A brief history of hat boxes

By | March 19th, 2023|Categories: Accessories, Edwardian Fashion, Fashion, Fashion history, Hats, Regency Era, Victorian Fashions|

There is something about hat boxes that adds such a nice touch to a room or a feeling of sophistication to a scene. While they may not elicit as much excitement as vintage hats themselves, they are elegant reminders of a time past. A time of daily formality and attention to detail. A time when [...]

February History News Roundup

By | February 27th, 2023|Categories: Fashion history, History News|

What does deep love from a distance really look like? Or living inside one of the time’s most famous operas? All that and more in February’s history round-up.  What history news would you like us to make sure to cover here or in new blog posts? If you have an idea or fun news story [...]

Glamour escapism: 1930s fashion

By | August 31st, 2022|Categories: Fashion, Fashion history, Style Guides, Women's History|Tags: , |

1920s fashion was all about art and pushing the envelope. The 1950s was a return to the home and the idea of the feminine ideal. In between was glamour. High fashion of the 1930s and 1940s offered a chance for the public to forget about the ever-increasing problems of the outside world and simply put, [...]

Can you spot the pelisse?

By | August 7th, 2022|Categories: Fashion history, Regency Era|

Is it a dress? Is it a jacket? Regency outerwear has long been an interest of mine. It is elegant and quite deceptive! What often looks like a lovely early 19th-century coat is more often than not, a form-fitting jacket referred to as a “pelisse.”  It has been top of my list to write about [...]

Four classic fashion icons and the history of the ponytail

By | July 28th, 2022|Categories: 1950s Fashions, 1950s fun, Fashion history|Tags: |

I have always associated ponytails with summer. I had my hair done every day growing up and my mom tended to put me in ponytails more often than not during the warmer months (or shall I say, hotter, as I am from Arizona). As someone who is well-versed in 19th-century fashion, I am aware that [...]

Victorians and plaid

By | June 30th, 2022|Categories: Fashion history, Textiles, Victorian culture, Victorian Era, Victorian fashion, Victorian Fashions|

It is an example of one of those things you don’t notice until someone points it out to you, and then you see it everywhere. The wonderful founder of Recollections recently suggested that a post on Victorians and plaid may make for a fun read. I had never really thought about it before, but when [...]