February 23, 2012
Detail of a beautiful blouse from the Tinne collection of clothing, which was the subject of the popular exhibition A Passion for Fashion, held at the Walker Art Gallery in 2006.

Detail of a beautiful blouse from the Tinne collection of clothing, which was the subject of the popular exhibition A Passion for Fashion, held at the Walker Art Gallery in 2006.

February 7, 2012 • 1 note
As it’s the bicentenary of the birth of Charles Dickens today, here’s a fantastic painting from the Lady Lever Art Gallery which features his daughter Kate as a model. This emotional scene, ‘The Black Brunswicker’, was painted in 1860 by the Pre-Raphaelite artist John Everett Millais. It shows a fictional incident highlighting a historical moment, when the Black Brunswickers troop left for the battle of Quatre Bras at Waterloo in 1815. The troops suffered severe losses at the battle. Millais wished to be historically accurate in making the dress look quite antique. It is actually a compromise between the fashions of 1859 and 1815 when waists were still kept high.  The dress is painted in such a realistic way, capturing the shine of the fabric and the creases in perfect detail, that you could almost touch it.

As it’s the bicentenary of the birth of Charles Dickens today, here’s a fantastic painting from the Lady Lever Art Gallery which features his daughter Kate as a model.

This emotional scene, ‘The Black Brunswicker’, was painted in 1860 by the Pre-Raphaelite artist John Everett Millais. It shows a fictional incident highlighting a historical moment, when the Black Brunswickers troop left for the battle of Quatre Bras at Waterloo in 1815. The troops suffered severe losses at the battle.

Millais wished to be historically accurate in making the dress look quite antique. It is actually a compromise between the fashions of 1859 and 1815 when waists were still kept high. 

The dress is painted in such a realistic way, capturing the shine of the fabric and the creases in perfect detail, that you could almost touch it.

February 7, 2012
Outfit of the week: Eyes down! See Lily Savage’s Bingo-themed evening dress with holographic sequins at the Walker Art Gallery as part of the Savage Style display, until 19 February.

Outfit of the week: Eyes down! See Lily Savage’s Bingo-themed evening dress with holographic sequins at the Walker Art Gallery as part of the Savage Style display, until 19 February.

February 3, 2012
No prizes for guessing who designed this stylish outfit! This is a detail of the Vivienne Westwood Dunbar suit worn by Holly Johnson. You can see the suit in the Wondrous Place gallery in the Museum of Liverpool.

No prizes for guessing who designed this stylish outfit!

This is a detail of the Vivienne Westwood Dunbar suit worn by Holly Johnson. You can see the suit in the Wondrous Place gallery in the Museum of Liverpool.

February 1, 2012

Best shoes EVER! These fabulous Terry de Havilland platforms are currently on display in the Feathercuts and flares exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery. 

January 31, 2012 • 1 note
Emily Tinne wore this wool serge bathing costume during her honeymoon in Ireland in 1910, with a matching bathing cap and espadrilles. It doesn’t look like the most practical thing to swim in, but swimwear at the time was designed more for modesty than comfort! Find out more on the website. This bathing costume and many more outfits from Emily Tinne’s huge collection were featured in the popular exhibition A Passion for Fashion at the Walker Art Gallery in 2006.

Emily Tinne wore this wool serge bathing costume during her honeymoon in Ireland in 1910, with a matching bathing cap and espadrilles. It doesn’t look like the most practical thing to swim in, but swimwear at the time was designed more for modesty than comfort! Find out more on the website.

This bathing costume and many more outfits from Emily Tinne’s huge collection were featured in the popular exhibition A Passion for Fashion at the Walker Art Gallery in 2006.

January 30, 2012 • 1 note

This stunning evening dress is made from rayon satin and is overlaid with pink net and grey lace. You can see a detail of the velvet trim here as well. We don’t know the maker of this dress, but it dates from about 1950-1955. 

Find out more about the dress here.

January 30, 2012
Outfit of the week: Today we are feeling GROOVY! This man’s grey flared polyester trousers and corduroy jacket is on display at the Walker Art Gallery in the Feathercuts and flares exhibition.

Outfit of the week: Today we are feeling GROOVY! This man’s grey flared polyester trousers and corduroy jacket is on display at the Walker Art Gallery in the Feathercuts and flares exhibition.

January 27, 2012
This advertisement for crepe soled shoes is from the Collinson archive at the Maritime Archives and Library, in Merseyside Maritime Museum. The archive contains the business records of J Collinson & Company, shoe makers and retailers from 1831 to 1978.

This advertisement for crepe soled shoes is from the Collinson archive at the Maritime Archives and Library, in Merseyside Maritime Museum. The archive contains the business records of J Collinson & Company, shoe makers and retailers from 1831 to 1978.

January 27, 2012

“Nothing is so vulgar as an incongruous glaring coloured glove.”

This advice from ‘Etiquette for Ladies’, 1843, was featured in the 2011 exhibition The Finishing Touch at the Lady Lever Art Gallery.