This opulent coat, called a habit, was the primary component of the habit à la française, the predecessor of the three-piece suit that also included a waistcoat (vest) and breeches. This type of outfit, often rich with embroidery, would have been donned for formal events during the decades before the French Revolution. This example was...

This nightcap consists of four embroidered sections of cloth joined and bordered with braided lace made of silver-wrapped thread. The lower edge, embroidered on the opposite side, is folded up to form a brim. The style of the embroidery, which also uses silver-wrapped thread, is called chinoiserie (Chinese-esque), and includes imaginary, exotic-looking flowers that represent...

Magali An Berthon discusses the development of the market for garments made from reclaimed wool.

The founders of the Cooper Hewitt collection, Eleanor, Sarah and Amelia Hewitt, had a passion for bandboxes and over the course of their tenure had amassed nearly 100 boxes, creating one of the larger collections of such boxes in the United States. The majority of the boxes in the collection are about hat box size,...