I've always meant to finish documenting my one fashion history exhibition at the Fenimore Art Museum, both for personal reasons and so that there is any record of these garments and makers existing on the internet, but somehow never got around to it. But now that I've left my position there, it feels like time … Continue reading Elegant New York (2021)
An 1860s Swiss Waist from My Personal Collection
Swiss waists are versatile little accessories from the mid-nineteenth century.
La Mode Illustrée, May 14, 1865
Toilettes by Mme Bréant-Castel, 58 1/2 Rue St. Anne. Redingote of unbleached-linen-colored taffeta, with scalloped edges, trimmed with a thick piping of lilac taffeta; the redingote is open in front over an undergown of lilac taffeta, edged with a narrow box-pleated flounce; this undergown is not a full gown, and is made of two pieces … Continue reading La Mode Illustrée, May 14, 1865
La Mode Illustrée, April 1864
This plate, taken from La Mode Illustrée in April of 1864, shows four "novelties" available at the Magasins du Louvre in Paris.
“Much Depends on the Proper Display of the Contour”: Corsetry in the Early Nineteenth Century
I was so pleased to be asked to speak at the History Symposium this past month! It was a fantastic experience, and I strongly recommend that readers check out the rest of their offerings -- there are years' worth of presentations on all sorts of topics relating to the early nineteenth century, particularly the War … Continue reading “Much Depends on the Proper Display of the Contour”: Corsetry in the Early Nineteenth Century
