Mutton Dressed as Lamb
"An Old Ewe Drest Lamb Fashion", 1810, by Thomas Rowlandson Madonna has been getting a lot of criticism for her latest surgical attempts...
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Jonathan Walford
- Jan 4
- 5 min
A Century Ago - The World and Fashion in 1923
Left: After US president Harding died in office, Vice-president Calvin Coolidge, became president in August, 1923 Right: Elizabeth...
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Jonathan Walford
- Dec 6, 2022
- 3 min
2022 - A Fashion Year in Review
In the race for post-pandemic recovery, one thing has become very clear - Baby Boomers no longer run the world. They may still own the...
217 views1 comment
Jonathan Walford
- Nov 10, 2022
- 1 min
Sage Advice from Ten Fashion experts:
1. “Fashion changes, but style endures.” – Coco Chanel 2. “I loathe narcissism, but I approve of vanity.” — Diana Vreeland 3. “The...
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Jonathan Walford
- Oct 4, 2022
- 1 min
Polyester Soldiers and other Farbs
Classic 1960s Farbs - flappers in polyester fringed dresses Farb was a term first used in the 1960s by historic costuming re-enactors....
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Jonathan Walford
- Sep 5, 2022
- 2 min
Zipping Down History
Most inventions are not the creation of one person’s idea and development, but rather the result of many individual’s improvements on...
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Jonathan Walford
- Aug 1, 2022
- 2 min
Myth Information - The First Miniskirt
So, it turns out that the miniskirt wasn't ‘invented’ by Mary Quant, or Andres Courreges, or John Bates, or Rudi Gernreich, or Marimekko…...
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Jonathan Walford
- Jul 5, 2022
- 1 min
Drawing Conclusions about Fashion History
Fashion lies. Artistic renderings exaggerate sizes and details, like this illustration of a pair of shoes by Newton Elkin for the label...
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Jonathan Walford
- Jun 10, 2022
- 2 min
Dior's Deception
A 1955 'edition' of Christian Dior's 1947 bar suit worn by Dior house model Renee Barton, photo taken by Willy Maywald probably in spring...
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Jonathan Walford
- May 9, 2022
- 1 min
The Missing Pink Hat...
The pink Chanel knock-off suit Jacqueline Kennedy wore on that historic day in Dallas in 1963 currently resides in an environmentally...
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Jonathan Walford
- Apr 19, 2022
- 1 min
Fashion Connections: Maillot - Tights - Leotard - Pantyhose
Left to right: Jules Léotard, late 1860s; patent application for pantyhose, 1956; advertisement for pantyhose, 1960 French acrobat Jules...
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Jonathan Walford
- Mar 7, 2022
- 2 min
Myth Information - The Fan Code
Fans were practical accessories for cooling the face and hiding yawns, and they were used as personal flirtation devices at Victorian...
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Jonathan Walford
- Feb 3, 2022
- 5 min
Boogie-Oogie-Oogie-Oogie Dancin' Shoes
Every culture developed some form of dance, usually related to harvest or hunt celebrations, marital or maturity rites, or victory over...
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Jonathan Walford
- Jan 4, 2022
- 5 min
A Century Ago - The World and Fashion in 1922
1922 was a year that straddled two eras. Before the twenties could ‘roar’, the post-war era needed to finish winding down. The fallout...
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Jonathan Walford
- Dec 17, 2021
- 3 min
2021 - A Fashion Year in Review
There have been two major influences upon fashion this year. The first and most obvious is the continuing pandemic. When the pandemic...
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Jonathan Walford
- Dec 4, 2021
- 3 min
Forms & Function
We have been receiving a lot of comments and questions about our mannequins. Many of them are vintage, and some need to be restored, but...
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Jonathan Walford
- Nov 4, 2021
- 1 min
Message in a Sweater
Jim Alexander from Hespeler, Ontario was a Corporal with the Lincoln and Welland Regiment. In March 1945 he was in Veen, Germany...
166 views0 comments
Jonathan Walford
- Oct 7, 2021
- 4 min
The Ghost Dressmaker...
A few years ago I was helping research the date of an Edwardian opera cloak with the maker’s label 'E O’Donovan' and the final story we...
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Jonathan Walford
- Sep 10, 2021
- 3 min
The Bicycle Bloomer Brouhaha of the 1890s
In 1851, American Amelia Bloomer published an article in her newspaper The Lily calling for dress reform. She, and her group of...
2,098 views1 comment
Jonathan Walford
- Aug 30, 2021
- 4 min
What is a Flapper?
Bathing Beauties, 1922 Several period sources claim the word ‘flapper’ originated from the American fashion among teenage girls for...
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