Rosalind Jana is a writer based in London. She writes on fashion and culture for ‘Vogue’, Magnum Photos, ‘Prospect’, and the ‘Telegraph’

The Jewish designers who had success all sewn up

The Museum of London celebrates the designers who turned the capital into a fashion centre while also remembering the people who wore their clothes

27 Oct 2023

The outsize influence of the little black dress

The frock you can wear to everything has never gone out of style – but that hasn’t stopped designers trying to pull it off its pedestal

28 Jul 2023

When the wearing of white is a morally grey affair

The non-colour may convey notions of innocence and idealism, but it can also denote a darker side

23 Mar 2023
Angus McBean as Nepture (1939), Angus McBean. National Portrait Gallery, London.

Why are the British so fond of fancy dress?

Dressing up – at balls, fetes and simply for fun – has long provided Britons of all classes with a creative outlet

30 Aug 2022

When clothes really do make the man – ‘Fashioning Masculinities’ at the V&A, reviewed

Throughout the ages, and for better or worse, the clothes men have worn have been absolutely crucial, writes Rosalind Jana

28 Apr 2022
Thierry Mugler with Jerry Hall at his fashion show in March 1995 in Paris.

Fashion is in dire need of more of Thierry Mugler’s thrilling sense of drama

It was hard to be indifferent to the designer’s larger-than-life creations, which is exactly what he wanted

28 Jan 2022
Linda Evangelista wearing a ‘Watteau’ evening gown in Vivienne Westwood’s 1996 Spring/Summer ready-to-wear collection, shown in Paris, October 1995.

Vivienne Westwood’s rococo approach to fashion

The designer’s favourite museum is the Wallace Collection, so it’s no wonder her clothes are full of flourishes from Watteau, Boucher and Fragonard

14 Dec 2021
Jeff Koons’ ‘Bouquet of Tulips’ displayed next to the Grand Palais in Paris in 2019.

What we say when we say it with flowers

Artists and writers have always been fascinated by flowers – and we all like receiving them – but some floral arrangements are more sinister than others

7 Sep 2021
Wardrobe malfunction: statue of Princess Diana by Ian Rank-Broadley, unveiled in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace on 1 July 2021.

Diana was a fashion icon, so why is her statue in Kensington Gardens so badly dressed?

The disappointing bronze figure raises the difficult question of what a well-dressed statue should wear these days

6 Jul 2021
Barbara Hepworth in 1957.

Do artists dress to impress?

In ‘What Artists Wear’, Charlie Porter casts an eye over the wardrobe choices of everyone from Barbara Hepworth to Jean-Michel Basquiat

2 Jun 2021