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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.-
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Category Archives: General
Dodie Rosekrans–Grande Dame of San Francisco
Look up the phrase “grande dame” in a dictionary and the definition you will find is “woman of influence.” Certainly the word also implies ages–no one would think to call Taylor Swift a grande dame. In my research the phrase … Continue reading
Fashioning San Francisco
On recent a trip to the Bay Area, my cousin and I visited the current fashion exhibit at San Francisco’s de Young Museum called “Fashioning San Francisco.” It had an interesting organizational premise—all clothes were worn by San Franciscans themselves … Continue reading
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
Mary Lee Bendolph, Gee’s Bend Quilter
I imagine most textile lovers like myself know about the Gee’s Bend quilters, a remarkable group of Black women who developed their own strikingly modern quilting style in an isolated community in Alabama. They became so famous that their work … Continue reading
Considering Mrs. Claus
A recent viewing of Miracle on Thirty-Fourth Street made me consider the fate of Mrs. Claus (or Kringel), the often forgotten partner of Santa. Her history stretches back to the nineteenth century, but she is almost always left out of … 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
Book Review: Real Clothes, Real Lives by Kiki Smith
What are “real clothes,” you might ask on encountering this book. As the preface explains, Smith College costume designer Kiki Smith gave the label “real clothes” to garments that were not designed as costumes but had that had somehow ended … Continue reading
Dog Days of Summer
It’s hot where I live in Southern California, although I’m close enough to the ocean to get some cool breezes. I dress for the heat in light weight pants and cotton shirts, preferably very thin Indian cotton. However, many women choose … Continue reading
Posted in 1960s, 1970s, General
Tagged colors, sheath dress, shift dress, textile patterns
3 Comments
Barbie Gets Old
In her long career, Barbie has been a lot of things—an astronaut, a teacher, a doctor, and more. One thing she’s never been is old. The Barbie of my day had unreal body proportions and permanently misshapen feet. Not yet … Continue reading
Book Review: Worn by Sofi Thanhauser
This is a staggeringly ambitious book, evident already in the subtitle. By “people” Thanhauser means all people, everywhere. And by “clothing” she considers not only the sewn or knitted garments we use for protection and expression, but also the raw … Continue reading