Fashion

What is the Trick to Making the Most Waterproof Stuff on Earth?

It's all in the texture. An MIT-led team of mechanical engineers is creating a super water-resistant material inspired by the wings of butterflies

This Spray-On Fabric Is a Wardrobe In a Can

Inspired by silly string, British designer Manel Torres' spray-on clothing is re-wearable and recyclable

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

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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

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

“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

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

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Projection Chic: Jane Jetson Tries on Clothes in the Future

As we move closer to the Jetsonian vision of choosing outfits, privacy has gone out of fashion

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The Perils of Wearing Clothes

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

Jesper Kongshaug's Northern Lights display at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

The Northern Lights—From Scientific Phenomenon to Artists’ Muse

The spectacular aurora borealis is inspiring artists to create light installations, musical compositions, food and fashion

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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

Actress Louise Brooks with bob and bee-stung lips, 1920s

The History of the Flapper, Part 4: Emboldened by the Bob

New short haircuts announced the wearers' break from tradition and boosted the hairdressing industry

Woman’s Institute of Domestic Arts & Sciences, 1925-1926

The History of the Flapper, Part 3: The Rectangular Silhouette

Finally, women could breathe deeply when the waist-nipping corset went out of style

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The Origins of Wearing Your Heart on Your Sleeve

Valentine's Day can be an occasion for quirky expressions of love

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