As promised, over the next month or so I intend to review many of the new fashion related books that have been published recently (and not so recently). Call it an extended holiday round-up, if you will.
First up is what equates to an autobiography by former Rudi Gernrich model (and now writer), Mary Léon Bing. The book, Swans and Pistols: Modeling, Motherhood, and Making It in the Me Generation is a wonderful read, and is – I daresay – something of a guilty treat for me. In fashion history, Bing is primarily known as a model for designer Rudi Gernreich (though Peggy Moffit is more often remembered). Both women can be seen in this video, titled Basic Black. Bings’ experience in the making of this short film is mentioned, but no great insights provided, on pgs 99-100.
Those doing research on the 1960s and 1970s world of fashion will find Swans and Pistols helpful in setting the scene and providing a cultural snapshot. Though fashion is not the focus of the book, there are some insightful sections. (Though maddeningly, and often true of autobiographies, dates are not regularly included). True to its name, the book is very clearly written by someone of the “me” generation. It’s introspective, personal and feels real – while at the same time reminiscent of fiction. Bing is a wonderful story teller.
Photograph by Dennis Hopper, Gernreich design modeled by Mary Léon Bing.
The Great Event was (and remains) the annual Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute’s Spring Gala, in which costumes from the museum’s archives are shown by popular models to an audience. . . . This was usually a one-change-only show because the antique clothes were so fragile they had to be handled with extraordinary care. The dressers, who worked in the archives, wore white cotton gloves to extract eac article from its nest of tissue and the models knew they must stand as still as mannequins and allow themselves to be dressed entirely by others, like sixteenth-century royalty. No smoking, no food, no drinks in the dressing area. . . . My single change, for which I had fittings at the museum the week before the show, was a floor-sweeping dress from the period following the American Civil War. . . . One of the girls from my agency, a tall, blade-thin blond with whom I’d worked several shows, was wearing a bias-cut slither designed by Vionnet in the twenties. She gave me a fast once-over and told me I looked like Scarlett O’Hara at the end of the movie. Then she leaned in as close as she could get to all those furbelow’s and whispered something that would change the course of my modeling career: ‘Rudi Gernreich wants a model who looks like a spy.’ (79)
While an intern I the Met, I saw photographs of live models at their ‘fittings’ in historic clothes from the 1960s and remember being appalled by the idea of people wearing the clothes. Reading this passage made me no less concerned about the state of the clothes after they had been worn.
In another instance, Bing describes wearing a dress for the cover of Time Magazine. “Now years later, disparate memories pop up like spikes on a fever chart: . . . Getting into the same hot-pink knit dress with its clear vinyl inset from throat to bikini line I’d worn on the cover of Time (at the newsstands that week) and going with Rudi to a performance of Hair, where we were invited to come up onstage during curtain calls.” (99)
Time magazine, December 1967 with Bing, Gernreich and Moffit; Image from the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute of two dresses donated by Bing and Gernreich’s longtime companion Oreste Pucciani.
Equal time is given in Bing’s descriptions of her celebrity friends, lovers, family members, as well as the role drugs played in her life (the amount of cocaine, pot and other drugs should come as a surprise to no one, given the time period). It is the story of her life – told from the inside out. I would highly recommend it, not just to those whose interests lie in the world of fashion and fame, but to anyone interested in a good story. For some other ideas about the book, venture over to this article bySheila Lennon, which summarizes a number of reviews that have thus far appeared for Swans and Pistols: Modeling, Motherhood, and Making It in the Me Generation. .
