By Lisa Hix — The following is a public service announcement from author Jennifer Wright: If you wrap a piece of fabric around your neck—whether it's a fabulous scarf, a dashing cravat, or a dapper necktie—you just might be tying your own noose. Why would she say such a thing? Well, consider the death of choreographer and dancer Isadora Duncan, who was known for her flowing, Grecian garments. Duncan met her maker on September 14, 1927, when she went for a drive and her long, flamboyant scarf got caught...

From Hospital Gowns to Paper Couture: The Unlikely Origins of '60s Disposable Dresses

By Hunter Oatman-Stanford — Like many great things, it all started with toilet paper: In the spring of 1966, the Scott Paper Company, a major manufacturer of disposable household paper goods, launched a promotion for its colorful new line of bathroom tissue, napkins, paper towels, and other products. Along with a couple of proofs-of-purchase, customers could redeem a mail-order coupon for a preposterous new concept, a paper dress. The advertisements offered two designs, a red paisley bandana pattern or a...

Anita Pointer: Civil-Rights Activist, Pop Star, and Serious Collector of Black Memorabilia

By Lisa Hix — At one point, Anita Pointer—lead vocalist and writer for the Pointer Sisters’ Top 10 hit “I’m So Excited”—was one of the most famous women in the world. During the early ’80s, she and her sisters June and Ruth tore up the pop music charts with singles like “Jump (For My Love),” “Neutron Dance,” “Automatic,” “He’s So Shy,” and “Slow Hand.” If you search for the girl group on YouTube and watch videos from the height of their popularity, you’ll be whisked back on a buoyant romp of sequins,...

Fashion to Die For: Did an Addiction to Fads Lead Marie Antoinette to the Guillotine?

By Hunter Oatman-Stanford — Fast fashion might seem like a modern invention, but in the turbulent world of 18th-century France, when Marie Antoinette was calling the shots, fashion moved at light speed: In an era when several artisans would be called upon to labor over a single garment, styles shifted by the hour, rendering fashion magazines, which were printed every 10 days, outdated before their ink was even dry. "Fashion itself went out of fashion. Nobody wanted to look like they were trying too hard." Not...

From Whale Jaws to Corsets: How Sailors' Love Tokens Got Into Women's Underwear

By Lisa Hix — We like to think of people in the 1800s as fusty prudes who were scandalized by the sight of an ankle. So it might surprise you to learn that in the early 19th century—long before Frederick’s of Hollywood or Victoria’s Secret—a young man in Europe or America might give his sweetheart a token of love she could wear inside her corset. Known as a busk, this long, flat, rigid object would slide into a tall, narrow pocket in the front of a corset between a woman’s breasts, all the way down to her...

A Shock of Schiaparelli: The Surreal Provocateur Who Forever Altered Fashion

By Hunter Oatman-Stanford — Elsa Schiaparelli made women feel beautiful, daring, and independent—by convincing them to wear insect jewelry, clown prints, and shoes on their heads. Schiaparelli (pronounced “skap-a-reli”) routinely made headlines in the 1920s and '30s, overshadowing rivals like Coco Chanel with her outlandish costumes and endlessly copied staples. Many Schiaparelli designs were so avant-garde that they still have the power to shock, and contemporary designers continue to riff on her work today. "A...

Caftan Liberation: How an Ancient Fashion Set Modern Women Free

By Lisa Hix — Put away those skinny jeans: “Mad Men” goddess Christina Hendricks has declared she's most comfortable in a caftan. What else would she wear lounging on Mount Olympus? But she didn't forget us mere mortals, as her announcement this April on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” bestowed upon us the gifts of comfort, and comfort food, with the concept of the caftan-and-casserole party. This summer, we're invited to whip up our favorite calorie-laden entreés and relax by the pool in...

Could the Clothes on Your Back Halt Global Warming?

