Only recently was I lamenting the dearth of street fashion photography in our collection to a colleague, when we were put in touch with the visionary street and fashion photographer, Jamel Shabazz. It took us about a millisecond to ponder his query: ‘Would we be […]
Category: Fashion History
Hot Accession! Eva: The Journal of Educated Women
Everyone’s who’s been happening through the department recently has had plenty to say about our new accession, Eva. The Czech-language magazine marketed to “educated women” was first issued in 1928 and is simply smart, chic and drop dead gorgeous. We’re happy to report we have […]
A Victorian Fashion History Mystery…
From time to time, we come across beautiful items in our collection that cause us to stop, take note, and delve more into their history. These dainty and diminutive sketches of Victorian millinery may have been executed by Auguste Félix, or […]
Steichen & Poiret: the first fashion photographs?
Many scholars cite the emergence of modern fashion photography to the April 1911 issue of Art et Decoration, which features the designs of couturier Paul Poiret as photographed by famed photographer Edward Steichen. Certainly, these images are not the earliest fashion photographs—our department contains examples […]
Bare Beauties
During the 1920s, publishers circumvented the laws concerning the publication of nude photos by ostensibly purposing them “FOR ARTISTS ONLY.” “While this magazine is of general interest, particular stress is laid upon the fine arts and crafts; and an especial appeal is made to artists, […]
Muriel King and Gone With the Wind
Keren Ben-Horin’s recent post on one of our favorite blogs, ON PINS AND NEEDLES, has inspired us to speak about a little more about the American couturière Muriel King and her work in Hollywood. King established a successful couture house in New York City during the early […]
Fashion Designers A-Z: The Collection of The Museum at FIT
The much anticipated publication featuring highlights from The Museum at FIT’s costume collection is finally here! Published by Taschen, with a forward by Suzy Menkes, and text by The Museum at FIT’s Director Valerie Steele, the initial copies of the title are gorgeous limited-editions housed […]
The Extraordinary Life of Gerda Wegener
The fact that Danish artist Gerda Wegener was one of the few female artists to find commercial success in Paris during the teens and twenties, is perhaps one of the least intriguing aspects of her extraordinary life. Born in Denmark in 1885, Wegener studied art […]
Lady Duff-Gordon mail order catalogs, 1916-1917
It seems only fitting that the first post of our newly christened blog discuss Lucile, aka Lady Duff-Gordon, the English-born couturière who rose to fame in the early twentieth century. Not only do the lovely muses who grace the top of each page of this blog model […]