British fashion designer and outspoken climate- and human-rights activist Vivienne Westwood died at age 81 yesterday. During her 50-year career, Westwood pioneered punk, then pivoted to history-driven high fashion that provoked critics almost as much as her bondage pants did. She never caved to convention. Even in 1992, when Westwood was so established that Queen…
designers
Throwback Thursday: Tiger Morse, Vikki Dougan
I’m always fascinated by the life stories of a wide variety of women. 12th-century empress? 20th-century fashionista? They’re equally compelling to me. Today was my lucky day in the 20th-century fashionista category. I’ve been interested in 1960s fashion designer/amphetamine-queen Tiger Morse since reading the Edie Sedgwick biography Edie by Jean Stein in 1986. In December…
Year in Review: What Wendy Wore in 2020, Part 1
For the Year in Review post for my What Wendy Wore blog category, I was going to write “Nothing noteworthy” and be like … Hahaha Thats All Folks GIF from Hahaha GIFs But, looking back, there was more style in this hell-fire year than I remembered — and every bit of it reflects political, social,…
What Wendy Wore: Decade to Decade
In the words of Mariah Carey, “Time is not something I acknowledge.” But everyone is posting their “beginning of the decade, end of the decade” photos, so I’ll play along. One of these photos is from New Year’s Eve 2010 and one is from New Year’s Eve 2020. What Wendy Wore Dress: Zang Toi Shoes…
Throwback Thursday: Press Freedom Awards 2019
The International Press Freedom Awards dinner took place last month. That’s the annual fundraiser for the Committee to Protect Journalists — an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide and defends the right of journalists to report the news without fear of reprisal. CPJ pressures governments into releasing journalists who have been arrested for…
Throwback Thursday: Final Summer 2019 Lewks
Like I said last month, activism has taken a lot out of me and I didn’t blog my relatively few interesting summer looks in a timely fashion. Even in that October post, I only managed two. So here’s the best of the rest from my slow-fashion summer of 2019. On June 12, I was excited…
What Wendy Wore: WD-40 and 2004 Versace
It took some effort — a pair of Spanx, a can of WD-40, a shoehorn, and the muscle power of two burly Teamsters — but I squeezed myself into a 2004 Versace dress for the Fourth Estate Award Gala last week. What Wendy Wore Dress: Versace (2004) Shoes: Miu Miu (2010) Clutch: Ostrich clutch from…
Throwback Thursday: July 4, Past and Present
I love an excuse for a themed outfit. Accordingly, on many 4th of July holidays, I’ve worn the Castelbajac sailor outfit I got in 2010. This year, I don’t feel costume-y. Instead, I’ve acknowledged the day by texting the word RESIST to 50409 and using Resistbot to tell Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and New York senators…
What Wendy Wore: Ossie Clark at the Loebs Again
MrB almost always attends the annual Gerald Loeb Awards for business and financial journalism. He got the Loeb lifetime achievement award himlsef in 2002, and I don’t think a year’s gone by when someone hasn’t thanked him in an acceptance speech. I often go to the Loebs with him to catch up with people I’ve…
I Need to Put Ossie Clark on My Calendar
Thanks to vintage goddess “Timeless Vixen” for pointing out that yesterday, June 9, was the late designer Ossie Clark‘s birthday. He would have been 77. View this post on Instagram Happy Birthday🎂to the late, great Ossie Clark🎉 Having over 100 designs of his in my personal collection, it’s safe to say he is one of…