By Lisa Hix — What comes to mind when you think of vintage clothing? It’s probably those untouchably cool hipsters who seem transported from another time, or the fashionista who’s always got one piece that makes her outfit pop. You might think of quality, as old clothes are often better made than modern ones. Cultural nostalgia is everywhere these days, but if the item came from a family member, the nostalgia gets personal, bringing back a flood of memories. “When people give clothing away to Goodwill...

Crush the Best-Dressed List: Our Style Guide to a Century of Dazzling Party Dresses

By Hunter Oatman-Stanford — Now that the jeans-and-T-shirts plague has reached our fancy restaurants, cocktail parties, and nightclubs, it seems as though nobody cares about dressing up anymore. And yet, as fashions become increasingly casual, the perfect party dress is like a secret weapon—turning anyone into a rose among daisies. "Most middle-class women would have had one good dress to wear for evening, parties, weddings, or other formal occasions." Since vintage is in vogue, you can find chic, well-made frocks,...

If These Shirts Could Talk: The Tantalizing Tales Behind Used Clothes

By Hunter Oatman-Stanford — The mysterious packages kept arriving, some from eBay, others from the Home Shopping Network, each addressed to her. All these clothes she didn't want, which weren't her size or style. She couldn't explain them to herself, much less her husband. Finally, late one night he heard her stirring and awoke to see his wife browsing shopping websites and ordering clothes in her sleep. "They were selling this dress with blood splattered on it." Emily Spivack, a writer and fashion historian,...

'The Great Gatsby' Still Gets Flappers Wrong

By Lisa Hix — Have you heard? There’s a new swell in town named Gatsby, and he’s bringing flapper flair back into fashion. Baz Luhrmann’s latest cinematic spectacle—his take on —promises to be a sensational commercial for Prada and Brooks Brothers, who partnered with Luhrmann's wife, costume designer Catherine Martin, on the film’s clothing. Fashion-world heavyweights, like and , are already gushing about the new Roaring Twenties styles. "She flirted because it was fun to flirt. The things she did...

Reality TV Cracks Open the Extravagant World of Hollywood Vintage

By Lisa Hix — Vintage fashion is finally having its moment in the sun. Or, that is, the bright lights of cable reality TV. Two shows that premiered this season—Bravo’s “Dukes of Melrose” and Smithsonian Channel’s “L.A. Frock Stars”—each focus on a high-end vintage boutique located near Hollywood and patronized by big-name celebrities. When “American Pickers” debuted on the History Channel in 2010, it opened the floodgates for piles of rusty junk to come crashing through, via copycat shows on picking,...

Uncovering Clues in Frida Kahlo's Private Wardrobe

By Hunter Oatman-Stanford — Frida Kahlo wore her heart on her sleeve, though not the way one might think. In real life, as on the canvases of her many self-portraits, Kahlo used fashion to channel her physical and emotional insecurities into statements of strength, heritage, and beauty. Yet for nearly 50 years, her personal wardrobe remained hidden to scholars and fans alike, locked away shortly after Kahlo's death in 1954. "Because of its geometry, it was the perfect dress to disguise Kahlo's imperfections and...

Sexier Than Silk: The Irresistible Allure of the Nylon Slip

By Lisa Hix — When I’m in a vintage shop or thrift store digging through racks and racks of clothing, a slip will always stop me. First, I feel the smooth texture of the nylon, and then I pause to gawk at the detailing and the lace. I remember that I could actually wear something prettier than sweats to sleep. While vintage bras and panties can seem too intimate to even consider reusing, a slip does not. If it is opaque enough, all I’d have to do is add the right accessories, and it becomes the perfect...

Vintage Guru Reveals Her Glamour Secrets

By Lisa Hix — V intage can be intimidating. It's certainly not as simple as going to the mall, finding your size, and buying a mass-produced outfit. You have to dig through racks and racks of wildly diverse items, with mysterious sizing, looking for the piece that just feels right. But vintage has a lot going for it: The clothing is greener, because it was not manufactured overseas; the materials and stitching are usually top-notch; and the prices are far lower than those of modern clothing of the same...

