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Debra Pugh is explicitly titled as a Fashion Designer for the cartoon, which I’m not sure has happened for any other animated series?

IMDB line credit for Debra Pugh as fashion designer for Jem and The Holograms

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Here are several examples of the looks she referenced in Jem. The breadth and depth of familiarity Debra Pugh had with fashion is astonishing. This barely scratches the surface. I wonder if we’ll ever see this level of dedication in a cartoon again. I truly believe this makes her one of the greats.

Side by side image of ad for North Beach Leather in American Vogue March 1985 issue featuring two models in purple: one in spaghetti strap ruched dress and the other in blazer and pants. Right is of main character Shana in the ruched dress with white blazer on top.

Side by side comparison of model in green North Beach Leather dress from American Vogue September 1986 featuring front zip, two side pocket zips, and upper zip. Right side shows Stormer in pink version of dress.

Side by side comparison of model with cartoon. Model wears a red sequin evening gown with beaded fringe and sequined epaulettes by Valentino from American Vogue October 1983. Comparison image shows Jem in floor length red evening gown and fringe epaulettes.

Side by side comparison of North Beach Leather as from American Vogue April 1985 showing two models in blue. One wearing mini dress with back turned, one wearing bustier and pants set with hat. Pizazz wears the bustier and pants set with added stole and red scarf tied around leg.

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For my final project, I focused on the main characters - Jem/Jerrica, Aja, Shana, Kimber, Pizzazz, Roxy, and Stormer - in the 1st season for 443 total unique costumes. Then I went through 4 years of American Vogue - January 1983 to January 1987 - for fashion references Debra Pugh would have used.

Individual American Vogue covers for the dates indicated in the post

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Jem is a fashion cartoon, and I believe its Costume Designer, Debra Pugh, deserves more credit for the thousands of costumes she designed over 3 seasons and 65 episodes, pulling extensively from fashion magazines, trade journals, and advertisements to tell characters’ stories through fashion.

24 individual and unique costumes from Jem and the Holograms in a variety of colors and silhouettes for the main characters.

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Cora Harrington @cora.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

Last semester, I had the opportunity to take a class on costume design in fantasy, sci-fi, and supernatural film and television. And for my final project, I chose to analyze the costumes in Jem and The Holograms! ✨

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My first academic article is live!! Published with Fashion Studies, “What is a ‘Worth’ Worth? Developing a Methodology of Historical to Modern Day Price Conversions for Dress” asks how we can better explain clothing prices in the past to people in the present. The approach explored is wage data.

Historical price conversions are a core area of concern and interest in costume studies. For fashion historians, curators, or reenactors, the question is: how does one explain the equivalent price of something worn in the past to someone in the present? I suggest a more quantitative understanding of historical prices will help researchers, professors, writers, and others better interpret the garments they examine, both within the field of costume studies as well as other disciplines such as literature, art studies, and sociology. The ambition of this paper is to showcase an alternative tool for fashion researchers to translate and explain historical fashion prices to a contemporary audience beyond simple Consumer Price Index tracking. The instrument this paper proposes is called Measuring Worth, which offers the possibility of wage tracking over time as another way to interpret historical prices.

Image 1: Purple silk velvet and satin court gown made by Charles Frederick Worth for Frances Fairchild, wife of Wisconsin Governor Lucius Fairchild.

Image 2: Black and white photographic portrait in front of painted backdrop of Frances (Bull) Fairchild (1845-1924), wife of Wisconsin Governor Lucius Fairchild, wearing a court gown designed by Charles Frederick Worth of Paris, France. Worn at the Spanish court of King Alfonso XII and Queen Teresa, Madrid, Spain, 1880.

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Cora Harrington @cora.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

Tonight’s opening reception dress! ✨✨✨

Cora stands to the side of a lettering that reads in cursive script “All That Glitters.” She wears a black sequined, just below the knee dress, with large gold bugle bead bow. The dress has sleeves to the elbows. Her hair is down and she’s wearing large crystal earrings.