Over the summer I watched about half an hour of Silk Stockings (1957), a cheesy musical remake of the Greta Garbo classic Ninotchka (1939) where the cool, efficient, and distinctly anti-fashion Soviet agent Cyd Charisse falls in love with (capitalist) Fred Astaire’s flamboyant American producer character while on a government mission in couture capital Paris. Even with my passion for cheesy musicals I could not wade through the entire film, so bad was the dialogue and music, but the on-screen mingling of economic systems and fashion appealed to me greatly. Before turning it off, I did have the pleasure of seeing the namesake silk stocking dance solo performed by Ms. Charisse, a signal of her having fallen in love with Astaire and — not coincidentally — (capitalist) high fashion:
You can see she’s hidden various luxurious items — most of which are silky intimates — around her room, so ashamed is she of having been seduced by luxury goods. It’s a wistful number reminiscent of other more famous musical movies scenes like frumpy Audrey Hepburn singing “How Long Has This Been Going On?” while dreamily dancing around in an ostentatious hat left over by the fashion photo shoot in which she’d been forced to participate in Funny Face (from 1957 as well):
Or Anne Margaret’s “How Lovely to be a Woman” in Bye Bye Birdie (1963):
Or Natalie Wood in West Side Story (1961) singing “I Feel Pretty” and dancing in the dress shop where she works:
You’ll notice that all these were filmed in the late 1950s — the decade of hyper femininity in silhouettes — and early 1960s — the decade when sexuality and gender roles were being questioned more openly. What differentiates Silk Stockings from the other scenes I’ve grouped here (perhaps excepting Funny Face) is the heavy political overtones emphasized over a simple coming-of-age-as-a-woman, though all involve dress-up as experimentation. Though a love story, it’s also about a Commie Russian woman resisting capitalistic inclinations who is ultimately seduced by the capitalist-produced clothes (the relationship with Fred Astaire is curiously tepid, further shifting the emphasis away from the human relationship). What the clip unfortunately omitted was Cyd Charisse seated next to a framed Lenin photo which she puts down to slowly discard her drab green dress (it’s supposed to be drab, though I think it’s quite lovely in its simplicity), black tights and sensible shoes for silk stockings, lace negligee and white sparkly mules.
I too struggle with my collector’s urges to accumulate (not the least of my obsessions is clothes), and my political / social ideology, which is opposed the stockpiling and hoarding tendencies Americans are told is our right — and more than that, a measure of success in obtaining the capitalist dream. Following this train of thought leads to even larger questions concerning labor rights and ethical practices within the fashion industry which has, as Silk Stockings exemplifies, been a symbol of tremendous creative and technological achievements as well as a hideous exploitative industry ever since the Industrial Revolution and the concurrent birth of Marxism.
I have an article examining the relationship of Communism, capitalism, fashion and film in far more depth in an upcoming edition of Worn Fashion Journal.
Photo: Christina Johnson (Collection Manager, FIDM Museum); Shelly Foote (Programs Chair WR-CSA); Kevin Jones (Curator, FIDM Museum); JoAnn Staab (President, WR-CSA)
This was a unique opportunity to see a lecture by Christina Johnson on the behind the scenes aspects of putting the exhibition together and the research involved. Carolyn Jamerson, the FIDM Museum Study Collection Manger gave a wonderfully insightful presentation (one could almost call it a workshop) on invisible mounts and mannequins. Her lecture included a supply list handout, as well as what amounted to a small booklet on the step-by-step process she used. Carolyn also included example materials, that were passed around. Attendees were left clamoring for more after her presentation.
Photo: Carolyn Jamerson, FIDM Museum Study Collection Manager and program attendees looking at an invisible mount in process
One of the very best parts of the CSA program, was getting to watch the world premiere of the documentary that the Museum created especially for the exhibition. It plays in the galleries, but is not available for sale (many in attendance were anxious to purchase it). Just this week, FIDM Museums blog posted a small sample of the documentary. It is about 10 minutes long and features oritinal interviews with Betsy Bloomingdale, Marc Bohan (of Dior), Hubert de Givenchy, James Galanos, and Oscar de la Renta (among others).
Following the documentary, attendees went down to the galleries for a tour of the exhibition led by Curator Kevin Jones. This was a phenomenal experience, whereby, we got stories associated with many of the dresses. Of one dress, Kevin noted, that it arrived from Ms. Bloomingdale with a small packet of Air Force One cigarettes (Ms. Bloomingdale was a close friend of Nancy Reagan and attended the inauguration).
Photo: Christina Johnson, Betsy Bloomingdale, Barbara Bundy, and Kevin Jones showing Ms. Bloomingdale the catalog of the show for the first time.
