Alexander McQueen & The Patriarchy Problem in Modern Fashion 

As a medievalist, I can say this isn't the first time men stole a job from women when it became profitable. The big one in the Middle Ages was beer making.

Labeling an interest in fashion as female but having the Tops of the top be exclusively male reminds me soooo much of cooking. Cooking and an interest in it is labelled female as long as it is UNPAID care Work. But as soon as you take a look at top Chefs that actually make a good living by cooking... They are all men 😅

Makeup has a very similar issue where the primary demographic is women/femmes but the owners and creative directors are men (notably cis too)

Unrelated to fashion, but when it's mentioned how it's "cheaper" or "free" to make things at home, it reminded me how annoying it is when people say breastfeeding a baby is free. Those things are only free when you completely devalue the time of the person doing it.

Every time men realised there was money to be made in a female-lead field you can bloody be sure they found a way to insert themselves in. Happened with Paleontology too. It was considered a silly female hobby once, before men started waging wars with one another on who could name more speices and become more famous.

It’s almost criminal what has happened to the value of garment work, and it IS criminal that it’s so hard for women worldwide to make a living making clothes.

I, a woman, used to work at an outdoor company that produced men's and women's garments (20 years ago). For the women's wear, the designers and pattern makers were all women, as was the marketing team. We had to present and sell all the designs to men who were the directors, men who were the regional buyers, and men who owned the stores where the clothes would be on the sales floor. It was so frustrating for us women to have to validate our research and skills all the time! We would visit the factories in Asia where the clothes were produced and all the workers were women, but we dealt with mostly, but not all, men as our production managers. I remember lots of after-work rage discussions with my female co-workers about the lack of female representation through all levels of approvals. Even with focus group data from our female target market would be met with skepticism from the male decision-makers.

I worked at Louis Vuitton corporate for years and was repeatedly bypassed for promotions by men. My department would predominantly use my education and ideas, and they would use them as their own. I was given no credit, I was given no promotion commensurate with my contribution. And when I finally went to HR with years of evidence, instead of helping me, they built a slander campaign against me. And do you know who helped them the most with the slander campaign? Other women they then enticed with promotions if they would help ruin my reputation. Fashion is sadly a very ugly and painful industry.

I love this video. I’ve been working in corporate fashion for 7 years. Every time I’m in the office it is painfully clear how many men are in leadership positions while women fill roles that demand actual creative labor. When we work with vendors and factories, I see the same thing- men who argue and talk over each other in meetings, and women who are knowledgeable about the inner workings of their facilities and product. The fashion industry is overwhelmingly feminine in makeup, but there are SO many men getting paid the big bucks to lord over us and it’s annoying as hell.

"Rocking and rolling with some laudanum and some chaos" needs to be the next mug.

Morgan calmly stitching away while Abbey rants about the patriarchy ruining the fashion industry is hilarious.

I have literally printed out and taped to my workroom wall a newspaper article from 1886 titled “is a woman’s work worth nothing?” Which is taking EXACTLY how making it yourself “for free” meant value was not being placed on the hours that home dressmakers spent making their own clothes

Every time I think about this topic, it's more and more clear to me that this myth that we're so much smarter/better off/advanced than women in the past in an eternally linear way actually props up The Patriarchy. It tells us that there's no more work to be done because we've "arrived", especially when compared to those stupid people in the past 😒

I really appreciate your opening about how people look down on fashion for its femininity and vanity. I feel like I have this running conversation in my head where half the time I associate fashion with mean girls in my high school while also reminding myself that being interested in fashion is not a crime. It’s more a reflection of internalized misogyny, which is not easy to shake. ❤

The unexpected Morgan cameo and Abby's flawless depiction of Benedict Cumberbund, Tailor sent me. 😂

It’s like the male cast of a hallmark romance movie, you know they’re technically different people but you have to wonder why the casting director couldn’t have made choices that made them easier to tell apart at a glance.

That makes me so mad. We are really getting scammed left and right on this one. Fashion is frivolous and yet a multibillion dollar industry run by men???? It’s truly sick. Classic boy math.

I feel like the problem is rooted in the fact that multibillionaire corporations owns all the larger fashion houses now. The only one left that is running itself, I think, is my all time favorite, Vivienne Westwood.

