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My friend Lavande Lamour sent me this today and it sums up my feelings quite succinctly!
Posts Tagged ‘History’
Royal Wedding Hats and Royal British Style in General!
Saturday, May 7th, 2011
I fianally had a bit of time to look over magazines and review the royal wedding last night! And look carefully at the wedding guest’s much talked about Royal Wedding Hats. I have always been a great fan of hats, so I was interested to see what the fuss about all the guests hats was about! And I actually hated the hats! Yes! I hated them. Here’s why:
A hat should flatter a woman’s face and body, not detract from them. All these hats did the exact opposite. They took over. They looked ugly and ridiculous. They made mockery of the women who wore them.
A hat should never distract and detract from a person. It should only enhance her. You should always see the woman and her face and naturally remark on her over all beauty, not just gasp in horror at the gaudy or distasteful hat she is wearing.
In contrast the bride and her sister really stood out because we could see them, their faces, their hair. The ridiculous hats served one purpose. They made the bride and her sister stand out as having good taste and restraint. If this was the plan it certainly worked!
I own a good collection of beautiful flattering hats. Not one would make me look ridiculous! I would never wear a hat like any of those wedding guests wore. It is more than possible to get an attractive hat. It is amazing to me that all those people with all the money they had to spend collectively managed to look so terrible! Poor taste was on display. A parade of it unfortunately. It did give the press something to talk about!
For the rest of my life it will make me think twice about what I ever put on my head! I’ve always been careful of this, but this royal wedding hat fashion fiasco will make me even more so! The British have always been world renown for their poor taste in formal attire. Take note of the head to toe pastel ensembles the queen always wears! They are always dowdy and frumpy and in incredibly bad taste. She is famous for this style! I never liked Princess Diana’s choices or taste in clothes either! Her wedding dress was awful! As was her trademark haircut. And the style she later grew into never appealed to me either.
The casual normal manner of dress worn by Kate and her sister Pippa is a modern refreshing change. Let’s hope it lasts.
A Collection of Liberty of London’s Classic Vintage Scarves Showing Some Prototypical Designs and Floral Prints From the Past of the Type the Liberty of London Company is Famous For!
Wednesday, April 27th, 2011
Royal Blue Liberty of London Vintage Silk Twill Multi Color Flower & Paisley Print Scarf
My Treasured Collection of Four Liberty of London Vintage Silk Scarves
Yesterday I was inspired to get out my small collection of vintage Liberty of London flower printed silk scarves after watching the French stylist Lauranne Plats wonderful scarf tying tutorials for Liberty of London. They are bright and cheerful colors and I want to have them ready to wear in the hope that it might someday actually become spring or summer here! It has been unseasonably cold, dark and wet in Seattle where I live this April, surprisingly even colder and wetter than London! Everyday of the last month has been between 10 and 15 degrees colder in Seattle than in London!
A 1970's Liberty of London Vintage Scarf Label Shown Above Framed Inside the Bracelet.
It’s reminding me of the movie Enchanted April in which a group of London women in the 1920’s pool their financial resources to rent a Villa in sunny Italy and take a vacation against their husband’s wishes! However, when they get to Tuscany, it is raining hard, but “It’s Italian rain!” So, inevitably, things get better. I highly recommend this movie! Especially now, if you need warming up and cheering up and at least a couple of hours of escape from dreary grey dampness.I watch Enchanted April every spring if I cannot get away! It is a good mini vacation and it also reminds me that this seemingly endless damp overcast is good for my pale complexion! I remind myself that the humidity makes my hair wavy which is actually becoming. And that the sun finally comes out in this movie, as it will here eventually!
Navy Blue Border with an All Over Dense Floral Print Liberty of London Vintage Scarf
Meanwhile , I am lucky to have inherited four really pretty vintage classic Liberty of London scarves in excellent condition. I can wear them rain or shine! They are good examples of the traditional designs the Liberty company became famous for so I am posting them here to share with other scarf enthusiasts.
