Tickle Me Honeysuckle

Honeysuckle pink trapunto hat, no label. The Vintage Hat Series.

Pantone's Honeysuckle swatch. It's a very close match for my hat.Tan-tan-tara!* Behold, the Mighty Oracle Pantone speaks! Honeysuckle (18-2120 TCX) is 2011’s Colour of the Year!

‘Energizing Honeysuckle Lifts Spirits and Imparts Confidence to Meet Life’s Ongoing Challenges’ Pantone announces grandiosely on its press release.

Crikey, that’s a lot for the humble watermelon pink to live up to.

I’ve talked about pink before. Some people are afraid of it; some revile it; and yet others love it. I used to dislike it, deeming it too girly, until I discovered that it suits me. (Did you know between the 1920s and 30s, pink was used for baby boys, and pale blue for girls?) Pantone tells us that Honeysuckle is guaranteed to deliver a healthy glow to anyone who wears it. I’d like to qualify that bold statement by adding: only if it actually complements your complexion.

Whenever any authority makes uncompromising statements like this my natural contrariness makes me long to buck the trend. However, I must confess that presciently, I purchased this mad hat not three weeks ago, and long before I had any inkling of Pantone’s forecast. 

Honeysuckle pink trapunto hat, no label. The Vintage Hat Series.

After all, a honeysuckle by any other name is just as pink.

And isn’t it divine, with its tulip-bud tassels? It stands up just like that, all on its own. That type of stitching is called ‘trapunto’. The parallel rows give strength to sculpted fabric; Jeanne Lanvin used it extensively in her designs. I’m guessing this hat is a Sixties model, and it complements the pleated sleeves of the Veronika Maine top beautifully.

I guess this all means that stores will obediently flood the market with honeysuckle-coloured items. But what about us Australians? This is not a flower that is native to our shores, and it does not inspire ‘waves of nostalgia for its associated delicious scent reminiscent of the carefree days of spring and summer’. Watermelon does that though, so I am quite happy with that designation. After all, a honeysuckle by any other name is just as pink.

* Well, that’s how Enid Blyton announced the blare of trumpets!

Bathing Beauties

In the mid 18th century, Dr Charles Russel recommended the use of seawater for healing various diseases. Twenty odd years later William Buchan advocated the practice in his 1769 book Domestic Medicine. Suddenly it became fashionable to go to the beach.

But there was a hitch. Along with the healthful benefits, there existed the dreadful possibility of immoral behaviour. The solution? Bathing machines, segregated beaches, and voluminous costumes made from wool or silk taffeta preserved the modesty of the sexes. 

“Heartbreakers along the seashore’, 1898. Image from the Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-100442-1898.

Bathing costumes, 1910. Images from contentmentfarm.com

Two women in bathing costumes drying their hair, c.1925-1932. Image from the Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-106971.

Over the years, the bathing suit shrank – sleeves and bloomers becoming increasingly shorter – and by the 1920s with the popularity of all sporting pursuits, it was quite appropriate to wear sleeveless long tank tops belted over modesty shorts that stopped mid-thigh.

Today of course anything goes, and the only reason we might cover up is to prevent sunburn. But just think of the time and money (and pain!) we would have saved on all that depilatory paraphernalia!

Read a detailed history of Victorian bathing suits at Fashion 1900. For more fantastic images like this one below, look no further than Mack Sennett's Comedies Arcade Cards of the 1920s at Immortal Ephemera.

Fashion notes

I found my quaint navy ‘bathing’ dress in a charity shop, drawn to it by the quaint puff sleeves and skirts. It buttons down the front; is trimmed with white piping; and its brevity really does require modesty shorts. I first wore this dress on a beach weekend with friends in Ocean Grove, and preserved my feminine mystique by wearing black ‘pettishorts’.

The white shorts in the first image above are vintage 1950s, and were commonly worn by female tennis players, I was told by the elderly lady who sold them to me.

A beloved treasure of mine, the vintage paper parasol has been with me for years. It was in virtually pristine condition when I first bought it. It was I who accidentally – and lamentably – ripped a couple of holes in the paper. It is still, however, a perfect shade from the blasting Australian sun.

In With the New…

Happy New Year! The old year’s gone with a burst of fireworks, and the new year is brand spanking new, and chock full of all sorts of exciting possibilities.

The celebration of New Year’s Day is a very old tradition, going back to Babylonian times. But it was Julius Caesar who designated January 1 as the first day of the year, in 46 BC. The Romans dedicated the month of January to the god Janus, from whom it takes its name. God of gates and doors, beginnings, endings and time, two-faced Janus was able to see both into the past and the future. 

I for one however, am glad we mortals cannot: the slate is wiped clean, and the new year dawns full of promise. We can make new year’s resolutions and actually hope that we’ll fulfil them this time.

Speaking of which, I’m being haunted by a remnant of last year… in the form of the ironing basket. One of my resolutions must be to finally get on top of the ironing! Who knows, I might even discover some ‘new’ clothes…

Out With the Old…

Well, it’s officially the end of the Noughties, and the start… and the start of the Teensies (as I have dubbed them).

As New Year’s Eve is also sometimes referred to Old Year’s Day, I thought it would behove me to reflect on the year past. Nothing too deep and meaningful, let me hastily assure you, this is not that kind of journal. Merely, let us allow our thoughts to dwell momentarily on the delicious additions to my wardrobe this year…

To wit: a vintage 1940s saucy tilt hat in tomato red, embellished with galloons; a bold tangerine striped top by Veronika Maine; an awesome and dashing pair of over-the-knee boots in buff leather; and last but certainly not least, an irresistible pair of shorts in candy pink taffeta found in Kinki Gerlinki. (I resisted that purchase for all of 24 hours.)

These were certainly not all my serendipitous discoveries this year. I call them serendipitous because I happened upon them when I was not shopping at all. Those are the most delightful finds of all!

So before you drink in the New Year, do take a moment to salute the old. Chin-chin!

What I Actually Wore #0043

Serial #: 0043 
Date: 17/09/2010
Weather: 15°
Time Allowed: 5 minutes, easy as 1-2-3

It is fun to be working in an office somewhere, rather than from home, as it means I dress up a little more. The black wide-legged pants are wool, by a brand called Ming which I have never heard of before. They are comfy, and warm, with wool flannel on the front, gabardine on the back, and a pin-stripe trimming the waistband. I found them in an op-shop for $25, and they are in very good nick. A bargain, I say!

On rare occasions I stumble across some item of clothing – whether by pressing my nose against the glass, or flipping through a magazine – that makes my heart palpitate so much that I determine I must own the item, no matter the cost. This was the case with the striped top. (The over-the-knee boots, and the harem shorts were other such items.) This Veronika Maine top was a bargain only in the sense that I loved it fiercely from the instant I saw it, and have worn it many times.

I love the boldness of the wide orange and taupe stripes; the asymmetric draping of the neckline; the cap sleeves. I am very fond of stripes – they always make me think of summer for some reason. Normally I don’t wear colours with black, but the extraordinary width of these pants demanded an equally striking top with character enough to hold its own.

I chose the ponyhair high-heeled mary-janes because they were comfortable enough for the 25 minute walk to work, up hill and down dale through the Botanic Gardens. Silver jewellery adds a bright touch to relieve all that black fabric.

High-ho, it’s off to work I go! (Carrying my Wacom tablet with me rather than a pick-axe.)

Items:

Top: Veronika Maine
Pants: Ming
Earrings: from Palm Beads
Bracelet: from eBay
Ring: Autore
Watch: Kenneth Cole
Shoes: Diana Ferrari