fashion

  • Wintering Over: Art in Shades of Dark and Light

    Winter, like life, comes in shades of dark and light. Herein lies the drama of an indispensable duo meant to be seen, in multitudes of splendor, in paintings photographs and drawings. Let us go into the season with an Invocation of Beauty seeking not, its Genesis but Graciela Iturbide’s Mexico and Antonio Berni’s Juanito and… Continue reading

  • FIRST FOLIO! Much Ado About Costumes

    ~posted by Ann G. Shakespeare’s First Folio is still here in Seattle for a few more days—if you haven’t gotten a chance to stop by, consider getting tickets and coming to see it! The library hosted a program recently called “Make Your Own Shakespearean Costume”; we had stations where you could make ruffs, cuffs, brooches, beards, and… Continue reading

  • Library Book Leads to “Antiques Roadshow” Moment!

    About 15 years ago I bought a motorcycle jacket from a local thrift shop. I was intrigued by its padded elbows and shoulders, which sported a marvelous scuffed-and-buffed patina. I figured the jacket had seen better days, but I never gave a second thought to its age—or value. Until recently, that is, when I chanced… Continue reading

  • Fashion Redux

    I know, I just posted about pre-1950 fashion designers, but the new Alexander McQueen book, Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty (2011), has got me excited again about some later designers of note. Sadly, McQueen committed suicide in February of 2010, but his work is amazing. He said that he designed from the side, because that is… Continue reading

  • Fashion, Fashion, Fashion

    You watch “Project Runway,” or “The Fashion Police.” You hear names like Christian Lacroix, Issey Miyake, John Paul Gaultier, Marc Jacobs, and Michael Kors. But how did it all begin? The first fashion design houses began around the turn of the century (the 20th century that is). Fashion design itself started in the late 19th… Continue reading

  • Well That’s Different

    If you’re in the mood for something a little off-beat, try one of these dillies. The Toothpick by Henry Petroski. More from the guy that brought you The Pencil. What began as a twig has become a tiny work of art. Find out how toothpicks are made (in great secrecy), possible interlopers on the trade… Continue reading