March 7th Today, I am...

...this exquisite headpiece!

I am a Philip Treacy hat, made for Alexander McQueen's (a British fashion designer who commited suicide in 2010) 2008 Autumn/Winter Ready to Wear collection. Philip Treacy is an Irish designer, mainly for hats and shoes. He has designed hats for Alexander McQueen, including his white collection for Givenchy Haute Couture, for Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel, and for Valentino, Ralph Lauren and Donna Karan. He was awarded the title of British Accessory Designer of the Year at the on five occasions during the early 1990s. He was also awarded an honorary OBE (Order of the British Empire) for services to the British fashion industry by Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. Treacy designed the headdress worn by the Duchess of Cornwall for the couple's wedding and 36 of the hats worn at the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, including the infamous headpiece sported by Princess Beatrice (second picture below). He has also made his mark in the movie and music world designing hats for films including the Harry Potter series as well Sarah Jessica Parker's whimsical headpiece for the film première of Sex and the City. His statement making pieces are the headwear of choice for the likes of Lady Gaga, Madonna, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Elizabeth Hurley.

other Philip Treacy hats:

interesting hats facts:

* London black taxies are made tall so that a gentleman can ride in them without taking off a top hat
* in the middle of 19th century baseball umpires wore top hats during the game
* white tall chef hats traditionally have 100 pleats to represent hundreds of ways an egg can be prepared
* Elizabeth I had a law according to which every person older than 7 years had to wear a cap on Sundays and holydays
* it is said that when John Hetherington wore one of the first top hats in 1797 in the streets, he was arrested for scaring the people
* process of making felt involved use of mercury which is toxic and prolonged exposure use can cause damage in nervous system, tremors and dementia; from that originates phrase “Mad as a hatter”
* in 1920s there was an odd custom in America that it was common that if people wore straw hats after the 15 September they were beaten up
* there is still a law in Kentucky that forbids a ma to buy a ten gallon hat if his wife is not present to assist in choosing a model

(all facts found at History of Hats)

March 6th Today, I am...

...Leda with the swan!

I am an oil on wood painting by Leonardo daVinci. Leda and the swan is a Greek mythoglogy story in which the god Zeus, in the form of a swan, seduces and rapes Leda. Leda then gave birth to his children, Helena and Polydeuces, while at the same time bearing Castor and Clytemnestra, children of her husband and the king of Sparta, Tyndareus. Some stories say she laid two eggs from which the children hatched. Leonardo daVinci was an Italian painter, sculptor, architect, musician, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer. One of the most diversly talented person to ever live, he is also considered to be one of the greatest painters of all time. A man of "unquenchable curiosity" and "feverishly inventive imagination", Leonardo has often been described as the archetype of the Renaissance Man. He epitomized the Renaissance humanist ideal (humanism = a philosophical and ethical stance that emphasizes the value and agency of human beings, individually and collectively, and generally prefers critical thinking and evidence (rationalism, empiricism) over established doctrine or faith (fideism).

his signature:

other daVinci paintings:

 

interesting daVinci facts:

* the name Leonardo daVinci translates to Leonard from the town of Vinci
* Leonardo was raised by his single father (he was the love child of Caterina, a peasant, and Ser Piero, a lawyer and landlord)
* he was left-handed
* daVinci left many paintings unfinished and destroyed most of his work
* he was a vegetarian who loved animals and despised war, yet he worked as a military engineer to invent advanced and deadly weapons
* he invented the bicycle 300 years before it appeared on the road
* Leonardo daVinci had dyslexia, which made it hard for others to steal his work
* he dug into graves at night and stole corpses to study the human anatomy
* he was an accomplished lyre player

(facts found at DaVinci Poster and Discover)

March 5th Today, I am...

...Queen Maud of Norway's dress!

Queen Maude of Wales was born in 1869. She became Queen of Norway in 1905. She was a daughter of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom. Maud of Wales was the first queen of Norway since 1380 who was not also queen of Denmark or Sweden. As for the dress, I am a gorgeous example of Art Nouveau Fashion of late 19th and early 20th century. A square silhouette (broad, padded shoulders and straight body) was typical. New inventions like the zipper (for shoes) and rayon (for hosiery) found their way into fashion. Women's clothing softened, sleeves became more modest, and a soft, triangular silhouette developed. Later the triangular skirt became cylindrical, producing a narrow, rectangular silhouette. Bodices and skirts were more commonly combined into one-piece dresses, and lighter construction was used. Tailored looks became more popular. Top fashion designers such as Paul Poiret experimented with unusual silhouettes. Soft fabrics like crepe, charmeuse, chiffon, and batiste were popular for tea dresses and evening gowns. Dresses made of lace, or embroidered cotton combined with lace, were fashionable for warm weather. Firmer fabrics such as wool and cotton duck were used for tailored wear.
The House of Worth (a French house of high fashion) sold these designs throughout Europe.

other Queen Maude's dresses:

interesting Art Nouveau fashion facts:

* this was a period of immense social upheaval, particularly for women
* after the war (WW1), there was an explosion of exhuberance in style, as a youthful generation took center stage amid a decade of prosperity
* the excitement of Jazz Age life, prohibition, and the idealization of college men and coeds in the US gave a youthful emphasis to fashion
* knits, leather, and rayon for the first time became important fashion materials
* during the depression years of the 1930's fashion was driven by the fantasies of Hollywood, and by a desire to return to a more traditionally feminine image for women
*  in the late Art Nouveau period movie stars like Marlene Dietrich and Katherine Hepburn made it acceptable for women to wear trousers in public
* the war (WW2) provided an opportunity for American designers to establish themselves; previously fashion ideas had emanated mainly from Paris

(all facts found at: Art, Design and Visual Thinking)

March 4th Today, I am...

