Just like the papyrus scrolls on which the Egyptians recorded the lives of the first antique sedentary civilizations, the kimono was the medium for the history of Japan, expressing eras, techniques, and the usage of various materials. This key element in Nippon and broader Asian culture has traversed centuries and customs alike. Originally worn by...
“It wasn’t me or Courrèges who invented the miniskirt anyway – it was the girls in the street who did it.” Mary Quant
The bikini first appeared in Roman times, more than 1,500 years ago. Re-instituted in 1946 by Louis Réart, its path was one fraught with tensions, love, and disaffection. Louis Réart, the creator of this swimsuit, conceived the bikini by finalizing the work of Jacques Heim, the inventor of the smallest swimsuit in the world: the...
Among other styles would appear the little white trapeze dress, like a stick of dynamite in the bourgeois wardrobe. It took the opposite approach to traditional silhouettes of the previous decade. But what made it special? A structured trapeze cut that freed the hips and revealed the legs above the knee. The dress’s flat, geometric...
“Blue jeans are the most beautiful things since the gondola.” Diana Vreeland
Starting in the 90s, bright colors within the brand’s collections were already echoing back to the 60s, structured by geometric prints. Prada’s work with vintage inspirations favors a dialogue between the formal character of pieces like the suit skirt and the era’s praise of liberty. The Prada skirt is also distinguishable through its surprising and timely...
Equipped with nothing but sheer talent, Ralph Lauren, once a young tie salesman in the Bronx, was destined for success; his brand has been a mainstay ever since the 70s. Gaining recognition through the preppy and put-together costumes he created for the film adaption of The Great Gatsby, it was thanks to his logo that the...
Roland-Garros doesn’t have meaning without Lacoste. That’s because the stadium’s construction is a tale of Four Musketeers: Jean Borotra, Jacques Brugnon, Henri Cochet, and René Lacoste. In 1928, to host the United States and keep their Davis Cup title, the city of Paris allowed for the enlargement of the Roland-Garros stadium, seeing that it no...
At the dawning of the 20th century, the female tennis outfit underwent a few changes. The cumbersome sleeves disappeared, leaving room for simpler shirts inspired by the male versions. The corset got left behind in the closet while the outfit’s allure became much more fluid thanks to fabrics that allowed for easier movement. Finally, the...
In 2001, the Bottega Veneta bag made an appearance in creative director Tomas Maier’s very first runway. “When I imagined the Veneta bag I had the idea to create the extension of a woman.” The idea was simple: a tote bag free of any excessive adornments, cut in an ebony leather. The piece immediately sparked...
