Autumn’s Over

The leaves haven’t finished falling yet, but tonight autumn’s over. It’s been cold for a while, and I’ve been holding off doing the seasonal wardrobe shift, but I can no longer put off the inevitable. It’s time to put summer in storage and haul out the winter woollies.

But don’t think I’m too disappointed. There is far more opportunity to play with fashion in winter: all those lovely layers to peel off one by one – a bit like the dance of the seven veils, only not (it’s far too chilly for those kinds of shenanigans) – each time revealing a new piece of fashionable deliciousness.

It’s time to put summer in storage and haul out the winter woollies.

Coats, hats, scarves and gloves; warm belted cardis, woollen tweeds and fine merino knits – what cosy fun there is to be had.

This winter I am looking to add some fingerless gloves to my sartorial arsenal. Try these on for size:

Etsy stores (from left): Charmed I'm Sure; Pure And Cosy; J Rose Atelier; PerknitiousAs for autumn, I’m honouring it with this vintage hat, covered with feathers in harvest hues and topped with an iridescent green pompom. A fitting autumnal adieu.

SUI: Shopping Under the Influence

I rarely make grave errors in judgement when shopping these days. I am certain enough of my own style that I do not purchase things that are destined to hang on a rail, or languish in a box in my closet.

However, on one occasion I did make a mistake – so ludicrous as to be humorous – while shopping sleep deprived and in a hurry. A double whammy.

One early evening with some time to kill, I wandered into a ‘designer’ warehouse sale shop, and pounced on a pair of patent sandals in cherry red (a colour always sure to attract my attention). They literally glittered! They also were flat(ish), a rarity for me. I tried them on. They fit, and they were cute… but what was that unpleasant chemical smell?

…they were cute… but what was that unpleasant chemical smell?

I flipped them over and stared owlishly at the perfectly legible maker’s hieroglyphics for quite a long time, trying to decipher their meaning. A diamond meant leather, right?

Relegating the horrible stench as a mere bagatelle, I paid $30 for them and trotted off to meet a friend at a bar.

The next day I wondered why that awful reek from the night before was still lingering in my closet. It didn't take long to track it down to my new shoes. When I turned them over, of course I discovered they were not leather at all.

I aired them for days, to no avail – they stink to this day. I did wear them quite a few times however, and received many compliments on my gorgeous Dorothy shoes. (I always said ‘thank you’ politely and abstained from apologising for their unwholesome odour.)

And I only wore them a few times because the cheap PU (peee-ewww!) shoes broke: one of the heel tips went AWOL. Now, not only am I reluctant to flush good money after bad, but I am too embarrassed to take the stinky things to a cobbler for repairs!

Changes Afoot…

Psst! – a little bird told me there are changes afoot at
So Not A Princess!

One day soon you’ll open the pages of this journal and something will have changed. (Just a tiny little bit.)

The home page will look a little different, and you’ll have to click through to this journal. On the flip side, there will be Princess Tatiana’s studio, with her portfolio in galleries and everything.

That’s it. Nothing to alarm you. Same fashion tidbits and dainty trifles in the journal as per usual.

Right. As you were.

(It’s Sunday night – shouldn’t you be in bed?

Tenuous Threads

The NGV International’s current fashion exhibition is called ‘Drape: Classical Mode to Contemporary Dress’, and features clothing based on two styles of draping of fabric on the body: clinging and elevated.

The former – seemingly a far more natural and uncontrived method of fashioning cloth – is based on the classical garments of ancient civilisations. There is a ‘direct interaction between the body and cloth’ the NGV’s writer declares. Is this merely the result of ancient clothiers’ practicality?

Perhaps also in antiquity, these garments with their swathes of billowing fabric were far less revealing than modern examples of 20th century couturiers’, such as Ungaro’s silk jersey dress (below left) with its revealing cut-outs.

(Left) Emmanuel Ungaro, Dress 2003, silk jersey, silk chiffon, metal. (Right, from left) Jean Dessès, Evening Dress 1954, silk, bone, zip, metal, acetate; Dior, by Christian Dior, Ballgown 1953, silk, nylon, metal fasteners.‘Elevated drape’ is far more akin to sculpture: fabric whipped into a frenzy – like Kawakubo’s black meringue, forever frozen into stillness behind the glass (below left). It is supported by tulle. Other antique garments achieved their volume through draping cloth cunningly over rather more architectural constructs: crinolines or bustles.

(Left) Comme de Garçons, by Rei Kawakubo, Dress Spring/Summer 1997, cotton, polyester, nylon tulle. (Right) Dior, by Marc Bohan, Evening Outfit (tunic and trousers with cummerbund), Autumn/Winter 1977, viscose jersey.

‘Elevated drape’ is far more akin to sculpture: fabric whipped into
a frenzy…

My favourite garment in the exhibition – Paco Rabanne’s golden column (foreground, below) – harks back to a time between the ancient and modern worlds: to the Middle Ages, and Joan of Arc’s chain mail. Rabanne’s evocation is far more like liquid poetry than the harsh prose of Joan’s reality.

(Left) Paco Rabanne, Evening Dress c. 1973, aluminium, silk. (Right) Versace, by Gianni Versace, Evening Dress Autumn/Winter 1994, metal mesh, leather, lurex velvet; printed.It’s a rather tenuous premise on which to base an exhibition (almost as slender a thread as my comparison of Rabanne with Joan); notably the pieces are drawn predominantly from the NGV’s collection. But who has not thought fashion a rather frivolous pursuit at one time or another? It is still a very enjoyable exhibition to view.

The exhibition runs until 27 June, 2010.

Rococo Romance

‘The Swing’ by Jean Honoré Fragonard is an image I have loved for as long as I can remember. Probably when I saw it first I had no idea of the full connotations implicit in the image; I simply thought how joyous it was; full of such life and frivolity!

The young woman with her impossible yet beautiful skirts, flirting so innocently with her lovelorn admirer – was not so innocent after all, I realised when I was a little older and wiser.

I would love to do a dress-up in homage but don’t know where on earth I would find such an outfit (costume hire is forbidden on SNAP), or such an opulent location.

Well, I wrote that at lunchtime today, and tonight chanced upon this 1930s dress on Etsy. It would be perfect – if it would fit me; my waist is not quite that small
darn it.

But the painting also reminded me of a fashion shoot by Grant Matthews from Vogue Australia many years ago (Nov 1992). Here it is for you to enjoy. (Note the garden swing.)

(Click on images for larger version.)