Tab Hunter, who died in the summer of 2018 at age 86, lived a confidential life, cloaked and out, bearded and naked for the world to see. The Netflix documentary, Tab Hunter Confidential, produced by Tab's long-time partner, tells the complicated story of the "real" Tab Hunter. He was a gay man -- an utterly gay guy … Continue reading Tab!
1950s
All part of being first lady
Asked if she ever imagined being "first lady" of the United States in a November 11, 2017 CNN interview, First Lady Melania Trump instead answered an unspoken question of her own. "It's a lot of things that we need to take care of, and a lot of responsibilities," said Trump, "And it's all part of being … Continue reading All part of being first lady
Mean girls
Grace's life is undone, dismantled, broken apart when her husband Robert declares his undying love for his law partner, Sol. With the loss of their life partners, their social position, and their homes, Frankie, Sol's soon-to-be ex-wife, and Grace create their own unique bond of female friendship. In the Netflix series Grace and Frankie starring Jane … Continue reading Mean girls
Rosa Pesotta
She arrived at the United States of America in 1913, seventeen years old. She got a job, as so many other Ukrainian-Jewish girls, at a shirtwaist factory in New York City. She became one of the most effective labor organizers ever, spending her life working for working people, especially women. She was also a woman … Continue reading Rosa Pesotta
Game, Blouses (part 3)
That's Hedy Lamarr (Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler) just hopping over the fence to visit. Lamarr started in Hollywood films in 1937 and also started inventing all kinds of stuff. A born tinkerer, inventor, and mathematics whiz, during WWII Hedy and her husband developed a frequency-hopping system that "hopped" frequencies across radio waves in order to … Continue reading Game, Blouses (part 3)
At War in the World: Women’s suit jackets of the 1940s
This Katniss is from the Mockingjay sequence of the trilogy: This Katniss is openly and actively knocking down the state, "ruining" Panem and the Capitol. This is a Katniss bent on destruction and resurrection. She's dressed for war. Deliberate, planned war. The designers for the third and fourth Hunger Games installments, Kurt and Bart, come … Continue reading At War in the World: Women’s suit jackets of the 1940s
Traveling while black
She poses in front of a 1959 Dodge Custom Royal, a top-end two-color hardtop.Her dress, a black-and-white checked sheath dress with a filmy scarf and black belt, matches the two-tone paint job of the car behind her. The sharp fins on the rear of the car echo the flare of her scarf and the line … Continue reading Traveling while black
Nighties as power
At the Glamour Magazine Women of the Year awards, "Tracee Ellis Ross admitted that she had trouble deciding what to wear... ("Do I wear black because I'm in mourning? Do I go to a costume shop and get armor?") In the end, she went with something that reflected how vulnerable she feels this week: a … Continue reading Nighties as power
What’s missing in Ivanka’s closet
On the night of her father's election to the presidency, Ivanka wore a very short pinafore dress with a raised waistline and a paper-bag waist. Like so many dresses that she wears, the high-necked, very tightly fitted bodice exposed her arms. As usual, she wore very high heels. There is an eleven-year age difference between … Continue reading What’s missing in Ivanka’s closet
Style of Resistance 