Recently, I began following a couple of Tumblr blogs focusing on waist training and daily corset wear. Daily wear is not for me, waist training even less so, but I find it an interesting practice. It is also a controversial one. For example, a recent Huffington Post article, "Corset Queen Penny Brown Loves Getting 'Waisted'," drew … Continue reading A Difficult History: Corsetry and Feminism, Part One
Author: Cassidy Percoco
The Latest Patterning Visit
Hello, all! I have a series of meaty posts in the works, but they're not quite ready yet, so let me tell you about the most recent visit I made for patterning at the Albany Institute. I've really been concentrating on outerwear, as there are so many extant gowns with interesting construction or trims or … Continue reading The Latest Patterning Visit
Wedding Dress, 1905
Wedding photo of Grace Louise Fenton Ross, 1983.15.7 (Dress itself is 1983.15.4a-b, pattern at link.) It's possible that a lot of lingerie dresses in collections were worn as wedding dresses - around the turn of the century, they were very popular for that use. Being white, they fit into the already-established but mainly upper-class wedding … Continue reading Wedding Dress, 1905
Drawers, 1930s
CHM 1992.5.4 (pattern available at link) These drawers - tap pants, they're more commonly called now - were made by a Mrs. Shattuck who ran a "sewing room" in downtown Glens Falls. (The information came from the donor; there's nothing at all about Mrs. Shattuck that I can find online, although there was a local Shattuck … Continue reading Drawers, 1930s
Jeanne Adèle Bernard (1872-1962)
Maison Jenny is one of the hardest couture firms to learn about - but if you look through fashion plates and magazines, she is all over. According to a blog, Jeanne Adèle began working under Jeanne Paquin, and then under Béchoff David (another little-known master). Her own house opened sometime between 1908 and 1910; the sources … Continue reading Jeanne Adèle Bernard (1872-1962)
Mimic of Modes 