Sartorial Adventure

1780s fashion plate of a woman in a redingote, from Galerie des Modes et Costumes Français (at least, I think so. Please let me know if you track down the source of this image!)

On the underskirt, the thing that looks like a baguette with wings is actually a heraldic symbol of a thunderbolt! It was genuinely imagined like a "bolt". The zig-zagging lines on the skirt might also represent lightning - note the little triangles that look like arrowheads on the bottoms of the lines. The rings appear to be almost an ouroboros: two snakes biting one another to form a loop. I can also see flames of fire, and what MIGHT be some kind of insects at the intersections of the lines? Let me know what you think they might be! Lots of snakes, and she's holding a caduceus (snake on a stick), which is weird, because that's the symbol of Asclepius, god of healing, which is not an underworld symbol at all. And what's with the cloud on top? I wonder if that's actually supposed to be a TREE with a snake around it, representing the serpent in the Garden of Eden? Her brooch appears to be a head of Medusa, with serpents for hair.

Michael Cinco Fall Winter 2023

Caraco and petticoat, ca. 1789, Cotton, embroidered with grape vines, Palais Galliera, Musee de la Mode de la Ville de Paris

The history of the tie

It is a curse upon the fashion industry. We need to find a witch to undo it!

Michael Cinco FW24-25

Coat by AveloreWear on Etsy