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Arts & Culture / Fashion

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‘The Hatpin Peril’ Terrorized Men Who Couldn’t Handle the 20th-Century Woman

To protect themselves from unwanted advances, city women wielded some sharp accessories

Kamakura Shirts owner Yoshio Sadasue opened a New York store on Madison Avenue.

How Japan Copied American Culture and Made it Better

If you’re looking for some of America’s best bourbon, denim and burgers, go to Japan, where designers are re-engineering our culture in loving detail

Jessica Brown Findley as Lady Sybil, Laura Carmichael as Lady Edith, Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary

The Costumes of “Downton Abbey” Now on View at Delaware’s Winterthur Museum

Step in front of the camera and enter the Grantham household in a new exhibit in Wilmington

Chanel (Karl Lagerfeld), suit, pink wool and synthetic blends, white cotton, spring 1994, France, gift of Chanel Inc. Chanel (Karl Lagerfeld), necklace, gold plated metal, fall 1991, France, Gift of Depuis 1924.

Explore 250 Years of What Makes Fashion “Trendy” at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology

A new exhibit, “Trend-ology,” examines the origins of fashion’s hottest looks

Author Martha Stewart writes in our 101 Objects Special Issue: Isaac Merritt Singer's sewing machine was a vast improvement upon earlier versions, capable of 900 stitches a minute -at a time when the most nimble seamstress could sew about 40. Though the machine was originally designed for manufacturing, Singer saw its domestic potential and created a lighter weight version, which he hauled to country fairs, circuses and social gatherings, dazzling the womenfolk. Read more of Martha Stewart's essay.

Martha Stewart on How the Singer Sewing Machine Clothed the Nation

The master of home entertaining takes a look at one of the most game-changing inventions of the 19th century

Todd Oldham (left) is a designer and president of L-7 Designs who announced the award, David Fischer (right) is the CEO of Grief Inc who accepted the award for PAck h2O.

Cooper-Hewitt Announces Design Award Winners

As part of National Design Week, National Design award winners celebrated their achievements with a gala held October 17

This professional look for Joan Harris was inspired by the character’s new position at the beginning of season six.

Go Behind the Styles With Mad Men’s Emmy-Nominated Costume Designer

Janie Bryant talks about her design process, her upcoming reality show and Bob Benson’s shorts

Flying high at one of the Folklife Festival’s many stages.

Dancing, Catwalking and Crafting: Photos From Folklife

The first weekend was full of colors and cultures from around the globe

Camille Reed at her salon in Silver Spring, Maryland

A Natural Hair Movement Takes Root

From her salon in Maryland, Camille Reed sees more black women embracing natural hair

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The Story Behind the Lacoste Crocodile Shirt

A 1920s French tennis star put the little reptilian logo onto a white polo shirt

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Where’d You Get Those Creepers?

The platform-soled, punk-style shoes have celebrated the ‘Teddy Boy’ spirit since the late 1940s

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The Best of Design, Cooper-Hewitt Announces 2013 Award Winners

From a Las Vegas Denny’s with a wedding chapel to rock ‘n’ roll posters, this year’s design award winners have a good time with great design

Paris, Frills and Button Flowers, Autumn/Winter 1971

For Perusing Pleasure, Zandra Rhodes’ New Online Fashion Archive

The honored Brit—50 years in the business—goes for the bold in her designer collections

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The Story of Elizabeth Keckley, Former-Slave-Turned-Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker

A talented seamstress and savvy businesswoman, she catered to Washington’s socialites

Singer in pillbox hat, 1958

‘I Remember’: An Artist’s Chronicle of What We Wore

In the 1970s, Joe Brainard wrote a book-length poem that paid heed to fashion

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When The Gap Was Everywhere

Through staged fashion shoots, an artists’ collective critiqued the ascendant sportswear retailer

Lilly Pulitzer fits a model with one of her creations.

Lilly Pulitzer: Remembering the ‘Queen of Prep’

Her tropical slashes of color enlivened the old-money crowd

Cosmetics have a long history.

Miss Piggy, My Feather Boa and A Moment to Consider Makeup’s Greasy Past

No Fools Need Apply to the Smithsonian’s Curatorial Conference On Stuff, A Sometimes Annual Scholarly Gathering on a Subject Rarely Considered

“Where there’s smoke there’s fire” by Russell Patterson, 1920s

The History of the Flapper, Part 5: Who Was Behind the Fashions?

Sears styles sprung from the ideas of European artists and couturiers

Super low-slung pants

Sagging Pants Butt Up Against the Law

Yet the droopy trousers trend lives on

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