Author: Anabelle
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No One Does It Like Sargent: The Chronicler of Gilded Age Style
As the turn-of-the-century’s best-known portraitist, John Singer Sargent captured many of the era’s most prolific sitters, including aristocrats, industrialists, politicians, artists, and performers, who all formed part of his remarkable clientele. Yet Sargent was, and understood himself to be, far more than a painter of elegant likenesses. In many ways, he operated as an artistic Read more
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Must be the Season of the Witch: Tracing the Origins of the Classic Witch Costume
Spooktober has arrived and Halloween is just around the corner. Every year, witch costumes appear in stores, online, and on social media, from playful ensembles to dramatic, cinematic recreations. But where does the typical iconic image of the witch with the pointed hat and broomstick come from, and why does it continue to captivate our Read more
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The Life of a Showgirl: From the Moulin Rouge to Taylor Swift
“Take the glory, give everythingPromise to be dazzling.” — Taylor Swift “Clara Bow” (2024) As Taylor Swift releases her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, it feels only fitting to look back at the glittering history of showgirl fashion. From the first Cancan dancers in their Moulin Rouge costumes of the 1890s, to Read more
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Downton Abbey: A New Era of Fashioning Character Through Clothes
With the release of Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale in theaters, audiences can once again step into the Crawley family’s world. The series, which began in the shadow of the sinking of the Titanic and chronicled the seismic shifts of the First World War, has always been attentive to the ways social change and character Read more
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Downton Abbey: A Study in Character and Clothing
“Costumes can be read as easily as any text.” — Leigh Summers With the upcoming release of Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale on September 12th, audiences will return once more to the Crawley Family’s impressive home for the final chapter of a story that began in the shadow of the sinking of the Titanic and Read more
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Decade Deep Dive: Women’s Fashion From 1800 to 1810
The first decade of the 19th century saw a dramatic transformation in European fashion. The voluminous skirts shaped by side hoops (panniers) and ornate trimmings that dominated most of the 18th century gave way to the high-waisted, columnar gowns of the Empire silhouette. Inspired by the draped garments of ancient Greece and Rome, this neoclassical Read more
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Visual Storytelling: Fashion, Identity, and Oppression in The Handmaid’s Tale
The Italian woman must follow Italian fashion. Taste, elegance and originality have demonstrated that this initiative can and must be successful. — Italian Fascist Party, 1933 Power, Propaganda, and the Politics of Dress The connections between fashion and fascism have always existed. From Mussolini’s Italy and Nazi Germany to dystopian fashion in TV shows, like Read more
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Queen Alexandra’s Coronation Dress and Its Enduring Legacy
The coronation gown of Queen Alexandra, displayed in all its shimmering splendour at The Edwardians: Age of Elegance exhibition at The King’s Gallery, strikes you the moment you stand before it: Bathed in sombre serenity and markedly different from both the coronation gowns that preceded it and those that followed. When Alexandra was crowned beside Read more
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Edwardian Fashion: Rose’s Titanic Wardrobe
James Cameron’s 1997 film Titanic is one of those enduring screen stories that continues to captivate audiences. More than a century after the ship’s tragic sinking, its legend still holds a powerful grip on our collective imagination. For me, Titanic was likely one of the first period films I ever saw, and the breathtaking costumes Read more
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Looking Back at the Eras Tour: A Retrospective
Now that Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour has drawn to a close, critics, journalists, admirers, and even detractors, have weighed in on what will likely go down as one of the most influential concert tours of the decade (if not the century). In total, 10,168,008 people attended the Eras Tour across 149 sold‑out shows in Read more