I went to a museum who dubbed the room with the womens fashion in it: " the hall of the unnamed dressmakers". it was a one season travelling exhibition, absurdity beautiful work. Tried to find it again and couldn't but I liked how they recognised the artistry behind the dresses displayed and wished there was more little nods like that. 21:56

I studied both art and fashion and it was painfully obvious back then how fucked up the industry is, in art school we had about 5/6 guys for a 30 kids class, yet most known artists are male, and in fashion school only 2 guys for 28 women.... somehow we disappear along the way

So my understanding after watching this vid, is that what the industry of dressmaking produced was not /caused/ by patriarchy but the industry of dressmaking came up through the system of the patriarchy. So the value of dressmaking (starting with the Mantua) was undervalued both as a profession and as a vehicle for revenue. In addition, the industry, once existing, in reponse to its origins and the system it was inside, was kept seperate both by the external and internal parties, as this is for women. It will be on its own. And then, the dressmaking trade, once so big it could not be ignored how valuable it was went under seige to be entered by men. And while women stayed in the industry, "successful" business were defined by recognition of the owner being a "captain of industry", that becoming more important than the quality of fashion or clothes coming out of the fashion house. This kept rolling into what is the modern couture world. Simultaneous to those outcomes in couture, machine inventions, in regards to the everyday person and their clothes reversed from go to a professional (a skilled tradesperson) and instead take this skill upon yourself using these new machines and mass paterns and make your own. And tie your worth to your ability to perform this task. And that worth is not only infused with your personal skill at the task, but to do simultaneously to your other duties. And to this day women in clothing production are regaled to be labor and not vision. And we have a pop history hyperfocus on the clothes being repressive. Not the systems. Dang.

We have evidence of a few women tailors in France though, even when it was banned ! In particular they often were allowed to keep the title when their tailor-husband passed, but we also have evidence of daughters learning with their parents and then establishing their own business and going through the process of being recognised as tailors. It’s not common but they existed and this brings me joy.

{ I wish I knew just how my grandmother influenced my grandfather (a difficult, poor, angry, illiterate person) to purchase her sewing machine. The woman had 10 living children, most of whom were males who had to have shirts, and undergarments all the time. That sewing machine changed her life. She also sewed for her daughter, her husband, and herself. } (Loved Morgan's cameo.) This is such an important essay. I am sure that you are aware of the female basis that formed computer program and the math of NASA.

It's my favourite thing when Morgan or Nicole turn up in random videos. Just so nonchalant, just there doing their thing while the chaos rages around.

A twin story of Women in computing. Women dominated computing right up into the 1970s... And then we're pushed out once it was released oh hey this isn't just repetitive work, you can make money and power with these machines.

And this is yet another reason why I started making my own clothes. Retail, mainstream fashion for women is made by men, for men. My standard example is how many "business" blouses require a safety pin to make them suitable for an office, because the neckline is too damned low. ETA: regarding the whole home sewing thing -- I have a great-aunt who ran a dressmaking shops. So we started shop sewing and moved to home sewing later. Abby, as always, your analysis and presentation is spot-on!

Omg I was so triggered by : "running a house and raising kids isn't a full time job" thank you for saying it like that 🙏 I just lost my daycare service and some people DARE say : "but you work from home can't you just do it with your kid there?" 😡 I meeeeean 🤯

What's so infuriating is that it's not for lack of a female or femme talent pool. The industry is absolutely dominated by women. The same is true for the makeup industry. The same is true for the medical field too. (Though much greater strides are being made there, there aren't enough women managing hospitals & running medical teams. A female surgeon general would be pretty amazing too.) Meanwhile, other industries with women making up 30% or less of the workforce see representation in mid-level management & C-suite executives at rates mirroring or higher than their overall participation. It's certainly not that women can't do the job... it's that they're not even being given the chance to do it in industries commonly considered to be "female domain" & yet... in the industries dominated by men... they more often than not, have leadership roles.

I think the only way to fix this issue is to stop purchasing from companies that do stuff like this, and start purchasing from places that treat women with respect.