Some exciting news that came out of this program, was the fact that FIDM Museum has begun to produce catalogs for many of their fashion exhibits, and plan to continue to do this under the FIDM Museum Press umbrella. Unfortunately, the distribution of the catalog is limited and is only available online through the Museum Shop at FIDM. It is not available at Amazon, or other online retailers.
For more on the exhibition, including more photographs (I was not able to take pictures in the galleries), See the FIDM Museum blog’s post on the exhibition opening. The Wall Street Journal also has some good coverage, and a slide show.
Those interested in attending future programs from the Western Region of CSA, watch for information on their programs website. Upcoming programs involving showgirl costumes in Las Vegas, NV; Amish quilts in San Francisco; and historical patternmaking in Seattle Washington, among many others throughout the western region (details are available here). To receive regular updates on CSA programs, please consider joining.
*If you’re looking for more video of Ms. Bloomingdale and her collection, she was also featured in a BBC documentary on the Secret World of Haute Couture.
Something in the zeitgeist threw all things related to 18th century fashion my way this past week. So I offer you a number of marvelous exhibits, lectures and online collections currently available to those researching this time period, for academic work; costume design; or just the love of the visual.
For those looking for a physical representation of 18th Century costume examples, you are in luck. Colonial Williamsburg has just made their collections available online. A simple search for the term ‘angliase’ yielded a lovely selection of examples, including the photograph above (Titled “Gown, wide hoops brocaded with strawberries” and dated to 1745.) I encourage you to peruse the collection.
The University of Southampton has put together a database of 17th-20th century tie-on pockets. The collection not only includes beautifully embroidered pockets, but also historic fashion dolls (whose costumes included pockets). This particular pocket is from the Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum and dates to the early 1700s. (thanks to @seth_denbo for the link!)
This is the second post on my list of special books that I enjoy using in my classroom and recommend to fashionistas and fashion professors. Click here to read last week’s post.
Historical Fashion in Detail, as the title suggests, focuses on the details of construction and embellishment: stitching, seams, gathers, collars, trimmings, applied decoration, and more. Both women’s and men’s clothing are covered and the photographs are clear and very close up. I use this book in my fashion history course and others, to illustrate how men’s and women’s clothing were equally ornate, and how embroidery and lace were not gendered signs of femininity in the 17th and 18th centuries in the way that they are today.
Four Hundred Years covers items of women’s and men’s dress, including accessories, in the V&A’s collection. The book was first published in 1984, and covers the 1600s through the early 1980s. This book describes in detail the museum’s dress collection, including the provenance of many artifacts, plus information on what items the collection lacks. Apparently, at the time the book was written, the collection was in need of 1950s ultra-sheer nylon stockings. If the V&A is still in need today, I’d be happy to supply them a pair from my personal collection and deliver them personally. Of course, the book also says that the museum lacks examples from Sonia Rykiel, Karl Lagerfeld, and Thierry Mugler. I think we can safely assume that the collection has been rounded out since 1984.
lesson plans, reading assignments, lecturing, and discussions
testing, cheating, motivation, and cultural diversity; and
large classes, laboratory classes and distance education.
This book is one of my recommendations because of its wide array of ideas and methods, and I heartily recommend it for new instructors looking for coverage of the essentials of college teaching in one text.
Lastly, a fairly recent text, The Men’s Fashion Reader, edited by Andrew Reilly and Sarah Cosbey, is a book that I was delighted to find when it came out last year. The text consists of 33 readings on themes such as men’s dress history, masculinity, culture, identity, body image, and more. These scholarly works fill in many of the gaps that my fashion textbooks often contain, as some of them have a subtle (or sometimes entirely overt) neglect of the male consumer of fashion. Each year, although I regularly have more women enrolled in my classes than men, I continue to have increasing numbers of men in my classes. This text helps my lessons contain a wider range of history and cultural and consumer experiences.
Have you read any of this week’s titles? What are your favorite fashion titles that you return to again and again? Leave me a comment and let me know.
