The McCord Museum in Canada is home to one of the largest historical collections in North America, consisting of First Nations objects, costumes and textiles, photographs, decorative and visual art, and textual archives, totalling more than 1.4 million artifacts. The Museum also offers innovative games and educational tools on their website, including the following 19th … Continue reading Having Fun with Fashion →

Now that we know the design of Catherine Middleton’s wedding dress, a precious collection of historic royal wedding dresses worn by royal brides over the last 200 years have just undergone over 1000 hours of conservation treatment by conservators from Historic Royal Palaces. The wedding dresses belonging to Princess Charlotte (1816), Queen Victoria (1840), Alexandra … Continue reading Historic Royal Wedding Dresses →

Napoleon and the Empire of Fashion is a sumptuously illustrated and richly detailed catalog of enormous appeal to anyone interested in fashion, lifestyle, the history of costume and applied arts. Thanks to a prestigious private collection, this book explains how from the Napoleonic era onwards, the clothing of men, women and children acquired a social, … Continue reading Napoleon and the Empire of Fashion →

The millinery workroom or atelier is the creative laboratory where hat designs are transformed from ideas into reality. In the words of Stephen Jones, a milliner’s workroom is “half Aladdin’s cave and half artist’s studio”, a place where each hat is carefully coaxed into being. See one of Stephen Jones’ creations come to life.This video … Continue reading Millinery Creation Comes to Life →

Whether it’s a summer tea party in the backyard or a cozy gathering in front of the fire, afternoon tea is a treat any time of the year and the perfect way to celebrate a special occasion.Author Susannah Blake’s ideas include an elegant Classic Engish Tea with delicate finger sandwiches and Lemon Drizzle Cake, a … Continue reading Afternoon Tea Parties →

William Steinway (1835-1896), a prominent German American and astute entrepreneur, documented more than 36 years of his life through near-daily notes in nine volumes and some 2,500 pages, beginning eight days after the first shots of the Civil War were fired and three days before his wedding.The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History features an … Continue reading Explore a 19th Century Diary →

We highly recommend you visit: http://janetility.com/ The others of Lady Vernon and Her Daughter have a delightful website devoted to many things Jane.

The Irish author Colm Toibin was born in Dublin & teaching writing at Princeton & Stanford. This is his quote- he loves to write fiction & to teach it. "It's all about keeping the line clear. Look at Austen-in her novels,you get a novel, you get a dance, followed by an encounter, followed by a … Continue reading Author Colm Toibin on Jane →