Another problematic thing is that Kering (formerly Pinault-Printemps-La Redoute) made an estimated 4 574.2 million in 2020 and they also own Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Boucheron, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Puma, Brioni, Girard-Perregaux , JeanRichard, Qeelin, Pomellato, Dodo, Ulysse Nardin, Lindberg, Maui Jim, Creed and Valentino (that's just the luxury fashion brands). François Pinault is the 3rd fortune in France. He has admitted to Kering practicing tax evasion (stashing his cash in Switzerland). He also owns many major media outlets in France, as well as investing in football clubs. And obviously, delocalizing jobs to developing countries. Buy local, make your own, reuse and recycle. Don't feed the transnationals.

I do not believe for a minute that those are all different dudes. Just one guy with varying facial hair.

‘These are all different people’ literally sent me bc I can not tell them apart 😂

As someone from Louisville, KY, I was delighted by the map at 16:44. It's also worth noting that Louisville had a thriving free Black community before the Civil War, which makes me wonder how many of those businesses were Black-owned. Fascinating!

You hit it out of the ballpark with this one. It makes me angry how disrespected fashion is, and at the same time it makes millions, as long as the one making the millions are men.

Love your passion and watching Morgan just do her thing while you educate us

Your question on whether any men's garments are draped got me wondering. When I took draping in college, we draped on "female" mannequins. I just looked in my textbook to see if there are any "male" garments. Even pants are shown on a "feminine" figure. There is no reason you can't drape men's clothes.

I always saw being able to sew yourself as empowering, and even though I'm very aware of women/mothers (and daughters to some extent) having to do unpaid labour at home, i never put them together like that. I kinda assumed home-sewing came from craftiness or ways of saving money. But then again, since sewing was/is labeled as a skill for fems, I'm not surprised there was even more patriarchy and capitalism below the surface. I love your videos that combine fashion history and ethics. They're all so well done and thought out❤

In a lot of industries that have just grown too big and greedy, there is a sort of renaissance of the small maker coming back (smaller farms, apprenticed jobs, cottage crafts, etc. pop to mind...I know there's more). Let's hope that the mantua makers reinvent themselves and start smaller houses that they can keep control of.

The idea that the patriarchy has always existed as it exists now is to make us believe it will also continue on, stable and unchangeable forever.

As a busy professional and wife, I consider it a luxury when I have the time and energy to make my own garments. Even relatively simple pieces take considerable thought and effort so that they turn out well-made and well-fitted. It's disappointing that women working in the fashion industry are not better represented, credited, or paid for doing what most people don't even know how to do in modern society. And don't get me started on the mass-production sweatshops that take advantage of workers and fuel the piles of discarded clothing in landfills.

I used to think "wide crinolins, super unpractical, must be to please men." I have since learned that wide crinolins can be unwhieldy... but they also keep people away from you. it's literally about taking up/claming space. same for corsets. I thought they must be so restricting and all that. but they are just some armour you wear underneath and a solid base structure to literally build your outfit on. I mean... a corset fortified waist is some kind of.. tool belt you can just strap lots of usefull things to (skirts to keep you warm, pockets). you couldn't do that with your bare body. that would hurt... weird, puffy, big, fishbone fortified sleeves?.. keep men from touching your arm. ok. looking at it this way round there are some patriachaichal reasons for why the women made their clothes the way they did. but not all of them. and not in the way one would originally think.' I've learned a lot so far. I expect to learn even more in the future.

NICE. Yes! There's also something to be said about the designer vs. fabricator dichotomy, where you have the male designer or creative director overseeing predominately femme workrooms using materials produced from predominately femme shops. It's why I started looking less at who is the costume designer of a piece of media and more at who was working under them. (And thanks to social media some of these shops are getting more kudos for their skill.)

Oooh! A rogue Morgan in the skit! Also, thank you for covering Elizabeth Keckley's story. She should be better known, definitely. I also want to copy the purple velvet transformation gown that she made for Mary Todd Lincoln some day ...

Laudanum and Chaos sounds like an awesome history book!

The “Im Just Ken” song break made me ugly cackle so loud I scared my dogs 😂 thank you for that. In general, Im loving the sober/drunk history scenes. Please carry on lol

I'm so happy you made this video! The rise of fashion/history youtubers has had me wondering how it is that fashion was previously dominated by women, but now men are the heads of many big-name brands.

