Helmut Lang sheer dress, c. 1994

If something is good, it doesn't go out of style every six months. — Helmut Lang1 Helmut Langc. 1994Gift of Doris Raymond in honor of Kevin Jones2011.800.1 Almost classical in its simplicity, this black dress demonstrates Helmut Lang's (b. 1956)... Read Article ››

Versace Mare bikini, c. 1994

According to the inimitable fashion editor and curator Diana Vreeland, a bikini reveals "everything about a girl except her mother's maiden name."1 As Vreeland noted, bikinis are defined by their scant coverage and are rarely more than a few... Read Article ››

Evening dress, c. 1926

No matter what your feelings about director Baz Luhrmann's new cinematic adaption of  F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic American novel The Great Gatsby, you can't deny that the film is generating interest in 1920s fashion. Though reaction to the... Read Article ››

Printed cotton parasol, c. 1909-1919

Two women posed for this casual outdoor snapshot, c. 1911. Their nearly identical ensembles of short-sleeved middy blouses and ankle-length skirts suggest summertime leisure. Though popular as school uniforms for children, middy blouses were also worn as... Read Article ››

Fashion Birthday: Vivienne Westwood

Happy birthday to Vivienne Westwood, born on this day in 1941! We wish her the best and look forward to many more of her inventive designs. Though Westwood's early career, which began in the early 1970s, was closely associated with punk, by the 1980s she... Read Article ››