So *Que official trumpets* I finallyhave a new laptop. I know, I know. It only took a year but I am very fortunate to have other devices at hand to help me live my life. Anyhow, I’m now sat very content in front of my brand new laptop buddy, ready to go.
I’m brimming full of ideas and creativity. Excited about the literally adventures to come,trembling with anticipation as I am about to brain fart my glorious mind….Well, kind of.
Thus far, I have writers block and can’t figure out how to transfer my iPhone files over. I am not a paranoid person but I sincerely believe that my laptop and iPhone are in cahoots with each other to drive me insane with trying to get me to remember my passwords in order to anything.
So with that technical struggle in mind, here is the one solitary image I have managed to upload which is from my Instagram (please leave your @’s below so I can follow you)
To be fair, it is rather nice tile work. It was found on a pub floor on Charlotte Street. I will pop back and find the name when I am next in work. Not that I work in a pub, I just work near them. Lots of them. And like to take pictures of their floors. Nothing odd about that. Oh nope. Ahem.
You’ve got to appreciate a bit of mosaic tiling, don’t you? It’s one of the things I love about living in a city like London, you are literally walking on history everywhere you go. Another place which I am desperate to show you in a post on here is Pompeii. I have some fabulous photos of my travels around there and some train travel tips which were invaluable, especially when travelling from Rome. I just hope I manage to upload these buggering images so I can share them with you all….fingers crossed! I think we are gonna be a while…
How are we doing my lovelies? I am very well, indeed! I have just been a busy bee moving into a new job. I hope your lives have been full of excitement? Do tell, I love gossip. Anyway, due to my job change I haven’t been up many adventures (or any that don’t end with a hangover and are so blurred I barely remember a blog posts’ worth, goodtimes.)
What hasn’t been lazy these past few weeks, is our good old friend, the internet. Oh no. So today’s posts is a memes post, because you know how highbrow I am. As I have just eaten the biggest roast dinner ever and am unable to move, I was able to sit down long enough to have a theme for my meme fest – History. Enjoy!
Cool.Cheers. I’ll put it in my bathroom.
Some asses just need to be put on a vase. I am still hoping. #hint
Everything’s just better with lightsabers.
Every.Damn.Time. I never forget the Cheese And Onion Walkers crisps though. They literally just jump into my basket.
I say this at least thrice a day #relate
Still love this phone. I had to use one the other day as an emergency phone. Spent the whole day playing snake 2. I am not even ashamed.
I’d actually like to hear it. I’d bring a tambourine and we’d jam. Actually, I went to a jam for the first time last week. I got to ring a bell and was shit rubbish at it.
For my minion fan readers <3 I thought you’d like this!
Snazzy hat.
Anyway I am ofski to try and work off this post roast dinner bloat. Pray for me. I can’t stop nibbing on the left over roast potatoes.
This week I have been a busy bee writing up some fabulous guest posts for other blogs all about fabulous historical women, so keep an eye out on social media for these, as I will be RTing the links etc.
I am often asked by people where my interest in historical fashion comes from, and I must say that it is directly connected to my interest in Feminism. Clothing and fashion has been at some points, one of the few ways women could express themselves and find a voice through out history….countering that point, fashion has always been a way to police and control women…whats not interesting about that? Sprinkle on top an interest in textiles and fashion in modern day life and you have a cauldron full of fashion fun.
This weeks History Ahoy! is all about the hips, as people responded so well to last weeks “Historical dress of the week“. It’s such an interesting subject, and I can spend hours talking about crinoline and other historical skirt under garments (over wine, because I am rock and roll obviously!)
Panniers – These were most prominent in the 18th century and were very popular in the French court but were first seen in the Spanish courts. It was this under skirt that created and supported an extra wide waist and of course, helped spread a bit of the weight of the over skirt evenly. If any of you have worn a wedding dress, imagine that x100 and you can get an idea of how much weight these ladies had to drag around most days if they were fashionistas. So any extra support was always appreciated by them.
Sometimes made of fabric, other times supported with mental frames, these bad boys took wide skirts to the next level. I feel tired just look at them. I think wearing a rucksack is effort, let alone several stone worth of skirt, trail and wire framing! ( and we haven’t even mentioned the weight and size of the wigs!)
Bustle – The “junk in the trunk” effect is historically created by a bustle or hooped petticoat worn underneath a skirt and tied around the waist. These were worn under a skirt and worn above the bottom, to give the big butt effect well know in the Victorian era. They stuck around until around the 1920’s. As if wearing an Edwardian hobble skirt wasn’t hard enough, try doing it with extra butt weight. Seesh!
Crinoline – All I need to say really is Scarlet O’Hara! It was a hooped wire frame worn on the hips that created the extra wide skirts we have come to associate with the American Civil War and Victorian eras.
