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Eugen Sandow flexing his bicep.

The Evolution of the Alpha Male Aesthetic

If you've noticed a certain look common to the manosphere, you're not mistaken. A visual identity has taken hold, with roots that trace back decades.
by Derek Guy via Bloomberg on April 22, 2025
Jimi Hendrix performing with his guitar.

How Jimi Hendrix Made "Flower Power" Fashionable

The resurgence of “peace and love” aesthetics in menswear today owes itself to the rebellious spirit of the 1960s and 70s, embodied by musician Jimi Hendrix.
by Derek Guy via PBS NewsHour on November 26, 2024
Women wearing early twentieth-century gym suits emblazoned with 1902, some women in baskets.

How Sports Clothes Became Fashion

The evolution of women's sportswear.
by Einav Rabinovitch-Fox via Nursing Clio on May 15, 2024
Collage of people in "preppy" clothing.

We’re All Preppy Now

How a style steeped in American elitism took over the world.
by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela via The New Republic on August 14, 2023
Actress Bobby Bradshaw is tempted by a pearl necklace, 1925.

Pearl Jam

In the twentieth century, the mollusk-produced gem was a must have for members of WASP gentility. In the twenty-first century, its appeal is far more inclusive.
by Hillary Waterman via JSTOR Daily on June 8, 2022
Minnie Mouse waves to visitors at the Hong Kong Disneyland
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The Right Worries Minnie Mouse’s Pantsuit Will Destroy Our Social Fabric. It Won’t.

Of mice and men.
by Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell via Made By History on February 2, 2022
At left; a late 19th century French women's ensemble made of blue velvet, satin, and fur. On the right is a photograph of a wealthy, upper-class woman wearing the same outfit (without the coat) in 1920.

The Richest Fashionistas Used to Recycle Clothes as a Matter of Habit. What Happened?

They weren't about to let all that good camel hair go to waste.
by Elizabeth L. Block via Slate on January 18, 2022
Women wearing bathing suits and sashes stand in a row on the Atlantic City boardwalk in 1921, competing in a pageant.

How the Swimsuit Showdown Shaped the Miss America Contest

A new behind-the-scenes book, “There She Was,” and a Smithsonian collecting initiative celebrate the pageant’s centennial.
by Amy Argetsinger via Smithsonian on December 13, 2021
Lucille Ball wrapping a baby doll in a diaper on "I Love Lucy" (left) and drawing of tie-waist skirt design (right)

How a Genius Fashion Invention Freed Midcentury Women Like Lucille Ball to Be Pregnant in Public

The inventor thought her pregnant sister looked like “a beach ball in an unmade bed.”
by Michelle Millar Fisher, Amber Winick via Slate on October 12, 2021

Decolonize Hipsters

The history of hipsters is a not-so-secret history of race in the Atlantic world.
by Grégory Pierrot via Guernica on April 20, 2021

The Settler Fantasies Woven Into the Prairie Dresses

The fashion trend is shorn entirely of the racism and colonial entitlement it once cloaked.
by Peggy O'Donnell via Jezebel on January 30, 2019
Athleisure clothing items including a windbreaker, cap, sweatpants, and running shoe.

How Athleisure Conquered Modern Fashion

The sudden ubiquity of sportswear might seem a little odd. But almost every feature of modern fashion was once adapted from athletics.
by Derek Thompson via The Atlantic on October 28, 2018
Movie poster for "American Gigolo," showing a man in a suit looking to the right, with his shadow on the wall behind him

Armani in America

Looking back on "American Gigolo," a love story about a wardrobe.
by Haley Mlotek via Lapham’s Quarterly on July 3, 2018

A Brief History of America’s Obsession With Sneakers

Invented for athletics, sneakers eventually became status symbols and an integral part of street style.
by Kate Keller via Smithsonian on May 18, 2018
Melania Trump wearing a Dior pantsuit.

The 1968 Fashion Show, the History Lesson Melania Missed

What the First Lady could learn from the fashion show that was supposed to showcase America First fashion.
by Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell via Politico Magazine on March 5, 2018

The Power Suit’s Subversive Legacy

Women have long borrowed from men’s dress to claim the authority associated with it. It hasn’t always worked.
by Angella D'avignon via The Atlantic on December 26, 2017

How Hoop Skirts Actually Advanced Women's Rights

The difficult-to-wear skirt helped to break down class barriers.
by Skye Makaris via Racked on December 7, 2017

What the Civil Rights Movement Has to Do With Denim

The history of blue jeans has been whitewashed.
by Marlen Komar via Racked on October 30, 2017

The Underclass Origins of the Little Black Dress

The upper classes once imposed the fashion staple on their servants—then they stole it back from them.
by Shelley Puhak via The Atlantic on October 13, 2017

When Cardigans Were Battle Attire

Your favorite light sweater was worn to war, before getting picked up by academics, Mr. Rogers, and Kurt Cobain.
by Jennifer Le Zotte via Racked on October 3, 2017

Why Women Couldn’t Wear Pants on the Senate Floor Until 1993

Two political pioneers staged a "Pantsuit Revolution."
by Jocelyn Sears via Mental Floss on March 22, 2017
Gram Parsons.

Nudie and the Cosmic American

The iconic fusion of country and rock in Gram Parsons' legacy.
by Elyssa East via Oxford American on January 7, 2016
Women of the American Revolution (in the fashion of the day) sewing a flag for the new republic.
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Homespun Wisdom

A discussion of the patriotic attempt to spurn European fashion and spin cloth at home in the time leading up to the Revolutionary War.
via BackStory on August 28, 2015
Rembrandt Peale's portrait of Thomas Jefferson wearing a simple black coat.

Dressing Down for the Presidency

Thomas Jefferson's republican simplicity.
by Gaye Wilson via White House Historical Association on November 1, 2012
Dyed ostrich feather samples in a book.

As Bright as a Feather: Ostriches, Home Dyeing, and the Global Plume Trade

In the 19th century, dyed ostrich feathers were haute couture, adorning the hats and boas of fashionistas on both sides of the Atlantic.
by Whitney Rakich via The Public Domain Review on May 7, 2025
Man wearing a Ramones t-shirt.

Name Three Songs: How Band Tees Became Cultural Symbols

When Barney's is selling Black Sabbath shirts for $175, does it change the cultural credibility of your favorite vintage band tee?
by Grace Yanucci via The Saturday Evening Post on December 31, 2024
1937 ad showing three women in underwear.

From Torpedo Bras to Whale Tails: A Brief History of Women’s Underwear

The popular reception of thongs, bras, boy shorts and other intimate items.
by Nina Edwards via Literary Hub on October 24, 2024
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The Bowl Truth

On Joan of Arc’s much-maligned and forgotten haircut.
by Emma Maggie Solberg via HNN on October 1, 2024
Old advertisements selling cars to women.

Driving While Female

Is the car our most gendered technology?
by Leann Davis Alspaugh via The Hedgehog Review on July 31, 2024
Three photographs of Mother Jones with each becoming less pixelated until the final image is clear.

America’s Best Made-Up Person

On the transformation of Mary Harris into Mother Jones.
by Garry Wills via Mother Jones on June 20, 2024
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