Tag Archives: first ladies

Sewing for a Cause, 1959

Posted on September 25, 2020 by Lynn

Celebrity endorsements are nothing new.  Here’s a photo of Eleanor Roosevelt, then in her mid seventies, with a needle in her hand. She is meant to be sewing in the new label for the International Ladies Garment Workers’ Union. It … Continue reading →

Posted in 1950s | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Melania at the RNC Convention

Posted on August 31, 2020 by Lynn

Military-inspired fashion for women is not a new thing.  But is it usually quite so literal?  I’m wondering just what Melania Trump had in mind when she gave her convention speech in an outfit that looks like she got it … Continue reading →

Posted in 2020s | Tagged | 10 Comments

Betty Ford in Pants, 1977

Posted on January 27, 2020 by Lynn

You can guess by this photo that Betty Ford, First Lady of the US from 1974 to 1977, was a former dancer for Martha Graham.  Apparently it was her idea to dance on the Cabinet Room table on the last … Continue reading →

Posted in 1970s | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Bipartisan Fashion, 1977

Posted on January 18, 2020 by Lynn

Given today’s political contentiousness, it is reassuring to remember a moment in American history when Democrats and Republicans stood together to advocate for women’s rights.  In 1977, the federal government sponsored a National Women’s Conference to discuss the status of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1970s | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Pretty in Pink, 1953

Posted on March 18, 2019 by Lynn

At the beginning of the twentieth century, fashion advisors warned older women to avoid the color pink.  In a speech called “The Fine Art of Growing Old,” published in Ladies Home Journal in 1903 one such expert warned “A pink … Continue reading →

Posted in 1950s | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Mother Jones and the Coolidge Family, 1924

Posted on June 3, 2018 by americanagefashionco

I was attracted to this Library of Congress photo by the contrast between the middle aged Grace Coolidge, wife of the thirtieth president, and the much older woman on her left.  Reading the caption quickly, I assumed the older woman … Continue reading →

Posted in 1920s | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

The Famous Blue-Green Dress by Mollie Parnis, 1955

Posted on April 24, 2018 by Lynn

If you spend any time studying the clothes of well off women of the 1950s and 1960s, the name Mollie Parnis will come up sooner or later.  She was a well known designer of the era who dressed a number … Continue reading →

Posted in 1950s | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Jackie Kennedy’s White House Style

Posted on March 14, 2018 by Lynn

What did these two women think of the other one’s outfit when they met? I’ve been preparing a talk on Jackie Kennedy’s White House fashion for a local museum. The research has been a lot of fun.  In the process, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1960s | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

About Pantsuits, Not Politics

Posted on February 2, 2018 by Lynn

The American media is abuzz with interpretations of what Melania Trump might have meant by donning a white pantsuit to her husband’s first State of the Union speech. Speculation is fun, but what interests me is the fact that she … Continue reading →

Posted in 2010s | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Lou Hoover at the Sewing Machine, 1932

Posted on December 6, 2016 by Lynn

A sucker for anything sewing related, I snatched up this ebay photo of Lou Hoover (1874-1944), wife of Herbert Hoover. I had never given Herbert Hoover’s wife any thought, but just a little research on the First Ladies website reveals … Continue reading →

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