Invented in France around 1830’s to make skirts extra swish! Talk about the need for personal space, skirts could end up being several feet wide!
Here’s a nice lil’ diagram to see how skirts and hips totally changed through each historical period. Snazzy huh? I wonder when some of these are going to come back like the Ninties revival has recently? Which style would you like to try? I can’t quite decide…personally if I had to, it would be the “Tudor style” which isn’t featured here…one day. One day.
Here endeth the underskirt lesson, now begins the dress porn!
Such a stunning 18th century dress with pannier under skirt. Beautiful colouring and embellishment too. I would LOVEto wear one of these one day…obviously I’d go to the loo before hand!
Lovely example of a daytime bustle dress. Beautiful isn’t it? I imagine it’s a nightmare to walk in though.
Loving the detailing of the sleeves on this 18th century gown. I bet it looked stunning in the candle light and on the dance floor *floats off to imagination land*
A 18th century day dress, note it’s a bit shorter than the others, this meant you could look shit hot AND walk in the country / streets filled with historical filth without your skirt getting too damaged….remember they rarely washed clothes and used to throw human waste in the streets…niiiice.
I just adore this beautiful number, I presume it’s a wedding dress –
Look at that teeny tiny waist! Look at it! Before you panic, remember women were very short in those days, I would be a giant woman for the time period, and I am short by today’s western standards – 5ft 2. Most women were about 4ft 5 ish so the freakishly teeny waists of yesteryear may have been expanded a wee bit, smaller humans = smaller waists. This doesn’t mean women didn’t tight lace, they did, but it wasn’t as wide spread or as extreme as we are led to believe.
Love this red bustle dress, reminds me of the Queen of hearts! Just look at that detail on the trail. So stunning! *drools* I love how this style still lingers in fashions. I adore big bottoms and ruffles, therefore I adore bustles too.
Bustle inspired gown from 1949
Bustle skirt around 1880’s –
Just your normal day to day crinoline dress. I love this woman is like “are we done yet?” –
1920’s style pannier, as a hippy gal, I love it! With my hourglass figure I would have been rather depressed and my chest very definitely taped up in the 1920’s!
An example of a train or trail, yikes, I would not like to drag that after me for hours on end. I got arm ache from holding a pint for too long the other day ( true story)
Dress of The week
*que horns*Is this historical inspired wedding dress. Sweet baby Jesus, it’s beautiful. I know I confuse people with my obsession for wedding dresses yet aversion to marriage (it’s EFFORT people) but dang, when you see dresses like this, you understand why I appreciate such design and textile skills, surely? Its from the Elie Saab 2013 collection if you have to have it (and please send pictures and maybe the dress once you’re done if you do!)
Anyway that’s me done for this week, but make sure to check in next week for more historical frock fun! If there is a time period of area that you wish me to look into, let me know on my social channels or comment below ( either makes me feel special and loved) Next up for me is typing up this weeks feminist weekly round up, so keep an eye out for that too!
I hope that the weekend is treating you well? I am not going to lie, I am still recovering from a great night last night and am now eating my pain away! It makes me so sad that I used to be able to party all of the time whilst suffering very little and now as I edge ever further towards old age I now know what people mean by “three day hangovers”. Sniffles.
Oh youth, why have you forsaken me? Mind you the alternative is far worse, so I will take the three day hangovers and winkles anyday!
Historical Gown of the week –
Can you imagine trying to get through a door, let alone the loo in this dress?! Lovely detailing in the sewing work. Just beautiful.
So this weeks history Ahoy is all about the fashion of the 1960’s. Trust me it’s just an over view, as the best part of this decade is the subcultures that popped up – mods, hippies, fashionista…so I will revisit each one at some point but for now, let’s perve!
I couldn’t even start to mention the 1960’s in fashion terms without mentioning one of mine (every other females) fave film. Racist portrayal by Mickey Rooney aside (eurgh), it’s such a fabulous film and the clothing is AH-MAZING DARH-LING!
Oh my god I want that coat, and I want to hang out in London with Twiggy. *throws self on bed and weeps at being born too late*
Oh just fabulous hats, hats all round!
Could this girl BE any cooler? No, no she could not. She knows the way to my heart – eyeliner and hats. Bitach knows how to please.
Everyone loves a Si-fi inspired stripe ensemble. How cute are those skirts? They remind me of Xena’s skirt in Xena Warrior Princess. One of the greatest Tv shows ever made.
Monochrome was all the range and some of these dress are iconic and the patterns have pooped up in the 1980’s, 1990’s (which I consider a 60’s fashion reinvention era). Groovy!
Could Diana Ross BE anymore fabulous than in this style that would be homaged by Britney spears in the Toxic video?
