The Bee's Knees

As long as I can remember I have had a fascination with the 1920s. This decade was quite an extraordinary period of history. A war had just been won and our country was celebrating, high on easy credit and moonshine. Freud was rediscovering our sexual natures as human beings. Women's fashion was also extraordinary at this time. Skirt hems became so short that they not only exposed the ankle but occasionally even the bare knee. Women tossed aside their corsets and embraced the sensual androgyny of drop-waist gowns and cut their long locks in favor of bobbed hairstyles. They were no less womanly for setting aside these feminine conventions, instead they felt free to embrace their vital sexuality in a way never before seen.

While I was perusing Life According To Celia (the highly enjoyable blog of my former wedding gown client) I came across some images that capture the themes of this era so strongly and beautifully from the book Jazz Age Beauties: The Lost Collection of Ziegfeld Photographer Alfred Cheney Johnston. This work is definitely one I will be adding to my collection.

It is especially fitting now as the last of the Ziegfeld Follies girls, Doris Eaton Travis, passed away just a week ago on May 12, 2010 at the age of 106. She had this to say of being one of Ziegfeld's Girls:

“It was beauty, elegance, loveliness,” Mrs. Travis recalled in an interview with The New York Times in 2005, “beauty and elegance like a French painting of a woman’s body.”

...

If any prospective clients happen to read this, I want to let you know that for the time being I am not able to accept any projects. We are in a frenzy of house-hunting and hope very soon to be moving in to a home. I'll be sure to keep everyone posted about when I get my new "shop" set up! I do have a couple amazing people I can refer interested parties to, so don't hesitate to continue to contact me if you are looking for custom sewing services!

What I love on Etsy right now: Spring sale!

A friend of mine who used to work at the LA Opera with me now lives in Italy, designing and creating her own accessory masterpieces and selling them on etsy. And, as luck would have it, she's currently running a sale! Monjio Creations. You know you want all of these gorgeous pieces:

Spats! I mean, really... who doesn't want a set of SPATS?!

Hands off this awesome bolero made from a pair of trousers... I'm buying it as soon as I have a good excuse to wear it.

Fall bride? Yes, indeed.



Because you know you love love... the perfect bridal headpiece any time of year.

Quoth the Raven: Never before have I looked so good as I do on top of this
fantastic polka dot headpiece.

Current shoe obessesion

In March I went on a little weekend trip to my hometown, Boulder, Colorado. A friend and I were window shopping on Pearl Street Mall when we decided to duck into this awesome little shoe boutique called Two Sole Sisters. The place was chock-full of incredible shoes and I couldn't move more than a couple feet without exclaiming how cute/unique/beautiful this or that pair was. The shop is so chic and comfortable and... now this is the real shocker... the ladies working there were completely friendly and were not pressuring us OR giving us the stink eye because we weren't buying. I love shops like that!

Anyway, I totally fell in love with a pair of shoes and have not been able to get them out of my mind since my visit. I shot an email to the store yesterday and described the shoes. In a matter of hours I received a response telling me who made the shoes, what their style name was, and a tip that I could probably find them for sale online! She also informed me that their store will soon be setting up some e-commerce, so keep checking back with them!

Without further ado, here is my shoe crush: Larue, by Gee WaWa:


Someday, they will be mine (in case my fairy godmother is reading, I think and 8 or 8.5 would do very nicely, in rich brown, please).

Derby Day

May 1st marks the 2010 Kentucky Derby, the oldest horse race in the United States. The race was first run in 1875 and was modeled after famous European horse races of the time. The race continues to be an illustrious event to this day, attracting the rich and famous and horse-lovers of all kinds. One of the most interesting traditions associated with the race is that women generally don hats, especially oversize, rather outrageous styles.

While I am not much of one for horse-racing, I do love hats and any occasion that calls for us to wear them. Despite The Hat having fallen out of fashion favor in the United States, hats worn for this event are of a scale so grand, we haven't seen anything like them since the height of hat fashion during the Edwardian era.

(Typical Edwardian hats)

So, in honor of Derby Day, I've scoured the Google Image Search to dig out my favorite hats from Derbys past. For an occasion such as the Kentucky Derby, I favor hats with broad, sweeping brims, festive colors, whimsical touches, and an over-the-top-but-still-elegant design.

(this Lady In Red get the idea!)

(A little My Fair Lady)

(just the right amount of modest extravagance)

(Kim Kardashian tops off her look with an understated by incredibly glamorous piece)

(the shape, size, and scale of this hat make me swoon... but wouldn't it be absolutely spectacular in a lovely spring color scheme?)

(this hat is fantastic! Whimsical and a bit outrageous, reminiscent of Edwardian millinery, but with a very flattering shape).

Although I'm not sure I'll ever make it to the Kentucky Derby, perhaps someday I'll find a group of hat enthusiasts to accompany me to the Santa Anita Racetrack for a fashion reenactment of the Derby.

What's in store

My baby brother (who isn't so much of a baby anymore at 28 years old!) is getting married this July. That's us in the picture, I'm 2 1/2 years old and he is 8 months old. I am so happy for him and his fiance and the life they are creating for one another, and I am especially pleased to be making the gown his fiance will wear when they join their lives together. I'll let you all see pictures after the wedding!

Easter Bonnets

Happy Easter and Happy Spring!
I love Easter because it is one of the few occasions we have in modern times to don a gorgeous hat, and I just love hats!

Victorian Easter Bonnets

Adorable, little girl, 1950s Easter bonnets

and the Easter bonnet I would buy if I had a good enough reason.