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Cora Harrington @cora.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

I can’t believe a museum exhibition I wrote for is opening in a couple of weeks! ✨✨✨ www.fitnyc.edu/museum/exhib...

Rectangular image featuring large size text “All That Glitters…” in elegant cursive script with February 26-March 25, 2025 in smaller type beneath it. To left of text is image of dressed mannequin wearing white cheongsam with large gold sequin flowers and curves.

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Cora Harrington @cora.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

One thing about Kerry Taylor, she’s going to set a record. This French embroidered linen 'Merveilleuse' gown c. 1796-1800 just sold for £297,600. #fashionhistory www.kerrytaylorauctions.com/auction/lot/...

White linen embroidered gown, sleeveless with low narrow empire bodice with drawstring, narrow inner panels, inner lacing to centre front, gathered back and long train, embroidered in chain stitch with floral sprigs overall, bust 72cm, 28in; together with a fine Dakha stole/veil of the finest plain Indian muslin; and a plain scarlet pashmina long shawl (3)

No other dress in this collection better encapsulates the erotic nakedness that became popular in France in the late 1790s following the French Revolution.

After the French Revolution, the Merveilleuses, female members of the fashionable upper class, popularized these 'chemise' style gowns. By the late 1790s, a craze for sheer, low-cut, and high-waisted white gowns had swept through Paris.

Similar diaphanous, high-bodiced sleeveless dresses can be seen in various contemporary portraits and works of art, such as Jacques-Louis David's 1799 portrait of Henriette de Verniac, and Louis-Léopold Boilly's 1797 print 'Point de Convention'.

Dresses of this highly revealing nature were popular for the brief 'Directory' period in French history between the French Revolution, the Consulate and the eventual rise of Napoleon. This style and the women who dressed themselves in sheer 'naked' dresses were mocked, which can be seen in countless satirical prints from the period.

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Cora Harrington @cora.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

Completely enamored with this late 19th century court dress fusing Japanese textiles with European silhouettes. virtualcourtdress.glassey.co.nz

Photo is of late 19th century European court dress featuring red bodice embroidered with purple, gold, and white flowers, white underskirt embroidered with purple, white and gold flowers, and red velvet train embroidered with purple, white, and gold flowers.

The velvet fabric of the bodice and train and the satin fabric of the skirt are probably domestically produced, while the chrysanthemum pattern is Japanese embroidery. This taireifuku was donated to the Costume Museum by the grandson of Emperor Meiji.

About Taireifuku

Taireifuku is the most formal of the court costumes, and was mainly worn for New Year's greetings. Shōken Kōtaigō, Empress at that time, first wore a Western-style formal dress on the New Year’s greetings of January 1st, 1887. The Empress's formal attire was originally ordered from Berlin and Paris, but from the perspective of promoting Japan’s local industry, the Empress was encouraged to use domestically produced materials.The fabric was woven in Kyoto, while the sewing was done at the court following specific court rules.The design was adjusted for the Empress by a high court lady who could understand foreign languages, based on a design book ordered from overseas.

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Cora Harrington @cora.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

Black History Fashion Fact on the first day of Black History Month: Thomas Jennings was the first African American to win a patent, which he received in 1821 for the invention of “dry scouring” otherwise known as dry cleaning. Newspaper photo from March 13, 1821 New York Gazette.

Photograph of American inventor and abolitionist Thomas L Jennings, taken first half of 19th century. Jennings is a thin Black man in an informal 3 piece suit.