Yes, yes she could. Look at that coat! WOOF!
Lets have a gander and see what was happening in Bollywood. The back combing craze certainly added some bouffant class to Bollywood. More on Bollywood in later posts.
London was swinging, and hippy style from San-fran made a lil ripple in the clothing chooses of the cool kids.
Any fashion blog recommendations are most welcomed! If you want to get a regular fix of historical fashion then pop over to my pinterest account and fill your boots.
I also do twitter, tumblr (it’s where I ease my gif addiction), instagram and facebook, so you have no excuse not to stalk me.
Apologies for the delay in your historical fashion fix. It’s been a busy week but I have made sure to get some extra lovely historical fashion goodies for you. So you see, I do care.
This week we are going to dip our toes into historical fashion influences in pop culture, which if we are honest, are never really that authentic. Reign anyone?!
reign it just screams 1600’s on acid
I haven’t properly watched this series yet, so I can’t really comment but we can’t be too hard on it. The fact is almost all historical dramas are tweaked so that modern day audiences wont be put off. For example Cleavages, they are always high, pushed together and bulging, which is in fact a 21th Century preference and not like the cleavage preference of the regency era where they liked high boobage but separated. You could see between ze boobies. Not like the lovely Lizzies cleavage we have come to expect in Pride and Prejudice-
I am a huge fan of Disney, and I try and get it into as many posts as I can ( see previous History Ahoy! posts ) So I am LOVING this video about “Historically Correct Disney Princesses” from Buzzfeed. Ah, Buzzfeed, the internet crack of the millennial age. I really love these history fashion flashback videos, what are you thoughts?
It’s strange to ponder what the princesses fates would have been, if put into the real life historical constraints of their times. Yikes. I love history but when I am asked if I would ever want to go back, my response is always the same – if I had to, I’d have to be rich and male. Otherwise, no. I like modern medicine too much. And I have a big mouth. I would have ended up like this after about an hour. I can help myself-
Gotta love a scolds bridle.
It’s London Fashion Week, and the city is a buzz with fashionista’s tittering in their heels, looking for their next fashion fix. To my gleeful delight recent historical inspired media has seeped into the fashion catwalks, and below are some of the wonderful examples of fashion meeting history. Be prepared to have major wardrobe envy though.
A crown and a cape. Yes! Not that the cape was ever out of fashion, my good friend at writersblockandbrokenlenses rocks her regularly in fact. Viva le cape!
Frockflicks has a great article on the historical influence on modern fashion that you should check out!
I don’t think this is a new thing either as all fashion is inspired by previous fashions, but I think the periods that are getting the most replication at present are the more flamboyantl historical periods. This makes me very happy! Pass me my powdered wig. (Washed of course..)
This dress by Dior is a beautiful homage the wide skirts of the 1700’s. Still lovely and it doesn’t lose it’s traditional cut in translation either.
Do you have to keep your hand in your pockets for the whole day that you wear it though? Hmmmm…
I notice that the model’s above and below are wearing a crown. Which means I am now allowed to go out in public wearing a crown ( like that would stop me, but it being socially acceptable may influence the size of the crown that I wear )
I still hold a grudge against my boyfriend because he took me to the Towers Of London for my birthday and promised me a crown. I never got it. Still waiting *side eyes boyfriend*
The Byzantian style of this tunic below is just breath taking and it looks so luxurious. I can completely see it being worn casually and dressed up.
Oh I WANT IT SO BAD.
*throws self on bed and cries* #firstworldproblems
All three dresses below actually make me want to purr like a kitten, so beautiful. The craftsmanship as well..pass my smelling salts. I am loving that Baroque is rocking the catwalk right now. *fist pumps*
Gotta show some love for this Dior make up image and it’s hark back to the crazy hair styles of the 1700’s. I bet this style smells much nicer though. Wigs in the 1700’s could have things living long term in there.They didn’t like to wash much. In their minds, there was nothing a spritz of Perfume couldn’t hide away! Niiiiice. I still know some people like this.
A nice full skirt. I love how this skirt moves as well. Le sigh. Also, added bonus of long skirts means having to shave legs, less. Whoot!
I adore the back of this wedding gown. It’s beautiful. It’s one of those timeless styles, as it would be a lovely dress to wear in any age. WANT.
I want it so bad that if I had the money, I’d literally buy it and then proceed to just sit, watch tv and eat pizza in it like Monica and Rachael from friends just so I could wear it all the time.
Last but by no means least – You’ve got to love John Paul Gaultier, I certainly do. He’s so cheeky and so, well, French. I am a bit of a Francophile and my partner is part French, so it’s rather convenient. He likes to feature a sprinkle of historical reflection in a lot of his designs ( John, not my boyfriend )…Anyone who can make underwear, outerwear and make wearing a corset cool again is more than ok ( like is ever wasn’t?) He’s fine by me.