Another Version of a Liberty Label in a Close Up of the Scarf Pictured to the Left
I’ve recently been sorting out my scarves, bringing spring and summer ones forward and putting winter ones away, After watching Lauranne Plat demonstrate on the Liberty of London Scarf tying tutorials I was really inspired! I learned some new ways to tie and saw some stunning scarves! So, out of curiosity, I went to Liberty’s Scarf Store website to check on what new scarves they were recommending for this spring 2011 that has yet to come! They have beautiful modern designs available by many designers. And, fortunately, they still offer many versions of the traditional designs for which they originally became famous. Designs similar to these.
Liberty of London 26" Square Silk Scarf
Burgundy Liberty of London Scarf Border
I have always loved Liberty of London’s ladylike silk scarves in tiny floral prints and paisleys. I grew up with them. Here is a sweet burgundy one with a printed “lace” border trimmed in traditional old fashioned English garden flowers including roses, cornflowers, and nasturtiums. Miniature bouquets, tied together with bows of the same printed lace are scattered over the rich wine background. This scarf is a 26″ square. I think this scarf is from the early 1970’s. The mannequins first two fingers are pointing out the Liberty signature very subtly printed in the printed lace border in the picture to the left.
Vintage Liberty Of London Burgundy Beauty ~ Large Shining Silk Twill Scarf with Lace Motif & Charming English Garden Flower Border Print
My mother and my grandmother loved Liberty of London fabrics, regularly wore Liberty scarves and made themselves and me light and fluttery spring and summer dresses and blouses out of Liberty’s delectable floral printed cotton Tana lawn. I have fond memories of excursions to the department store to pick out fabrics for my summer wardrobe. I was always taken along to be sure I liked the final choices and to learn how to choose colors and appropriate fabrics and patterns that would work together. This was a very pleasurable part of my education! Everything they were trying to teach me really sunk it and stuck! We always went out to lunch afterward. I loved watching the women who went downtown to shop dressed up and wearing hats and gloves. It was a real dress up event for them! My mother told me that dressing up to go downtown shopping and out to lunch was a performance. Everyone you knew would see you and you should look as nice as possible. They carefully planned what they were going to wear each week! For them it really was a performance and they took it very seriously! They rehearsed for their performances as if they were fine actresses, often trying on the outfits they were planning to wear in advance to be sure all the parts went together perfectly. They were very elegant!
Spectacular Large 1970's Vintage Liberty of London Silk Twill Scarf ~ Cream Ground, Floral Print, Black Border, Hand Rolled Hem. The Liberty of London, Made in England Signature is Just Above the Mannequin's Finger With the Ring on it, Printed in Beige. These Labels Were Printed onto the Scarves as a Subtle Part of the Floral Print.
Some more things I remember from going shopping with them as a little girl to pick out fabrics. They taught me that Liberty’s floral printed cotton was the world’s best. I have always loved the floral prints. It was definitely the most expensive, both then and now, but it is well worth it! I fondly remember many of my favorite prints and the clothes they made out of them. I really loved some of my dresses. And the experiences I had with these women that included Liberty’s fabrics have influenced my life and stuck in my mind. They taught me to be an excellent seamstress, and designer, and Liberty was a big part of that. They taught me to dress well, and Liberty was part of that, too! They taught me to appreciate flowers and use them in every part of my life. Liberty was part of that as well. They taught me to shop for quality and not accept less. I remember, as a teenager, being in a prestigious department store with my mother looking through a rack of wool challis skirts and blouses, fabric from Liberty of London. She said to the sales clerk, “We’ll take two, one in each color.” I hadn’t tried them on, but she said, “I know they’ll look good on you and I know they’ll fit by looking at them and I know they are quality because they are made by Liberty.” She knew she could trust what they made. She was right. I wore those two piece dresses for two years and they fit perfectly. I wish I still had them!
A Royal Blue Paisley and Floral Print Vintage 1970's Liberty of London Silk Twill Scarf with an Ornate floral Border Print The Liberty Label is to the Right Side of the Lady Figurine.
