Too Hot to Handle: The History of the Coolest Styles
If you saw a heat wave, would you wave back?Steven Wright Tube Top When Elie Tahari (founder of Tahari clothing brand), stumbled upon tubes of unsalable fabric, the result of a manufacturing error, he saw an opportunity. With no straps, buttons or zippers, the top was inexpensive to make and was perfect for the free-wheeling […]
From Paper Dolls to Paper Fashions: A Material Re-Imagined
“The visionary starts with a clean sheet of paper and reimagines the world” Malcolm Gladstone Betsy McCall original paper doll and clothes. Once upon a time, in the 1950’s, young girls learned about fashion, style and dressing by playing with paper dolls. Many of today’s Grandmothers may remember spending many happy hours playing with a […]
Ellen Von Unwerth and the Untamed Glamour of Fashion Photography
“Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things”.Theodore Levitt Left: Ellen Von Umwerth in plaid jacket Fashion photography, like calligraphy (see Letters, Lines and Limitless Creativity: The World of Nicolas Ouchenir here), is an art form adjacent to the world of fashion designers, shows and models. One of the most legendary fashion […]
The Slow Growth of Genius: The Making of Christian Dior
“The trees that are slow to growbear the best fruit”— Molière At the height of the Roman Empire the expression “all roads lead to Rome” expressed the centrality and supremacy of the empire’s capital. Paris has long had a reputation as the supreme capital of fashion. In the world of fashion it can be said […]
Christian Dior: The Long Struggle To Overnight Success
Christian Dior January 21, 1905 – October 24, 1957 “You will suffer poverty but women are lucky for you and through them you will achieve success. You will make a great deal of money, and you will have to travel widely”. Unknown palm reader to Christian Dior Though he was superstitious, the then fourteen year […]
Balmain: The Untold Story Behind One of Paris’ Most Iconic Houses
PIERRE BALMAIN May 18, 1914 – June 29, 1982 “Dress making is the architecture of movement” Pierre Balmain The house of Balmain was established in 1945 and is still going strong 81 years later. Indeed, it has been at the forefront of fashion and beauty since its first debut and it’s easy to imagine its […]
Luisa Spagnoli: A Purely Personal Journey To Fashion Fame
“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough “ Mae West Imagine for a moment you were born in Italy in 1877 to a fish monger and his wife. You marry at 21 and have four children, supporting yourselves with a grocery store. Do you imagine your name will one […]
Royal Mansour: The Architecture of Style
“Who will change old lamps for new ones?” Aladdin As an historic bridge between Africa, Europe and the Arab worlds, Morocco conjured up a hidden, secretive, world of “souks,” “riads,” “Medinas.” Behind these words were even more layers of mysterious terms describing ancient, specialized art forms and architecture — zellige, tadelakt, mashrabiya and tazoult. In […]
GENNY:Where Fabric Meets Feeling
“When you are a woman making clothes for women, then fashion is not just about how you look it is about how you think and feel.” Maria Grazia Chiuri One of the more rewarding and interesting aspects of attending Fashion Weeks, is to discover new brands and designers. Genny is a well established brand in […]
Dior Shaped the Body. Balenciaga Set It Free
The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” William Faulkner “THE KING IS DEAD” stated the starkly, simple headline on March 23, 1972. It did not appear in the popular press nor refer to the death of Elvis Presley, rather, it announced the shocking and unexpected death of renowned couturier Cristobal Balenciaga in Women’s […]