Inside Kim Gordon's Clothing Sale

By Lisa Hix — Kim Gordon, rock goddess extraordinaire, stands in front of me in a stunning party dress. We’re in a quaint vintage boutique on Oakland, California’s Piedmont Avenue. The store, Mercy Vintage Now—just a mere two blocks from my Victorian flat—is selling 146 pieces of her clothing in the store, beginning with this Friday-night preview, and online, starting 8 a.m. PST on Saturday, September 1. “I was cleaning out my closet, and I didn’t want to go the eBay route,” Gordon explains in a quiet,...

Va-Va-Voom Vintage: Dita Von Teese on Burlesque, Cars, and Lingerie

By Lisa Hix — Dita Von Teese wears her status as "America's most famous stripper" with pride. But to vintage hounds, the 39-year-old burlesque superstar is not just a pretty lady who takes off her clothes, but the epitome of true Old Hollywood glamour. Credited with pioneering the neo-burlesque revival in the early 1990s, she incorporates nostalgia into every aspect of her life. She dresses head-to-toe vintage style, drives classic cars, and fills her home up with antiques, in "mainly a mix of Art Deco...

Leading the Charge Against Casual Style, Armed With Antique Clothes and a Bike

By Lisa Hix — Tziporah Salamon is used to being photographed—by everyone from New York City tourists to famous "New York Times" street-fashion photographer Bill Cunningham. She's impossible for shutterbugs to resist, when they catch her riding around the city on her turquoise Bianchi, often a symphony of lush colors, decked head-to-toe in exquisite, embroidered, antique fabrics. Salamon also caught the eye of 30-year-old photographer Ari Seth Cohen, who made waves in the fashion world when he launched his...

Why the 'Native' Fashion Trend Is Pissing Off Real Native Americans

By Lisa Hix — Tis the season for buying presents. As you peruse your local mall, you might find yourself drawn to beautiful geometric patterns in vibrant colors, long associated with Navajo rugs, Pendleton "Indian trade" blankets, and Southwest Native American pottery. They'll be everywhere you look, on sneakers, pricey handbags, home decor, and high-fashion skirts, coats, and jackets. But many Native Americans are less than thrilled that this so-called “native look” is trendy right now. The company...

Mary Tyler Moore, '70s Style for Strong Women

By Veronica Cizmar — Although I was in my tween years when "The Mary Tyler Moore" aired on TV (1970-1977), I could identify with this strong, independent woman, even then. Today, watching it in reruns, the hairstyles and clothing seem outrageous at times, if not just plain hilarious. However, this retro ideal of a single working woman is just as relevant today as it was then. Despite its brown shag carpet, I loved Mary's apartment and all that it represented—a single woman out in the world, trying to make...

Good Girls and Bad Boys: How to Achieve That Cool '50s Rockabilly Look

By Maribeth Keane and Brad Quinn — Jayne Mansfield is buried in my hometown. You could drive past the cemetery and see her heart-shaped headstone from the road. We had our own historical society, a tiny little museum, if you can even call it that. I remember going on a class trip there once. Some of her things were displayed, like long sequined cocktail dresses and some of her little personal effects. That stayed with me into my adult years: “Wow, as cheesy as my little hick town is, Jayne Mansfield is buried...

Dress Hound Cherie Federau Explains How She Makes Vintage Work for Her

By Maribeth Keane and Jessica Lewis — I’ve pretty much always been a little bit fashion-nutty, ever since I was about 16 years old and I discovered Vogue. I started like a lot of other people, buying vintage to recreate the looks that I saw but couldn’t afford as a teenager. Then slowly over the years, as my hobby turned into more of an obsession, I became interested in the designers behind the labels and it just snowballed from there. Everyone I knew was constantly coming to me to dress them and lend them vintage clothes....