I’m an alterations seamstress. I work in a dry cleaners in a wealthy town. This video honestly made me look at my own work differently, because the anonymity of women absolutely hasn’t gone away. I know the brand on the label but I have no idea who made the clothes I work on, and most of my customers don’t know my name either. And then too there’s the aspect that plenty of my customers are coming in not just for minor fit issues but because they have their own vision of how they basically want me to re-design a garment. I doubt those women are even thinking about giving themselves or me credit for contributing to the design of the finished piece, only the original designer who is probably a man.

I've been looking forward to you doing a deep dive into Mantua making since you mentioned it in one of your videos! I was definitely guilty of thinking that making fashionable clothes was always the purview of men. The fact that women’s role in dressmaking has been largely glossed over has no doubt lead to greater acceptance and expection of men having the top jobs in fashion now. You are rocking that 80’s look with that lipstick and shirt btw!

It's interesting how most industries that are predominantly run by women and consumed by women are looked down upon and considered more or less ridiculous and silly. Romance novels come to mind. Now, don't get me wrong, romance (especially het romance) does have its problems, but the way it's generally reviled by non-romance readers has very little to do with those problems and very much to do with it being a feminine pursuit.

I teach mostly women to knit sweaters to the body. It's basically draping but with yarn and knitting needles.

I'm from the generation of women who made their own clothes. Now even that has been taken from us. Even if you have the skills, and many (most?) young women don't, the cost of fabric makes it an expensive exercise. We're reduced to wearing mass made, synthetic crap, made by underpaid labour. Fantastic video, thank you.

Fascinating. I knew some of the story of mantua makers but not to this detail. I particularly enjoyed your vitriol towards making clothing at home. I make some of my own clothing for...well reason, but it is not because I enjoy sewing. In fact, when I embarked on wanting to have clothes made specifically for me, I called and visited so many people. I could only find someone to make me a corset, someone to make me a wedding dress(no other clothes, only a wedding dress), or the shop would tailor something I already owned. No one would just sew me a dress or a blouse or a skirt. I would prefer to have a skilled individual make my clothing as I'm not that skilled and don't have that much time. Currently, this year, I have made one skirt and am far too proud of myself for the accomplishment. I have not been able to find a local mantua maker, something that would make my life much better. So, as I said, I appreciate the vitriol.

If anyone would like more info on Elizabeth Keckly, the podcast The History Chicks, has an excellent, if older, episode on her. The Exploress talks about her in her first season about women, and women's roles, in the Civil War. She was so incredible and did so much for her community in Washington, DC.

That 80s look! 🤩 And it is beginning to make more sense: That was last time women said "whatever", and just wore the wierdest sh!t. Brb, am going to knit an oversized, abstractly patterned sweater, and I am going to add shoulder pads.

...and that, folks, is how you finesse the presentation of nuanced history, contextualisation of current events, and provide an accessible, affirmative, educational experience. you are a big inspiration for me in how to do education. also this topic was so damn important just in and of itself. this is a video I truly wish I had access to 5-20 years ago when I was teaching history. I needed this. you do superb work and it makes me glad inside

9:02 That misogyny non-hair flip followed by the full fan slow-mo Blue Steel was devastating. My gay heart may never recover Abby, you'll always be Ken Ten to me! 🤣 As for draping in men's fashions, not in most western fashion that I know of.There are ethnic styles of dress that use draping today, though the tradition of masculine draping was almost killed in many places by the British colonizers who stigmatized the technique as being "too feminine". I recently read some articles about how in India there's a bit of a resurgence in wearing traditional draped men's clothing like the dhoti (a long rectangular cloth wrapped and folded and then brought up through the legs to make a pair of trousers) but with the modern convenience of being pre-stitched so they're always perfectly draped. The kurta (a long tunic) is also getting a drapey makeover with modern influencers showcasing kurta with dramatic asymmetrical draping in various styles that looks amazing.

I would also say that the ways in which male milliners and mantua-makers were criticized in the late 18th and early 19th centuries very much speaks to how the patriarchy functioned. I such a social model did not function for all men, as any aspect of femininity was mocked. The largest detriment was of course to women, but even men suffered from the system, for those who were seen to transgress their sex through interest in what women reclaimed as a feminine domain experienced censure for being “effeminate”

I was already gonna tell you how much I enjoy you Drunk History style of reenactments.... and then you brought the Kenergy. 🧑🏻‍🍳💋

This was wonderfully emotional and moving. I love these types of videos. Also, I love Morgan's quiet cameo. The solidarity is present.