Earlier this year, photos of second grader Arlo Weiner circulated around the fashion blogosphere. As I just moved from Manhattan to Brooklyn, I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed by the baby presence, but I’ve been reminding myself that kids can be as cool and creative as young Arlo. The son of Matt Weiner — creator of the awesomely written, amazingly art directed 1960s period TV series Mad Men – has adopted his very own eclectic, elegant style. Referencing many influences and periods he never experienced personally, this 8-year-old shows a creative flair for dress that is both daring and inspiring.
Some fun facts about Milo:
He requested a top hat at age 3 (I myself was an ancient 29 when I got my vintage pop-out top hat).
He loves ascots (who doesn’t?).
He likes to mix and match patterns and stripes.
Allow me to share some of my favorite Arlo ensembles:
Doesn’t he look like he’s going off to the office in a newsroom?
Cary Grant as a spineless (but hilarious) reporter in His Girl Friday (1940)
This one reminds me of the Mad Hatter costume I wore last Halloween (I wore my own vintage pop-up hat):
the Mad Hatter, Sir John Tenniel's illustration of Alice in Wonderland
I love red on red on red too:
I call this outfit Arlo’s 1890s inspired steampunk look:
Steampunk woman with goggles and cane
Arlo admits most of his ties are clip-ons which I cannot condone, though considering his youth I suppose I’ll let it slide. (Friends know I’m a tie snob all around — I only wear full Windsors myself.) I’ve joked for years about how my children are going to hate me for the suits and sailor outfits I’ll put them in; it’s comforting to know there are actually young people who choose to wear what many adults would consider outlandish. It gives me such joy to know there are parents who don’t shove Baby GAP down their childrens’ throats. Arlo reminded me that children are inherently creative, exploring a world they have not grasped all the rules of yet, perhaps giving them greater breadth of imagination than many adults, as they find what’s pleasing to themselves and not what they’ve been told is cool or fashionable or trendy.
Flashback to my own youth: I was raised on yard sales and hand-me-downs, which, being a child of the opulent, label conscious and snobbish 80’s, I lamented and resented daily. Seriously, I cried almost every morning as my mother forced me into layers of distinctly unattractive turtlenecks, stretched out tights held up by belts, and courderoys that were the antithesis of then-cool shiny spandex leggings (courderoys, that is, only on gym days at school — I was only allowed to wear skirts and dresses the rest of the days. And I attended public school!). But my mom redeemed herself at playtime. In the back hall we had a dress-up box (that grew over the years) filled with random flea market finds like reams of fabric and lace, tutus, hats, and clothes of all sorts that were either not in good enough shape to wear in “real life,” or were too big, or just too crazy. But my friends and I could entertain ourselves for hours with the contents of those boxes, wrapping the cloth around ourselves and assuming exotic identities, exploring the roles we might or might not actually appropriate later in life. And even though I now live in one of the fashion capitals of the world, I’m economically independent and can wear whatever I damn please, I actually choose to shop at secondhand and thrift shops still. And instead of waiting for the weekend to play in my dress-up box, I play dress-up every day, allowing my mood and creativity (not fleeting trends) to dictate what facet of my personality I choose to display. In this Halloween season, it’s nice to be reminded that one can be creative in one’s self presentation every day!
This week’s post on teaching fashion takes you behind the scenes, into what inspired me to become a professor, by way of looking at some of the books that I have found indispensable over the years and how they have encouraged and enhanced my work in the classroom. There are, in fact, so many titles that you will have to wait until next week for the second half of my list.
To select only one favourite from my library of fashion classics would be near impossible, as would be ranking them by quality or preference, hardly my aim in assembling this list today. In the interest of fairness and objectivity, I will share them with you in the order in which I was introduced to them, creating a chronological account of how each entered my library.
First was the now classic text, The Social Psychology of Clothing: Symbolic Appearances in Context, by Susan B. Kaiser. This was the text used in a course I took in my undergraduate work and was the first college textbook ever to hold me rapt, in that I read it from cover to cover, well in advance of the suggested dates on the course schedule (I have yet to have a student of my own admit to doing this with any of the textbooks I have assigned over the years). The Social Psychology of Clothing definitely guided my interest in fashion, in particular a social psychology approach to the field of dress studies.
