If you want to tone down the fancypantsery and rock some steampunk casual, slip on a pair of Levis. History, technology and fashion meet in a pair of Levi’s 501 jeans.
Jeans and denim have an odd little history relating …
Archive for the ‘Fashion’ Category
Brooks Brothers Birthday
Apr
10
Brooks Brothers is 200 years old!
Henry Sands Brooks opened H. & D. H. Brooks & Co. on April 7, 1818. They have tailored for 40 out of 45 US presidents, and uniformed Union soldiers in the American Civil War.…
The Apache Dance
Oct
10
Picture a choreographed West Side Story Jets vs. Sharks rumble in late Belle Époque Paris and you have the Apache Dance.
Les Apaches were violent young gangsters with a sense of panache. Think of them in cap, neckerchief and a …
Rouge Year 4 Re-Launch
Sep
19
Early 
In 2017 ROUGE Electro Swing & Cabaret unfortunately had it’s long running venue – Door No. 3 – closed, literally, overnight. They tried out a number of spots – a ton of appreciation to Beauty Bar Chicago for hosting …
Dressing Downton
Feb
16
It’s fitting that the costumes from a costume drama would tour. The travelling exhibition Dressing Downton: Changing Fashion for Changing Times brings clothing and jewelry from Downton Abbey to Chicago’s Dreihaus Museum from February 9 to May 8, 2016.
Downton …
A Funeral for The Alley
Jan
12
The Alley has supplied Chicago land with dark couture for almost forty years. It has been a mainstay of punks, goths, freaks, geeks, poseurs, and devotees of unpopular culture. Owner Mark Thomas closes shop on January 19, but not before …
Trilbymania!
Sep
16
George Du Maurier launched Trilbymania. His tale of the free spirited Trilby O’Ferrall sold over 200,000 copies in its first year and inspired plays, movies, fashion and introduced new terms to the English lexicon.
On September 8, 1894, the novel …
Q Brothers for the Gentleman’s Face
Nov
25
A gentleman’s face requires maintenance. The clean-shaven have a daily razor regimen. The mustachioed man who follows the Chap Manifesto dictum, “Thou shalt always cultivate interesting facial hair,” needs waxes. The contemporary “lumbersexual” keeps up appearances with beard oil. Chicago …
Edwardian Punks?
Sep
23
Retro-fashion as a lifestyle in Mid-Century Great Britain? It’s the Teddy Boys!
Like the American zoot suit subculture, the Teddy Boys developed in response to the austerity of WWII. The fashion industry looked back to the dandies of the Edwardian …
Step Back in Time Again and Steam out the Renaissance!
Jul
15
©2013 Steve Spitzer
The anachronistic studies know no bounds, especially when it comes to all things steam, swords, clocks, and corsets! This weekend July 19 and 20, step back in time at Bristol Renaissaince Faire for the annual steampunk invasion!…