Many years (40+) ago I found a seamstress who excelled at tailoring. Since I was around 5' tall & a bit hippy, buying suits off the rack was impossible. I still remember the feeling of slipping on a tailor made suit and the disbelief of how well it fit! She was my go to until poor health forced her to retire.

Loved this deep dive, thank you!! ❤ And I rather enjoy the recent trend of having friends next to you, working away, while you film as if they're not there 😏

Thanks, this was super informative (and sad - this thing about men taking away things from women when they get successful repeats across many different things, including sports, and it’s awful). I got a chicken or the egg question: it seems that men working in leadership in women’s fashion coincided with men’s fashion becoming more uniform and boring. Did men move into women’s fashion because men’s fashion had become less ornate and labor-intensive, and so less lucrative? Or did men abandon men’s fashion for women’s fashion, leaving men’s fashion to languish?

Admittedly, I knew nothing about fashion houses, even though I knew a lot more about the historic dressmaking trade. This was interesting for someone who deliberately avoids knowledge about modern fashion as it gives me perspective on so many of the things I've had to correct that people misunderstand about historic dress. I kind of understand why now. Also, that note at the end, that the clothes in our closets and the clothing that we have on right now are all made by people... never been so happy for a reminder of how many of those garments have been made by me, so thank you.

man what a fantastic video. thank you as well for featuring women's fashion houses. never heard of so many of them, and now i'm looking up all of their designs! you and the historical costuming community were a huge reason i got into sewing to begin with, and now i'm so excited to take some inspiration from these wonderful creative women

Men also dominate Women’s medicine(the money making part) I sometimes feel that the female world is going backwards. But I cheer on the Women making patterns, sewing clothing, opening up their online shops, selling their products and designs; and Historians like you Abby👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

Dear Abby, thank you so much for this educational video! You explained the topic in such an understandable way and I was able to learn a lot. The thought of "women-making-clothes-for-women" made me incredibly proud and it breaks my heart after your conclusion about today's haute couture brands. I am always amazed at how little we understand in everyday life when there is no context or overview and with your video you have definitely filled that gap.

Girl, I got chills when you were talking about Lizzy Keckley! What a badass!

You slayed this topic. Thanks for the context. Thanks for the snark and humour.humor. And thanks for the Morgan Donner cameo❤

I like that your citations are on screen, I think the text is a little small. but I do watch on a small cell phone so that could just be a "me" problem. Love your content ❤ I learned a lot here to do, always do. You're doing great work here!

Finally someone willing to call our Alexander McQueen! They’ve had some great designs but the culture of the company and their backstory really gives me pause to not celebrate it.

Also yes! Why all the focus on Chanel when there were so many amazing female designers contemporary to her? It's so boring and problematic *cough cough V&A

This is a damn inspirational video. You blew my mind about the beginning of home-sewing patterns

I love how you bring some fun into your videos, even when it's a very serious subject. Was also lovely to see a cameo from Morgan!

This video is amazing. Thank you Abby! I have been sewing since I was 8 years old. I often wish it was my career. I worked for a few years in some museums and loved caring for historical garments. When doing research it was amazing to learn the number of women working as dressmakers, seamstresses and milliners even in the small towns I lived in. I never really fully understood how that transitioned into the devalued "free work" that is is today. Thank you for walking me through this portion of the history of women's fashion.

1. Great job teaching fashion history 2. I, too, loved the Morgan cameo 3. Your historical personae are a stitch (pun sorta intentional) 4. Your "just you" narrator look has matured beautifully -- your hair, makeup, and color choices suit you so well. You're looking very ... at home in yourself it's the best way I can describe how I feel about this. I'm happy to see you looking so well.

Thank you two, and who ever else was behind the scenes

Thank you Abby for your passion and for teaching us. You are an inspiration!

What you said at 1:43 is the same issue as with cooking. If it's household, everyday or larger-crowds cooking, it's for the women and deemed of no interest and mostly lame. If it's high cuisine, it's a matter for the men only, women have no place in the kitchen as chefs. And you see the same in medecine. Caring for the sick, dressing their wounds and lowering their fevers ? Women's job. Conducting surgeries ? Men's club. If it involves any kind of prestige, money, or authority, they jump on it and hurry to exclude women.

