Context
.....is something that as a historian I find completely fascinating and entirely essential to understanding whatever it is I'm studying at any given moment. Clothing, in its most general sense, gives us so much context to work with (all of life, really!) that I can't help but think that subconsciously that is why I'm so drawn to it.
Last night before I fell asleep I was reminded of the importance of context to clothing when an image suddenly popped in to my mind:
Photo cred: via Man Repeller
Poof!
Last week, Leandra Medine of The Man Repeller wrote a lovely piece on the power of a smile and the effect it has on a girl's personal style. Her message has stuck with me, and so did this picture. The whole 90's inspired comeback that has been the past few years has of course struck a tender chord in my heart, and I greatly appreciate these cuffed, denim overalls in all their sartorial glory. But it was this cheeky gal's Victorian blouse that got me thinking.....
I am a huge lover of vintage. I began thrifting religiously my last year of college as I worked few hours and extra cash was tight. In about a year and a half, I have amassed an (almost embarrassing) amount of sweaters and blousey button ups, that I have discovered blend delightfully with dresses and pants bought (new!!) once my cash flow was a bit more dispensable.
I've been fortunate enough to stumble across a few pieces that tell special stories. One of my most prized possessions is a Lanvin scarf from the 1950's owned by Anne Bullitt, daughter to America's first Russian ambassador (who was personal friends with Sigmund Freud ). Anne owned some of the finest pieces from the golden era of couture; my scarf, a hand-rolled silk in the signature blue, epitomized in my mind everything that was and is Lanvin.
But back to that context.... when I received the scarf, it still had a faint smell of perfume lingering on it. Anne was still there, in a way... This was something that had been worn by her, was part of an outfit as she went about her day. This scarf was a link back in history and time to part of one woman's story.
I had a similar moment of historical appreciation when I was working on an exhibit and was given free reign to search through the clothing collection at the William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum. I was focusing primarily on women's attire, but couldn't curb my curiosity when I found a box labeled "McKinley's silk summer jacket". I carefully unwrapped the jacket from its tissue paper and was amazed to realize that William McKinley was a relatively (in context of our present day) tiny man! He was perhaps 5" 5" or 5' 6" and at the most, at least when this jacket was made for him, 180 pounds.
All of this got me musing about the already mentioned photo, specifically the Victorian blouse. Who owned this lovely piece? Was it truly from the Victorian era? If so, was this a family heirloom, a special item worn by a great, great grandmother perhaps? What was her story? How did she live her life?
In turn, the piece takes on a new meaning when worn by a new generation. Interesting how something as simple as a blouse can be representative of Victorian standards in dress, while over 100 years later, be a cool, albeit fresh, layering piece. The shirt can be viewed so differently, all based on where in time we view it.
Clothing is such a wonderful jumping off point... for context and stories and debate and politics and sociology and... so much more. It's the beacon calling us all to dig deeper in to history and in to each others lives. What we put on may represent different facets of ourselves, but will never wholly portray all of who we are. They offer glimpses and clues, and for the curious, that is the perfect way to start.
Last night before I fell asleep I was reminded of the importance of context to clothing when an image suddenly popped in to my mind:
Poof!
Last week, Leandra Medine of The Man Repeller wrote a lovely piece on the power of a smile and the effect it has on a girl's personal style. Her message has stuck with me, and so did this picture. The whole 90's inspired comeback that has been the past few years has of course struck a tender chord in my heart, and I greatly appreciate these cuffed, denim overalls in all their sartorial glory. But it was this cheeky gal's Victorian blouse that got me thinking.....
I am a huge lover of vintage. I began thrifting religiously my last year of college as I worked few hours and extra cash was tight. In about a year and a half, I have amassed an (almost embarrassing) amount of sweaters and blousey button ups, that I have discovered blend delightfully with dresses and pants bought (new!!) once my cash flow was a bit more dispensable.
I've been fortunate enough to stumble across a few pieces that tell special stories. One of my most prized possessions is a Lanvin scarf from the 1950's owned by Anne Bullitt, daughter to America's first Russian ambassador (who was personal friends with Sigmund Freud ). Anne owned some of the finest pieces from the golden era of couture; my scarf, a hand-rolled silk in the signature blue, epitomized in my mind everything that was and is Lanvin.
But back to that context.... when I received the scarf, it still had a faint smell of perfume lingering on it. Anne was still there, in a way... This was something that had been worn by her, was part of an outfit as she went about her day. This scarf was a link back in history and time to part of one woman's story.
I had a similar moment of historical appreciation when I was working on an exhibit and was given free reign to search through the clothing collection at the William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum. I was focusing primarily on women's attire, but couldn't curb my curiosity when I found a box labeled "McKinley's silk summer jacket". I carefully unwrapped the jacket from its tissue paper and was amazed to realize that William McKinley was a relatively (in context of our present day) tiny man! He was perhaps 5" 5" or 5' 6" and at the most, at least when this jacket was made for him, 180 pounds.
All of this got me musing about the already mentioned photo, specifically the Victorian blouse. Who owned this lovely piece? Was it truly from the Victorian era? If so, was this a family heirloom, a special item worn by a great, great grandmother perhaps? What was her story? How did she live her life?
In turn, the piece takes on a new meaning when worn by a new generation. Interesting how something as simple as a blouse can be representative of Victorian standards in dress, while over 100 years later, be a cool, albeit fresh, layering piece. The shirt can be viewed so differently, all based on where in time we view it.
Clothing is such a wonderful jumping off point... for context and stories and debate and politics and sociology and... so much more. It's the beacon calling us all to dig deeper in to history and in to each others lives. What we put on may represent different facets of ourselves, but will never wholly portray all of who we are. They offer glimpses and clues, and for the curious, that is the perfect way to start.
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