New archaeology points towards Laver’s thesis

*A big thanks to reader Chris W. for sending this article my way. Archaeologists think they have found confirmation that early “modern” humans — but seemingly not Neanderthals — adorned themselves with polished shells (http://theconversation.com/decorated-snail-shell-in-a-cave-in-iraq-could-be-evidence-of-paleolithic-bling-79380). James Laver is one of my favourite writers and is known for stating that the earliest clothes were likely shells…

Gainsborough Silks: candidate for Best Dressed Company Award. Updated March 2019.

Best Dressed Company Award is a conceit for ranking which clothing and design companies are the most moral.  Brunello Cucinelli comes out top and companies like H&M come out bottom.  This read was an exciting discovery (http://www.anothermag.com/fashion-beauty/9944/inside-the-factory-producing-silk-for-fashion-royalty).  Gainsborough Silks is a contender for top spot! To be top, a company must conform to Max Scheler’s…

The anarchist who loves a pope

Readers of V&R know that the anarchist Agamben, the Jesuit Przywara, and the “fashionable” pope Benedict are important touchstones for thinking about the moral and political significance of fashion.   Taking up Plato’s skepticism towards fashion, Agamben believes that fashion is one cause of the crisis in Western democracy. We are in thrall to the…

YSL: Establishment

This article contains wonderful images of YSL clothes and drawings, as well as the beautiful museums being built to house his archive (http://www.vogue.co.uk/gallery/suzy-menkes-pierre-berge-ysl-should-fashion-legacies-be-controlled). The article is misnamed somewhat: Suzy Menkes only arguing that the museums need to offer the context in which YSL’s creativity flourished.  This might be right but I imagine there are arguments…