As many of you know, I returned to the world of freelance graphic design in order to pursue a degree in fashion design on a part-time basis. I’m doing a bit of juggling, it’s true, but I’m really good at that. In the past four months, I’ve finished three courses (Design Principles, Construction and Advanced…… Continue reading I’m feeling just a little sense of accomplishment tonight.
Lilly Daché Lilly Daché was born in France in 1904. After leaving school at thirteen, she moved to Paris where she trained under her aunt, Caroline Reboux, the “Queen of the Milliners.” Lilly remained with her for nearly five years, eventually moving to the United States and finally relocating to New York City in 1924.…… Continue reading Lilly Daché
I received a request the other day to find out where all of the excess fabric came to make the zoot suits popular in the 1940’s. To truly understand the zoot suit, it is important to understand the political and social climate of the time in which it was created and worn. Lets start with…… Continue reading Zoot Suit: the Harlem fashion trend and how it all began.
Charles Wilson Brega James was born on July 18, 1906, in Surrey, England, to an English father and American heiress mother. In the early 1920s he moved to his mother’s hometown of Chicago and, in 1926, opened his first hat shop under the name of a schoolmate, Charles Boucheron, his father having forbid him to…… Continue reading Charles James
Pauline Trigère was born in Pigalle, a neighborhood in Paris, on November 4, 1908. Her parents, Alexandre Trigère, a tailor, and his wife Cecile, a dressmaker, were Jewish. Pauline, who was proficient in sewing by the age of ten and would often assist her mother, began designing clothing for herself in her early teens. Once…… Continue reading Pauline Trigère
In June of 1940, near the beginning of World War II, Nazi forces took control of the France and its textile industry. Prior to the occupation, many non-native designers, such as Charles Creed, Adrian, Mainbocher, Edward Molyneux, and Elsa Schiaparelli had already fled the country to London, New York, and Hollywood in anticipation of war.…… Continue reading Haute Couture During World War II
I was recently introduced to the podcast series “Stuff You Missed in History Class” when a classmate (Thanks Jennifer!), suggested I listen to “April Calahan’s on France’s Fashionable Resistance”. After listening to April, I just had to do a little more research. While it is a deep, dark hole, and reading about war pains me, in…… Continue reading WWII Cloth and Clothing Rations in the United States and Europe
refashioning history 