artwork analysis
garment analysis
film analysis

1906 – John White Alexander, Study in Black and Green

1900-1909, 20th century, artwork analysis

Alexander replicated this same evening gown in paintings over a six-year period as it slowly progressed from fashionable to outdated.

15th century – Late Byzantine Silk Damask Dress and Taffeta Tunic

15th century, Byzantine, garment analysis

To date, these fragments of dress are the only surviving testimonies of elite feminine garments in the Late Byzantine Empire. They offer a remarkable insight into what might have been the fashion habit in Mystras (Greece) and reflect the prestigious and multicultural civilization of Byzantium during the 15th century.

1995 – Lee, Sense and Sensibility

1800-1809, 19th century, film analysis

The film Sense and Sensibility is based on a novel of the same name by Jane Austen, originally published in 1811. The adapted screenplay was written by Emma Thompson, who also plays one of the lead characters, Elinor Dashwood, whose costumes are the focus of this study.

designer profile
thematic essays
year overview

1922-1985 – Rudi Gernreich

20th century, designer profile, LGBTQ+

About the Designer Rudi Gernreich was an avant-garde designer whose works questioned the status quo of the fashion industry and often reflected his own political...

Inès Gâches-Sarraute and the Straight-Front Corset

1890-1899, 1900-1909, 1910-1919, 19th century, 20th century, thematic essays

Often anachronistically called the ‘S-bend,’ the dramatic straight-front corset of the early 1900s was invented by a doctor for health purposes and quickly swept up into the tides of fashion.

1983

1980-1989, 20th century, year overview

1983 featured a flashback to the 1940s with menswear influences like strong shoulder pads and oversized coats. The overall look of the year is accentuated by the power belt that minimizes the waist and emphasizes the hips. In summary, volume fashion was a hit.

1982

1980-1989, 20th century, year overview
1880

1880-1889, 19th century, year overview
1868

1860-1869, 19th century, year overview

ancient
Middle Ages
14th century
15th century
16th century
17th century

katazome (stencil printing)

18th century, 19th century, ancient, Asia, K, P, S, term definition

A traditional Japanese method for printing designs onto fabric using a stencil and paste-resist dyes.

xicolli

Americas, ancient, term definition, X
eye of Horus

Africa, ancient, E, H, term definition
faience

Africa, ancient, F, term definition
tupu

14th century, 15th century, 16th century, 17th century, 18th century, 19th century, Americas, ancient, T, term definition
huipilli/huipil

17th century, 18th century, 19th century, Americas, ancient, H, term definition

Byzantine

Asia, Byzantine, culture overview

Clothing during the Byzantine era was strictly regulated based on identity, status, rank, and gender. Visual and literary sources from the period provide a glimpse to Byzantine court and upper-class dress.

burqa

14th century, 15th century, 16th century, 17th century, 18th century, 19th century, 20th century, 21st century, Asia, B, term definition

An outer garment worn by Muslim women that covers the entire body, often with a cutout or mesh at the eyes.

kaftan

14th century, 15th century, 16th century, 17th century, 18th century, 19th century, Asia, C, K, term definition
cochineal dyes

14th century, 15th century, 16th century, 17th century, 18th century, Americas, C, term definition
labret

14th century, 15th century, 16th century, Africa, Americas, L, term definition
pattens

1410-1419, 1420-1429, 1430-1439, 14th century, 15th century, P, term definition
poulaine

1350-1399, 1400-1409, 14th century, 15th century, P, term definition

1490-1499

1490-1499, 15th century, decade overview

The 1490s was an influential decade that set the groundwork for the following years to come in terms of predominant trends and silhouette. At the same time, regional influence held strong both in Italy and Spain.

The Virgin as a Fashion Icon: How the Virgin of Guadalupe Shapes Latinx Identity

16th century, 21st century, Americas, BIPOC, thematic essays

The image of the Virgin of Guadalupe is one that is intertwined with Latinx heritage and her identifiable symbols have been appropriated as an expression of individuality, identity, and pride.

adinkra

17th century, 18th century, 19th century, 20th century, A, Africa, BIPOC, term definition

Produced by the Asante peoples in Ghana, adinkra is a flat, cotton textile that is stamped with symbols which create the meaning of the garment.

banyan

17th century, 18th century, 19th century, B, term definition
raffia cloth

17th century, 18th century, 19th century, 20th century, Africa, R, term definition
kente

17th century, 18th century, 19th century, 20th century, 21st century, Africa, K, term definition
wampum

17th century, 18th century, 19th century, Americas, term definition, W
quillwork

17th century, 18th century, 19th century, Americas, Q, term definition

18th century
19th century
20th century
21st century
BIPOC
LGBTQ+

1785 – Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, Self-Portrait with Two Pupils

1780-1789, 18th century, artwork analysis

The self-portrait of Adélaïde Labille-Guiard alongside two of her students, Marie Gabrielle Capet and Marie Carreaux de Rosemond, shows the influence of the Rococo and Neoclassical styles in the late 18th century.

dashiki

19th century, 20th century, Africa, Americas, BIPOC, D, term definition

A loose-fitting pullover tunic traditionally worn in West African cultures that was adopted by African diasporic communities as a symbol of African heritage in the 1960s and then more widely worn as a popular item of "ethnic" fashion.

1948 – Christian Dior, Eugénie evening gown

1940-1949, 20th century, garment analysis

Christian Dior's Eugénie ball gown drew on a nineteenth-century empress for inspiration and injected lighthearted, modern flair to create a fierce, feminine gown for a collection that contributed to the survival of French haute couture.

The Authentication of Chinese Culture in African Fashion

2000-2009, 2010-2019, 21st century, Africa, Asia, thematic essays

Since the mid-20th century, relations between Africa and China have grown stronger leading to a significant change in the mutual adaptation of fashion between both nations. A 21st century, Sino-African style has been formed by the intercultural meshing of traditional garments, textiles, and motifs.

adinkra

17th century, 18th century, 19th century, 20th century, A, Africa, BIPOC, term definition

Produced by the Asante peoples in Ghana, adinkra is a flat, cotton textile that is stamped with symbols which create the meaning of the garment.

1922-1985 – Rudi Gernreich

20th century, designer profile, LGBTQ+

About the Designer Rudi Gernreich was an avant-garde designer whose works questioned the status quo of the fashion industry and often reflected his own political...

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term definition