Month: October 2010

A haircut

I’ve been meaning to get my hair cut for ages, and just haven’t gotten around to it. I like having shorter hair in the summer, and then letting it grow out in the autumn, so that I have lots of hair to pull back and pin up in the winter. On Tuesday I went to my fantastic, lovely hairdresser, and he spent almost 2 hours cutting 10 inches off my hair, giving it slight layers, velcro-rolling it, and styling it. At the end of this all, I looked AMAZING. Like I’d just stepped off the set of Mad Men. And then I stepped out of the salon into the Wellington wind, and that was the end of my carefully coiffed hair. A bit of re-styling at home made it look great (if not quite as fabulous) again, and I set up my camera for a few quick shots with the timer. Without any help from me, the camera overexposed to various degrees, and I got some fantastic shots. You would never know that they were …

Slightly less frothy and fairy-y and goddess-y…

Published by The Dreamstress

…but no less beautiful. My started-out-as-a-fairy dress, morphed into a goddess dress is turning into neither. It’s become to regal for a fairy, and too structured for a goddess. But I still love it. My changes to the skirt and addition of a second petticoat layer made the silhouette much more A-line and structured. I was a little worried about it at first, but the lovely ladies who sew reassured me, and I’m very happy with it. I’m totally in love with the train. It’s so light, and the pleats are so fantastic. Is there anything not to love about tiny little knife pleats? The fan effect of the overlap is just delicious. I’ve been thinking about the train, and rather than doing the traditional bustle, I’d like to do an asymmetrical catch on one side of the skirt, like this: That way, the train becomes a sculptural element of the dress. The whole idea is inspired by a ’30s evening gown in the Met’s collection, and is possibly because the voile of the train …

Rate the Dress: Salome by Cranach the Elder

Published by The Dreamstress

Alas, last week’s Worth ensemble got no love, despite it’s universally popular peacock blue colour. The proportions were deamed to be totally off, and the dress received a 4.5 out of 10. This week, we look at another frock that may have proportional problems. Lucas Cranach the Elder, for all of his skills, isn’t noted for his anatomically accurate representations of the female physique. Whether his depictions of their fashions is any more accurate is unknown, so we shall just have to rate 16th century German dress on what he chose to show us. Cranach paints that favourite 16th century German subject: the biblical temptress Salome carrying the gruesome trophy that her charms and wiles won her. Rather than wearing biblical dress, Salome wears a gown of the 1530s in dark rust red with gold trim, elaborate sleeves, a lavish assortment of gold necklaces, and a rather rakish feather adorned wreath. Salome’s less than appealing accessory aside, how do you feel about her frock? Rate the dress on a scale of 1 to 10.