To this day I very clearly remember particularly favorite Liberty of London scarf prints. This blue one with the paisleys was my mother’s. One summer she wore it a lot in San Francisco with a chic navy blue Christian Dior silk suit, a light blue Dior silk blouse, apple green jade carved squirrel earrings with diamond eyes, and an apple green Chinese jade carved bead and gold necklace. She wore a trademark pair of kelly green sling back Amalfi pumps, and a navy blue Christian Dior frame purse. Of course, she wore white Dior kidskin gloves with this. It was a beautiful outfit. This scarf is so pretty! It is the opening picture in this post as well. Below is a close up of the Liberty of London label printed amongst the flowers on the border of one corner. It is positioned to the Right side of the china lady figurine in the full scarf photo above. Liberty’s labels are subtly placed amidst the flowers or other designs on their scarves.
My Precious Collection of Vintage Liberty of London Silk Scarves
You can see more photos I have taken of Vintage Liberty of London Scarves and read more that I have written about Liberty of London’s Scarf Tying Tutorials with Lauranne Plat on my post titled “French Women are Famous for the Way They Tie and Wear Their Scarves.”
Liberty of London Made in England 100% Silk
The Blue Moon – a Recipe for a Delightful Antique Violet Petal Cocktail Made with Creme Yvette or Creme De Violette
Friday, April 22nd, 2011
The Beautiful & Romantic Blue Moon Cocktail
We can now make the long lost, beautiful, and enjoyable, vintage Blue Moon cocktail again. It is made from liqueur compounded of violet petals and other secret flavorings and it is divine!
Lady Violette and friend, Lavande Lamour say,”Treat yourself. It’s absolutely fluerific.” We had read about it for years but the necessary flower liqueurs needed to create it were nowhere to be had during our lifetimes! Now they have been revived which, to us, is akin to reviving a lady who has fainted! What a relief! She is still alive! We thought, for a moment, that she might be dead!
The violet liqueurs Creme Yvette or Creme de Violette required to make The Blue Moon had been discontinued for decades, but are fortunately available again. The recipe and the story behind it, and other vintage spirits and forgotten cocktails are now available in a a new book by Ted Haigh reviewed in the Cookbook Profile of the Global Gourmet. The earliest version was created in 1917. Here ’tis:
Ingredients
- 2 ounces (1/2 gill, 6 cl) gin
- 1/2 ounce (1/8 gill, 1.5 cl) Creme Yvette or creme de violette
- 1/2 ounce (1/8 gill, 1.5 cl) fresh lemon juice
Shake in an iced cocktail shaker, and strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with a lemon twist. Enjoy and,
Read more: Cocktail Recipe: The Blue Moon (Gin and Creme Yvette) //www.globalgourmet.com/food/cookbook/2009/vintage-spirits-cocktails/blue-moon.html#ixzz1KFHaQK4n
Lady Violette’s “Belted Half Dress Drape” ~ A New Scarf Style ~ How to Wrap It & Wear It & Transform a Dress!
Wednesday, April 13th, 2011
Necessity is the mother of invention. I needed to figure out something impressive and dramatic to wear to a midday meeting with a producer/ presenter. I needed to look creative and talented and be memorable. I wanted to look ultra feminine as well because I feel that works to my advantage. I wanted to look both business-like and artistic. I felt that sensual and attractive would work, but I did not want to look not overtly sexy. Although it is spring it is also still cold out and I needed to be warm. I find that wearing tights and layering scarves and shawls over dresses traps air and creates a cozy layer of practical extra warmth. I cannot think and relax if I am cold! It has been in the 30’s all week. It has been wet and windy, even snowing and hailing. And it has been drafty everywhere, both inside and out. All these thoughts were at work in the back of my mind. And this was only what I had to be thinking about what I was going to wear! The other things on the agenda were on my mind as well, but I felt I had them under control. I just wanted to figure out something to wear in which I would feel comfortable and confident, and have my outfit and accessories all worked out in advance.
Browsing through the Nieman Marcus online catalogue for ideas yesterday I found an immense Oscar de la Renta scarf and a wide belt that I loved. Alas, the scarf was $850 and the belt was $395. I couldn’t buy that right now, but I was determined to have the look! So I sorted through my things to find my biggest scarf and a belt of similar width. They don’t give the size or the shape of the Nieman Marcus scarf, only the price! It looked big and it looked like a square.
