All posts tagged: 1870s

Rate the Dress: Jeanne Samary by Bastien-Lepage

Last week Norma Shearer as Juliet fared no better than most of our other glamorous actresses who wore historical interpretations.  She was dubbed “mutton dressed up as sparkly lamb” and rated only a 3.2 out of 10.  Ouch! I haven’t told you this yet, but this week is going to be all about Jeanne Samary, so our Rate the Dress is her portrait by Jules Bastien-Lepage, probably painted in 1879 The 21 year old Jeanne is shown relaxing on a cane chair, her brown heel clad feet sticking out from under her blue-grey skirt which contrasts with her dark blue jacket with white cuffs, the parasol of the paintings title resting jauntily over one shoulder.  Here is the exciting thing: we also have a photograph of Jeanne in this outfit, so we can compare how Bastien-Lepage interpreted it: And a close up of her face: What do you think.  Is Jeanne the picture of youthful relaxation and comfort, or has she been depicted as the typical actress:  too casual, too tousled, and too approachable?  In …

The Corset Model Class of 2011

I got photographs of all the models wearing their corsets on Saturday against a plain cement wall. Every time I have looked at the photos since then, I have cracked up. They remind me of the kind of pictures you take in Elementary School for a ‘me, myself, and I’ project. You have the kid who can’t stop grinning, the kid who closes their eyes in every picture, the kid who won’t smile because they think they look better without one (that would have been me), the kid who won’t stand still for even a moment, and the kid who probably should have been a model. We all look ridiculous, and absolutely gorgeous, all at the same time.  It’s a total celebration of personality, and all the different facets of beauty that exist. Without further ado, I present Ms Oakes’ Corset Model Class of 2011. And finally, the erstwhile instructress: Ladies, you can teach me anytime!