Second, another text from my undergrad days, and it almost seems pedestrian to mention a so-called humble guide to sewing, as these days dress scholars often prefer to distance themselves from our roots in the discipline of home economics (now known as consumer and family science, human ecology, and others, in various institutions), is the Complete Guide to Sewing : Step-By-Step Techniques for Making Clothes and Home Furnishings.
At the time that I took my first college sewing course, I was admittedly frustrated by the $75 price tag (today, it can be had for only $38), and the fact that, in class meetings and assignments, my instructor referred to only a fraction of the techniques contained within its covers (which, now that I am an instructor, makes a little more sense to me), and initially I thought the book was over-detailed for an introductory clothing construction course, but it is one of very few books that I did not sell back to the university book store at the end of the term, and I have referred to this book countless times when sewing at home (which, I if I recall correctly, was the instructor’s stated purpose in assigning the text).
There may be more up-to-date texts available these days, but regardless of the year of publication, I highly recommend keeping a visual dictionary of sewing techniques on your bookshelf. You never know when you may need a refresher on mitered corners, casings, hems, or pockets, and flipping through the index to find what you need should be quicker than doing a google search.
Also in the fashion history vein is Survey of Historic Costume, by Tortora and Eubank, the standard tome for undergraduate courses covering the history of western dress (in the English language, at any rate; if you were assigned a different text in your studies, please leave a comment and let me know what it was!). This is another one of those rare texts which I did not sell back to the school book store at the end of term. More than one edition has been released since my school days and this text only improves with each successive revision. I have had many students over the years tell me that they, too, will not be selling back their copies at the end of term, either, as it often becomes a well-loved addition to one’s library.
These are only half of my list of special books that have played a role in my own education, and in turn, in my work educating others. Stay tuned for the second half of my list, coming next week.
What are some of your favourites that you recall from your own early days as a fashion scholar or a fashionista? What texts do you turn to again and again? Please leave a comment and let me know.
I’m feeling a bit nostalgic for my former days working with costume collections and I suspect a number of you enjoy looking at the inner workings of costumes and museums alike. I happened upon these videos which provide a wonderful, inside look at the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
The first video highlights two dresses, one by Madame Gres and another by Paul Poiret. The conservator, Chris Paulocik, shows some examples of how garments are prepared for installation and discusses garment construction. It’s entertaining, informative and clear.
More on the above pictured dress can be found at the Met’s website. Fore more information on conservation techniques, The Kent State University Museum website is an excellent (and detailed) resource.
Another video features former collections assistant Jessa Krick*, in a lovely montage of several garments being examined in storage, with a sort of music-video feel. Designers include Miyake, Adrian, Worth and others. For those of you desperate to get up close and personal with historically significant garments, to examine techniques, fabrics and embellishments, this is the video for you:
In both videos, there is a surprising amount of ‘hands-on’ research taking place (literally, in the first video the conservator touches dresses without gloves. In the second, the outside researcher is allowed to touch the garment). Many museums are starting to be much more strict about researchers being able to even make appointments, let alone touch the garments. If you’re at a museum, please comment on how much access your museum allows. If you are an outside researcher, I’d love to hear some of your recent experiences with museum access.
*Jessa Krick is now the Collection Manager/Curatorial Assistant for Historic Hudson Valley, a group of historic sites in Westchester County, New York
While in Hawaii a few weeks ago, I made a visit to an unassuming little museum in Hilo. To my surprise the Lyman museum, contained a pretty interesting exhibition that included dress and adornment. The museum itself was divided into two sections, the Earth Sciences of Hawaii(on the first floor) and Hawaiian Cultural Heritage (on the second floor). There was also a special photography exhibition (Na Pa`i Ki`i `o Brother Bertram).
The Cultural Heritage section on the second floor seemed to focus on traditional and ethnic costume as well as adornment. Not only did this part of the museum explain significant elements of traditional Hawaiian dress, textiles and adornment; but it also included a large section with examples of traditional dress worn by the five main immigrant groups who worked in the sugar industry in the 19th Century.
