What I Actually Wore #0064

Serial #: 0064
Date: 24/03/2012
Weather: forecast 19°
Time Allowed: 20 minutes

Oh, I had such fun putting this outfit together! I bought the dress on sale at Myer department store months earlier. I knew I had the family wedding in March, but thought the dress probably was not suitable with the weather likely being cool, particularly by the ocean in Sorrento.

I was in the mood to shop though, and even more in the mood to buy, especially such a 50s confection as this splashy print taffeta dress (is that a touch of puce I see there?), with its puffy skirt and big exuberant bow at the back of the neck. You can’t quite see it in the pictures, but it has an exposed giant zip with copper teeth – I really like that modern detail.

With such a 50s silhouette, I knew I had to wear my hair in a beehive, although on the day we were in such a rush to get changed after lunch. My sisters and I had hired a house for the weekend, and had enjoyed an indulgent lunch in the seaside town before the afternoon wedding.

I whipped my hair into a frenzy, threw the dress over my head, and very c a r e f u l l y pulled on a pair of 12 denier stockings (it being a cool day after all). I had made sure to file my nails to prevent any snags, and I almost could have worn kid gloves to put them on, since a pair of vintage kid gloves was actually part of my outfit! I’d already had to compromise on the shoes, what with the weather – I had meant to wear my classic black slingbacks – but the pony hair heels worked nicely and were quite comfortable for dancing later that night.

Sorrento Views :: Watts // Big Up // No flashIt transpired to be a very lovely afternoon. I didn’t need my red cashmere coat at all. The bride arrived by yacht, and the sun came out right on cue. The only casualties of the day were my stockings (snagged on a stray splinter on my chair – boo), and my beehive, which slowly sank throughout the evening. I kept asking people, “Is my hair big?” and was disappointed when they answered reassuringly, “Oh no, not at all, it looks fine.”

There are times when Really Big Hair is exactly what one wants.

Items:

Dress: Cue
Gloves: vintage
Bag: Aldo
Jewellery: souvenirs
Shoes: Zoe Wittner
Stockings: Levante

I am Desirous of Your Acquaintance

Carrying the open fan in the left hand; or, holding fan in front of face: ‘I am desirous of your acquaintance’.He waits breathlessly in the garden darkness, lurking under the jacaranda tree … will his sweet ladylove find a way to foil her dastardly husband and sneak out of the house to keep their tryst? Or will he go home, disconsolate? He must await some signal from her; surely it will come soon, for she knows what agonies beat in his breast …

Ah yes, once upon a time, in a more romantic age before mobile phones, clandestine lovers communicated via another method in … THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF THE FAN!

Slowly fanning oneself; could also mean (when fanning with specifically the left hand), ‘Don’t flirt with that woman’ – in this instance I guess the gentleman would use the lady’s expression as a guide!Fans have been used as far back as the days of ancient Greece and Rome, unsurprisingly, as a method of keeping one’s cool. In the 2nd century B.C. China, specific fans were associated with status and gender, though the famous dancing fan was not developed until the 7th century. There were even iron fans used as weapons, bringing new meaning to the cruelty of lovers.

But perhaps the heydey of the fan was in eighteenth century Europe, especially in the ballroom. It was an essential accessory, and just as important as knowing the ABCs of love was knowing how to wield it elegantly. As was said of Queen Charlotte, wife to King George III, even the plainest woman could become attractive if she used her fan graciously. Young ladies, therefore, were instructed on the proper way to handle their fan.

… even the plainest woman could become attractive if she used her fan graciously.

Rigid or folding, fans have been constructed from many materials: bone, ivory, tortoiseshell, painted silk or paper, chicken skin (an unattractive way of describing a fine kid), and were decorated with gold or silver leaf, feathers or even jewels. Louis XVI gave Marie Antoinette a diamond-encrusted fan for a wedding present. Queen Elizabeth I carried a folding fan dancing with pompoms (I like the sound of that!).

Fans in my collection: (clockwise from top) vintage wooden fan threaded with navy ribbon; Spanish souvenir; vintage painted paper fan, a souvenir from Hong Kong (the reverse side is painted with calligraphic characters); Vietnamese souvenir.Holding the open fan over the left earBack to my breathless Romeo … best put him out of his misery. He will instantly know, if the lady in question briefly appears on the balcony fanning herself slowly, before returning inside and shutting the door, she cannot go out to meet him. If, on the other hand, she fans herself quickly and excitedly, and leaves the door open, he will know she will come out soon.

It was quite a complex language, and a lady (and the gentleman of course) had to remember the difference between left and right – it might mean the difference between disaster and bliss.

It was really difficult to choose which of these priceless messages to illustrate. One of my favourites was the holding the fan to shield oneself from the sun – to signal, “I find you ugly!” Somewhat difficult to pull off in a ballroom, I imagine.

Holding the closed fan over the left earHere are some fan signals for your delectation:

1. The fan placed near the heart: “You have won my love”
2. A closed fan touching the right eye: “When may I be allowed to see you?”
3. The number of sticks shown answered the question: “At what hour?”
4. Threatening movements with a fan closed: “Do not be so imprudent”
5. Half-opened fan pressed to the lips: “You may kiss me”
6. Hands clasped together holding an open fan: “Forgive me”
7. Covering the left ear with an open fan: “Do not betray our secret”
8. Hiding the eyes behind an open fan: “I love you”
9. Shutting a fully opened fan slowly: “I promise to marry you”
10. Letting the fan rest on the right cheek: “Yes”
11. Letting the fan rest on the left cheek: “No”
12. Opening and closing the fan several times: “You are cruel”
13. Dropping the fan: “We will be friends”
14. Putting the fan handle to the lips: “Kiss me”
15. Opening a fan wide: “Wait for me”
16. Fan in right hand in front of face: “Follow me”
17. Fan in left hand in front of face: “I am desirous of your acquaintance”
18. Fan held over left ear: “I wish to get rid of you”
19. Twirling the fan in the left hand: “We are being watched”
20. Twirling the fan in the right hand: “I love another”
21. Carrying the open fan in the right hand: “You are too willing”
22. Carrying the open fan in the left hand: “Come and talk to me”
23. Drawing the fan through the hand: “I hate you!”
24. Hiding the sunlight: “You’re ugly”
25. Presenting the fan shut: “Do you love me?” 

