On my recent visit with my mom and dad, who live in Southeastern Massachusetts, I popped into my favorite antique store for a quick look. As I passed by the front cabinets, I glanced in and to my surprise came across these beauties. Three beautifully preserved hand-carved baleen busks. After I scooped my lower jaw…… Continue reading A Random New England Discovery
Sometimes things just work out. Perfectly. A few months ago, an acquaintance alerted me to an exhibition of 50 (yes 50!) Victorian gowns. “Sounds great”, I replied, “Where is it?” “In Saco, Maine”, came the response. Gasp! “That’s a little over 3,000 miles away, but thanks for thinking of me!”, I replied and quickly filed…… Continue reading The fates align
I think Ulyana Sergeenko may very well be one of my favorite designers of all time. I love her use of historical and fantasy references and the elegant way she incorporates familiar fairytale elements in dramatic ways. I mean, who doesn’t love Slavic folklore and cunning references to paganism? So inevitably, I had to include…… Continue reading Ulyana Sergeenko
Vivienne Westwood was born Vivienne Isabel Swire to Gordon Swire and Dora Swire in England on April 8, 1941. She moved to London at the age of seventeen to study silver-smithing at Harrow School of Art. After only staying for one term, believing she could not make a living in the arts, she decided instead…… Continue reading Dame Vivienne Isabel Westwood
Lee Alexander McQueen was born on March 17, 1969, in Lewisham, London. The youngest of six children born to a taxi driver father and schoolteacher mother. Alexander, or Lee as he was more commonly known, knew from a young age that he was gay, and as a result suffered much teasing from his classmates. He…… Continue reading Alexander McQueen
Christian Marie Lacroix was born on May 16, 1951 in Arles, France. He studied art and costume history at the University of Montpellier, and after graduating with his arts degree in 1973, Lacroix went to study at the Sorbonne in Paris, hoping to establish a career as a museum curator. After moving to Paris from…… Continue reading Christian Lacroix
One of the earliest examples of corseting (reducing the dimensions of the torso or waist) can be found on pottery figures created during the late Minoan Period (1500BC) and found in Knossos, Crete. The bodies of these snake goddesses are closely confined within their belt-like bodices, commonly thought to be made of leather or wooden…… Continue reading A brief history of the corset through 1950
I finally got around to taking some quick pictures of the outfit I made for this year’s Edwardian Ball. Sadly, I had double-lung pneumonia at the time, and although I did attend, I was not able to fully lace myself into a corset. I opted to use the buttons and lace it up the front instead,…… Continue reading Turning of the Century
So, it might not look like it, but I am self-taught when to comes to sewing and making corsets. My interest in fashion has always been pretty intense. I recall as a child wanting a particular item that wasn’t either in style or in-season and sadly having to wait years for the rest of the…… Continue reading My Reference Library
If you’ve been following my blog lately, you’ll have seen the corsets I just finished for “Moving Forward into the Past” at the Alameda Museum. While I take pretty detailed notes while I make each corset, it occasionally takes me a little while to move that information online. But now that the show is up…… Continue reading The Wedding Cake Corset
refashioning history 