I first heard about Butts: A Backstory when I listened to a re-broadcast of a Radiolab episode from 2022. Best summarized by the show notes: “she [author and Radiolab contributing editor Heather Radke] tells us about a fascinating history she uncovered that takes us from a eugenicist’s attempt in the late 1930s to concretize the… Continue reading Butts: A Backstory
Tag: Fashion History
Mauve: how one man invented a color that changed the world
Part biography and part science history lesson, Simon Garfield touches on it all in Mauve. If you geek out over how seemingly un-related things are actually interconnected, then this book will certainly keep you enthralled. Following a trail of purple from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day, one man did indeed invent a color… Continue reading Mauve: how one man invented a color that changed the world
Badass Bustles
New design available in my Threadless shop! Bustle (noun)Clothing: a pad or framework expanding and supporting the fullness and drapery of the back of a woman's skirt or dressMarriam-Webster Dress fashion took quite the roller-coaster ride throughout the 1800s. The first two decades (1800’s through the 1820s) saw the columnar Empire gown reign supreme—think Bridgerton.… Continue reading Badass Bustles
Beat the Heat & Binge Away
I haven't been quite as productive with the blog recently as I would like--I seem to keep falling down rabbit-holes while doing some research for another post! So I decided I may as well share some of what has been keeping my attention these last couple of weeks. It's been a rather toasty week (month),… Continue reading Beat the Heat & Binge Away
The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World
The Fabric of Civilization has easily made the jump into my top 5 of fashion history fun fact and rabbit-hole books. (Don’t worry—there will be posts on the others!) Even if you are “meh” on the topic of textiles, I highly recommend it, as author Virginia Postrel is a master of engaging storytelling and I… Continue reading The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World
Ramblings of a Costume Nerd 