0Kcd-cJkPb1aYluNfPYclG8P49zn9jlnbJKiK35ImUjMp5lYYjPJDmx9Y/s400/kate2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602363010391208754" /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;">Kate's dress has been rightfully compared to Grace Kelly's wedding dress with it's long lace sleeves, high neck, and sweetheart neckline. The choosing a widely-celebrated, contemporary British design house by Kate is not only another example of why she is truly a modern day princess. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 158px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGYIahqIwnzY4DVlWyHOgtDHNrdDF8AXXeeK4pfs5gdwlT7XcR8pjtJrPraX1js9WgcVXPzr2ajzggzDP_qaC2auQJ-ZnV1986ggZXAc-3rtif1AXxbaMmcd0OAOLSCIvQ5pKW3yrQDog/s320/kate+3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602361222451894994" /><div style="text-align: center;">Kate's second dress worn at the festivities after the ceremony was also designed by Alexander McQueen's Sarah Burton. (Stunning!!)</div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8jJCxodZXrH-I7q61NlFL3qmIDLfYm7ElfR_bMEj7DxsWnFAj72t1r_7ZevNtUSPpGvIVlOmnIqtxCNsSjeMK85dwahxiTWnqS0W6v9ZPaBzG59lV8Ih_X0ujuIDpe-hsw0PKo2Qd1w/s400/kate1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602360402890683378" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Just one last look at the happy couple...everybody together now...awwwwww!!</div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03022998660233465087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237810705726598953.post-7210022140511990272011-04-21T17:52:00.001-07:002011-04-21T19:32:33.247-07:00Fashion is history.<div style="text-align: left;">So if you have not seen the NY Times article on <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><a href="http://nyti.ms/iiae54"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">fashion's place in museums</span></a> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">then don't bother at this point because I'm about to point out why it has a seriously misled point of view.</span></i></div><div><br /></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"></span></i>It really is pointless to argue that fashion is superficial and it has no place in the academic world because it has arrived, folks, and its not going anywhere. Fashion as history has fought the same battles that any other "alternative" history has fought. And by "alternative" I mean, anything that is not the old, rich white man's version of history. Emerging social histories fought for their relevancy back in the 1960s, and fashion has been fighting the same battle in academia since before the 1990s.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Yes, it is true that fashion exhibitions are popular with the public because fashion as a general subject is popular. But who is to argue against something that brings in revenue for museums that are struggling financially more than ever in this downward trending economy? Also, just because museums and academia are finding a place for costume exhibitions doesn't mean that the public in general understands how fashion can be used to tell the stories of the past. Isn't educating one of the basic missions of a museum? Imagine the surprise for those lucky wanderers of New York's Met or Chicago's Chicago History Museum or L.A.'s Los Angeles County Museum of Art when they find themselves face to face with a turn of the century gown that demonstrates how couturiers freed women from rigid corsetry or how garment factory workers used the emerging ready-to-wear industry to uplift their position in life. Conserve, share and educate. That is what museum's are doing with their costume collections just as they are with their paintings and photographs and other forms of "art."</div><div><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhwCCnTW-i-Krv2v0x0l_ZiEANGqha6SuncGfe0iyyQUO0Rmnt_SbhktAJkKCKDn3yZx_ik41KwoPEZKKMu7D04I03ksMC4ULZgcqG1dGfC3AF6r2aa_nPA5sA4d5_fBuIsQfi5ssH0F0/s320/DSCN0072.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598225772433652386" /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i>Dresses featured in Chicago History Museum's exhibition Chic Chicago: Couture Treasures from the Chicago History Museum that demonstrate how couture fashion "trickled down" to ready-to-wear fashion. Christian Dior (on right) circa 1953 and Sophie (on left) circa 1954 could both have been purchased at Chicago's Marshall Field's in their different departments of course.*</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div>What it comes down to, honestly, is that dress, in all its different forms, is something we use everyday. And whether or not you are plucking t-shirts out of the half off bin at Express or strolling into Dior on Avenue Montaigne, dress expresses identity. Dress has acted as an expression of identity since before the Etruscans draped their first <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/17.190.2066"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">chiton</span></a> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">in the 6th century B.C.