Feeling sick - again !

Mit ladylike hat das nichts mehr zu tun, schon das zweitemal in diesem Monat hat mich eine Erkältung erwischt. Was mache ich falsch?

Nothing ladylike about me these days. It's already the second time this month a cold has caught me. What is wrong with me? I guess it's time to finish some books, like Per Olov Enquist's 'The visit of the royal physician'. 

Downton Abbey's Dowager Countess

Maggie Smith is the best! Her portrayal of the Dowager Countess of Grantham in the series Downton Abbey is hilarious! These are just two of her (numerous) witty moments:

In Deutschland lief Downton Abbey übrigens nur im PayTV auf Sky. Also DVD besorgen oder auf einen freeTV Start hoffen.

The Letty Lynton Dress

Joan Crawford in the Letty Lynton dress

As much as I love pleats and ruffles and stuff it remains a mystery to me why the Letty Lynton dress, worn by Joan Crawford, designed by the famous Adrian was such a huge fashion success back in the mid thirties. I just don't get it, as I find it most unappealing.
In the book Gowns by Adrian it reads: "The mutton sleeve, puffed at the shoulder and tight from the elbow down, was itself a throwback from the 1890s. At the time Letty Lynton was released in 1932, the trend in fashion was toward an interest in such revival styles; (...) The puffed mutton sleeve that Adrian had so confidently predicted would alter the prevailing silhouette of fashion came and stayed. With Letty Lynton Hollywood was finally ready to rival Paris as the leading exponent of style, at least among American moviegoers, and this was measured in dollars, cents, and the most sincere form of flattery, imitation. (...)
When the film was released in May of 1932, Macy's Department Store chain had a Cinema Shop that specialized in gowns 'worn by the stars'.(...) By late summer, Macy's claimed to have sold in excess of 15.000 copies of Crawford's Letty Lynton gown, eventually some 500.000 copies were sold in stores nationwide."
Compared to the then sleek and rather sophisticated style of the early thirties, to me it lacks elegance and even glamour. But as it seems, fashion never is one dimensional and stays non predictable as it always catches on various influences.

About being alone in the universe

I did not like any of the movies of Lars von Trier, until there was Melancholia, which I saw about two weeks ago. First of all it's simply a very beautiful movie, with beautiful music and visuals. Secondly it is deeply disturbing, but not in a way other LvT movies usually are. There was nothing offending or revolting about it. There was desperation, humiliation, resignation and fear (as always), but this time it felt affective and almost appealing, which I think is due to the whole 19th century romanticism theme the movie is based on. There is not only Wagner, there is also the painters, the writers and the philosophers, the ones, who engage in the so called counter-enlightenment and hold feelings above reason. The constant awareness of being alone - in the universe and thus in life - results in a sentimental weariness of life, a very ambivalent longing for the apocalypse to put an end to all the yearning and the pointlessness.
Melancholia captures those moody thoughts very well, even though without much story stelling. As Lars von Trier said in an interview, he wanted the movie come close to the depth of Dostojewski's Brothers Karamazov or The Idiot without all the novel's talking, without beeing tied to a stupid plot. I believe he succeeded.
The director is convinced of being alone in the universe: "We are. But noone wants to realize it. They keep wanting to push limits and fly wherever. Forget it! Look inward!"

Robe à la francaise

Nachdem ich mich an Schnürbrust, Chemise und Probekleid für meinen Geschmack genügend ausprobiert habe, geht es jetzt an eine Robe à la Francaise im Stil der späten 60er Jahre des 18. Jahrhunderts. Ich habe mir vor einer Weile 11 yards Seidentaft in der Farbe light lavendar aus Indien bestellt und bin mit dem gröbsten schon fertig. Momentan sitze ich an den Verzierungen...

I successfully (kind of) managed to complete a chemise, a corset and a sample dress of cheap ikea cotton, so now it is time to give it a try with silk taffeta. My robe à la francaise is going to be a 60s version of the 18th century. The colour of the taffeta is light lavendar and most of the work is already done. At the moment I'm working on the trimmings, next are the flounces and the petticoat.

I really like that colour!  ; )

Unknown, rare or non contemporary portraits of Marie Antoinette

Revolution & Sonstige