The Ornamented Being
Ornamented: -verb: Adorn; beautify. Be·ing: -noun: Fulfillment of possibilities; essential completeness.
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I woke up to two surprises this morning.
1) The temperature was 6 degrees in my house. I think that was the fastest I have ever run downstairs to get to the thermostat!
2) The FOG justs keeps rolling in. I took this photo about ten minutes ago and I’m sitting at the table with my tea and you can hardly see the tree now.
If you’ve ever seen 13th Warrior you know fog like this can only mean the Wendol are coming.
Lucky for me my fencing swords are within reach and I will not hesitate to go Valkyrie on anyone who decides creeping through the fog is fun -_- -
My, what insanely (and unattractively) large sleeves you have!
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Whether or not this is entirely true is debated. This article is from The Terrific Register and was written in 1825 so I doubt the complete veracity of the facts but it’s truly an amusing story.
The duke of Richelieu was the cause of an unprecedented duel between two females, Madame de Polignac and Madame de Nesle, who disputed the possession of him. The duke had repeatedly refused to the see the former, but this was of no avail. Madame de Polignac still loved her inconstant gallant with as much ardour as ever, and was therefore jealous of all the ladies that had succeeded her, not singly, but in troops. Tortured by jealousy, she one day met Madame de Nesle, and challenged her to fight with pistols in the Bois de Boulonge. Madame de Nesle eagerly accepted the challenge, being animated by the same spirit as her fair antagonist, and hoping either to kill her antagonist, and thus remain in undisturbed possession of her lover, or to evince the strength of her attachment, and the ardour of her passion, by an honourable death. The ladies met, and fired at each other. Madame de Nesle fell, and her fair bosom was covered with blood. “Come on,” exclaimed her antagonist, “I will teach you the consequences of robbing a woman like me of her lover; if I had the perfidious creature in my power I would tear out her heart as I have blown out her brains.”
A young man who had heard these cruel words, begged her to moderate herself, and not exult over her unfortunate opponent, whose courage, at least, could not but command her respect. “Silence, young coxcomb,” cried Madame de Polignac, “it does not become you to give me instruction.” *insert snickers at the insults*
Madame de Nesle had not been wounded in the breast, as had first been feared, but very slightly in the shoulder. On coming to herself, some person asked her if the lover, for whose sake she had fought, was worth exposing herself to such a risk for him? “O yes,” replied she, “he deserves much better blood than what circulates in my veins to be shed for him. He is the most amiable man of the whole court; all the ladies lay snares for him; but I hope, after this proof of love which I have given, to obtain the exclusive possession of his heart. I am under too great obligations to you,” continued she, “to conceal his name,——it is the duke de Richelieu; yes, the duke de Richelieu, the first-born of the God of War and the Goddess of Love.”
*dissolves in laughter*
Such a bad photo (and such awful dialogue) but that’s honestly the best I find of either lady (also their clothing isn’t very early 18th century either). The second photo is of the man they fought over. No to point fingers or anything buuuut total popinjay right there! Either way I am loving those red heels!
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I was going to save these for tomorrow’s post but I couldn’t wait that long to share them!! I can’t decide whether to hate them or love them?
Rosenbloom’s Slippers
ca. 1892
Met
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Quite possibly THE highest Louis heel I have ever seen.
High Louis Buckle Heel - Silk c. 1780s
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Oh come on Victorians this is just a little overkill!
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*faints*
Where do I start?
Guyliner! Adam Ant! Stand and Deliver! Highwayman! Mathew Baynton!!!
Horrible Histories if you were trying to make Dick Turpin look like a bad guy you just failed.
Epically.
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Starting this weekend, you and your family can experience the amazing exhibition Pulp Fashion: The Art of Isabelle de Borchgrave at San Francisco’s Legion of Honor museum in Lincoln Park. Pulp Fashion showcases the work of de Borchgrave, a Belgian artist who creates stunning costumes, based on art history and historic fashions, out of paper and paint. Everything depicted, from fabric, lace, and hats to jewelry, books, and fans is crafted from paper, cardboard, and paint only.
Pulp Fashion presents 60 masterworks depicting examples from throughout the history of costume, from the Renaissance finery of the Medicis and gowns worn by Queen Elizabeth I and Marie-Antoinette to designs by Christian Dior and Coco Chanel. There are also five special creations inspired by popular paintings in the Legion of Honor’s permanent collection, which are presented here for the first time ever. Make sure you go upstairs to the Legion’s European art galleries to check out the works in person after you view their paper counterparts in the exhibition.
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c. 1718
The Met says: In design and workmanship, this bedroom, consisting of an antechamber with a bed alcove, is one of the finest of its period. The decoration is in stucco and carved wood. In the antechamber, fluted Corinthian pilasters support an entablature out of which fly amorini bearing garlands of flowers. Other amorini bear the gilded frame of a painting by Gasparo Diziani, depicting dawn triumphant over night. Above the entry to the alcove seven amorini frolic, holding a shield with the monogram of Zaccaria Sagredo. A paneled wood dado with a red-and-white marble base runs around the room. The unornamented portions of the walls are covered with seventeenth-century brocatelle. The bed alcove has its original marquetry floor. The stuccowork was probably done by Abondio Statio and Carpoforo Mazetti. The amorini are beautifully modeled and the arabesques of the doors are exquisitely executed. Everything in this bedroom forms a buoyant and joyful ensemble.
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0_0 woah. How did you keep that on your head without a) hurting your neck and b) it falling all over the place?
This headdress in particular is an excellent example of the melding of cultures found in Russian history. The shape of this headdress is nearly identical to a French style from Alsace illustrated in Auguste Racinet’s “The Complete History of Costume”. This type of crossover is characteristic of the evolution of Russian dress.
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For years this has been my favorite quote because it is me.
“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers. The round heads in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status-quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them. But the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
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Found a new picture of Polaire and her crazy 14” waist.
“Polaire! The agitating and agitated Polaire! The tiny slip of a woman that you know, with the waist slender to the point of pain, of screaming out loud, of breaking in two, in a spasmically tight bodice, the prettiest slimness … And, under the aureole of an extravagant masher’s hat, orange and plumed with iris leaves, the great voracious mouth, the immense black eyes, ringed, bruised, discoloured, the incandescence of her pupils, the bewildered nocturnal hair, the phosphorus, the sulphur, the red pepper of that ghoulish, Salome-like face, the agitating and agitated Polaire!
What a devilish mimic, what a coffee-mill and what a belly-dancer! Yellow skirt tucked high, gloved in open-work stockings, Polaire skips, flutters, wriggles, arches from the hips, the back, the belly, mimes every kind of shock, twists, coils, rears, twirls…trembling like a stuck wasp, miaows, faints to what music and what words! The house, frozen with stupor, forgets to applaud.”