Front View of the "Belted Half Dress Drape" Achieved ~ Transforms a Dress with Just One Wrap & a Wide Belt!
I don’t currently have a gigantic square, but I do have a brown and olive green gigantic oblong silk scarf that measures 45″ x 96″. It is basically an 8′ x 45″ wide piece of fabric, but it is printed with a blue and white floral design at both vertical ends like a border print, so it was designed to be a scarf, shawl. or stole. I also found that I had a blue leather belt about 3 inches wide.
The idea I had was to make what I have named a “Belted Half Dress Drape” using the gigantic oblong silk scarf and securing it with the wide color co-ordinated belt. I wanted to transform my basic sheath dress into a cinch waist draped silk dress by using one simple to do wrap and belting it! I wanted the finished style to look like one of the very expensive European or American designer silk draped sheath dresses I have been seeing in fashion magazines and stores lately.
Thus I concocted my “Belted Half Dress Drape” Scarf Style.
3/4 or Right Side/Front View of the "Belted Half Dress Drape"
I think it worked quite well and it was amazingly easy to do! I have taken photos from all angles so you can see that my new “Belted Half Dress Drape” scarf design actually looks nice and works as a dress from back, side and front views!
As you can see the “Belted Half Dress Drape” is beautiful from all angles.
I think wearing a scarf beautifully is one of the ultimate feminine arts!
Step #1) Drape Scarf Over Shoulders, Left side Longer Than Right as Shown.
To create this sensual style all you do is:
Step #1) Drape 96″ long or longer scarf around the back of your neck and over your shoulders, Left side longer than Right as shown. Right side reaching almost to the hemline of your dress. Spread the Right side out to fan over your body from the center to the Right side seam of your dress.
Step #2) Fasten the Belt Around Your Waist with Right Shorter Side of Scarf Underneath It & Left Longer Side Hanging Free.
Step #2) Fasten the wide belt around your waist with Right shorter side of scarf underneath it and Left longer side of scarf on the outside of belt hanging free over your Left shoulder. Arrange the folds of the scarf to your taste like a little half dress that covers the right side of your body.
Step #3) Check the Back View in a Hand Mirror After Putting on the Belt. It Should Look Like This!
Step #3) The back will look like this! I found it helpful to look at the way things were arranged in the back in a full length mirror using a hand mirror. Be sure that only the Right front shorter side is tucked under the belt. The Left longer side should be hanging freely off to the Left side in a casual manner like this.
I experimented with the arrangement of the front folds and found that I preferred them to be uneven and arranged like a gathered skirt in the front. This was softer, prettier and more feminine than a straight across the bottom hemline. I pictured a Grecian draped effect as my goal. It may be helpful to strive for that as you arrange your folds.
Step #4) Gather Up the Long Left Side of the Shawl and Drape it Over Your Right Shoulder!
Step #4) Finally gather up all the fabric in the long Left side of the shawl and drape it loosely and casually over your Left shoulder around your neck and over your Right shoulder letting the long drape of fabric hang down your back! You will need to arrange the drape in your own individual manner in a way that is pleasing to you.
I was able to do this on myself in about three minutes! I wore it around the house for a couple of hours and it actually stayed put and maintained the original look while I tested it out. I did not pin it in place, but you could use a brooch on the Right shoulder to hold the finished drape in place or just decorate it if you want to.
I encourage you to experiment until you find the way that is comfortable for you. I try things out the night or day before I plan to wear them if they are new looks for me. This way, if I need a supply to hold myself together, (or who knows what!) I have time to get it ready in advance.
I’ve written instructions on making your own gigantic scarf like this one on my next blog post. Check it out!
Step #5) To Finish the Beautiful "Belted Half Dress Drape" Scarf Style, Arrange the Way the Fabric Loops Around Your Neck and Adjust the Folds and Gathers in the Half Draped Skirt to Flatter Your Face and Figure and Please Yourself.
Finished Back Right Over the Shoulder Shoulder View of the "Belted Half Dress Drape" Scarf Style
Finished Back View of "Belted Half Dress Drape" Scarf Style
Finished Right Side View of the "Belted Half Dress Drape" Scarf Style
