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Posts Tagged ‘at home style’

Fashion History: The Housedress

Posted in Arts, Events, Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage, tagged , , , , , , on June 1, 2021| 1 Comment »

A late 1940s shirtwaist housedress. Illustration from Fashion: The Definitive History of Costume & Style.

Housedresses are what women used to wear when they stayed at home. They didn’t flop around in their pajamas like we do today and sweats didn’t exist yet. People, both women and men, dressed at home, casually yes, but always presentable in fear of the unexpected guest.

Usually made of cotton, housedresses were a simple drop waist in the 1920s or a shirtwaist in the 1940s. The sheath silhouette in the 60s gave way to the billowy boho housedress of the 70s. Styles changed but the purpose didn’t – something nice to wear at home while doing housework or just lounging. (Men wore khaki slacks and a polo shirt, maybe jeans.) But by the 1980s women were working outside the home and the whole idea disappeared.

That is until Pandemic Year 2020. Stuck at home for months, by summertime last year women were looking for an alternative to leggings and tunics and designers were on it – the housedress.

Check back in with ODFL tomorrow when Housedress Week continues with a post about a vintage dress turned housedress.

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At Home Attire: Summer Layers

Posted in Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on September 16, 2020| 2 Comments »

Not that long ago we were suffering a nasty heatwave with temperatures hitting above 110 degrees. Dressing for heat when staying put at home is its own challenge.

I’ve recently been inspired by the simple dress of ancient cultures – Egyptian draped gowns and Roman tunics. In hot climates such as theirs, layers of light cotton was the trend.

Pictured is one of my go-to summer at home ensembles. The cotton print dress is by designer Lesley Evers. Known for her unique prints, she is a local favorite. This tunic dress is comfortable in hot weather but it feels a little short, so I layer underneath it a white cotton skirt by J. Jill. Although a simple summer staple, the subtle eyelet trim around the bottom of the skirt gives it a little extra interest.

I wear the shoes by Arcopedico only at home. They are made of a knit fabric with an arch support sole and are just right for comfort around the house.

Even in heatwaves. Even stuck at home. It’s uplifting to meet the day in style.

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Fashionable Quote of the Week by Angelique Corthals

Posted in Events, Fashion, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on March 30, 2020| 2 Comments »

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There’s not a lot of information of how long COVID survives on textiles, but lots of places on your textiles can contain metal or plastic. If you’ve touched a contaminated surface with your clothes, sitting in a subway, leaning against a pole, there’s a chance you might bring that back home.

Angelique Corthals, a biomedical researcher and professor of pathology at John Jay College. (This quote is from an article in the New York Times, March 29, 2020. By Sanam Yar. Click here for the full article.)

(Note: the belief is that the virus could live on metal and plastic surfaces three to five days.)

Ms. Corthals also says that’s it’s a good idea to change out of your street clothes once you’re home.  I say that since we don’t know how long Covid-19 lives on textiles, it couldn’t hurt to also spray our street clothes with alcohol.

Remember, Keep Calm and Keep Your Distance. 

 

 

 

 

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