Stay the Course
A “stay” was the word of choice for the understructure later referred to as a corset in the 19th-century. Today, the corset conjures up notions of tight-laced, wasp-waisted hourglass figures, however, the stay of the 18th-century was intended to lift the breasts and straighten the back rather than nip in
Drown Out
As one of the three founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, John Everett Millais, would create some of the most well-known imagery of the Pre-Raphaelite movement which looked to Quattrocento or 15th-century Italian art. Shakespeare often served as inspiration to the Pre-Raphaelites as seen in Millais’ 1851-52 painting Ophelia which portrays the tragic suicide of Ophelia in Hamlet. For Vogue‘s December issue in
Lampshade Dressing
Paul Poiret’s 1913 costumes for Le Minaret were followed soon after with similar versions available for his avant-garde patrons looking to shock in Orientalist ensembles. Poiret’s translation of harem-style dressing for the Parisian set resulted in a stiffened, oversized tunic paired atop his columnar hobble skirts. The “lampshade” silhouette became a signature
Banana Dance
A pioneer for African American women, Josephine Baker is commonly associated with her seductive banana dance performance at the Folies Bergère, costumed in a skimpy skirt constructed with a string of artificial bananas. Miley Cyrus would follow suit in a banana skirt lookalike, sporting the provocative ensemble almost a century later to
In Hot Water
For Love Magazine’s SS 2013 issue, photographer duo Mert and Marcus took to the tub when photographing Cara Delevingne, Kate Moss and Chloe Moretz. A year later, Cara appears as the face for Tom Ford’s Black Orchid fragrance campaign. In line with the brand’s ever-racy ads, the British model soaks nude