</span></i> and will continue to do so forever. Therefore, it is not hard to connect how fashion can give us a tangible window into the societies of the past, whether it's a gown from the couture house of Gabrielle Chanel from the 1920s or an English red coat from the Revolutionary War.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, believers in fashion, continue to support the arts, in all its forms, by visiting the exquisitely well thought out fashion exhibitions being featured in museums across this country. Thank you and goodnight.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">*Information from the catalog of the exhibition, which can be purchased <a href="http://www.shopchicagohistory.com/a560/books-magazines/exhibition-catalogues/chic-chicago-couture-treasures-from-the-chicago-history-museum.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">here</span></a>. (One example of the scholarly work that goes into a fashion exhibition.)</span></i><br /><div><br /></div></div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03022998660233465087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237810705726598953.post-90361418392469693252011-04-19T17:18:00.000-07:002011-04-19T17:31:30.284-07:00Favorite Old Thing of the Week<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtyJrING7vxZV1a8ZxtxBSCY0YgkCprcauU3ELiMUtqQcxrT06QjksgEgzMRk8BRGJOxCB2iNXGFk4myqd5KN3PQIP8ebNUL6T0GqxvsZibxxnTZgd2IFfl7b3m2RM0dP0xk8JOVT_xy4/s1600/fash.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 307px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtyJrING7vxZV1a8ZxtxBSCY0YgkCprcauU3ELiMUtqQcxrT06QjksgEgzMRk8BRGJOxCB2iNXGFk4myqd5KN3PQIP8ebNUL6T0GqxvsZibxxnTZgd2IFfl7b3m2RM0dP0xk8JOVT_xy4/s400/fash.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597453684727141890" /></a>"The entire point of the original mod movement was to reject the naff rocker look, to dolly-bird yourself up in the sharpest suit or neatest op-art jacket, and make yourself over into your personal best, regardless of external circumstances." --Vogue, May 2011<div><br /></div><div>Spring is the most appropriate time of year for a makeover in all aspects of life. Here's to adopting mod as a fashion and life philosophy as a young person in 2011. Join me.</div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03022998660233465087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237810705726598953.post-16351122773125899032011-04-15T12:30:00.000-07:002011-04-15T14:05:37.303-07:00The History of "Stuff"<div style="text-align: left;">You don't have to be a history buff to be obsessed with shows like <a href="http://www.history.com/shows/american-pickers"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">American Pickers</span></a>, <a href="http://www.history.com/shows/pawn-stars"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">Pawn Stars</span></a>, or <a href="http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/auction-kings/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">Auction Kings</span></a>. If you are a history buff, however, and you have not stumbled upon these shows before then I heartily suggest you do. The recent rise in popularity of shows such as these has peaked my interest into why people are fascinated by them. If you do not know, the basic premise of these shows is the buying and reselling of people's old things (sort of the high brow version of garage sales). Of course all of them go about it in their own unique way, but all of them could not exist if there was not a market for what they do.</div><div><br /></div><div>One of the reasons that I think people are attracted to these types of programs is because people love the history of "stuff." And as someone who wants to eventually pursue a master's degree in material culture/decorative arts, the relevance of these shows has really caught my attention. The greatest thing about these shows is that they include the history of whatever object is being sold/bought, so the viewer actually understands why its worth whatever it is being sold/bought for. I intend to do some further research into this topic and see what others have said about it. