In the late 19th century, the separation of skirt and bodice began to grace women’s wardrobes in the United States. It was known as a reform garment and one that quickly phased out the inhibiting gowns of the Bustle Period. Women were spending more time outside the home, be it from their hobbies, professions, or both.

The original women’s shirt, the Camis, came to fruition during the Renaissance in Tuscany, Italy. Before this era of celebratory exploration, the tunic was the closest shape women were working with as a separate piece, which was intended to be worn under their attire rather than out for display.

Once upon a time, fashion in the world of jackets was limited to the men’s navy-blue double-breasted blazer and a formal black or grey piece which a woman would only wear in male dominant corporate settings and stuffy affairs.

Once upon a time all things weren’t mass made in Chinese sweatshops. Those were the days when products were handmade with old world attention to detail.

Close your eyes. Remember all those fabulous costumes worn in Downton Abbey, the award - winning TV series? The couture, if you remember, is worn by the aristocratic Crawley family in the post-Edwardian period of 1912 to 1926.

Oscar Wilde famously said: “One should either be a work of art or wear a work of art.” Sorry Oscar we are all works of art, even as we all deserve to wear works of art. Lady Gaga expresses it this way: “I am a walking piece of art, expressing my dreams and my ambitions at all times.”

Even before the official birth of the haute couture in 19th century Paris; high fashion in France could be traced all the way back to the 17th century, during the reign of the Sun King, Louis XIV.

People have been wearing clothes since the days of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. As the centuries unfolded what we wore conveyed more and more about who we are, signaling our status in society and where we belonged in the world.