Learning two languages for the sake of Fashion (and History)!

 Josephine Baker with her 9 children

Sounds silly right? Well now I can devulge the method to my madness. The next semester of uni is rearing its ugly head and I, along with a very supportive professor, have taken on a wonderful research opportunity. I am pleased to research Josephine Baker and her influence on French design houses in the 1920s! If you are not a nerd you might find it hard to believe that I will revel in the fact that I will have to sift through oodles of books, essays, disertations, movies, and etc to reach my goal. My thesis is still in the air and I will definitely keep you updated. This means that my new year's resolution from 2010 is officially completed: to figure out how to study both history and fashion as a cohesive subject. This proves that anything you put your mind to can be achieved! 

The infamous Banana Dance

So what does all this have to do with learning languages? I am putting myself to the test and will begin my journey to conquer French and Italian. Most of the papers and first hand accounts will not be in English. It is very difficult to find first hand accounts before the 1950s that are translated so I have my work cut out for me. For me it is important to not cut corners with this paper as it involves a few fashion houses I love and could possibly lead to a lengthier work like a book or article for a journal. What is to be expected? A lot of frustration on my part as I tend to torture myself with research and paper structure before diving into a huge 12+ page paper. After completing a 26 page work last semester I think this is something I can handle. So, wish me luck and expect many updates!

Life is beautiful, let's share a little. 

Joy D.

Fashion Film Friday: Fashion Horizons (1940)

Produced and directed by Harry D. Donahue.

I have always been fascinated by these vintage fashion featurettes. Seeking out information I discovered it was curated as a travelogue set in the "modern" 1930s. The appeal of the cowboy was still very strong. The Kodachrome is in excellent condition and captures the essence of a culture thrust into popularity. Honestly, it could be said this is one of the first examples of fashion as pop culture in film!

Life is beautiful, let's share a little.
Joy D.

Happy B-day Mary Cassatt

In 1868, Cassatt exhibited in the Salon, France's annual juried art showcase. During the 1870s, she became very aware of, and influenced by the work of the Impressionists. This independent group was not excepted at the burgeoning art schools and had to create a forum, the imfamous Salon, to show their work. Not bad for an American woman in the 19th century. She was mostly influenced by the works of Degas. In 1877 Degas asked her to exhibit with the Impressionists, she accepted. [source] She had a penchant for depicting high class women and children in creamy tones. She would often sit outside and paint her "family" who were very protective of her.

Her body of work is astonishing but she has managed to fly under the radar as an epic Impressionist. And I could go into a feminist diatribe as to why this is but instead I want more people to know about her. It is thought that a relationship develops between Degas and Cassat but there is flimsy evidence to back that up. A reoccurring theme are the two center figures in her works: Mother and child. It is a little too mushy of a concept for me but I enjoy staring at Cassat's paintings and have found some inspiration of my own. She has so many colorful and rich pieces that I suggest you google her. Because most of her works are so colorful I had to use nifty Polyvore.com to put some looks together.

Children On The Beach (1884)

Woman with Baby (1902)

Under The Horse Chesnut Tree (1896, 1898)

The Bath (1890-91)

Happy B-day Mr. Brown!

Happy Birthday John Brown! Famous American crazy man and most importantly a radical abolitionist. President Abraham Lincoln said he was a "misguided fanatic". Brown has been called "the most controversial of all 19th-century Americans [citation]. He was revered, hated, and feared all at the same time, with good reason. He managed to take over a fort and massacre many but was then captured and eventually hanged. With historians now looking into the "secret" lives of Presidents and their adversaries this might be a person to look forward to reading about in a few years.

I can't deny that while I enjoy fashion and I love music even more history really captures my full attention. I can have a conversation about my favorite designers and albums of the year but history means more to me than that. You learn so much with such little information about people that were rarely mentioned in your history books. That being said, W.E.B. Dubois wrote a book on Brown, it is a little lengthy and if you are familiar with his writing you know it can sometimes be dry but I have read a few chapters of interest and it is a great way to get incite about a white abolitionist from an African American civil right's activist's point of view.