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Now the granddaddy of all these shows has got to be <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">Antiques Roadshow</span></a>. The premise of AR may be very different because there is no buying/selling going on, but the core value of the show is very much the same as the others because people are bringing in their old stuff to learn more about it and find out how much it is worth. While costume items are few and far between on shows such as these, the costume nerd inside of me jumped for joy when I was watching a rerun of AR this past week and saw this:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyCfeZoWBIzBw166Chj07BAkeb9TH6E-uPtQrefH7hdzYvEPpQvJeR6meU5idASDKUcRZM3jpaguCQ3ueqzVw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>The appraiser places the date of the portrait between 1805-1825 based on the costume the man is wearing. For the appraiser, J. Michael Flanigan, to have that sort of knowledge of costume, when he is listed as an expert in furniture and folk art, shows that the relevance of costume is becoming more and more significant. Changes in men's fashion are more subtle throughout history, and the presence of the high collared waist-coat and shirt with ruffled necktie, also known as a cravat are seen in both the Empire Period (1790-1820) and the Romantic Period (1820-1850). Stay tuned for more posts on shows such as these! In the mean time, check them out for yourself on the History Channel, the Discover Channel, and PBS!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtrBblQ1LzPV8gfhxXBjGGme6XGPg9qOWFyWz8-DzVYRNBpnxmdoMDnlU8RGEi28frg9l0xQsNDEwRJlg9cEY8ktLjNOlv_GUusx8zEifZUCMC-eI7Qw90vI1XTRR6_boKg7hyphenhyphenIubW9K0/s320/wa200802A42_00.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595906336651386594" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i>(picture and video courtesy of pbs.org)</i></span></div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03022998660233465087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237810705726598953.post-82720741057967762342011-04-07T10:39:00.000-07:002011-04-07T21:21:56.227-07:00Favorite Old Thing of the Week<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSVuh1U9bcBliT_jPkWRdMmUBngBo7pyypGgHtvvtaPlHw3I-pvQZ7gRTtUZV4ddXiq9UhaaILN82UIT-N08GJM5M-uS7qvk4Nvy2l4cvu3XUdgLhIvGUjJya0aobkBH8sNuHRyk266Yk/s1600/norell1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 297px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSVuh1U9bcBliT_jPkWRdMmUBngBo7pyypGgHtvvtaPlHw3I-pvQZ7gRTtUZV4ddXiq9UhaaILN82UIT-N08GJM5M-uS7qvk4Nvy2l4cvu3XUdgLhIvGUjJya0aobkBH8sNuHRyk266Yk/s320/norell1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593055549089947554" /></a><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">Norman Norell: </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">Conservative Elegance</span></i></b><div><br /><div>Norman Norell, seen in the picture at the left with models, was an American designer throughout the middle of the 20th century. Norell is among the group of American designers who gained prominence during WWII because of the lack of communication that was available between France and America at the time. French fashion had reigned superior for centuries, but because French designing was cutback significantly due to Nazi occupation, magazines such as Vogue and Harper's Bazaar began to feature more American designers.</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 235px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-yQOH-F8daF0Q5-0ZuYlkCxwuOJWTrvBfzNMzWoiAIc3Dp9Cm-dPA-fTXbMNzGWgz2m1x3NcBMkkCljJ5TRC8WALfkV4aW3um0dQk94AYZ47opNLdmLQeZAXdufvu8_hfaSp6Tn8hEjU/s320/norell3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593054292510611106" /><div style="text-align: right;">During the early part of his career, Norell worked with Hattie Carnegie, another prominent American designer. After partnering in the company Traina-Norell for 20 years, Norell finally broke off on his own in 1960.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 193px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVWhRkdlFI9lrCgdtI90oBI7nnmhPLE0Xs0cmiM4c7IztFLFRDJly48EGvUcRmgRjADYfbEWzG6VfRT14-fzm6vIHm7czSao6Dy9NEgM0QSISNs0On6pYFqAEj3D-db__oxBodaNC_1uQ/s320/norell4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593054563248748642" /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Norell's aesthetic is known for its precision tailoring, simplicity, and elegant femininity. Some of his signature looks include his sequined mermaid gowns, as seen on Marilyn Monroe in the picture above, his short jersey dresses, his nautical themed looks featuring bows, buttons and belts, and his elegant suits.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 218px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZjY-U9QKjso8bJflZS3yoLVRRYEn21KsRMLYEGa1L5pabd7DTdpmhc37I2CX1VnAJOQnMlIk6UzOUK-sUg6P3gRBSlNgLAVVcgIsROp8HX4k2bslkP90zr8sMNShxrqUEuJ8yODRn3XE/s320/norell5.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593055159022509602" /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;">Norman Norell remained a prominent figure in the fashion industry until his death in 1972. Norell, Claire McCardell, Pauline Trigere, Charles James, and Gilbert Adrian are some of the American designers that helped resurrect fashion in America and abroad after the world had experienced two decades of depression and war. In the picture to the right, Norell is seen in his signature red tie along with some of his signature looks. He was truly an American classic. