Author Archives: Jonathan

About Jonathan

Jonathan Walford is a fashion historian and co-founder of the Fashion History Museum in Cambridge, Ontario. The FHM maintains a collection of nearly 12,000 artifacts dating from the mid 17th century to the present. Jonathan has authored various books and museum catalogues, including The Seductive Shoe, Shoes A-Z, Forties Fashion, 1950s American Fashion, and Sixties Fashion.

Fashion Humour — Easter bonnet 1950s…

Posted on 2020-04-07 by Jonathan
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Sergio Rossi, 1935 – 2020

Posted on 2020-04-04 by Jonathan

Sergio Rossi was born in 1935 and apprenticed with his father to learn the art of shoemaking. He began making sandals for summer tourists in Rimini in the 1950s. By 1966 he had set up his own shop in Bologna … Continue reading →

Posted in Designers/Couturiers, Shoes | Leave a comment

1992 Sportswear

Posted on 2020-04-02 by Jonathan

Cleaning up some pic files and came across these shots of sportswear from spring 1992:

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Lame boot

Posted on 2020-03-31 by Jonathan

I have been using this time at home to create order in my endless electronic archives of images and snippets. I am finding interesting things like this 1906 advert for O’Connor, manufacturer of footwear for the lame, and in another … Continue reading →

Posted in Shoes | 1 Comment

Fashions for Spring 2020

Posted on 2020-03-29 by Jonathan
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A break from taste…

Posted on 2020-03-27 by Jonathan

These 1940s/50s interior shots are… eye catching…

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Canadian Fashion Connection – Anita Pineault

Posted on 2020-03-23 by Jonathan

The oldest of nine siblings, Anita Chouinard was born in Quebec in 1917. Her last name was changed to Pineault when she married. When he left to serve in Europe during World War II Anita took a job with the … Continue reading →

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Canada’s First Black Model – Johanne Harelle

Posted on 2020-03-21 by Jonathan

A year before the first American black model, Donyale Luna, graced the pages of Harper’s Bazaar, Johanne Harelle retired from her modelling career in Canada. Johanne Harelle was born Joan Harell to a French Canadian mother and West Indian father … Continue reading →

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A Mask – the New Black?

Posted on 2020-03-19 by Jonathan

The origin of wearing masks to protect against disease dates back to the mid 17th-century when doctors dressed against the bubonic plague in outfits that made them look like giant crows. The original idea for the ensemble is usually credited … Continue reading →

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Fashion in Song – In Our Little Wooden Shoes, 1937

Posted on 2020-03-17 by Jonathan

From the 1937 film Heidi, starring Shirley Temple. Have you seen my new shoesThey are made out of woodSuch nice little shoesDon’t you think they look good?I can dance all aroundWith the greatest of easeI can jump from the groundTo … Continue reading →

Posted in Announcements | 1 Comment