fashion

Underwear for down there

January 29, 2010

Venus Williams turned heads this week with her skin coloured underwear (see the controversial shot here), leading many to believe she actually forgot to put her underpants on! Venus designed the underpants for her fashion label ‘EleVen’, saying they were meant to “highlight the thigh-high and V neck splits” of her dress.

Lookin’ cool in Courrèges

January 15, 2010

Today, we’re going to take a look at a very cool women’s ensemble designed and made by André Courrèges, the Parisian fashion designer, which was sold through Harrods in London in 1965. It comprises a mini-dress made of bright yellow wool with a white vinyl belt and white wool-acrylic coat.

Pattern Recognition

January 13, 2010

Check silk day dress, (A8072) Collection, Powerhouse Museum. The other day I was working in the basement in the fashion and textiles section when I saw this dress from the 1840s. Silk with a check design of blue, brown and grey, it instantly reminded me of a similar skirt that’s listed on the Australian Dress Register.

Framed portraits of William and Eliza Bayldon

The Bayldon Collection at the Coffs Harbour Regional Museum

January 11, 2010

For most of my adult life I had heard of all the things in my aunt’s possession. Aunty Nan (Nancy Sewell nee Whaites) was a wealth of knowledge and loved to talk about her ancestors. William Edward Bayldon who had been born in England was operating a chemist shop and owned farm land in Adelaide in 1840 when he married Eliza Leaman widow of James Birmingham Kelly.

Fashion illustration of Balenciaga dress by Alfredo Bouret

When Haute Couture is not Haute Couture

December 11, 2009

Which French fashion house refused to join the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture Parisienne and still does not belong today (which technically means that this fashion house is not even recognised as Haute Couture in the legal sense!)?

Dior Couture Inside Out

November 27, 2009

To fully appreciate Haute Couture and the workmanship involved, you need to look beyond the exterior at the cut, stitching and underpinning. So, we’ve decided to turn one of our Dior garments inside out, the one we believe belonged to Mrs Elizabeth Parke Firestone (or her daughter, also called Elizabeth - thanks Bob!), which I blogged about earlier!

Who wore this Dior?

November 20, 2009

Haute Couture (or “High Fashion”), as the name suggests, is not for just anyone. It is the pinnacle of fashion, made specifically to the exact dimensions of the wearer, in high quality, luxurious fabrics, virtually all by hand (the seams are machine sewn), and a single garment can take up to 4 months to make.

Fashions on the Court

November 6, 2009

Nowadays, watching tennis is as much of a sport as playing it! While there is the game itself, the on court fashion is equally a crowd pleaser. During the Hopman Cup in Perth earlier this year, tennis legend Margaret Court observed that players' outfits make them "look like they should be on the beach".

Saddling up with Gucci

November 3, 2009

Horse racing and fashion have always been closely associated and with Melbourne Cup upon us I had a look for “Horse Racing Fashion” in our databaase. One item is this bright floral dress made by Gucci around 1970.

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