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03022998660233465087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237810705726598953.post-57351805479122058562011-04-05T12:30:00.000-07:002011-04-05T14:19:54.916-07:00Downton Abbey<div style="text-align: left;">On the recommendation from my wonderful boss at the Chicago History Museum, Meghan Smith, I spent the majority of Sunday watching "Downton Abbey," a series put out by PBS as part of their Masterpiece Classic series. It is currently on Netflix Instant Streaming for anyone who wants to check it out for themselves. I was intrigued first and foremost because Meghan said the costumes were fantastic, and secondly because the time period it is set in, the 1910s, pre-WWI, is possibly my favorite period in history for a collection of reasons. As I began to watch the episodes I was delighted by the plot line, along with the costumes, which were designed by Sussanah Buxton. The story of Downton Abbey consists of an old world Victorian family, the Crawley's, and the world that they and their servants live in. The story is filled with scandal, betrayal, love, family duty, and inheritance against a backdrop that consists of a traditional 19th century family and their servants trying to maintain order and propriety in a social atmosphere that is rapidly changing. Needless to say, I was completely enveloped by the aesthetic and the story, and was disappointed to find out that the second season of the series is not due out until next year.</div><div><br /><div> <div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg62Ixuj4fEqzxCo-NQ4U2wsaWknbaFwJWMMxYlVqdOynPlnyiTYIrey8hViR4Priq9xSfAOQohTnfvv4rz4SaIMCe2lEUSD97T7a_ezyeogOGpgInaotgvkYQtJtytPv6q90oXYG_abDM/s320/violet.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592199078003774498" /></div><div>Dress during the Edwardian Period, the first decade of the 20th century, reflected much of the same aesthetic as dress had during the last half of the 19th century. This aesthetic was a highly-corseted, conservative look with a high neckline, long sleeves, and long skirts. The most prominent silhouette at the beginning of the 20th century was a "S-Shape" silhouette. This look had an exaggerated bust and bosom and tiny waist and was created through the use of tight corseting. The costumes of Lady Violet Crawley are reminiscent of this style of dress even though by 1912, the time the series begins in, this silhouette had been largely replaced by a simpler straight silhouette with an empire waist. The fact that Susannah Buxton chose to keep Lady Violet in a more traditional style of dress shows her attention to detail and to the characters themselves, because Lady Violet is and would be in real life if she had existed a very traditional character who is attempting to withstand the radical social changes occurring in the world around her.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 149px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEwnDfpv9mz-yGN_TJ-JlYar-qoA37EvmsWI6HxLTP1g6ejZww83bA_yza0ZT-qv8QXnAGCSExodj35DOvm1yHgLplzMuWGHO_73pvBuBwoPeIAMKcRb7UQAQfrpSggOqvs-W6p0vA0c/s320/mary3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592205710472554194" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;">The costumes of Lady Mary, the eldest daughter, and her two younger sisters, Edith and Cybil, are much more reflective of pre-WWI dress after 1910. Many women still wore corsets with this style of dress, although they were straight and less restrictive than the corsets required to achieve the "S-shape" of the previous decade. The empire waistline was very prominent as well as oriental influences, as seen in the picture with the chinoiserie style embroidery on Lady Mary's dress.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgARHs3uyXWfMm7ciU4TyVsup-a_jGWb9di30J5OkpHztJoKRbD72EvhbNbj4jkTsSn6XDbFaxTDET1Wvvfg8gk1DVcmV4J7akmV20ZVvdwRCXkNRr5636kF0mx7VMgUqHQMPNy0EJsdiA/s320/285073417.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592208589780653330" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Just wanted to show one last look at a gorgeous image from the film of the three Crawley sisters. The fashion of the 1910s were changing in ways that had not occurred in the past because changes were happening throughout society for women that had not occurred in the past. Downton Abbey does a wonderful job of capturing the unseen war between the Victorian-minded traditionalists and the social revolutionists that were fighting for change in Europe and America at the time. Look out for my new Favorite Old Thing of the Week coming up in the next couple of days.