For the last few months I’ve been writing terminology posts on costume and fashion history.  I’ve had so much fun researching and writing them, I’ve learned so much, and I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from all of you.

However, I’ve also realised that my attempt to build a comprehensive annotated glossary of fashion and textile terms is going to be held back by my own limitations.  I only know so much, and will only ever know so much.  I research, think about, and present ideas in a particular way, as we all do, so that means that I can only provide my perspective.  This is really obvious when you look at the comments: often with a terminology post I learn as much from your comments on it as I presented in the post itself.

Even 'Natures Pleasant Laxative' can't possibly free my brain up enough to cover everything. Image from The Girls Own Magazine, Dec 1911

So in order to overcome my limitations, and give you terms and ideas and research that I might not think of, or don’t have the expertise to write about, I’ve asked some of my favourite fashion and textile historians (many of whom have their own blogs) to guest-author a terminology post.

To my absolute delight, most of them have said yes, so over the next few months the terminology posts I write and research myself will be interspersed with guests posts.

My goals with these guests posts are to provide you with the best possible research by supplement my own knowledge and abilities,  encourage connections in the wider historical costuming community, make use of the amazing knowledge that other bloggers have, and give other bloggers a chance to write about something that they might not include on their own blog, because it might be outside the scope of what they usually blog or write about.

It should be lots of fun, and I do hope you enjoy them!