Portal:Fashion

American entertainer Jennifer Lopez wore a green Versace silk chiffon dress designed by Donatella Versace to the 42nd Grammy Awards ceremony on February 23, 2000. The sheer fabric was printed with a tropical leaf and bamboo pattern, and cut with a very low neckline that extended well past Lopez's navel, while the waist of the dress was studded with citrines.

This garment instantly received significant global media coverage, and it has been cited, along with Elizabeth Hurley's black Versace dress, as one of the most high-profile dresses that made the designer Versace a household name. In addition, this dress was described as a turning point in designer Donatella Versace's career after the death of her brother, Gianni Versace. It was chosen by fashion journalist Lisa Armstrong to represent 2000 in the Fashion Museum of Bath's Dress of the Year collection, at which point it was described as a key example of the close relationship between fashions, celebrities and publicity. (Full article...)

The study of the history of clothing and textiles traces the development, use, and availability of clothing and textiles over human history. Clothing and textiles reflect the materials and technologies available in different civilizations at different times. The variety and distribution of clothing and textiles within a society reveal social customs and culture.

The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of most human societies. There has always been some disagreement among scientists on when humans began wearing clothes, but newer studies from The University of Florida involving the evolution of body lice suggest it started sometime around 170,000 years ago. The results of the UF study show humans started wearing clothes, a technology that allowed them to successfully migrate out of Africa. Anthropologists believe that animal skins and vegetation were adapted into coverings as protection from cold, heat, and rain, especially as humans migrated to new climates. Silk weaving began in India c. 400 AD; cotton spinning began in India c. 3000 BC. A recent archaeological excavation from Neolithic Mehrgarh revealed in the article Analysis of Mineralized Fibres from a Copper Bead, that cotton fibers were used in the Indus Valley c. 7000 BC. (Full article...)

Vernon and Irene Castle, shown here sometime between 1910 and 1918, were a husband-and-wife team of ballroom dancers. The Castles' initial fame began in Paris where they introduced American ragtime dances such as the Turkey Trot and the Grizzly Bear. When the Castles returned to the U.S., their success was repeated on a far wider scale. They are best known for popularizing the Foxtrot. Vernon was fatally injured in an airplane crash in 1918; Irene went on to become a silent film star and lived until 1969.

• ... that Filipino fashion designer and Project Runway Philippines judge Rajo Laurel (pictured) has held exhibitions in New York City, San Francisco, Shanghai, Sydney, and Bali?
• ... that the female factory workers featured in the book The Sugar Girls would stuff their turbans with underwear to make them look more fashionable?
• ... that Kate Middleton's wedding dress for her marriage to Prince William was designed by Sarah Burton?

Kylie Ann Minogue (/mɪˈnoʊɡ/ mih-NOHG; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and the fashion world as a major style icon. Her accolades include two Grammy Awards, four Brit Awards and eighteen ARIA Music Awards. Minogue is the highest-selling Australian female artist of all time, with sales surpassing 80 million records worldwide. In 2024, Time listed her in its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Born and raised in Melbourne, Minogue first achieved recognition starring as Charlene Robinson in the Australian soap opera Neighbours (1986–1988). She began her music career in the late 1980s, releasing four dance-pop studio albums under PWL. By the early 1990s, Minogue had amassed several hit singles in Australia and the UK, including "The Loco-Motion", "I Should Be So Lucky", "Especially for You", "Hand on Your Heart", and "Better the Devil You Know". Taking more creative control over her music, she signed with Deconstruction Records in 1993 and released the albums Kylie Minogue (1994) and Impossible Princess (1997). (Full article...)

• ... that Alexander McQueen pioneered the use of digitally engineered prints in fashion with Natural Dis-tinction Un-natural Selection (examples pictured)?
• ... that Carrlyn Bathe met her husband after he sent her gear from his clothing brand?
• ... that Broadway actress Isabelle Urquhart started a fashion trend when she decided to reveal her figure on stage by not wearing petticoats?
• ... that the clothing tags for Alexander McQueen's first collection, Jack the Ripper Stalks His Victims, had McQueen's own hair encased inside?
• ... that before his victory at the 1128 Battle of Axspoele, William Clito ordered his knights to cut their hair and remove opulent clothing as a sign of penance?
• ... that Ida Barber campaigned against corsets in her fashion journalism?