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Thanks for tuning in,</div><div style="text-align: center;">Jane</div></div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03022998660233465087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2237810705726598953.post-27406842333293985252011-03-30T18:00:00.000-07:002011-03-30T21:43:29.737-07:00Here goes nothin'...<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Alright, folks.</div><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366FF;">Clothes</span>. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Costume</span>. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">Fashion</span>. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000066;">Dress</span>. Whatever you want to call it, it's what we wear <span style="font-style:italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993399;">everyday</span></span>.<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div> And as someone who is attempting to break into the industry that supports the historical side of life, I am here to pay weekly tribute to fashions of the past, the women and men who wore those fashions, and how those fashions influenced the lives of the people in the past and still today.</div><div><div><div><br /></div><div>For centuries, history was told through the lens of the rich, white man, and only in the last half of the 20th century did the untold "social" histories emerge and become relevant. Fashion, still, was a little slow on the uptake in the minds of those who decided what constituted "history." Finally, however, the field of historical dress is on the rise in the world of academia. As a matter of fact, I was watching Jeopardy last week and to my pleasant surprise the Final Jeopardy category was "Garments of the World," and Mr. Trebek himself said that it was the first time they had ever had that category on the show....a small victory for dress historians.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Now, I am merely a student of dress history at this point in my life, and only intend to further my own studies and the presence of dress history with this blog. Part of my mission is to demonstrate how clothes help define a society, imparticularly societies of the past. Another integral part of my mission is to reflect how modern fashion is very much a reflection of something from the past. In fact, I was watching highlights from the most recent fashion week in Paris, and a commentator stated that a modern day fashion show is really a lesson in fashion history, meaning that designers of today use fashions of the past to inspire something modern.</div><div><br /></div><div>Okay, so enough of history lessons by Jane. I promise future posts will be more fun, and I hope that whoever does stumble upon this blog will share it with others who also have a passion for history/clothes/museums/clothes in museums :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Thanks folks.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Something I am going to do with every post is include an image, fact, etc. about an historical piece of dress and tag it as....</div><div> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Jane's Favorite Old Thing of the Week:</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 192px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_yi2N55FCJpQsNXE6-gb77KNog7MVxO0Tdxciz6JIlOaJ761aP-XAOXGcOMGaNBFmBwOqTPFtDFaq33qMGpRCb4VxLt5fSCDpHcc8rUJNAyX0PAGQFZ7raZ6Thsfep0m1bERC-ZZim0/s320/Fortuny-Delphos-gown-1920s.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590052591699298482" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><div style="text-align: center;">So for the first Favorite Old Thing, I'm going with</div></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> a garment that holds meaning to me and holds a lot of historical value. The gown the woman in the picture is wearing is by Mariano Fortuny. It is an example of a "Delphos" gown that he made many different versions of throughout his career from 1907 until his death in 1949. The intricate pleating on the "Delphos" gowns has been copied for decades by a variety of designers. Still today, if a designer features an intricately pleated garment on the runway, the garment is said to have "Fortuny pleats." After Paul Poiret, Fortuny was a pioneer for couture garments that did not require wearing a corset. Outside of my History of Dress classes, my first interaction with Fortuny was during my work with the exhibition, Chic Chicago, at the Chicago History Museum. The "Delphos" gowns featured in that exhibit were some of my favorite pieces from the show and I admire what they stand for still today.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div></div></div>Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03022998660233465087noreply@blogger.com2