The Girdle-Inspired History of the Very First Spacesuits

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are known for many things; being fashion plates isn’t one of them. When the Apollo 11 astronauts made their giant leap for mankind in 1969, however, they were wearing a type of “space couture” that shared a history—and, indeed, many of the same seamstresses—with what was essentially the Spanx of…

What Will We Wear on Mars?

As far as vacation spots go, Mars wouldn’t be on the top of many people’s lists. Sure, Olympus Mons, the tallest mountain in the solar system, might be good for a ‘gram or two. But Mars, on the whole, isn’t a pleasant place to hang out. There’s its inhospitable terrain, for one, which is mostly…

The Story Behind ‘Wild Wild Country’s’ Red Rajneeshee Outfits

Heather Walters was 11 when she first encountered the crimson-clad disciples of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh in The Dalles in north-central Oregon. It was in the parking lot of a supermarket, though whether it was a Fred Meyers or some other big-box grocer—perhaps it was an Albertsons?—Walters, now 48, can’t quite recall. What she does remember,…

Why Is It So Hard for Clothing Manufacturers to Pay a Living Wage?

In the garment industry, stories about workers who barely eke out an existence on “starvation wages” are legion: Factory workers in New Delhi often describe living in makeshift hovels “barely fit for animals.” A young woman from Myanmar might wrestle with the decision to feed her children or send them to school. In Bangladesh, sewing-machine…

If HSN and QVC Merge, Will It Save TV Shopping?

As Hurricane Irma prepared to rip through the Florida Keys in September, the Home Shopping Network dispatched 100 employees from St. Petersburg to Nashville so broadcasting could continue uninterrupted. Under the blistering lights of a Music City studio, E! presenter Giuliana Rancic tugged at a charmeuse G by Giuliana blouse to demonstrate its stretch. A…

Fast Fashion’s Surprising Origins

The Vogue editor didn’t hold back. Writing with palpable excitement, Isabella “Babs” Bouët-Willaumez proclaimed the high-low collaboration a “basic design of perfect proportion and line for which haute couture has always been famed.” The partition between haute couture and off-the-rack had been all but eviscerated. This was the democratization of fashion in action. “Now the…