Doublet, 1598-1610 From Les Arts Décoratifs via Europeana Fashion
Girls’ dress, Les Modes May 1901.
. The story of Paul Poiret is one of a working class son, who used his natural charisma to gain entry into some of the most exclusive ateliers in Paris and eventually became one of the twentieth ce…
“When I was a girl, I dreamt of standing in a room looking at a girl who was and was not myself, who stood looking at another girl, who also was and was not myself. My mother took this for a nightmare. I saw it as the beginning of a career in physics.” ― Rosalind Lutece[src] Rosalind Lutece is a quantum physicist in BioShock Infinite, who wrote books about scientific studies on alternate universes. She and her "twin brother" Robert guide Booker DeWitt through his adventures in Columbia to retrie
TOP models descended on Scotland for the showpiece event but Hollywood A-listers were in short supply.
At The SCA 50 Year War, a couple of women from Drachenwald (Sweden) were wearing Landsknecht Short Hosen. Several ladies here in Meridies (Tennessee/Alabama/Georgia) expressed an interest in makin…
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I have good reason to be grateful to Edward Linley Sambourne. My original post about his street photography (Street Style 1906) has been the most popular single item on this blog and has brought in…
I was a good girl for nine full days and wrote blog posts chocked full of information. As a reward to myself and because Thursday is my favorite day of the week, I’m posting historic fashion eye ca…
The upper classes embraced leisure sports, which resulted in rapid developments in fashion, as more mobile and flexible clothing styles were...
Assyrian and Babylonian culture. Mesopotamia. Costume History. The national dress both in Assyria and in Babylonia. The Babylonian Empire.
You, the Gentlewoman, have found yourself in a situation where you must Flake Out on a planned engagement once again. The details of the events that have led to this Flaking Out are not important: Perhaps you swooned a little too hard this afternoon…
For better or worse, France introduced corsets in the 1550s - and they spread in popularity, throughout the world, until the early 1900's. Most often, this fashion phase emphasized a curvy figure by reducing the waist and exaggerating the bust and hips in contrast. Fashion is constantly changing, but we think corsets are best left in history. What do you think?
Kensington and Chelsea Libraries have published several wonderful images by the late amateur photographer Edward Linley Sambourne which captures the casual side of Edwardian fashion in a manner which is rarely seen.
I’ve never met a doodle I didn’t love. And I love Ilias Walchshofer‘s series of doodles. The Austrian-Moroccan illustrator, who also goes by the moniker Dr Propolus, uses fashion photography and historic art as his canvas. Thin black…
Sunny Harnett for Vogue, September 1952.
Imaginez. Nous sommes au XIXe siècle. La Monarchie de Juillet puis le Troisième Empire vont battre à plein régime (régime, ancien régime, ahahahahaha, je suis trop drôle…Hum. Bref). Une nouvelle mo…
Did you find any inspiration from some of the photos and links from the last decade for The Challenge? Just remember, right now I am gathering info for you so that you can see what decades you wou…
One of the best-known Danish Bronze Age burials, the well preserved Egtved Girl was found in a barrow in 1921. Her woolen clothing, hair, and nails were perfectly preserved, but all her bones were missing. Scientists studying the ancient teenager’s remains in 2015 made the surprising discovery that the Egtved Girl traveled great distances before her death, and wasn’t from Denmark at all.
As I talked about in Tuesday 4th December's post on Ruby Streatfeild, researching the peerage is a damn sight easier than some friendless seamstress, no offence to friendless seamstresses obviously. Also as I mentioned with Ruby, she was related by marriage to today's lady, Lady Florence Beatrice Anson. Florence Beatrice Anson, c.1864 Lady Florence Beatrice Anson came into the world on 12 August 1860, eldest daughter of the Earl of Lichfield, Thomas George Anson. There were a great number of Anson children born between 1856 and 1877 at the family seat of Shugborough Hall... Shugborough Hall, and very nice too The Anson family split their time between their little place in Staffordshire (above) and the very well appointed Dover Street in London. Of course, when in London, they moved in their society circles which included the family of 3rd Earl Somers. He had married Virginia Pattle, so the inevitable happened... Florence Anson (1866) Julia Margaret Cameron I read that Isabel Somers-Cocks, daughter of Earl Somers was very sheltered and not allowed much society with other children. She appears to have gone infrequently out to events with Florence Anson and the pair are often listed together at royal occasions during the season. Aged six, Florence and her brothers Claude and possibly Frederick or Henry posed for Mrs Cameron. Cameron found Florence very inspirational and I have to admit for a child of six, little Florence seems far older with her large, soulful eyes and delicate face. I wondered if the photographs were taken in London or Freshwater but the following seems to decide the matter... Days at Freshwater (1870) Julia Margaret Cameron I'm taking this to be literally Freshwater, and the Anson children (Claude, aged 6, on the left, ten year old Florence and 13 year old George on the right) are the epitome of the elegant beauty of the place. Cameron used Florence to represent nameless ideals of feminine beauty as the little girl grew towards teenagehood. Florence Anson (1870) Julia Margaret Cameron She has a delightfully mournful expression, seemingly without trying, and her downcast, sad eyes manage to look innocent and haunted at the same time. They are arguably the pinnacle of Cameron's child portraits, with ten year old Florence echoing the poses and expressions that May Prinsep or Mary Hillier would also perform. Florence Anson (1868-9) Julia Margaret Cameron As Florence grew older, she attended many society events, including attending court events which is probably how she ended up as bridesmaid to Queen Victoria's youngest son, Prince Leopold when he married Princess Helena of Waldeck-Pyrmont in 1881. Bridesmaid portrait, published in the commemorative Illustrated London News Prince Leopold was the youngest son of Queen Victoria, and held very close by his protective mother due to his haemophilia, but