Loved it! As soon as I saw the thumbnail I said to myself, "I know this is going to be good." Thank you so much!

Love your long videos! But the amount of time and work! Thank you so much for all you do…. We all appreciate it ❤️

ABBY THIS IS SO GOOD OMG. Also, huge shout-out to anyone involved with the editing & video production /design. 11/10. No notes.

These fashion history video essays absolutely S L A P! ❤ Every topic is addressed thoroughly with context in mind, and the reenactment scenes are hilarious!

I can't believe you did that in 29 minutes! A tour de force. I would love to see a longer series on the subject. Great work. Thanks.

Absolutely lovely video as always. I deeply appreciate the look into the topic of how patriarchy and women's fashion have interacted with each other. (Also had a good laugh once I realized the two of you were just chilling atop the table. Great vibes.)

It was sad that McQueen died so young, I would have hoped to see him mature as an artist, but let's face it, the dude was a serious edgelord. It's not surprising that the fashion house he founded doesn't really welcome women. They have an image to keep up with.

This is such a great video! I wanted to add that it made me think about the value of many of fashion's recent female muses, who were never paid or were paid pittances in comparison to their "professional" male counterparts. Reading Dana Thomas's "Gods and Kings," she talks about the outsized value of Amanda Harlech to John Galliano's early collections. Harlech left Galliano creatively when he balked at paying her a fair wage. All of the second in command women out there are just not getting the same upward mobility afforded to men, and it sucks to see!

Thank you so much for this video…for so many reasons! I connect with the mantua maker so much more than the tailor, always and I bought a shirt with Elizabeth Beckly on it in Philly last year without knowing her full story…& now i do. Thank you!

I absolutely love how passionate you are about this. Very inspiring and informative. Hugs

Really interesting stuff. I so wish you could produce full-length documentaries about fashion history.

Best random click i ever did in my life great video abby

Really needed to watch it. Abby Cox video today. Found out this morning that my brother passed away yesterday so needed something to lift my spirits. Thanks for doing everything you do I

Abby, your content creativity is really a cut above. It’s so apparent in this video how much time, education, and care you use. Thanks for speaking on this topic!

Why I only buy second hand. I can't stomach supporting these houses.

Abby, did you ever see the early 90's TV series, The House Of Elliot? It is a fictional account of two sisters in 1920's London who start a dressmaking business and eventually their own haute couture fashion house. I saw it when I was a child and loved the series.

This was great! I laughed, A LOT! Loved seeing Morgan Donner here; it is wonderful to see female RU-vidrs support one another. Love to you, Abby, and to Morgan. Mwaa!

Bravo! Thank you for your passion and research. I had this idea a couple days ago of creating an apprenticeship for knitters and crocheters. And then putting them into business to hand make knitted/crocheted items like fancy sweaters. It’s nearly impossible to find hand made knits and I thought it would be so cool to educate and employ ladies this way. Your video showed up just now. Looks like that idea was taken hundreds of years ago. Wish it would come back!

One thing that I think illustrates your whole video well. In French, couturier is the male form of couturière, a seamstress/dressmaker.

Its shit like this that makes me pissed when I see people ranting about how "women are supposed to be homemakers" (yes, I still see this shockingly often). Women. Have. Always. Worked. Sure, a disproportionate amount of that was house work, but that was still a full time job (full time in the historical conception where you would be literally working sun-up to sun-down, not an 8 hour work shift). The reason housework doesn't seem like such a big deal these days (IE doesn't seem like labor) is because we've made such great advancements in technology and shipped a lot of that labor onto others. Why is it "free" to make a sandwich at home but like $10 to get a high school student to make a sandwich for you? Why is the high school student being compensated for their time, but I'm not? Why is what they do viewed as a job and what I do is just taken for granted? Feminism hasn't "pushed women into the work force", like some people claim, rather it has given women a lot more freedom in _where_ we work and enabled us to actually _own_ the fruits of our labor. And, as pointed out, there is still a _lot_ of work to do.

I really like how you deliver information. It’s engaging and clear. I can really tell you’re passionate about it and that’s contagious ☺️

Love these deep dives, thank you for educating us. And by the way, you look absolutely gorgeous today - love these colors on you!