...the brassiere was originally developed to flatten out and bind the bust, not to support it.

...the sewing machine was invented in the 1840’s.

...in first half of the 17th century men’s and women’s shoes were the same in style and cut. In the 1660’s, women no longer accepted to have the same shape as men’s shoes. Heels rose, the forepart became slimmer, and a variety of exquisitely embroidered shoes in silk, satin and velvet appeared, trimmed with lace which fell in a deep flounce over the foot. “Left” and “right” shoes would be invented later.

...Queen Elizabeth pancaked layers and layers of white makeup onto her skin because as a child she had small pox and her skin was terribly marked with pits and scars from the disease.

...from the 12th to the 18th centuries, wigs, heavy makeup and and beauty patches were fashionable primarily because much of the nobility were suffering from diseases like syphilis which caused their hair to fall out and horrible black marks to appear on their skin.

...ready-made clothing in America became the norm during the civil war.

...in 1849, Walter Hunt wanted to pay a fifteen-dollar debt to a friend. So he decided to invent something new. From a piece of brass wire about eight inches long, coiled at the center and shielded at one end, he made the first safety pin. He took out a patent on his invention, sold the rights to it for four hundred dollars, paid his friend back and had three hundred eighty-five dollars to spare. Then he watched his latest brainstorm go on to become a million dollar money earner for someone else.

...British fashion designer Mary Quant is the inventor of the modern mini skirt. In 1966, she made a skirt with a hem about 4" above the knee. It caused quite a controversy world wide, so she followed it up by inventing hot pants in 1969. A Quant quote: “A woman is as young as her knees.”

...the Suzy Wong type Chinese dress, called a Cheongsam, was tailored for the 20th century. It is not a traditional dress and was designed with Western style in mind.

...mule shoes were originally invented in the 17th century for indoor use only.

...the word “plaid” originally referred to a blanket or cloak, not to the pattern of the fabric.

...the kilt came along between 1550 and 1600 AD. Before that, Scottish men wore linen or wool one piece belted tunics with a large cloak. So historically speaking, all the characters in the movie Braveheart would have worn this tunic, not a kilt.

...Empress Josephine (wife of Napoleon) thought her hands were so ugly that she had gloves made to cover her hands and arms up past the elbow. As legend has it, this is the origin of the Opera length glove.

...in early Ireland, fabric dying was considered to be a magical process. It was strictly a woman’s craft that was performed without any men present.

...brand name clothing did not exist before the 1930’s.

...Europeans did not begin using buttons until the 13th century; even then they used them only for decoration. The lack of buttons limited people to simple clothes that could be fastened with strings, pins, or belts. Legend has it that in the mid 16th century, buttons were placed on men’s coat cuffs to prevent them from wiping their mouths on their sleeves.