LETTERS PATENT
Being granted under the GREAT SEAL
OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA UNTIL THOMAS LJ ENDINGS, TAl-lor, 61 Masau Street, New-York, for his Invention of Dry Scouring Clothes, ond Woollen Fabrics in general, so that they keep their original shape, and have the polish and apppearance of new, inform the public that he is ready to execute all Orders enrusted to him in the above line,
on reasonable terms, He
also Alters and Repairs Gentlemen's Clothes in the neatest manner, being regularly brought up to the T'ailor's business, aud practing in this city the last 11 years.
He aiso removes
slains from Cloth.
N.B. Directions will be given how Clothes may be kept in the condition they are delivered.
Gentlemen's Clothes purchased-Mi-
litary Clothes and Accoutrernents soll on
Commission, on moderate terms.
m8 ]w

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Cora Harrington @cora.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

One of my favorite things about FIT is how you can just open a random box in the lab and there’s an 18th century robe a la francaise chilling for research and practice purposes

Photo of a silk robe a la francaise. Dress is flat, but not fully extended. Features spangled embroidery and floral embroidery throughout and ruffled, elbows length sleeves

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Cora Harrington @cora.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

Picking up my two beautiful children from daycare (costume mounting lab)

Photo is of two miniature “female form” mannequins, one covered in white knit cloth and the other covered in black knit cloth, side by side

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Cora Harrington @cora.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

Regret to inform myself that I’ve added yet another out of print book to my wishlist

Cover of Costumes and Textiles of Royal India by Ritu Kumar. There is a photograph of small child in decorated attire and jewels to the right, and a wide border of printed fabric to the left. Color is black and white tones,.

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Cora Harrington @cora.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

Been living in my Kilo Brava moth onesie lately. Keeps me warm and covered, but thin enough I don’t overheat. Love when a purchase turns out so well.

Photo is of model with dark straight hair posed in front of navy painted wall. Model wears a long sleeve and long leg onesie with an all-over, multicolor print of large moths.

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Cora Harrington @cora.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

I think about this mermaid editorial for W Magazine by Tim Walker featuring Kristen McMenamy at least once a week. www.wmagazine.com/gallery/tim-...

Lanky blonde woman with damp, long hair sitting in bath tub wearing dark gray sequined dress and dark gray mermaid tail. The ends of her tail fin are on the red brick floor and a bar of soap is near them.

Tall blonde woman on dilapidated bed with wet hair wearing spangled dress and body chains. She has a dark gray/blue mermaid tail. There is an old-fashioned diver’s helmet next to her.

Blonde mermaid in tank full of dull green water in front of mansion. Her arms are outstretched and her mouth is open. She wears a long sleeved black dress billowing around a silver tail.

A long blonde mermaid sitting in a tree like a throne. Her hair and white dress are damp. The ends of her dark blue-gray tail almost touch the ground. The tree has flowers at the base.

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Cora Harrington @cora.bsky.social · 15/11/2024

Some of you may know that I’m in graduate school at the Fashion Institute of Technology’s MA Program in Fashion & Textile Studies. Well…every year, 2nd year students put on a real exhibition in the museum, and the theme for ours was just announced! All That Glitters… coming February 2025! ✨✨✨

Screenshot from fitnyc.edu

Top of screenshot is detail image of Paco Rabanne wedding dress made of plastic tiles joined together with metal rings. Tiles are glitter, pearlescent, and opaque white.

Text: FIT's School of Graduate Studies, in collaboration with The Museum at FIT, presents All That Glitters..., a new exhibition conceived and organized by graduate students in FIT's MA Fashion and Textiles Studies program. All that glitters is not always gold -it can be any medium that catches the light, shines, and reflects. The post-World War II era saw a blossoming of new textiles and technologies that changed the relationship between fashion materials and light. All That Glitters... explores surfaces that shine, focusing on themes of material production, social and financial values, and conservation.
It examines not only the bright side of these materials, but also their darker side-including their environmental impact and their use in protests, such as "glitter bombing."

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Cora Harrington @cora.bsky.social · 12/11/2024

Doing research for school and this excerpt from a 2002 interview with Paco Rabanne is incredible. Absolute mad lad stuff. #fashion www.nytimes.com/2002/03/10/m...

