Jane’s Journal
Who Wore This? Reading a Costume With a Dress Historian
I sat down with dress historian Robyne Calvert to look properly at two garments from my own collection, and to ask what looking properly even means.
21 hours ago
A 1930s B. Altman & Co. Swimsuit, Photographed Close Up
Close-up photographs of a 1930s B. Altman & Co. swimsuit: rayon jersey, mother-of-pearl buttons, and a garment made for resort display as much as for swimming.
1 month ago
A 1912 Bathing Suit, and the Women Behind Its Label
A 1912 American bathing suit, bought for swimming rather than modesty, and the small sewn-in label that turned out to tell a much bigger story about women and consumer power.
1 month ago
Red Lipstick Myths: What the History Actually Says
I went looking for the history of red lipstick and women's resistance. Most of the well-known stories don't hold up. But one, from Bergen-Belsen in 1945, does.
2 months ago
Elsa Schiaparelli at the V&A: The 1930s Couture Collection
A tour of the Schiaparelli exhibition at the V&A: the 1930s circus and zodiac collections, the Dalí and Cocteau collaborations, and a silk velvet waistcoat made as a tribute to wartime France.
2 months ago
Elsa Schiaparelli’s knitwear and the women who made it possible
The story of Schiaparelli's early knitwear and the women described as socialites who were, on closer inspection, doing something rather more significant than that.
3 months ago
Marie Antoinette Style at the V&A: A Close Look at the Textiles
I went to the Marie Antoinette Style exhibition at the V&A not expecting much. The textiles changed my mind. A close look at the fabrics, embroidery, and craft skill on show.
3 months ago
What Andy Goldsworthy’s Ferns Taught Me About Seeing
Ferns at The Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh
11 months ago
Rag Rugs, Remembered: Creativity, Memory, and the Quiet Legacy of Women’s Work
Explore how rag rugs, Winifred Nicholson’s vision, and everyday women’s handiwork reveal a deeper story of creativity, care, and the domestic arts.
1 year ago
Finding Time to Make: What Barbara Hepworth Taught Me
Discover how Barbara Hepworth's daily creative practice—amid motherhood and real life—inspires a gentler, lasting way to return to making.
1 year ago
Innovative weaving by Elda Cecchele, Venice
Artisan weaver working 1947-1988
1 year ago
Time for an introduction
Introduction to Jane Lindsey of Snapdragon Life
2 years ago
Great Glen Charcuterie
Great Glen Charcuterie
11 years ago
