Blog Posts
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How the Affair of the Necklace Sparked the French Revolution
Marie Antoinette’s legacy will forever be overshadowed by the damaging reputation imposed on her during her life, which cemented her place as one of the most unfairly villainized women in history. Her love of frivolous fashion, indulgent tastes, lavish spending, and independent spirit made her the target of intense scrutiny during her reign. This opulent…
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The complete history of Yves Saint Laurent’s Le Smoking
Yves Henri Donat Mathieu Saint Laurent was born in Orin, Algeria in 1936 to French parents. He became a fan of fashion early on through reading his mother’s fashion magazines. When he was 13, seeing a performance of Molière’s École des femmes (School for Wives) starring Louis Jouvet inspired him to begin sketching and making costumes. In the years…
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Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation gown by Sir Norman Hartnell
This breathtaking Norman Hartnell gown was worn by Queen Elizabeth II on her Coronation day, 69 years ago today, on June 2, 1953. Hartnell was no stranger to designing for the royal family. He had served as a couturier for senior royal members since 1939 and was granted a Royal Warrant in 1940. Hartnell had…
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Jeanne Lanvin 1938 “garden party” gowns for Princess Elizabeth and Margaret’s dolls, Marianne and France
These bisque dolls are undoubtably some of the most famous and well dressed in the world. They came with a closet filled with 360 pieces of haute couture that anyone would drool over. Named Marianne and France, these dolls were gifted to Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret from the Children of France during a State…
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Lady Mendl’s Elsa Schiaparelli “Apollo of Versailles” cape
The detailing in Elsa Schiaparelli’s “Apollo of Versailles” cape is exquisite. This piece comes from the iconic Autumn/Winter 1938-39 Cosmique collection, which was dedicated to “the worldly women.” Cosmique featured pieces with imagery inspired by the solar system, constellations and astronomy as well as historical events and figures. Schiaparelli took interest in astronomy because her…
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Guo Pei’s “Blue and Porcelain” gown
This sculpted “Blue and Porcelain” gown was designed by Guo Pei for her 2010 “1002 Nights” collection. It is also sometimes referred to as the “Ming vase gown.” Both titles refer to its inspiration from blue and white China, which originated during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644.) Pei’s creations blur the line between fashion and art.…
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Michelle Obama’s 2020 Democratic National Convention statement VOTE necklace and satin blouse
Michelle Obama’s beautiful, dainty yellow-gold VOTE necklace was front and center during her powerful speech for the electric opening night of the Democratic National Convention on August 17, 2018. This statement piece was the first thing I noticed when she appeared and I absolutely loved it. This necklace comes from BYCHARI.COM (a black owned business)…
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Balenciaga orange evening coat from the Fall/Winter 1954-1955 collection
This voluminous orange silk evening coat by Balenciaga comes from his Fall/Winter 1954-1955 collection. Unlike Dior’s popular “New Look” Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895-1972) was using linear lines which fit loosely on the body. His manipulation of the waist dramatically revolutionized women’s fashion forever. Even Dior looked up to Balenciaga, famously calling him “the master of us…
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Christian Dior’s Fall/Winter 1949 Cynge Noir gown
This exquisite Cynge Noir (black swan) evening gown by Christian Dior comes from the Autumn/Winter 1949 Milieu du Siècle line. This marked Dior’s sixth collection. The gown was crafted from silk-velvet, net and faille textiles by Bianchini-Férier. At the time he designed this collection, Christian Dior stated “A golden age seemed to have come again.…
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Eva Perón’s Iconic 1951 Dior Gown
Eva Perón began to embrace the Christian Dior new look after her 1947 European “Rainbow Tour.” In effort to transition from her actress persona to First Lady she adopted her signature low chignon, blazing red lipstick and began to acquire Parisian couture. Her favorite designers were Christian Dior and Jacques Fath. Both Dior and Fath…
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Queen Elizabeth II’s Rare Covid-19 Message In Queen Mary’s Diamond And Turquoise Brooch
Today Queen Elizabeth II delivered a rare special televised message regarding the Covid-19 crises. Apart from her Christmas message, it is extremely rare for the monarch to make a special address. The only other instances include at the time of the Gulf war in 1991, on the eve of the funeral of Diana, Princess of…
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A Quilted Ruby-Red Set From Adolfo Couture Fall-Winter 1969-1970
This vibrant ruby-red Adolfo Couture set comes from his FW 1969-1970 Collection. I love this outfit because it’s aesthetic truly teeters on the edge of a decade, containing elements of both 60’s and 70’s style. The lush velvet top features an elegant boat neck giving way to dramatic belle sleeves. These are trimmed in three…
