Category: Fashion & Culture
Fashion never exists in a vacuum. Discover how it’s shaped by politics, the state of the economy, societal structures, and changes.
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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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Queen Victoria’s Birthday Fan: The Language of Fans and 19th-Century Material Culture
Today, the fan has largely vanished from the roster of objects we regularly use. Its practical function — to cool the air in a sweltering ballroom or on a hot summer’s day — has been rendered obsolete by electric fans. Aesthetically, too, it no longer holds a place of prominence in the modern wardrobe. Yet, Read more
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More Than a Dress Code: Revisiting Gilded Glamour at the 2022 Met Gala
The Gilded Age was a time when personal fortunes were expressed through the language of power: fashion. In 2022, the Met Gala invited its guests to revisit this opulent era under the dress code Gilded Glamour, conjuring visions of silk bustles, boned bodices, and social theatre. But beneath the shimmer lies a complex history shaped Read more
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Fashioning the Self: Rethinking Fashion’s Feminine Identity
“Costumes can be read as easily as any text.” This assertion by fashion historian Leigh Summers (in Bound to Please, 2001) captures a truth long understood by artists, writers, and wearers alike: clothing is never just clothing. And yet, fashion is often dismissed, especially in everyday, media, or political discourse. Fashion is perceived as inherently Read more
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We Never Go Out Of Style: Fashion at the Eras Tour
When Taylor Swift first announced The Eras Tour on Good Morning America in late 2022, no one could have predicted the cultural imprint it would leave behind after its final bow two years later. The Eras Tour has since become the subject of countless thought pieces — from its staggering boost to local economies and Read more