Luisa Casati. Cynthia Asquith. Iris Tree. ‘Sphinx’.
Gunta Stölzl: Bauhaus weaver
Beautiful wall hangings and weavings from Gunta Stölzl, the only woman Bauhausmeister. You can read more about her here (and see many more examples of her work).
Clothes are a dirty trade
“Work — work — work! From weary chime to chime, Work — work — work, As prisoners work for crime! Band, and gusset, and seam, Seam, and gusset, and band, Till the heart is sick, and the brain benumbed, As well as the weary … Continue reading »
Dispiriting: on January’s clothes
I thought during January I would record what I was wearing every day and maybe post some of the better photos on here as a diary. This has been a dispiriting experience: during January there were maybe four or five days in which I felt really happy with the way I looked and what I … Continue reading »
Cristóbal Balenciaga
Things I never realised: Balenciaga and Dior were born on the same day ten years apart. I’ve always preferred Balenciaga: Cristóbal Balenciaga, born 21st January 1895, died 23rd March 1972.
Eve Arnold
Bar Girl in a Brothel in the Red Light District, Havana, 1954, by Eve Arnold, who died on Wednesday 4th January 2012 aged 99. Photo from the BBC’s gallery of Eve Arnold works. More photos here. The tumblr tag for Eve Arnold has some lovely pictures too.
Simone de Beauvoir
Simone de Beauvoir, 9th January 1908-14th April 1986 More photos at the wonderful Beauvoiriana tumblr.
Floral silk dress
I love this dress; it’s made from a silk twill remnant that I treasured for years and could never quite bring myself to cut into, but I finally summoned up the courage to make a dress for the two autumn weddings I was invited to this year. The pattern is New Look 6912 … Continue reading »
Monty Don
If you are not familiar with their joys, highrise trousers are fantastically comfortable and keep your lower back warm. My children still squirm with embarrassment every time they see me in them (which is most days) but that is probably some kind of seal of approval. If you are uncertain about the required cut, … Continue reading »
Nina Hamnett
I had a wonderful collection of stockings at that time and wore flat-heeled shoes with straps on them like children do. They made my feet look very large. They cost five francs and were worn by concierges. I had red stockings and yellow stockings and some that looked like a chess board. Modigliani would run after … Continue reading »