R.A.: So you remember your past lives?
P.R.: Three thousand years ago, I was the oldest Egyptian priest during the time of Amenophist III and IV. I taught religion to Amenophist IV, who later changed his name to Akenaton. When Akenaton was killed by the priests of Thebes, I killed his half-brother, the young prince
Tutankhamen. When I was in architecture school there were all these Egyptologists.
The most famous is Clement Robuchon.
When I told this story to the architects and specialists, everyone laughed. They explained that Tutankhamen wasn't murdered but rather he had died of natural causes. I replied that no, I had in fact killed him by breaking his neck. The only one who believed me was Clement. Fifteen years ago American Egyptologists exhumed the mummy of Tutankhamen, and they discovered that he had a broken neck.
L.E.: No way!
P.R.: The Egyptologists asked in disbelief,
"How did you know?" and I replied, "Easy, I'm the one who killed him."

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As a fashion historian, garments and techniques like this inspire mixed emotions in me. On the one hand, these textiles are clearly egregious display of wealth. On the other, garments like this kept France's artisan weavers alive. And that same tension is present in modern day couture.

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However, the technique appears even earlier. For example, this 18th century waistcoat, which would have been embroidered before cutting is à la disposition as is this dress from the mid-19th century where the motif is the same, but the pattern repeat changes between tiers.

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If you’re into antique fashion, you've probably seen this technique on garments from the House of Worth as he was known for working directly with fabric mills to produce exactly what he wanted and his gowns are exceedingly famous.

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Here is an example of how an uncut dress à la disposition would have looked compared to a sketch of the final garment. As you can see, the placement of the embroidery and the embellishments mean these are not interchangeable pieces.

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Said another way, rather than having a single bolt of cloth from which multiple dresses can be cut, each segment of à la disposition fabric coordinates to a particular region of the gown. This was a very popular technique in the late 19th century.

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Cora Harrington @cora.bsky.social · 28/05/2024

Today is a good day to share one of my favorite fashion terms: à la disposition. A la disposition means the fabric was woven, printed, or embellished to be cut in a specific way for a specific garment.

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Desperate to know how much these pearl hand embroidered laces from Sophie Hallette are 😩

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I just hope one day that I get to see it in person. www.palaisgalliera.paris.fr/en/work/tea-...

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A fabric with an enormous pattern repeat would have been made specifically for Worth and perhaps woven à la disposition, with the dimensions of the final garment in mind, a popular technique for the House of Worth, and famously seen on the butterfly dress

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The pattern is reminiscent of Italian Renaissance textiles of the late 15th to mid 16th century, and is a vegetal type inspired by what were called pomegranate, artichoke, or pinecone motifs.

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The dress and fabric were designed by Jean-Phillippe Worth, son of the famous Charles Frederick Worth. This type of fabric is called a cisele velvet, or cut velvet. The silk velvet pile - the plush part - is blue, while the backing fabric - or ground - is green silk satin.

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In addition to a looser silhouette, you can also identify tea gowns by their “all in one” construction rather than a separate skirt and bodice. The high neckline and heavier fabrics identify this as a gown that would been worn late in the day.

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Later Post says, "One would wear a tea-gown in one's own house in receiving a guest to whose house one would wear a dinner dress.” And, as “your tea-gowns, since they are never worn in public, can literally be as bizarre as you please…”

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Etiquette author Emily Post talks about tea gowns, calling them "a hybrid between a wrapper and a ball dress...made of rather gorgeous materials." And says they're “apt to be more elaborate and gorgeous... than half of the garments that masquerade these days as evening dresses!”

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While this might look like the kind of evening dress that would be worn to the fanciest of balls, it was actually a type of house dress or robe d’intérieur appropriate for company and receiving visitors. Tea gowns were a favored garment of Gilded Age ladies.

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Countess Greffulhe herself was more or less a typical French socialite. Fabulously wealthy, a great beauty of her day, patron of the arts, etc etc. However, where she truly stood apart was in her dress. Her fashion sense was astonishing, even among her contemporaries.

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