Open Toe Heels In Winter Got Me A Look At The Bus Stop, I Wore Them Anyway
A woman at the 17th Avenue stop looked at my toes, looked at her own boots, looked back at my toes, and said absolutely nothing, which is its own kind…
The Corset Organs Rumour Followed Me Into A Fitting Room And I Finally Looked It Up
I was standing in a fitting room in a shop that will remain nameless, half in and half out of a underbust corset I’d bought for a dress that needed…
Whether You Need A Slip Under A Dress Never Crossed My Mind Until A Sheer One
There was a woman standing in front of me at a coffee shop last week wearing a white cotton dress, arms up, reaching for the oat milk on the top…
Tracking Down Who Invented The Stiletto Heel Took Longer Than Expected
I used to tell people, with total confidence, that Roger Vivier invented the stiletto heel for Dior in 1954, full stop, end of argument, don’t even bring up Ferragamo. I…
Nobody Mentioned I Might Need A Slip Under My Wedding Dress
My mom’s friend, a woman who got married in 1986 and has never once let anyone forget it, told me at a bridal shower that “back in our day nobody…
Nobody Agrees On Who Invented The Mini Skirt
We were four texts deep in a group chat about a wedding guest dress code when it happened. Someone sent a photo of a 1965 look, some slip of a…
Whether Viking Women Wore Corsets Turned Into A Proper Rabbit Hole
My coworker who does the Renaissance Faire circuit every October and my sister in law, who once made me watch three hours of a Viking reenactment documentary on a flight…
Medieval Women And Corsets Get Mixed Up With A Completely Different Century
I’m standing in the checkout aisle of a costume shop in October, and the woman behind me is holding two things: a “medieval princess” dress with a laced-up, boned bodice…
High Heels Have A Genuinely Surprising Origin Story Nobody Mentions
Someone at a bar in Ballard told me high heels were invented so women’s butts would look better walking away. I stood there holding a beer I didn’t want anymore,…
Mini Skirts Defined The 70s According To Everyone Except Me, Apparently
“That’s just not true, the whole decade was mini skirts,” said a guy at a dinner party last month, with the specific confidence of someone who has watched exactly one…