Chelsea Adler
Bio
Obsessed with fashion. Obsessed with dark history. Even more obsessed with escapism through a good story whether it's reading or writing one. Spice is a plus. This page is a combination of all of that. Enjoy đź–¤
Stories (16/0)
- Top Story - October 2021
Tiny but Mighty: The ChokerTop Story - October 2021
I grew up in the 90’s and early 2000’s. I scrunched my hair and straightened my bangs. I accessorized with bouncy butterfly clips, white eyeshadow, and flavored lip-gloss. I wore scrunchies on my wrist. I wrapped flannel shirts around my waist and danced in frayed wide leg jeans to Brittney. I begged my mom to let me bedazzle my bellybutton with stick-on rhinestones like Christina. (Looking back, thank God she said no.) It was grungy, it was tacky, and it was wonderful. As the fads of the 90’s and early 2000’s come trickling back into present day trends, the nostalgia washes over me and wraps me into the warm hug of childhood memories. As I happily embrace the comeback of bellbottoms and flannel, there has been one thing that just gets me giddy: the choker. Easily my favorite item from the time, wearing a choker always made me feel like the coolest kid in the room. They made me feel pretty, and there was something about them that felt so mature, like wearing one made me older and edgier than I was. As an adult, wearing a choker evokes the same kind of confidence; I feel sexy, spunky, and there’s something about them that now feels so sophisticated. It’s such a tiny accessory, and yet it stirs up so much emotion and so quickly bumps my self-esteem up a few notches. Looking back through the choker’s history, it turns out that I am not the only one that the piece has this type of effect on. It’s been a look for thousands of years and has held power in many ways over the centuries.
By Chelsea Adler3 years ago in FYI
Stick a Pin In It
It’s 1849 and inventor Walter Hunt is sitting in his New York workshop, worrying about how to pay off a $15 debt he owed a friend. While he racks his brain for a solution to his money woes, he mindlessly twists a piece of metal wire around his fingers. Suddenly, he realizes he’s done something. After twisting the wire a few times and folding it in upon itself, Walter notices that the wire held enough tension to clasp together and enough spring to open and close over and over. While distracted by financial problems, he had redesigned an item that hadn’t been changed in literally thousands of years. Walter Hunt had accidentally invented the Safety Pin. He spent the rest of the night making a prototype and sketching designs for the tool, had them patented on April 10th of the same year, and then went on to sell the patten for $400 to the very man he owed $15.
By Chelsea Adler3 years ago in FYI
Pandemic Chic
Disease is something that human kind has learned to live with as a way of life. We adapt to the social requirements that pandemics thrust upon us in order to survive and come out on the other side stronger, more immune, and more educated (hopefully). As the waves of virus and disease ebb and flow throughout humanity's history, so too does fashion in response. Whether it's for protection, for disguise, or for making a statement, we have always used clothing and accessories to communicate and combat the effects of whatever plague may be upon us at that given time. Below are five ways society has used fashion in response to pandemics throughout history:
By Chelsea Adler3 years ago in FYI
Full Skirts, Cinched Waists, and Women’s Rights
It’s February 12, 1947, the world is rebuilding after WWII, and Christian Dior has just debuted his haute couture fashion line full of voluminous skirts, tiny waists, and padded hips. Completely opposite the rationed and practical styles of wartime, Caramel Snow, the editor of Harper’s Bazaar, excitedly described the designer’s debut collection as a “new look”, thus forever naming the collection and sending Dior into fashion fame. While today we look back and admiringly celebrate the beauty and talent behind the couture gowns, the collection would be a catalyst (albeit one of many) for the second wave of feminism nearly a decade after their debut.
By Chelsea Adler3 years ago in FYI