Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Arts & Culture / Trends & Traditions

Fireworks over Beijing during 2013's Lantern Festival

To Limit Pollution, The Chinese Are Faced With Giving Up an Ancient Tradition

For the Chinese, who invented both gun powder and fireworks, foregoing old traditions may clean up the air—just a bit

I don't mind being nursed along, ca. 1915: In addition to being associated with loose morals and lower class status, private duty nurses at the turn of the century were also often portrayed as romantic love interests for their patients.

The Evolution of the Nurse Stereotype via Postcards: From Drunk to Saint to Sexpot to Modern Medical Professional

A postcard exhibit at the National Library of Medicine shows how the cultural perception of nurses has changed over the decades

The Fight for Catalonian Independence Took the Form of a Giant “V” in the Streets of Barcelona

Hundreds of thousands of protestors formed a giant red and yellow V, symbolizing the “Way Forward” and marking the region’s national holiday

Master navigator Mau Piailug teaches navigation to his son and grandson with the help of a star compass.

How the Voyage of the Kon-Tiki Misled the World About Navigating the Pacific

Smithsonian geographer Doug Herman explains the traditional science of traversing the ocean seas

Advertisement for a United stateroom trunk, 1911, with the familiar proportions of a modern suitcase.

The History of the Humble Suitcase

Modern luggage has been constantly reinvented during its short 120-year history

Worried about your kid's Halloween candy being poisoned? Don't be.

Where Did the Fear of Poisoned Halloween Candy Come From?

The answer, as always, is to blame the media

None

Is There a Liberal Bias to Political Comedy?

There is a liberal bias in America’s political comedy scene, says Alison Dagnes. What gives?

None

The Story Behind the Lacoste Crocodile Shirt

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

None

Where’d You Get Those Creepers?

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

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

None

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

None

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

“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

Aviation, curiously, is the same age as the motion picture business.

How David Mamet Became a Memorabilia Addict

The famed playwright reminisces about how he got hooked on collecting artifacts from the golden era of air travel

The Way We Wore team, from left, Jascmeen Bush, Shelly Lyn, owner Doris Raymond, Sarah Bergman, Kyle Blackmon

A Refreshing Take on Fashion Television: A Q&A with L.A. Frock Stars’ Star Doris Raymond

A new series brings high-end style to vintage wear

None

The Perils of Wearing Clothes

From toxins in textile dyes to torturous corsets, beauty has a long history of coming at a high cost

None

The Aughts: When People Wore Their Causes on Their Sleeves, Literally

It was a decade of Uggs and excess but also styles meant to further the greater good

Page 8 of 25