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Collecting Clothes with a Conscience
Herb and Dorothy Vogel in their apartment Earlier this summer I watched the tremendous documentary Herb & Dorothy (2008) which follows a ridiculously adorable, now elderly, couple (Herb and Dorothy...
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The Vulnerable Neck
In trolling through all the mountains of Fashion Week photos several seasons ago now, I stumbled upon Todd Lynn‘s Spring and Fall ready-to-wear collections for 2011. They caught my attention because,...
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Steal this Style: Yippies and Political Fashions!
Abbie Hoffman arrested in flag shirt: “I only regret that I have but one shirt to give for my country.” October 1968 I assume readers will agree that apparel can be a powerful tool of political and...
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Detectives and Gumshoes
Even with all the terrific, stylish, contemporary dramas out there, sometimes you just need to pick up an old favorite (there’s a metaphor for a comfy pair of beat up jeans somewhere in there). To...
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APEC “Silly Shirts”– Inappropriate or Awesome?
proposed (Photoshopped) APEC outfits in Hawaii, 2011 I read with some interest the Times article Obama Says Forum’s Costume Photo Is Unnecessary. This refers to the tradition of the 21 members of the...
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The Authentic Artist Myth
My Godmother sent me this brief article on David Hockney‘s withering opinion on artists such as Damien Hirst who rely upon assistants to “do the work” — Hirst has only painted five of the 14,00 “spot...
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Poverty and Power: Secondhand Clothes as Protest
Later this week I will be giving an extended lecture on the secondhand fashion market and countercultures that adopted thrifted clothes as political statements — focusing on Yippies, but touching upon...
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Book Review: Boom! A Baby Boomer Memoir
Boom! A Baby Boomer Memoir, 1947-2022 by Ted Polhemus Lulu.com (January 2012) An anthropologist by degree, Ted Polhemus has written numerous books on style and/or subculture including Streetstyle...
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Subversive Knitting
In preparation for the upcoming Textile Association of America symposium I’m presenting at later this week — “Textiles & Politics” symposium — I’ve been doing a lot of research on our country’s...
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Manipulations of Images & The Body
I recently came upon a light news item that caught my eye: following a partnership between Disney and Barneys department store, beloved Disney cartoon characters have been augmented to resemble...
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Symposium Recap: Authenticity in Yale’s “Urban Catwalk”
It was excitement and ultimate delight that I attended (and presented at) Yale’s “The Urban Catwalk” conference this past weekend. Though ostensibly the theme was street fashion, as with most...
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Shoe Factories and Lost Opportunitites
Though I don’t generally think of myself as a shoe fetishist, I do have a soft spot in my heart for Fluevogs. In their latest e-newsletter was a video of a Fluevog shoe being made (I must add the...
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Flamenco Fashion!
I have recently become addicted (as in, I watch it every couple of days. Perhaps on repeat.) to Anna Calvi’s simple but mesmerizing video Blackout: Though this particular video spends much time...
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Mature Models: An Oxymoron?
Helen Mirren, age 63 After the Huffington Post informed me Carmen Dell’Orefice, Oldest Working Model, Turns 80, I crinkled my nose, wondering why this is headline news, and furthermore, why a...
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The Monetary Value of Fashion
Dorothy dress at auction, 2011 As you may or may not be aware, the auction of Debbie Reynolds’ extensive Hollywood costume collection was (not surprisingly) a smashing success, in that it set new new...
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Mixing and Matching Men
A couple months ago I found myself in Phillie for a family event and I was delighted, not only to spend time with my awesome extended family, but to visit the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Always a...
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Hair Textiles and Gaga
. We all know Gaga loves her wigs, but she also dabbles with clothes that resemble wigs, as with this LaVer dress she recently wore to a taping of The View: Gaga on The View, May 2011 LaVer couture...
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Codes of Dress: Inclusionary or Exclusionary?
As most fashion historians (and, I would wager, even most non-fashion historians) accept, clothing is a clear way of identifying oneself as part of a culture, a sub-culture, a tribe. Most of the time,...
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Lucille Ball, Style Icon… In Spite of Herself
This recent August 6 would have been Lucille Ball’s 100th birthday (1911 – 1989), and crowds of impersonators showed up to celebrate in her hometown, Buffalo, NY. There were polka dot dresses,...
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The Buzz About Insect Fashion
wasp pochoir by Seguy, early 1900s The recent announcement of MoMA’s website devoted to Louise Bourgeois: The Complete Prints & Books, got me thinking about insects. I adore Ms. Bourgeois’...
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