As someone whose lemming-minded fingers tend to follow each other into numbness, I’m rather intrigued by the now-defunct hand warmer known as the muff.
Dating back to the 16th century, the muff is a cylinder of hand-warming coziness with an …
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“Flirtation” by Frédéric Soulacroix
You know those situations where you’re stuck outside at some event, say, a free concert in the park, and the heat is so crushing that you fold up a piece of paper and use it to …
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According to the movie Grease, summer is a time for falling in love. So, let’s take a trip through the timeline of love to find out about a token from its history!
In the 17th century, if lovers weren’t …
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Image via Flickr user Gatochy
When it’s a burning summer day and I’m ready to cool in the pool, I scramble into my swimsuit and jump on in. But, say it was 1959. What would be wrong with the imagery …
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Images via Wikimedia Commons.
Back in the day before cars, people rode horses places. Duh. But did you know women had a specific ensemble exclusively for riding horses?
With origins burrowed back in the 17th century and an end …
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Image via Fabrics.net.
In a recent Fashion Dictionary post, commenter Nanne introduced me to the strange and wonderful fashion artifact known as the reticule purse. Before reading Nanne’s feedback, I was unfamiliar with the historical accessory. However, …
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Image via gogmsite.net
If you were to pull a Bill and Ted and time machine back to, oh say, 18th-century France, to the home of some aristocrat, you’d probably see some dude dressed in a fancy waistcoat with a mess …
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Examples of the zibellino in “Portrait of a Lady” by Bernardino Luini and “Antea” by Parmigianino.
Whether you’re a Renaissance Classicism connoisseur, a Medieval hygiene expert, or simply someone who sat through Art History 101, you’ve undoubtedly seen today’s …
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Image: Vintage Connection
If this post’s title conjured images of screaming Manhattan sidewalks or catching rush-hour trains, you’re not alone. Despite a short-lived revival in the 1940s, the bustle now only exists in period films or old fashion sketches. So, …
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Image: Costumes.org
Imagine this: It’s 1832. A highly fashionable woman is calling upon her dear friend. She glides through the wallpaper-clad hallway en route to the sitting room. When she arrives at the doorway, she pauses, turns 90 degrees to …
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Photo: Louvre Museum
Depicted with a fine brushstroke, the simple headpiece worn by the lady above was all the rage in the 15th century. Known as a ferronière, this delicate adornment was composed of a satin cord or velvet…
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Think you know every kind of footwear fathomed into existence by man and woman? Well, here’s a little run for your knowledge. See if you are, in fact, hot on the heels of such all-encompassing knowledge by reading this post, …
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Photos: Corvus Noir (left) and Crewel Jewels
A chatelaine, also called an “equipage,” was a decorative clip of long chains used to hold important household items. Functioning like pockets or purses, chatelaines were worn by women of the 18th …
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Images: Flickr user SA_Steve
Well, ModLovers, after a recent Google search led me to website after website devoted exclusively to the sale of matching pajamas, I must report that the great tradition of his-and-her matching pajamas is not obsolete, …
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