1930s: As Was the Fashion of the Time
by Suzette Davidson, First published for the May/June 2012 issue of Finery During the 1930s, tailored suits and day dresses made a strong impression as they became more accessible for day wear via “off-the-rack” clothing manufacturing. The industry was changing with the development of new synthetic materials and dyes. In addition, the zipper, or slide fastener, was first being used […]
Keeping Your Cool: Mid-Victorian Sheer Dresses
by Elizabeth Urbach, First published for the May/June 2012 issue of Finery Mid-Victorian daytime fashion was not all about heavy, opaque fabrics; warm weather allowed for light dresses of semi-transparent fabric like barege and muslin, trimmed with embroidery, ribbons and lace for a cool, floating visual effect. These gowns, called sheer dresses or “clear muslin dresses” were especially popular at […]
Pre-Raphaelites to Aesthetes: Their Influence on Aesthetic Dress
by Judith Hollenberger Dunlap, First published for the March/April 2012 issue of Finery The Artistic Dress movement in the late 19th century was born of two earlier artistic reform movements. In 1848 the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was founded in Great Britain by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. This Brotherhood of painters, poets, and literary critics believed […]
Completing the 1912 Evening Look
by Kendra Van Cleave, First published for the March/April 2012 issue of Finery In the early 1910s, women’s hair began with thick, wavy hair that was “dressed” in loose, “Grecian” styles. Wavy hair was desired, specifically the kind of wave that comes from thoroughly brushing out curly hair. If your hair did not have a natural wave, it would generally […]
Deciphering Regency Sleeves
by Jennifer Rosbrugh, First published for the March/April 2012 issue of Finery Fashionable dress in the Regency years (1795-1820) is fairly uncomplicated. Although the bodices and skirts are relatively simple, the true area of design is the sleeves. Where else do you put your personality into a garment if the skirt is plain straight and the top simply covers what […]
Edith Head: Star Costumer
by Kali Pappas, First published for the January/February 2012 issue of Finery Despite her long studio career and a stunning cache of major awards (including a record-setting 8 Oscars and 35 Oscar nominations), costume designer Edith Head is a star whose name isn’t widely recognizable. Her work, however, is instantly familiar to virtually everyone. She’s the woman responsible for the […]
Last Dinner on the Titanic: Developing the Menu
by Sahrye Cohen, First published for the January/February 2012 issue of Finery The RMS Titanic is remembered not only for the tragic iceberg strike that resulted in 1,517 deaths, but also its incredible opulence. When we first started discussing an event commemorating the Titanic’s centennial, we knew we knew it was an opportunity to do something truly fantastic. One of […]
Dressing for Dinner on the Titanic: Early 1910s Evening Dress
by Kendra Van Cleave, First published for the January/February 2012 issue of Finery When the Titanic set sail in April 1912, her first-class passengers boarded with trunks full of expensive, beautiful clothes. Most had probably been custom made in Paris, London, or the United States in the previous year. March and early April were a transitional period during this era, […]
Red Lips and Cat Eyes
by Ariyana Kylstram, First published for the November/December 2011 issue of Finery What do Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly have in common? They were all different faces of beauty during the 1950s, and each used two common techniques to give herself the hallmarks of 1950’s beauty: red lips and cat eye liner. Elizabeth Taylor was the […]
Book Review: Seventeenth-Century Women’s Dress Patterns, Book I
by Diana Habra, First published for the November/December 2011 issue of Finery This book, edited by Jenny Tiramani and Susan North and published by the Victoria & Albert museum in London, is the first of the Pattern Book series and builds on the publications of Janet Arnold, Norah Waugh, Linda Baumgarten, and several other prominent historical clothing experts. In addition […]