Fashion History

Spotted patterns existed long before the term “polka dot” was coined. In many cultures, they were associated with magic and male potency. Ancient Egyptians used dots in hieroglyphics to represent the sun. Dots can be found in art across the world. However, throughout the Renaissance, they were considered distasteful in…

Want to brush up on your fashion knowledge but have no clue how to start? This is THE list for a well-rounded base of fashion history. These books cover an extensive range of fashion topics — from haute couture, and streetwear to memoirs (in no particular order). Ametora, by W.David…

When it was cool to look like you were dying — A constant, racking cough that brought up hunks of blood, an unabating fever, night sweats, and dramatic weight loss. Doesn’t sound like the sort of thing you’d associate with the latest fashion icons, does it? Yet, in the Victorian era, many women tried to get the ‘consumptive look’ the symptoms…

About the artist and sitter The portrait we’re looking at is of Queen Mary I by Hans Eworth. In the 1540s Eworth moved from the Netherlands to England. With around 35 surviving portraits associated with him, he became one of England’s most esteemed Flemish artists of the time. …

We know a reasonable amount about Guy de Rouffignac and his life. We know that he was born in France but came over to England in the late 17th Century with his parents, during the reign of the French King Louis XIV. Guy and his family were Huguenots, French Protestants…