In the traditional Hawaiian dress section, the exhibit included examples of Kapa cloth, which was used primarily for “men’s loin cloths (mal), women’s skirts (pa’u), and Mantles (kihei). Kapa was made from the mulberry tree, and then decorated by either block print, immersion dye, panting, overlay or cord snapping. “Plants, animals, and even dirt were ground in a stone mortar to get every color imaginable.”
In the section on personal adornment, hairstyles, tattoos and accessories were discussed. Shells, seeds, feathers and bones were all used to by native Hawaiians to adorn themselves for special occasions
Necklaces
Of particular interest here are the ornaments made of human bone, and the stone mirror
These are necklaces made of shells and flowers (lei)
This display showed a large selection of feathers used for adornments (feather lei's are shown strung across the green boards), the birds that provided the feathers, and images of headdresses. "Both Men and women sorted and tied feathers to foundation networks of olona fibers." Often, the feathers were worn as a sign of rank at official political occasions.
By the 1850s, Hawaiian sugar was extremely successful, but there were not enough native Hawaiians to do all the work needed, so planters began to bring in indentured immigrant labor from five main groups: Chinese, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, and Filipino. The second half of the cultural exhibition was devoted to the costumes of these five groups, who now make up a large part of Hawaii’s non-native population and culture.
Chinese Heritage Display:
Portuguese Heritage Display:
Japanese Heritage Display:
Korean Heritage Display:
Filipino Heritage Display:
While the overall quality of the display cases was lacking (old cases, lighting chords visible, etc); the information provided on each of these groups and their artifacts, traditions and history on the island was solid, informative and interesting. That said, information on the provenance of specific items wasn’t included and I would have been interested to know the dates of the clothing, the materials used, if they were made locally or brought over from the country of origin, etc.
I am embarrassed to say I failed the Huffington Post test on guessing who Yulia Tymoshenko when presented with a collection of photos of her. For all you fellow dunces, she is the Prime Minister of the Ukraine– and the first female Prime Minister the Ukraine has had. (My ignorance was especially embarrassing to me because my sister in-law is from neighboring Moldova and I like to pretend that I know what’s going on in that part of the world). She has made the (some say suspect) switch from millionaire oligarch to revolution leader and has ranked as one of the most powerful women in the world by Forbes twice.
What made the online identification game so challenging is that the accomplished Yulia is an interesting — even daring — dresser. If you scroll through the photo gallery, you’ll see Ms. Tymoshenko accompanying everyone from Vladimir Putin to Viktor Zubkov to a “British heavy metal singer” Sean Carr, and in what clothes! Some choice selections below.
Doesn’t she look like a fierce 16th century warrior princess?? But with sleek 3/4 length skirt (that hugs her curves beautifully, I might add).
Yulia Tomyshenko & Vladimir Putin
"Portrait of a Married Woman" by Anthonis Mor, 1554
And how sporty is she in her NASCAR-esque turtleneck? The distinctly unsubtle word “revolution” running the length of her arms like DO NOT CROSS police tape is, I assume, reference to her leadership of the Orange Revolution during which, Wikipedia tells me, she was dubbed the “Joan of Arc of the Revolution.” Like a racecar driver, she is advertising her “sponsor” the Orange Revolution in her attire.
Yulia Tomyshenko in Kiev on 12/26/04
NASCAR driver Tony Stewart sporting his (coincidentally orange) sponsor's logo
I love this one — the close fitting beige gives the shocking illusion of nudity, her breasts barely contained by the skimpy bustier portion. And yet in cut it’s quite conservative, with every inch of her covered by the turtleneck and pleated skirt. As a side note, I favor a similar style in my own life — both the body hugging-but-covering-naughty-bits-drapery… and also bustiers.
