There are some strange school uniforms in the world, but none are quite as infamous as the get-up worn by the students of Christ’s Hospital. The differing usage of the word ‘pants’ in the US and UK has long been a cause of comic misunderstanding. Here’s how the confusion came about. The history of boxer […]
This is where you can sign up for the Habilitate newsletter. It’s a free, weekly dispatch featuring all of the week’s articles, plus bonus, curated content that’s exclusive to subscribers — all delivered right to your inbox. Success! You’re on the list. Whoops! There was an error and we couldn’t process your subscription. Please reload […]
Image credit: Orlando Fernandez / Public domain Tennessee Williams was one of the most celebrated and prolific playwrights of the twentieth century. Before his death in 1983 at the age of 71, he had written more than two dozen full-length plays, all of which were produced. It was a record unequalled by any of his […]
Image is my own / All rights reserved There is nothing usual about Hermès. The list of their rare and eccentric attributes runs rather long: Their famous bags are each made by one person from start to finish. Those bags can sell for north of £100 000. However, 100K alone likely won’t get you that […]
Image credit: Tullio Saba / Public domain For better or worse, I have spent most of my life wearing short shorts. From the moment I graduated out of wearing nappies, I’ve largely favoured an inseam that isn’t much longer than what you get on the average pair of Pampers. Not my school days, nor my […]
Image credit: Nick Wood on Unsplash Harris Tweed is a unique textile with a sense of heritage that feels every bit as singular and variegated as a length of the cloth itself. Born, bred, and built in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides, it is owned by no single entity and marshalled, protected, and given to the wider […]
Image credit: Maxwell Nelson on Unsplash Today, some forty years after the brand was officially born, Nike has come to rank as the world’s largest and most popular sportswear company. The ubiquity of its signature swoosh logo — now every bit as iconic as Coca-Cola’s Spencerian script or McDonald’s golden arches — has translated to […]
Bandanas have a long and storied history involving, inter alia, George Washington, Californian gangs, and the origins of the word ‘red neck’. Striped ties (rep and regimental) have a colourful history, which includes the military, a visit from a prince, and some pranks taken all too seriously. There are some strange school uniforms in the […]
Striped ties (rep and regimental) have a colourful history, which includes the military, a visit from a prince, and some pranks taken all too seriously. There are some strange school uniforms in the world, but none are quite as infamous as the get-up worn by the students of Christ’s Hospital. The differing usage of the […]
Image credit: Tullio Saba / Public domain If there is an artist with a more famous wardrobe than Frida Kahlo, I couldn’t name them. Kahlo’s clothing is legendary enough to have inspired entire books on the subject (such as Self Portrait in a Velvet Dress: Frida’s Wardrobe from 2007), dedicated museum exhibits (like 2012’s Appearances […]