Tag Archives: Washington DC

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 , , , , , | 1 Comment

An Old Woman Meets the President, 1976

I’m glad that I didn’t pay a lot of money on eBay for this photo, which was listed as “artist Grandma Moses and President Ford.”  Just a minute’s research after it arrived revealed that the famous artist had been dead … Continue reading

Posted in General | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Gold Star Mothers on Memorial Day, 1924

With all the talk of road trips and crowded airports, Memorial Day is mainly known as the official start of the vacation season in the United States.  However, its original purpose was to honor war dead.  Read this fascinating articles … Continue reading

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Of Politics and Women’s Shoes

I was hoping that the end of the Melania fashion era might bring an end to sky high heels, but no such luck.  While Kamala Harris wears Converse sneakers on her casual days, when dressed up she’s in heels.  During … Continue reading

Posted in 2020s | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

What to Wear in a Pandemic

This is not a post about politics, but let’s get the details out of the way.  My husband is a news junkie, tuning into Trump’s daily news conferences lately.  As a valued scout for my blog, it didn’t take him … Continue reading

Posted in 2020s | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Go Ask Alice, 1937

Alice Roosevelt Longworth, the daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt, was a famous beauty in her youth.  Born in 1884, she became a fashion icon when her father became president at the start of the twentieth century.  Her favorite color, an … Continue reading

Posted in 1930s | Tagged , | 4 Comments

American Gothic, 1942

Gordon Parks, photographer, artist, and later filmmaker, was hired as a trainee in the Farm Security Administration’s photography program in 1941.  As an African American, he used his position to document the living and working conditions of blacks in the … Continue reading

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What to Wear in Your Electric Car, 1915

Everything old is new again. Electric cars might seem to be the latest thing, but they were were already popular in the US a hundred years ago.  It turns out that some of the most enthusiastic drivers were well-off city … Continue reading

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The Famous Blue-Green Dress by Mollie Parnis, 1955

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

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