Who knew that my obsession with fishermanās jumpers would lead to a sideline in fashion forensics?!
Very exciting to have my work with Karl Harrison profiled on Crimewatch. You can find the full feature on @bbciplayer
Diving into the Make Do & Mend campaign for Reduce, Reuse, Recycle week on @britishsewingbee ! Wearing one of the most precious things I own - this playsuit made by my grandmother (who I never met). My grandfather was killed while still on active RAF service just after the hostilities ended during WW2.
So it always feels appropriate to wear this joyful playsuit as tribute to them both - itās the third time Iāve worn it for filming about WW2 and even though the elastic is starting to go I will always love and treasure it - which is also apt for the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle ethos.
Swipe to see me being 10 years younger at the launch of Fashion on the Ration exhibition at @imperialwarmuseums in 2015. I was one of a few people who were filmed for the exhibition talking about clothing during WW2 and what we can learn from it today. The exhibition was fantastic, thereās info online and I recommend the accompanying book by Julie Summers for more.
Swipe even further to see my grandmother, on holiday in Margate. She made all the clothes for herself, my mum and aunt šššŖ”
Thinking about sumptuary laws, and especially Elizabeth Iās tendency to issue personal proclamations throughout her reign. One which I particularly love prohibited āmonstrous and outrageous greatness of hoseā - see some potential examples here!
This was repeated in 1562 so there appears to have been a continuing problem of great hose - now fabric was limited in their making to one and one-quarter yards, and their circumference to one and one eighth yards.
Her proclamations could have been a reaction to the rise of the merchant class, who were becoming wealthy and powerful without noble birth, but they had the financial means to buy the clothing that was intended for their superiors.
Fashion History Friday | Dress History
The lifecycle of a dress, from design to fabric to fashion and fancy dress š
I love this gown made of fabric designed by Anna Maria Garthwaite, on display @vam_east . She settled in Spitalfields, where Protestant Huguenot refugees had established a thriving silk-weaving district.
Swipe for more info
Gown: 1744 (fabric designed by Anna Maria Garthwaite), 1744-45 (woven by Captain John Baker), 1745-50 (sewn), 1760s (altered), 1870-1910 (altered for fancy dress)
A big breakfast dilemma š³š„āļøš„š„“
Featuring Dame Ednaās Breakfast Dress, designed by Stephen Adnitt and made by Dominic Murray, Mathilde Sandberg and Sally Willis, 1997, in the collections of the V&A (so I would like to add that mine was first š³š)
Hello May! Some groundbreaking florals for spring, from @amhistorymuseum , @metmuseum and @vamuseum šøš·š»š¹ššŗš¼
Fashion History Friday | design history | textile history
As car boot sale season begins (my favourite season!) - one of my best ever finds: the Art Journalās catalogue for the 1851 Great Exhibition.
The catalogue shows how entwined textiles were with both industrial and colonial projects. And the Exhibition has a long-lasting legacy in our museums and art schools today.
Not bad for Ā£12, and not bad condition considering itās 174 years old š®āšØ
art history | design history | textile history