Forget the air con, employ a fan! It’s much more fun.

Shielding oneself from sunlight (or the harsh glare of those chandeliers in the ballroom)

CELERY… CELERIA… CELADON!

What a lovely word – and colour – is celadon. (I’m trying to ignore the fact that it is also perilously close to celery. I actually like celery to eat, but it just doesn’t bring anything to the table here [erm, sorry]. Is anyone else thinking this, or have I just ruined it for everyone?) … LET’S START AGAIN.

What a lovely word – and colour – is celadon. (OH NO – a worse vegetable just popped into my head! I’m not even going to say this one aloud.)

Chinese Longquan celadon from Zhejiang, Song Dynasty, 13th centuryCeladon is the name given to a type of glazed ceramic ware originating in ancient China. It subsequently spread to other parts of Asia, including Northern Thailand, Japan and Korea, and was exported throughout Asia, the Middle-East and Europe. Celadon glaze can be produced in various shades: white, grey, blue, yellow and green, depending on the type clay and ingredients of the glaze. Green, however, was historically the most popular shade, and so it became associated with the term ‘celadon’.

A modern bud vase in blue celadonGreen celadon originally mimicked the precious stone jade – in a similar way as the faience of ancient Egypt intended to imitate turquoise and lapis lazuli – and hues range from very pale yellow-tinted greens to deep blue-greens.

A scene from The Romance of Astrea and Celadon, a film by Éric Rohmer, one of my favourite directors. I must watch this.It was European collectors of the wares who first coined the term ‘celadon’. One theory – the most romantic of three – places the origin in 17th century France, and Honoré d’Urfé’s book L’Astrée (1627). In it, Celadon, a shepherd, wore pale green ribbons – presumably during the time he posed as a woman in the hope of winning his true love’s heart, the shepherdess Astrée (a novel approach).

Here is a pretty little gallery of celadon.

Links belowCeladon, Marian Yap, 2012Crinkle maxi skirt, vintage 80s from Deer Stop Vintage Home on Etsy 
Designers Guild cushion in Celadon Giacosa, from Cherryellie Designs
Wool mohair sweater, vintage 70s, from Bottega Vintage on Etsy 

The backdrop in the main image is a picture of the exterior of the Blue Souq in Sharjah, UAE.

When Vintage Goes Bad

A couple of evenings ago I made a horrid discovery. I was going out to the theatre with Rapunzel and Amelia-Jane, and looking for a little bag to carry.

I said to Rapunzel (who was patiently waiting while I rummaged around in my closet) that I seemed to have quite a number of large, casual bags for daywear, and many tiny little glamourous evening purses, but not much in between. Finally I pulled out a black asymmetrical leather bag I had bought years and years ago. I hadn’t used it for years. (I know, I really should clear out my wardrobe more often.)

It was when I tossed in the usual suspects – lipstick, keys, etc – that I made the horrid discovery. My fingernails inadvertently scraped the interior lining of the bag, and were filled with some kind of black gunk! The lining was disintegrating. What on earth? Whatever it is made from, it is most definitely not fabric. Why would you even do that? They just don’t make them like they used to. 

So while the exterior leather of the bag is still in quite good nick, and I have a sneaking fondness for the early 90s looking shape, I am ruthless: the bag must go. 

Madame de Pompomadore

The True History of the Origin of le Pompon

We’ve all heard of Madame de Pompomadore. She was the Royal Ladylove of that decadent French king whose name I forget, and she adored her pompoms. She loved them so much she adorned her person with them – she wore pompoms in her hair, all her buttons were little mink pompoms and her boudoir was stuffed to overflowing with enormous vases of white chrysanthemums, plucked of their foliage.

… finally she relented and cried, “Très bien! Let them all wear le pompon!”

Pompoms were so much in favour with her that there was a court edict that only she was allowed to wear them – and so all the envious ladies of the court nicknamed her Madame de Pompomadore. In the street, the people took to strewing her path with flowers that resembled pompoms – dahlias, asters, chrysanthemums and purple hydrangeas. Overcome by this compliment, finally she relented and cried, “Très bien! Let them all wear le pompon!”

And that is the true story of how the pompom came into fashion.
Sort of.

According to the OED however, the origin of the pompom is in the mid eighteenth century, and originally denoted a bunch of ribbons, feathers, etc, worn by women in the hair or on a dress. It comes from the French pompon, of unknown etymology. Unknown until now, that is.

Fashion Notes

Vintage 1940s, the pompom headband is made from lamb’s fur. I watched one just liked it on eBay for months, stalling purchasing it as it was quite expensive. Then one day, I saw another exactly like it on Etsy for one quarter of the price. The rest is history. The pompom earrings I made myself from green jade and hot pink Indian beaded beads, and the striped jumper adorned with a black pompom tie is by Sonia Rykiel. 

There can never be too many pompoms.