Contact me
To contribute to this collective history project, send pictures and stories about the older women in your life to americanagefashion@gmail.com. The more information you can include (date, place, etc.), the better.-
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
Categories
Tags
- About Me
- advertising
- advice literature
- African American
- Asian American
- book review
- California
- Chicana Latina
- coats
- colors
- comparative
- designers
- Florida
- fur
- generations
- glasses
- hair
- half sizes
- hats/headcoverings
- Illinois
- jewelry
- lace
- Mrs. Exeter
- New Look
- New York
- pants
- pantsuits
- photographer
- popular culture
- power dressing
- sewing
- sheath dress
- shirtwaist
- shoes
- sizes
- special occasion
- sportswear
- Texas
- textile patterns
- textile prints
- textiles
- Washington DC
- women's organizations
- World War One
- World War Two
Meta
Reference Links
Category Archives: 1980s
Eunice Johnson–Black Power Fashion
It is hard to overestimate the contribution of Eunice Johnson (1916-2010) to African American fashion in the United States. She and her husband were the founders of Ebony and Jet. Although she worked as secretary and treasurer for the Johnson … Continue reading
Dottie Quinn–A Life in Pants
I love being able to follow a woman’s clothing choices from youth to age, sometimes possible when I stumble upon a family photo collection online. That was the case for Sylvia Dorothy Quinn, known to all as Dottie. Her husband, … Continue reading
Phyllis Diller, Happy Eccentric
There are many reasons to remember the comedian Phyllis Diller (1917-2012). She was the first well-known female standup comic in America; she had a long career in television and film; and she was an enthusiastic advocate of plastic surgery—theme for … Continue reading
Aging in Color: Ruth Adler Schnee
Famous textile designer Ruth Adler Schnee (1923-2023) died this month at the age of 99. She is credited with bringing textile design into the world of midcentury modernism. The daughter of an antiquarian bookseller and a Bauhaus graduate, her family … Continue reading
Lois Alexander and the Black Fashion Museum
Most fashion museums focus on the works of famous designers and the clothes of the well-off women who supported them. The Black Fashion Museum, which existed from 1979 to 2007, had a different mission. Under the leadership of the visionary … Continue reading
Posted in 1970s, 1980s, 1990, 2000s
Tagged African American, colors, designers, New York, textile patterns, Washington DC
1 Comment
Hearts on their Sleeves–The Terno in Los Angeles
In what contexts do immigrants wear their native dress? For Filipina women, the most distinctive item of clothing is the terno—a dress or set of matching separates with a much extended, wing-like upper sleeve, as seen in the picture above. … Continue reading
Barbara Carrasco’s Censored Mural
California has the reputation of a progressive blue state, but that hasn’t always been the case. As recently as 1981, the Los Angeles Community Rehabilitation Agency commissioned mural artist Barbara Carrasco to create a work to commemorate the 200th anniversary … Continue reading
Dancing at the Senior Center, 1980
When did older women decide to give up dresses and turn to pants as their basic mode of dress? The answer surely depends in part on location. The City of Commerce, where this photo was taken, is in Southern California … Continue reading
Marcella in Milan, 1981
Marcella could be a tourist from anywhere, but the writing on the back of this photo has a distinctly American look. And would a European tourist be wearing what is essentially a pair sweatpants in Italy’s fashion capital? Perhaps European … Continue reading
A Faith Ringgold Retrospective
Aren’t there times when you wished you lived in New York City? I wish I were there now to see the Faith Ringgold retrospective at the New Museum. It is the first comprehensive US retrospective of her work, beginning with … Continue reading
Posted in 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s
Tagged African American, artist, New Jersey, New York, textiles, visual arts
1 Comment