Mirror, mirror, on the wall.. On this episode of Silhouettes, we reflect on the fascinating and often fragile history of mirrors. Starting with polished glass, to scientific developments in treated glass, mirrors hold up a reflection to our societies; dictating when, why and how vanity, self-styling and personal care have become important throughout time. Examples include use in Greek mythology, their importance in Roman culture, cultural impact across high society and the important role of empowerment mirrors played during the slave trade.

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In this episode of Silhouettes, I chat with the wonderful historian Elizabeth L. Block all about the fashion of the gilded age, and her seminal book on 19th century fashion: Dressing Up

Dressing Up chronicles how wealthy American women--as consumers and as influencers--helped shape French couture of the late nineteenth and examines the couturiers' influential clientele--wealthy American women who bolstered the French fashion industry with a steady stream of orders from the United States. 

Countering the usual narrative of the designer as solo creative genius, Block shows that these women--as high-volume customers and as pre-Internet influencers--were active participants in the era's transnational fashion system. Block describes the arrival of nouveau riche Americans on the French fashion scene, joining European royalty, French socialites, and famous actresses on the client rosters of the best fashion houses--Charles Frederick Worth, Doucet, and Felix, among others. She considers the mutual dependence of couture and coiffure; the participation of couturiers in international expositions (with mixed financial results); the distinctive shopping practices of American women, which ranged from extensive transatlantic travel to quick trips downtown to the department store; the performance of conspicuous consumption at balls and soirees; the impact of American tariffs on the French fashion industry; and the emergence of smuggling, theft, and illicit copying of French fashions in the American market as the middle class emulated the preferences of the rich. Lavishly illustrated, with vibrant images of dresses, portraits, and fashion plates, Dressing Up reveals the power of American women in French couture.

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Happy Halloween! In this Halloween special episode, I’m joined by Katie Godman, author of Gothic Fashion: The History to talk all about her wonderfully Gothic book, as we trace Gothic fashion history from barbarians to haute couture and delve into the long, fascinating and sometimes unexpected evolution of all things Gothic. How Gothic fashion has evolved from its ancient roots to the Victorian Gothic, all the way to the Goth subculture movements of more recent history.

Katie’s book Gothic Fashion: A History is published by Unicorn Publishing and available to buy through their website. Katie can also be found on Instagram from @kittiecostume as well as via Blandford Fashion Museum socials.

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The imagery of a wicked witch is one we all know well: flowing black robes, pointed black hat, pointed boots and a wooden broom- but have you ever wondered why these specific accessories have become synonymous with the image of a witch?

In this episode I will delve into how, why and when this distinctive attire evolved, tracing the ancient origins of witchcraft to depictions of the green faced wicked witch of the west. Join me on a spooky, magical journey as we learn about the intricate, fascinating and multifaceted history of witchcraft around the world, witchy dress history, and how the iconic imagery of the witch came to be.

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From Buffy, to Bram Stroker, to Twilight - Vampires have had a fascinating journey in the public eye. In this episode of Silhouettes, we discuss the iconic vampire image that has inspired Halloween costumes across the globe, tracing the routes of the vampire's origins, to Dracula and his famous incarnations in cinema, from Universal Studios and Hammer Horror, and vampiric influence on Goth culture the world over. Happy Spooky Season!

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In today’s episode of Silhouettes I’m chatting with Isabella Rosner, host of the Sew What? Podcast, curator of the Royal School of Needlework and research consultant for Whitney Antiques. She also runs the Instagram page Historic Embroidery, and is a wealth of knowledge on everything to do with historic embroidery and needlework; from the 16th century onward. On this episode we discuss how studying historic embroidery can teach us about lives of teenage girls, the transition of girlhood, how we can trace what was important to people and their lives through fashion and how needle work as a practice has weaved its way through peoples lives in one way or another throughout history.

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Fashion History is often overlooked for it's importance in conversations about the past, but in this episode of Silhouettes we take the podcast on the road for the first time and look behind the curtain of one of the UK's only standalone Fashion Museums; Blandford Fashion Museum.

I was lucky enough to be invited out to the South-Coast of the UK to Blandford explore everything the museum has to offer with their wonderful body of staff and volunteers. In this episode I speak with Operations Manager Katie Godman about the history of the collection and it's origins, Funding Manager Kathrine about the importance of her role, you'll join me as we take an audio tour of the museum's exhibitions, through all the rich, wonderful historical fashions on show - from Regency bonnets to 1950s cocktail dresses - as well as the spaces you've always wanted to visit... behind the locked doors, secret rooms and attic archives!

More information on how to support Blandford Fashion Museum as well as a myriad of information on talks, lectures and the events they offer, can be found on their website: https://blandfordfashionmuseum.co.uk

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History is not short on women who've been robbed of their reputations, be that in their lifetimes or the years that followed, and in this episode I'm joined by Grace of the Wicked Women Podcast to discuss exactly that. We delve into the fashion of some of history's most notorious women and how they weaponized the clothes they wore to either dismantle or enforce the reputations society had given them.

Thanks to Grace for joining me on this episode. Listen to the first part of our conversation via Wicked Women HERE

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