The Coded Couture of Antique Lacework

They were like snowflakes spun from silk, sought after just as feverishly as gold on the black market. Whether they were twisted with pearls or tied with silver knots, no two pieces of lace were the same in 1765. All too often forgotten in dusty attics today, for centuries, lacework was all about how you…

Curiosity du Jour: Inside Out Handbags of Yore

Empty a woman’s handbag inside out and you’ve got the right idea about the chatelaine. Before purses were a woman’s primary accessory, this curious contraption that fell into the annals of fashion obscurity over time, once commonly served to carry her daily armour. Designed very much like a tool belt worn at the waist, the chatelaine…

Guinness Meets the Sapeurs of Congo

Three years ago, I wrote a little article exploring the sapeurs, a subculture of extraordinarily dressed dandies from the Congo. I can safely say it is one of a handful of articles I wrote in the beginning that really launched my blog, helping my readership to grow to numbers I could never have imagined. The story…

Botany and the Forgotten Sexual Revolution

Sex and botany– two words rarely found in the same sentence, but there was a time when the study of botany was considered so obscene that books on the subject were censored for women; branded dangerous and unsuitable for her delicate sensibilities. Gardens and greenhouses became an enlightened woman’s secret haven of discovery, expression and temptation. While today’s scientific…

Let Cindy Crawford Guide you through Paris Fashion Week Circa 1992

It’s Haute Couture Fashion week in Paris – well, sort of. Shows are being attended by video links and style is being created, communicated and consumed in a virtual world. But for a brief moment, let’s pretend we’re not in the middle of a pandemic and turn the clock back to the early 90s courtesy…

The Cult British Brand of Diana’s Iconic 80s Look is Ready for a Comeback

A new wave of Diana fashion fever comes along now and again, reminding us of how iconic the late People’s Princess truly was, be it in leg warmers or the perfect little black dress. This time, that reminder comes courtesy of Netflix’s The Crown, whose fourth season is a gem for so many reasons, but…

Wait, Why Did Men Stop Wearing Hats?

Let’s play a little game of Where’s Waldo? Only, with men who aren’t wearing hats in the above photograph. It raises the question: where have all the elegant fedoras, bowlers, news caps, and top hats gone? Hats have had a role to play for most of our history, walking the line between the utilitarian, decorative,…

Discover a Secret Fashion Time Capsule in Paris

When I think of Paris fashion week, I like to think of the historic couture houses and their army of skilled artisans furiously tailoring together glorious silks and handmade fabrics in the final hours before the show. I like to picture long-standing ateliers in the garment district; life-sized dollhouses; each floor with its own particular…

The Lost Style Subculture of Elvis Presley Rebels

What are the Swiss known for? Beautiful skiing and great chocolate? Handy pocket knives and offshore accounts? Founding the Red Cross and being the only country in the heart of Europe to resist fascism? All good points. But did you know that Switzerland was also the birthplace of an extreme rebel youth subculture, based on an…

If Slim Aarons Came Back as a Painter…

The only thing better than putting your feet up, is putting your feet up in the luxury of Ignasi Monreal. The Spanish-born artist has become a darling du jour of the fashion scene in recent years thanks to his work for Gucci, Vogue, the Four Seasons (which incorporated the Ritz), and others – giving us…