fashion history

The striking thing about an 18th century corset complete with an articulated pannier is that it begs the question, “Would any woman have been comfortable in such a contraption?”

Few, if any, contemporary costume designers are household names. Some occasionally capture the zeitgeist and break through from big (or small) screen to mainstream fashion – think Catherine Martin and her recent “Gatsby” moment – but these are exceptions.

This year’s summer resort wear collections have received lukewarm press, and have seen the whole idea of resort collections thrown into question.