The áo dài (English: /ˈaʊˈdaɪ, ˈɔːˈdaɪ, ˈaʊˈzaɪ/; Vietnamese: [ʔaːw˧˦ zaːj˨˩] (North), [ʔaːw˦˥ jaːj˨˩] (South)) is a modernized Vietnamese national garment. Besides suits and dresses nowadays, men and women can also wear áo dài on formal occasions. It is a long, split tunic worn over silk trousers. Áo translates as shirt and dài means "long". The term can be used to describe any clothing attire that consists of a long tunic, such as nhật bình.

The predecessor of the áo dài was derived by the Nguyễn lords in Phú Xuân during 18th century. This outfit was derived from the áo ngũ thân, a five-piece dress commonly worn in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The áo dài was later made to be form-fitting which was influenced by the French, Nguyễn Cát Tường and other Hanoi artists redesigned the áo dài as a modern dress in the 1920s and 1930s. The updated look was promoted by the artists and magazines of Tự Lực văn đoàn (Self-Reliant Literary Group) as a national costume for the modern era. In the 1950s, Saigon designers tightened the fit to produce the version worn by Vietnamese women. The áo dài dress for women was extremely popular in South Vietnam in the 1960s and early 1970s. On Tết and other occasions, Vietnamese men may wear an áo gấm (brocade robe), a version of the áo dài made of very thick fabric and with sewed symbols. (Full article...)

Haute couture (/ˌoʊt kuːˈtjʊər/ (listen); French pronunciation: ​[ot kutyʁ]; French for 'high sewing', 'high dressmaking') is the creation of exclusive custom-fitted high-end fashion design. The term "Haute couture" is derived from the French language, where "haute" means "high" or "elegant," and "couture" translates to "sewing" or "dressmaking." Bodice is a composition of vesture, traditionally for women and girls, covering the torso from the neck to the waist. The term Haute Couture generally refers to a specific type of upper garment common in Europe during the 16th to the 18th century, or to the upper portion of a modern dress to distinguish it from the skirt and sleeves. Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, Paris became the centre of a growing industry that focused on making outfits from high-quality, expensive, often unusual fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable of sewers—often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques. Couture translates literally from French as "dressmaking", sewing, or needlework and is also used as a common abbreviation of haute couture and can often refer to the same thing in spirit. Haute translates literally to "high". (Full article...)

An 1814 engraved cartoon of a double entendre, a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué, inappropriate, or ironic. In this cartoon, the man says to the woman, "My sweet honey, I hope you are to be let with the Lodgins!" To this, she replies "No, sir, I am to be let alone." Here, the word "let" can mean either "to leave" or "to rent", so her response can be read to mean either that she wants the man to stop bothering her, or that she is available for a separate fee from the lodging.

• ...that a zibellino (pictured), the jewelled pelt of a marten or sable, is a women's fashion accessory popular in the later 15th and 16th centuries?
• ...that the bliaut, a fitted gown with flared sleeves, was an important item of both men's and women's fashion in Europe between 1100 and 1200?
• ... that David Duchovny said, "I'm sure that nobody is looking at me", when standing beside Jennifer Lopez who was wearing her "jungle" Versace dress?

Chloë Stevens Sevigny (/ˈsɛvəni/, born November 18, 1974) is an American actress, model and fashion designer. Known for her work in independent films, often appearing in controversial or experimental features, Sevigny is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a Satellite Award, an Independent Spirit Award, as well as nominations for an Academy Award and three Screen Actors Guild Awards. She also has a career in fashion design concurrent with her acting work. Over the years, her alternative fashion sense has earned her a reputation as a "style icon".

After graduating from high school, Sevigny found work as a model, and appeared in music videos for Sonic Youth and The Lemonheads, which helped acquire her "it girl" status. In 1995, she made her film debut in Kids, which earned her critical acclaim. A string of roles in small-scale features throughout the late 1990s, like 1996's Trees Lounge, further established her as a prominent performer in the independent film scene. Sevigny rose to prominence with her portrayal of Lana Tisdel in the drama film Boys Don't Cry (1999), for which she received a nomination for the Academy Award For Best Supporting Actress. (Full article...)

• ... that fashion designer Ouigi Theodore's anvil-horn-shaped beard inspired his alter ego, "The Bearded Man"?
• ... that the presentation of Inuit fashion items made from sealskin at contemporary art exhibition Floe Edge was called "an upraised Inuit middle finger" to anti–seal hunting activists?
• ... that bookseller T. S. Shanbhag started Bangalore's landmark Premier Bookstore on the site of a burned-down clothing store in 1971?
• ... that because of her striking beauty and sense of high fashion, soprano Annamary Dickey was dubbed the "Glamour Girl of the Met" in 1949?
• ... that German fashion magazine Der Bazar had many spin offs, including Harper's Bazaar?
• ... that billionaire Julia Koch once worked as a fashion designer's assistant and did fittings for Nancy Reagan?