Well, howdy there! Let me tell ya somethin’ about this here… uh… “women’s wear daily archive.” Sounds fancy, don’t it? But lemme break it down for ya in plain speak, like I always do.
What’s this “WWD Archive” thingamajig?
Okay, so this “Women’s Wear Daily,” or “WWD” as them city folks call it, is like a big ol’ newspaper, but ‘stead of talkin’ ’bout crops and weather, it blabbers on about clothes and such. Been around for a coon’s age, too, started way back in 1910, before most of us were even a twinkle in our daddy’s eye. This here “archive” is just a big pile of all them old newspapers, but ‘stead of stackin’ ’em up in the attic, they went and put it all on them computer thingies.
What’s in it, you ask?
Well, pretty much everything they ever printed, I reckon. Pictures, stories, them ads for fancy perfumes and such. You wanna see what folks were wearin’ back in the day? It’s in there. You wanna know how much them city gals were payin’ for a hat? It’s in there too. They say it’s got all the important stuff, like when some fella made a new kind of dress or when a new store opened up. They call ’em “key moments” and “major designers,” but to me, it’s just a bunch of pictures and words about clothes.
- Pictures of clothes, old and new.
- Stories ’bout who’s wearin’ what.
- Advertisements for all sorts of fancy things.
- Stuff about when clothes changed and who made them changes.
Why should you care?
Now, I ain’t sayin’ you gotta care. Most folks ’round here probably don’t give a hoot about what some fancy pants lady in New York City was wearin’ in 1952. But if you’re one of them history buffs or if you like makin’ clothes yourself, then maybe this here archive is somethin’ you’d be interested in. They say it’s good for folks who are studyin’ clothes and how they changed over the years. They call ’em “researchers,” but I just call ’em curious.
Searchin’ through it all
Now, I ain’t too good with them computers, but they tell me you can look up whatever you want in this archive. Wanna see all the pictures of hats? Just type in “hat” and there ya go. Wanna know about a certain dressmaker? Type in their name. They even got it all in color, so you can see what them clothes really looked like. And it ain’t just any old pictures, they say it’s high-resolution, which I guess means they’re purdy clear.
It’s like a big history book, but for clothes.
That’s the best way I can explain it. It’s like a big ol’ history book, but ‘stead of talkin’ ’bout wars and presidents, it’s all about skirts and shoes and such. It tells the story of how clothes changed, from them long dresses back in the old days to whatever them youngsters are wearin’ now. They call it “fashion history”, but to me, it’s just the story of what folks wore.
So, there you have it.
That’s the lowdown on this “women’s wear daily archive,” as best as I can tell it. It’s a whole bunch of old newspapers about clothes, all put together on a computer so you can look at ’em whenever you want. If you’re into that sort of thing, then go ahead and take a gander. If not, well, that’s just fine too. Me? I’m happy with my overalls and my good ol’ sturdy boots. They ain’t fancy, but they get the job done, and that’s all that matters to me.
More than just pretty pictures, it’s big business.
Now, don’t you go thinkin’ this is all just about lookin’ at pretty pictures. This here WWD, it ain’t just some silly little paper. They say it’s the “industry voice of authority,” which means the big bosses in the fashion world, they listen to what WWD says. It tells ’em what’s sellin’ and what ain’t, what’s hot and what’s not. It’s big business, this fashion stuff. And this archive, it shows you how that business has changed over the years.
From paper to pixels: A century of fashion.
Imagine, every single page, every little word and picture from over a hundred years, all there for you to see. That’s a whole lotta clothes, let me tell ya. They say it’s the “daily media of record,” which I guess means it’s the place to go if you wanna know what happened when. And now, instead of havin’ to go to some dusty old library, you can see it all on your computer screen. It’s like magic, if you ask me.
Tags: WWD, Women’s Wear Daily, fashion history, fashion archive, clothing history, design history, apparel industry, historical fashion, vintage fashion, fashion trends
