Worn to Dance: A 1920s Fashion and Beading Exhibit at Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles
By Kij Greenwood Buckle up your dancing shoes and throw away your cares, because the Twenties are coming back around! Almost one hundred years ago, the Jazz Age saw dramatic social change in America. A new generation of women was, for the first time ever, voting, driving, spending their own money, smoking and drinking in public, bobbing their long hair, […]
Regency Capsule Wardrobe Tips
By Angela Grimes Squeeeeee! You have just purchased your subscription to the Regency Week or Weekend you have always wanted to attend! Of course, like bees in a new hive, images of gowns, bonnets and the like buzz and hum in your head! The fabric stash is begging to be rifled through. Etsy and eBay need to be explored! But […]
Help preserve a Napoléonic court ensemble
By Kathe Gust GBACG Membership Coordinator Do you want to help be a part of costume history? The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) Museum is currently fundraising to acquire, study and preserve a rare Napoléonic court ensemble, possibly worn by Empress Joséphine herself, through its “Operation 1804″ initiative. Matching Donations by the GBACGThe Museum needs to raise $120,000 […]
Dressing for the 1940s USO Tea
By Kathe GustGBACG Membership Coordinator There are two things I will not be addressing in this article. I won’t discuss military uniforms, because if you wear uniforms you likely know more about that than I do. If you want confirmation of your authenticity, I suggest you look for articles like this one by expert Byron Connell “WWII U.S. Army Officers’ […]
Clothes Make the (Victorian) Man
by Rydell Downward. Updated from the original publication in the September/October 2010 issue of Finery. The Victorian era spans the years 1837-1901. Fashions changed continually and drastically over that period, so there isn’t any one “Victorian” style, but there were consistent principles throughout the era. The ideal men’s silhouette was highly structured, stylized and unnatural to the modern eye; it […]
Dior: The Day the Hem Stood Out
by Frankie Lopez. Published June 29, 2018, as a Facebook note. Post World War II, Europe and America were still reeling from devastation. Cars, clothes, rubber, and other consumables continued to be monitored and rationed. On either side of the Atlantic, wearing clothing that squandered fabric was considered unpatriotic and wasteful. Fashion was of secondary concern, and the style at […]
Pleasure and Beauty in La Belle Epoque
by Sally Norton. Published in the September/October 2016 issue of Finery. In the late 19th century Paris was a large, urbane city, but the neighborhood of Montmartre retained a village atmosphere; festivities and artists mixed, with pleasure and beauty as their values. In 1886, Edouard Marchand conceived a new entertainment for the Follies Bergere, the music hall revue. On 6 […]
Lovely Ladies with Lavish Coiffures
By Sally Norton. Published in the September/October 2016 issue of Finery. Hair and hats were an important feature in La Belle Époque, both on stage and off. The large hat, often with up-turned brim, sat forward on the coiffure, emphasizing the extraordinary forward tilt of the early 1900s woman. The hat, an increasingly elaborate affair, could be an inconvenience at […]
History of the Cancan
by Cybele A. Baker. Published in the September/October 2016 issue of Finery. While it may be surprising, there is not much to be found about the exact origin of the Cancan. Where it started is, of course, in France, but who first choreographed and danced it is a bit of a mystery. It is supposed that the Cancan came from […]
50+ Years of “Doctor Who” Costuming
by Jean Martin and Christopher Erickson. Published in the June/July 2015 issue of Finery. “Doctor Who” is a classic, long-running British science fiction show that began in 1963 about a timetraveling alien who regenerates, has adventures, saves the universe and has an affection for the human race. “Doctor Who” has become even more popular since its re-launch in 2005, and […]
