This episode took me forever to write. I was originally going to start with a blog post I wrote a few years ago, relying on primary sources on mourning from the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. Then, as I started to go through it, I started to reinterpret a number of the primary sources, … Continue reading AMBA: The Recent History of Mourning
Author: Cassidy Percoco
The Evolution of the French Hood
The French hood of the sixteenth century is an interesting garment. Costume designers have been making theatrical version for years that miss the mark, turning them into structured headbands that arc up over the back of the head. So what exactly is a French hood? Not quite a French hood, almost a kokoshnik, from The … Continue reading The Evolution of the French Hood
AMBA: What is Fashion History?
The latest episode of the A Most Beguiling Accomplishment podcast is out! As promised, it discusses the methodologies of fashion history and #PocketGate. Corset, 1860-1870; Philadelphia Museum of Art 1947-53-17 What does a corset have to do with the history of pockets? You'll have to listen to find out! Remember, patrons of my Patreon get to suggest … Continue reading AMBA: What is Fashion History?
Looking at the Late Middle Ages
Castle of Love, from the Pseudo-Heloise Poems, 1475-1483; BL Royal MS 16 F II f.188 I mentioned the other day that I'm really interested in the very early Tudor period - and lately I've been laying the groundwork for potential sewing/experimental archaeology in that era. This is difficult, because I'm used to doing rigorous research … Continue reading Looking at the Late Middle Ages
CoBloWriMo: Visual Source, Favorite Fabric, and Pro Tip
Visual Source I love fashion plates. As I'll be discussing in the next episode of my podcast, problems can arise in interpreting them to get at the actual clothing worn at the time, but they can be extraordinary sources for understanding the sequences of high fashion - how and when changes happened. For the detailed timeline … Continue reading CoBloWriMo: Visual Source, Favorite Fabric, and Pro Tip
Mimic of Modes 