Dress Of the Week –
This weeks dress of the week comes with an amazing story. How fabulous! –
Isabell Fraser’s Wedding Dress, circa 1785, wool, Scotland, used continuously by a single family since it was made in 1785, last worn in 2005, Inverness Museums & Art Gallery.
Anyway, I am ofski to sort out my own own wardrobe,which is a huge task, as I have a habit of getting emotionally attached to my clothes. It’s going to be an emotional one, so I have wine at the ready. I am also planning a get together for London Fashion Week, so if you fancy meeting up, more details can be found on my post here. Hope to see you there!
Thank you for the love last week. It was muchos appreciated. Good to know there are a few history fans out there. On that note, i shall jump straight in on the historical round up.
First, *queue trumpets* This weeks dress of the week is an easy one. It is this stunning creation by Steamstress “Tudor Dreamers” It’s beautiful. I am in love. <3
Some of my internet searching led me to some lovely sites, and you can find a fabulous article here on Tudor head wear.
Including the English and Spanish hoods.
It also led me to some wonderful images. Ones I couldn’t even have imagined. I am thankful to have found some great reproductions, for example-
Wow, just wow! <3
It’s an amazing site, so check it out if you love historical headwear. It is called Kats hatsafter all. Does what it says on the tin.
Historical wedding dress of the week –
<3 <3 Found *this* dress on this amazing ——> facebook page. <3 <3
It’s all in the veil. So simple, so beautiful. I love it!
“Drools”
To further show just how lovely this board is, please look at these beautiful vintage wedding pictures. It’s strange to see such intimate moments captured. You wonder what happened to the couples…
Oh it’s been a good week for historical fashion porn in my social feeds, probably to do with a few of you emailing me some fab sites. Thank you so much! I love getting sent new tip offs, and I certainly liked these two sites that were sent to me via my facebook page –
WolfHall rocked my socks this week! Have any of you watched it? A few scamps were being extra critical of it in the media and on my social feeds. The latter sadly meant that I may have accidentally upset a family member with a rebellious defense of it’s honor in a drunken 3am status. I critiqued the nay sayers and completely forgot ma famille had been disappointed with it in a status the week before! EEk, shot completely misfired on that one, damn you Daily Mail!
Cromwell didn’t get away with his silent fart much to his dismay.
I still think Wolfhall is great but understand that the darkness, slow pace and odd timing may be annoying at times, but it’s meant to be one persons story. It’s not a fly on the wall narrative. I am an Anne Boleyn fan, but I am not up in arms because of how she is charaterised in the show, Cromwell doesn’t really know her personally yet and so, this is how she comes across to him from the experience he’s has with her. Remember, we know the history, they are the history.
On that note, I’d love to make history, for good things of course!
Anyhow, it comes to the dress of the week with a few more dresses thrown in because, well, any excuse!
I love a bit of faux fur and I also adore this new find in the blogosphere, weddings and history *girlish squeal* so this weeks dress of the week pleases me muchos!
Back view –
Just stunning! imagine getting married in that? DING DONG!
We are going with a medieval theme today, so enjoy!
I love the colours in this dress, soooo pretty <3
You don’t have to be a high born noble lady to rock the medieval style, loving this middling style outfit –
Love the authentic head piece in this picture, I used to dream about having a princess hat when I was younger!
His and hers –
If there is a time period that you want me to research and share with you, please let me know. Also keep sending me things, I really appreciate it. I don’t find it creepy at all, haha. I have a twitter and facebook page, so feel free to add me. My pinterest has more regular history porn if you need a more frequent hit.
For many this will be their first week back at work, how was it?
Over the Christmas holidays I spent a lot of time with the internet and I did a lot of surfing. Which I adore. No intentions, just jumping from link to link. I am a huge history buff, as some of you may know. It really rocks my boat, and living in London means I get to be surrounded by it all of the time. Woof!
( any excuse for Blackadder on my blog)
A few people I have spoken too recently have shared an interest in it too. I love that about hobbies. Some of them are so intimate to us, such as baking, and sewing that unless you share the spoils, you actually enjoy the experience on your own.So we all exchanged good websites and secret historic passions.
Here are some of mine.
I LOVE historical fashion. I could just lay back and bask in it. Recently this interest has started to lean towards a curiosity in the making of the clothing it’s self. I may even have a go at creating something. Until then, here are some places where I get my fixes.
I’ll finish up with a mention for the history chicks Whoot! whoot!
What about you lovelies, do any of you have any secret hobbies? Do any of you share mine? If so, make sure to share your pools of knowledge in the form of links below, I wanna find more 🙂
