artwork analysis
garment analysis
film analysis

1750 – Stephen Slaughter, Two Women Gathering Fruit

1740-1749, 1750-1759, 18th century, artwork analysis

This painting of two 18th-century gentlewomen features fashionable trends in portraiture and clothing, including Orientalism, pastoralism, and masculine-inspired dress.

2004 – Tom Ford for Gucci, Acid Green Evening Gown

2000-2009, 21st century, garment analysis, LGBTQ+

This 2004 acid green sequin gown embodies the sex appeal and modern lines that Tom Ford’s designs have been known for throughout his career.

1939 – Cukor, The Women / 1956 – Miller, The Opposite Sex

1930-1939, 1950-1959, film analysis

Trusting Park Avenue socialite Mary Haines (Norma Shearer) loses her husband to scheming shopgirl Crystal Allen (Joan Crawford), and can only win him back if she becomes as cunning as her so-called friends.

designer profile
thematic essays
year overview

1818-1907 – Elizabeth Keckley

1860-1869, 19th century, BIPOC, designer profile

Elizabeth Keckley, a remarkably successful dressmaker, built her career upon exacting technical standards, graceful clean lines, and an understanding of Parisian fashionable trends. She is well known for her work for the political elite of Washington DC, particularly for Mary Todd Lincoln. Keckley was one of the first African American women to publish a book and was an impassioned activist who created a relief organization for newly freed enslaved persons.

Gucci Strikes Red: China’s Love Affair with Gucci

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

Gucci has taken a thoughtful, creative approach to engaging Chinese consumers. While other brands have fallen into caricature and suffered for it, Gucci has become a beloved and dominant luxury brand in China.

1868

1860-1869, 19th century, year overview

In 1868, skirts with long trains were at the height of fashion, which resulted in noticeable cropping in images depicting this prevalent style of dress. Yet, at the same time, walking dresses became daringly short, showing off fashionable ankle boots.

1938

1930-1939, 20th century, year overview
1930

1930-1939, 20th century, year overview
1870

1870-1879, 19th century, year overview

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

clavus/clavi

ancient, C, term definition

Decorative vertical stripes that ran over the shoulder on the front and back of a Late Roman or Byzantine tunic.

nemes headdress

ancient, H, N, term definition
peplos

ancient, P, term definition
kohl

ancient, K, term definition
toga picta

ancient, P, T, term definition
himation

ancient, H, term definition

barbette

14th century, 15th century, B, Middle Ages, term definition

A piece of linen which passes under the chin and is pinned at the sides, usually worn in conjunction with additional head coverings during the Middle Ages.

tablion

Byzantine, T, term definition
dalmatic tunic

Byzantine, D, T, term definition
Byzantine

Byzantine, culture overview
Early Middle Ages

decade overview, Middle Ages

pattens

14th century, 15th century, P, term definition

Wooden-soled platform over-shoes, which were commonly worn from the 14th century to the 18th century.

poulaine

14th century, 15th century, P, term definition
doublet

14th century, 15th century, 16th century, 17th century, D, term definition
dagging

14th century, 15th century, 16th century, D, term definition
particolored

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

1350-1399, 14th century, decade overview

1420-1429

1420-1429, 15th century, decade overview

The duchy of Burgundy, enriched by the wealth of its Flemish cities, was the leading center of fashion during the 1420s. The Duke of Burgundy's alliance with England supported the production of the finest woolen textiles, woven in Flanders from English yarn. Merchants used their profits from manufacture and trade to rival aristocrats as the greatest consumers of Italian silk velvets and other luxuries. Throughout Europe, men dressed in black and women with tall, horn-shaped headdresses were signs of Burgundian influence.

chaperon

15th century, C, term definition
1410-1419

1410-1419, 15th century, decade overview
1400-1409

1400-1409, 15th century, decade overview
stomacher

15th century, 16th century, 17th century, 18th century, S, term definition
Spanish farthingale

15th century, 16th century, 17th century, F, S, term definition

1592 – Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, Elizabeth I (1533-1601), Queen of England

1590-1599, 16th century, artwork analysis

Queen Elizabeth I’s striking ensemble in The Ditchley Portrait by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger embodied the height and extremity of 1590s court fashion.

1680-1689

1680-1689, 17th century, decade overview

In the 1680s, the bustled and trained mantua became the dominant dress for women, often in dark silk brocades. Men continued to wear the justaucorps, which was now slightly shaped at the waist, with a lace cravat and curly full-bottomed wig.

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

1770s – Portrait of a Lady Holding an Orange Blossom

1770-1779, 18th century, artwork analysis, BIPOC

This young woman dressed in blue silk edged with lace demonstrates fashionable simplicity for the 1770s, and may have lived in a Spanish or British colony in the Americas.

1800-1809

1800-1809, 19th century, decade overview

The nineteenth century opened with a fashion landscape that was changing dramatically and rapidly from the styles of a generation earlier. The French Revolution brought fashions that had been emerging since the 1780s to the forefront. Neoclassicism now defined fashion as both men and women took inspiration from classical antiquity. For women, the high-waisted silhouette in lightweight muslin was the dominant style, while fashionable men looked to the tailors of Britain for a new, refined look.