Hats Off to Sally Victor
What do Queen Elizabeth II, First Ladies Eleanor Roosevelt, Bess Truman, and Mamie Eisenhower, Hollywood’s Judy Garland and Elizabeth Taylor, Broadway’s Helen Hayes, and even the Gabor sisters all have in common? They all were crowned in hats designed by Sally Victor. That’s quite an entourage to count among your stable of admirers. Included among luminaries Lilly Daché and Mr. John, as one of America’s leading millinery designers, The New Yorker magazine (1954) described Victor as “a magnificent sculptress of straws and felts.” She was actually credited with reviving the Ecuadorean...
Read MoreEaster Bonnet
“Some hats can only be worn if you’re willing to be jaunty, to set them at an angle and to walk beneath them with a spring in your stride as if you’re only a step away from dancing. They demand a lot of you.” Neil Gaiman, Anansi Boys And who wears a jaunty beret better than the French? For some reason this confetti toss of chapeaus hearkens back to Mary Richards from the Mary Tyler Moore Show. Whether you’re tossing your hat in the ring or straight up in the air like a graduation mortar bard, the message is clear – “Game On. Count Me In. I’m going for it!” “A...
Read MoreTaxes
“Did you ever notice that when you put the words “THE and IRS” together, it spells “THEIRS?” Unknown These images float in the center of a man’s handkerchief sporting a very large white border, which is to be used, I imagine, for catching massive amounts of tears, or mopping up flop sweat during an audit. When asked if he has anything to declare, the oh-so-silly suitor in the right hand corner blathers on in an effort to impress the tax collector. Hoping to be considered a suitable match for the auditor’s daughter, the clueless swain wildly exaggerates his lifestyle....
Read MoreA Stitch in Time
Creation begins with inspiration, with a kernel of an idea, but in order to execute your concept, you need a plan, a blueprint. The same holds true in the world fashion. Even when couturiers claim they work freeform, and simply drape fabric as they’re inspired, (as did Christian Dior) in order for a seamstress to replicate that creation, she’ll need a roadmap. The fresh, crisp image below depicts the trade of the tailor and represents the roadmap. Whenever we examine the underlying structure of a garment, we view with the eye of an architect – studying the master patterns, the foundation...
Read MoreThe Handkerchief Dance
We couldn’t possibly take leave of either Dance, Dance, Dance or the Randy Rooster, without showcasing their connection. La Cueca This national dance of Chile represents the courting between the rooster and the chicken, using, what else? a handkerchief as the ultimate flirtation device. The dance comes from the word clueca, meaning a hen about to lay her eggs. The dancers wave handkerchiefs above their heads which symbolize feathers, and/or the rooster’s comb. Young dancers from Pepe’s Chile …from www.thisischile.cl The connection was spot on to our topics this month, but...
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