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The History Of The 17th Century Plague Doctor Costume
Bird beak masks were a part of the earliest iteration of a hazmat suit. They were designed in 1619 and worn by doctors in the 17th century to protect themselves while treating patients with the plague. These striking, eerie masks had round glass eye openings and fastened with straps that helped hold the six inch…
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The Cherry Shoe By Manolo Blahnik
Pictured is one of the 60 recreations of Monolo Blahnik’s iconic 1971 cherry heel which was seen in V&A’s 2003 Ossie Clark exhibition. This is the shoe that put Blahnik on the map. This design was inspired by Blahnik’s favorite fruit, cherries. I love how the green suede stems are so artfully versatile and can…
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Princess Margaret’s 21st Birthday Dior Gown
This stunning Dior gown was worn by Princess Margaret at Sandringham Castle on her 21st birthday, on August 21, 1951 and is seen in her official birthday portrait taken by Cecil Beaton that July. She later described it as “my favorite dress of all.” The princess wore this gown again on November 22, 1951…
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Nancy Pelosi’s Mace Of The Republic Brooch By Ann Hand
Nancy Pelosi has been rocking some powerful statement jewelry recently. When history was made on Dec 18, 2019 and Donald Trump became the third President in history to be impeached, this Mace of the Republic brooch was in the room where it happened. It was hard not to notice this dramatic pin against her somber high…
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Yves Saint Laurent’s Iconic Les Tournesols/Sunflower Jacket
Yves Saint Laurent debated the iconic “Les Tournesols” jacket in his Spring-Summer 1988 collection, where it was modeled by Naomi Campbell. In this exquisite collection Saint Laurent paid tribute through fashion to painters he admired, including Braque, Matisse, Picasso and Van Gogh. The les tournesols jacket was created in homage to Van Gogh’s famous still…
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The Secret To Carrie Fisher’s Famous Princess Leia Hair Buns
At just nineteen Carrie Fisher became an instant mega star from her role of Princess Leia in Star Wars. Not only will her image live forever in film history, I don’t know if I can think of a single more iconic hairstyle in film than Princess Leia’s hair buns. When asked about the inspiration for…
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Judy Garland’s 1969 Pale Blue Wedding Dress
Judy Garland wore this pale blue, mini length tent dress for her wedding to Mickey Deans on March 15, 1969. This was Garland’s fifth marriage. The ceremony took place at the Chelsea Register Office in London, after which Judy told press “This is it. For the first time in my life i’m really happy. Finally,…
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Fortuny Revived With Lady Mary’s Downton Abbey Movie Gown
Anna Mary Scott Robbins began work as the costume designer for Downton Abbey during season five, and continued through the shows finale in season six, both of which earned her Emmy nominations. She picked up where she left off three years later when the Downton Abbey film was green-lit for production. “It was just like…
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The History Of Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara
The Queen Mary fringe tiara was made in 1919 by E. Wolff and Co. for Garrard. It was commissioned by Queen Mary of Teck, who was said to have had an “eye for brilliance” when collating her jewelry collection, and was inspired by a traditional Russian kokoshinik headdress. The House of Garrard is the longest…
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The History Of The Lederhosen and Dirndl
It’s that time of year again! During Oktoberfest you’ve probably seen people out and about in its traditional festive Bavarian outfits, which were introduced centuries ago to celebrate German pride. In fact, the lederhosen and dirndl may be the most recognizable and iconic country-specific outfits in the world. So let’s break down how these outfits…
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McQueen’s SS05 Carousel Dress
This whimsical carousel dress first appeared in Alexander McQueen’s Spring 2005 runway show “It’s Only A Game” as look #32. During the first portion of this show the thirty-six models formed lines after walking. During the second portion a chess board projection on the stage aligned with their placement, creating a game of fashion chess,…
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The History Of The Ballet Tutu
The tutu has become an iconic and integral part of the ballet aesthetic over the years. Though they are now created in thousands of dazzling colors and styles, their origin was originally for function over fashion. The skirt that we know today as the “Romantic tutu” traces all the way back to 1832 to a…
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Marie Antionette’s Jewelry
These are some of my favorite pieces from the stunning jewelry collection of Marie Antionette. Ten of her pieces, from the Bourbon-Parma family, sold at auction in 2018 after being in private collections for over 200 years. Sotheby’s is called the sale “one of the most important royal jewelry collections ever to come to auction.”…