Yulia Tomyshenko at EU headquarters, 1/28/07
First, I have to comment on how goddamn adorable Yulia looks here. She smiles with abandon, looking sincere and actually happy, a sentiment that is not always carried off by smiling politicians who may look false, strained, or smarmy. Clearly the woman loves rockin’ the uni-color ensemble, which — again — I’m fond of. The poofy bicep bells offer some frivolity in an otherwise austere white sweater-turtleneck combo. The brooch also reminds me of 16th century jewelry — pearls were a favorite gem of both Elizabeth I and Henry VIII, who had many garments with them sewn in the cloth (and even in Elizabeth’s hair).
Yulia Tomyshenko on 9/26/08
Elizabeth I
The woman knows what she likes — and she likes high collars that are simultaneously severe and decorative. Yulia returns to 16th century fashions, very much in the male “Spanish style” — that is, mostly black — like Philip II of Spain (1527 – 1598).
Yulia Tymoshenko c. 2006
Philip II of Spain
She is unquestionably feminine with her up-do and her penchant for figure hugging clothes, but the embellishments Yulia favors are almost always masculine (if dated ideals of masculinity, such as ruffled shirts), externalizing what must be a daily struggle: being a female politician in the male dominated world of politics. The ruffled shirt has most recently been a Victorian trend (big surprise with Yulia!), but has earlier roots in 18th century menswear.
Yulia Tymoshenko during Orange Revolution corruption scandal
"Portrait of a Victorian Woman in White" by William de Leftwich Dodge, 1891
portrait by Alexis N. S. Belle, 18th century
And here again, Yulia plays with conservative, traditional dress motifs. The lace — a fabric with a strong luxury tradition but a current association perhaps more of old ladies — is here turned from a subtle embellishment to grand statement motif. The rest of the outfit tempers the tattoo-like boldness of the lace with its neutral gray 3/4 length suit-like fit, paired with the familiar high, prim neckline, and feminine bubble sleeves. This outfit was aptly deemed “strict but sexy” by the Komsomolska Pravda newspaper.
Yulia Tymoshenko on 2/4/06, when she received the record number of votes as the prime minister
Ms. Tomyshenko proves that you can be taken seriously as a political figure (I write this without intricate knowledge of her policies, but I’m assuming enough took her seriously to get her elected) in creative dress. I love that she incorporates the traditional folksy milkmaid plaited braid, juxtaposed with her otherwise very modern sartorial sensibility, with nods to history. Supposedly her coiffure was an homage to Lesya Ukrainka, one of the Ukraine’s foremost poets from the late 19th, early 20th centuries.
I enjoy the way she embraces the presentation of her femininity too, with her figure hugging clothes and stylized long hair (a far cry from the chopped Hilary Clintons and Nancy Pelosis); one could argue that Yulia’s interest in fashion in and of itself is an unapologetic display of a passion typically associated with women, which she clearly revels in. I am heartened to have my belief confirmed that having fun with one’s wardrobe does not automatically make a woman frivolous, as many still think (none who read this blog, I trust!).
(of the Met, CI).
It was just released November 10.
by Avril Hart and Susan North, and 
, edited by Natalie Rothstein. Today, they are both classics from the V&A’s library of dress history texts featuring the requisite stunning photographs of clothing and details.
by McKeachie and Svinicki. McKeachie’s Teaching Tips was a book I purchased as a new instructor and I have found its numerous tips to be very useful. It covers the basics, such as
, edited by Andrew Reilly and Sarah Cosbey, is a book that I was delighted to find when it came out last year. The text consists of 33 readings on themes such as men’s dress history, masculinity, culture, identity, body image, and more. These scholarly works fill in many of the gaps that my fashion textbooks often contain, as some of them have a subtle (or sometimes entirely overt) neglect of the male consumer of fashion. Each year, although I regularly have more women enrolled in my classes than men, I continue to have increasing numbers of men in my classes. This text helps my lessons contain a wider range of history and cultural and consumer experiences. 
, by Susan B. Kaiser. This was the text used in a course I took in my undergraduate work and was the first college textbook ever to hold me rapt, in that I read it from cover to cover, well in advance of the suggested dates on the course schedule (I have yet to have a student of my own admit to doing this with any of the textbooks I have assigned over the years). The Social Psychology of Clothing definitely guided my interest in fashion, in particular a social psychology approach to the field of dress studies. 
