Book Review: Elephant’s What?
by Betsy Hanes Perry, First published for the September/October 2010 issue of Finery Elephant’s Breath and London Smoke: Historic Colour Names, Definitions, & Uses, edited by Deb Salisbury, is a sorely needed resource; anybody who’s spent time reading old fashion magazines has been frustrated by descriptions such as “a dress of serpent-gray silk”, which would have been transparent to the […]
Rococo Beauty Tips
by Kendra Van Cleave, First published for the November/December 2009 issue of Finery Coiffures of the 18th century defined the style of the era. Women’s hair was always curled, waved, or frizzed before styling. When higher hairstyles came into fashion, they were accomplished by raising hair over pads made of wool, tow, hemp, or cut hair. Throughout the century, hair was […]
Let Them Wear Muslin!
by Feather Tippets-Rosica. Originally published in the May / June, 2009 issue of Finery The transition from the elaborate gowns of the eighteenth century, worn over rigidly boned stays and hooped petticoats, to the soft muslin gowns associated with the heroines of Jane Austen’s novels was not a sudden event sparked by the French Revolution. Marie Antoinette started it well […]
Pretty Prints, Clever Cottons: 18th·Century Fabrics
by Kendra Van Cleave, First published for the March/April 2004 issue of Finery Many of you may be thinking about creating new garments for the Travelers in Tuscany event on June 5th at Viansa Winery. While silk, wool, and linen were the most plentiful fabrics during the eighteenth century, today cotton is cheap, easy to find, and comfortable for a summer […]