despite the search to find him a bride that his mother approved of, he finally married a fellow royal from a European family, at Windsor Castle. A royal portraitist was engaged to paint an image of the event... The Marriage of the Duke of Albany 22nd April 1882 (1885) Sir James Dromgole Florence is one of the beautiful girls in attendance, but the painting took a long time to complete, so long that sadly it became a memorial to the prince who died only two years into the marriage. He slipped and fell while in Cannes for his health and hit his head. He died of a cerebral haemorrhage the next day. It's that moustache again! Florence was married in August of 1885, having become engaged in February of the year before. Her husband was Captain Henry Streatfeild, son of Colonel Streatfeild of Chiddingstone. Ruby Streatfeild was one of her bridesmaids, being sister of the groom. The wedding party contained most of the artistocrats of England with more Viscounts, Duchesses and Honorables than you could shake a stick at. They went on honeymoon to Bowood House in Wiltshire, where my mate Lisa had her wedding reception and very nice it was too. As Bowood House is the seat of the Marquis of Lansdowne, the couple obviously knew the family and there is a photo of Florence with the Marchioness of Lansdowne, who was her friend... Marchioness of Lansdowne and Florence Impossibly small waists aside, Florence had a pretty normal life, which I'm sure is a relief to all of you. Her husband was a captain in the Grenadier Guards (which he had joined from Eton in 1876), moving all the way up the ranks until he became Colonel by 1911, when the couple are listed as living at Hoath House, Chiddingstone, Kent. Their son, Henry Sidney John Streatfeild was born in Ottowa in 1886 while his father was working there. Hoath House, and very nice too. Henry kept getting honours, such as the Royal Victorian Order (member 4th class, 1902), Groom in waiting to the king, as well as being ADC to the Governor General of Canada, the Viceroy of India and the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and saw active service in the Boer War. In the First War World, Henry was taken out of retirement and became a staff officer for the duration. Before his death in 1938, he sold the family village of Chiddingstone to the National Trust, which seems about right. His son, Henry, inherited the family wealth, but Florence, then in her 80s, was not doing so well. Holloway Sanatorium, Virginia Water, Surrey In the 1939 census, Florence is a patient at Holloway Sanatorium, a private mental hospital. She died on 25 September 1946, and although the mentions of her last year are very discreet, her place of death is registered to 'Virginia Water' so it is possible that she was still at Holloway. Florence was buried beside her husband in the family plot at Chiddingstone, not far from fellow artist's model and sister-in-law Ruby Colville (nee Streatfeild). It's a small world, especially in the world of upper class Victorian ladies. See you tomorrow.
Sandy Schrier owns 15,000 of the most significant garments of the century. She has never worn one.
It’s odd, last week I posted a set of photos that I really liked, but the photos were of a project I wasn’t very happy with. And this week it’s the other way around! I’m rea…
Dame di Cartone ("Cardboard Ladies") is a project by Swiss-Italian photographer Christian Tagliavini in which he creates portraits of women that mimic the
“A picture is worth a thousand words”—a phrase most of us have heard before. And for a reason. Photographs can capture loads of information in just a split second and immortalize it for years to come. By freezing moments, photographers enable us to travel to places and times we’ve never witnessed ourselves. They allow us to see the world exactly as it was, whether it was yesterday or a hundred years ago.
Stockholm, Paris, Moscow, Tokyo, Istanbul, London. You’ll find street style blogs for almost every major city. Amateur and professional photographers hang around outside fashion shows or just prowl…
If, like me, you’ve long admired the 1890s bicycling or sporting sweaters but did not know how to knit, this sewing tutorial and pattern is for you, no knitting required! I wore this sweater …
Meet the fearless, trailblazing designer the fashion industry forgot.
Perugia shoe, c. 1935
Fashions of the victorian era were beautiful, intricate and ornate. women looked like walking pieces of art. By the teens, women were looking more sporty, skirts were shorter to engage in physical activity. The 1920s fashions were daring and boyish for the first time. The 1930s were long and slinky, and the fashions of the 1940s were glamorous.
Archaeologists and historians around the world rejoice at all of the new technology they can now use. One of the major pieces of technology used by
In Photos: “Signares” by Fabrice Monteiro. Exploring history and fashion along the west coast of Africa, for his series ‘Signares' Belgian-Beninese photographer Fabrice Monteiro recalls a time in...
What’s Old is New is Strange Again! Darejan, wife of Erekle II of Georgia, 18th Century As years pass, memories get a little fuzzy, facts get a bit muddled up, and stereotypes take over. We g…
Take a trip to the past with these corseted ladies of yesteryear. The silhouettes may be different, but the language of lingerie remains the same.
Stockholm, Paris, Moscow, Tokyo, Istanbul, London. You’ll find street style blogs for almost every major city. Amateur and professional photographers hang around outside fashion shows or just prowl…
Can you imagine having to wear gloves every time you left the house? Even in the summer? While gloves are worn only for warmth these days, they were an absolute necessity up until the mid-twentieth century. Both of the World Wars contributed to the vintage glove’s demise, as well as the new, more independent lifestyle
1. Queen Maud the sportswoman When then Princess Maud of Wales married in 1896, her trousseau (I.E. her new wardrobe) was discussed in detail in the press. Some magazines was surprised by the amount of “sportswear” and the lack of grand robes, especially considering her mother Alexandra being one of the absolute fashion icons of…
La firma barcelonesa Elirupi ha lanzado su nueva colección Art y, una vez más, han creado accesorios perfectos para las que me preguntáis cómo darle un toque diferente a vuestros look de invitada. «Se trata de una colección donde la moda es una expresión artística» me cuenta Elisabet, su fundadora. Para trabajar se han inspirado […]
