This week, I’ve been visiting my parents up in Nova Scotia—just five days of lots of family, with very little time to steal away and finish the various newsletters I have in process. Since many of you are more recent subscribers, I thought I would share some of my favourites newsletters and series from the past few years; the ones I’ve most enjoyed researching and writing, those that I think might most intrigue others, and some that seem to have been lost in the shuffle.
The world and the news is so dark right now—I hope you can find some moments to center yourself and lean into peace and hope and beauty.
The Revlon Series:
Revlon I: The Early Ads
Since the announcement of Revlon filing for Chapter 11 last month, I’ve been thinking quite a bit about Revlon, its co-founder Charles Revson, and its many peaks and its coming disaster. Below is a short overview of Revlon and their early, ingenious marketing strategies; follow-up deep dives on their
Revlon II: Color Promotions and the Power of Advertising
Welcome to all new subscribers! Substack included the first essay in my Revlon series in their Substacks Reads newsletter this week, leading many new subscribers to my little fashion and cultural history corner of the internet. Please go back through and read
Revlon III: Fire and Ice
This is the third in a series on Revlon’s marketing and advertising campaigns, 1930s-50s. For greater understanding, go back and read the first and second essays. I also explored Revlon’s House of Revlon salon.
Revlon IV: The House of Revlon
Welcome to all new subscribers! Substack featured my newsletter on their homepage this week—I hope that you enjoy my missives on fashion and cultural history! For more, consider becoming a paid subscriber to support my work and receive all newsletters.
The Richard Simmons Series:
The Creation of Richard Simmons
Months ago, I came across a mention of a Richard Simmons clothing line, the first athleticwear for what we now call “plus size” women, in a 1980s newspaper and marked it as a subject to return to. Once I started doing background research on it, it became clear that first I needed to discuss the early years of his fitness career (and his brief forays int…
Richard Simmons II: Rudi Gernreich & Simpatico
When I first started researching Richard Simmons, I hadn’t expected that—pre-exercise, pre-fame—he had designed a line of jewelry successful enough to be profiled in newspapers and used by Rudi Gernreich. Whether due to faulty memory or for other reasons, Richard rewrote when and how this fits into his history.
Richard Simmons III: Interiors for Sweatin'
Picking up from last week’s discussion of Richard Simmons’ early years and his jewelry line, an exploration of his establishments and their décor.
Richard Simmons IV: Plus-Size Activewear
As I mentioned in the first part of my series on Richard Simmons, I became inspired to research him after coming across a mention of his brief mid-80s plus-size clothing collection. Below is an exploration of his several attempts to get into apparel.
Working with Richard Simmons
Following Richard Simmons’ death in July at 76, I was contacted by Terrence Tullgren, an old friend and business partner of Richard’s. He had come across a series of articles I wrote about Simmons a year earlier—if you haven’t read that four-part series yet (
Katy Keene and Comic Book Fashion:
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