...this beautiful Venetian wall mask!

I am "crowned by a magnificent butterfly", I have "a whimsical, yet elegant styling." I am a wall hanging, measuring 20.5'' from top to bottom. I'm crafted of cold cast bronze with a beautiful hand tinted finish. I cost $94.00 and you can purchase me at The Guiding Tree. Venetian masks with elaborate costumes are a traditional wardrobe at the Venetian carnival. Traditionally people were allowed to wear them between the festival of Santo Stefano (St. Stephen's Day, December 26) and the start of the carnival season at midnight of Shrove Tuesday. Maskmakers (mascherari) enjoyed a special position in society, with their own laws and their own guild. Venetian masks can be made of leather, porcelain or using the original glass technique. The original masks were rather simple in design, decoration, and often had a symbolic and practical function. Nowadays, most of them are made with the application of gesso and gold leaf and are all hand-painted using natural feathers and gems to decorate. There is little evidence explaining the motive for the earliest mask wearing in Venice. One scholar argues that covering the face in public was a uniquely Venetian response to one of the most rigid class hierarchies in European history.

other Venetian masks from The Guiding Tree:

 interesting Venetian carnival facts:

* everyone (meaning ANYONE) who hid under the disguise could pretend to be someone else and maybe climb the stairs of the Palazzo Ducale to go and salute the most serene Doge
* the carnival could not be interrupted and that meant it had to carry on at any cost
* the Carnival stopped being celebrated after the fall of the Republic because it was frowned upon by the Austrians and the French, but the tradition was preserved in the islands of Murano and Burano
* the typical sweets of the Carnevale are Frittelle and Galani, which can be purchased in every single bakery and patisserie in town, but only during Carnival time

(all facts found at Browsing Italy)

March 3rd Today, I am...

...Marie Antoinette!

This is a detail of my portait by Martin van Meytens. Some art historians have credited van Meytens as being one of the most significant Austrian painters of the Baroque era. This painting was painted before I went to France in 1770. I was around 15 years old. The little ruff around my neck was an 18th century interpretation of Elizabethan ruffs, a very trendy way to go. I was born an Archduchess of Austria, was Dauphine of France from 1770 to 1774 and Queen of France and Navarre from 1774 to 1792. I was fifteenth and penultimate child of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Francis I. Initially charmed by my personality and beauty, the French people eventually came to dislike me, accusing "L'Autrichienne" (which literally means the Austrian (woman), but also suggests the French word "chienne", meaning bitch) of being profligate, promiscuous, and of harbouring sympathies for France's enemies, particularly Austria, my country of origin. The Diamond Necklace incident (a crime of defrauding the crown jewellers of the cost of a very expensive diamond necklace) damaged my reputation further. I later became known as Madame Déficit because France's financial crisis was blamed on my lavish spending. (found at Wikipedia)

other pictures of Marie Antoinette:

interesting Marie Antoinette facts:

* she was only 14 years old when she married the future Louis XVI
* it took seven years for the future king and queen to consummate their marriage
* Marie Antoinette was a teen idol
* her towering bouffant hairdo once sported a battleship replica
* a fairy-tale village was built for her at Versailles
* Marie Antoinette never said “Let them eat cake.”
* she was buried in an unmarked grave and then exhumed

(all facts found at History)

March 2nd Today, I am...

...this lovely vintag-y like dress!

I am a Chotronette dress, which is a Romanian fashion brand. They are inspired by ballerinas and circus music, they love insane photoshoots. The brand consist of two designers, Silvia Chiteala and Laura Cazacu. "We’re obsessed with Frida Kahlo, retro punk music, Art Nouveau architecture, Wes Anderson’s movies and Victorian glasshouses. Our artistic goal is to make timeless dresses that would have looked great at Gatsby’s parties, but that would still look exquisite 50 years from now. We don’t believe in trends, but we do believe in style./.../ The characters we create in the Chotronette imaginarium are the seemingly-perfect suburban housewife, the Russian princess, the Audrey Hepburn wannabe, the goth Tim Burton muse and Mexican Lolita. We create these imaginary universes, because the world needs stories and we consider ourselves visual story tellers.
/.../Chotronette was featured in Vogue Britain and Vogue Italy, Playboy Romania and many other local magazines. We’ve collaborated with some very inspiring people, and we’re always searching for artists who share our aesthetic values."

other Chotronette dresses:

 interesting dress facts:

* up until the 19th century, children were dressed as miniature adults
* up until around 1910, it was totally common for little boys to wear dresses until they were around 5 or 6 
* during the 1860s, dresses were so wide that women were often stuck in doorways 
* South Korea used to have actual fashion police who would go around measuring the miniskirt length of women; if skirts were deemed too short, they could be fined or arrested 
* the world’s longest wedding dress has a train that’s 1.85 miles long; it required approximately three miles of taffeta and 18 feet of lace to produce
* Marie Antoinette was actually super modest and wore a high-cut flannel gown while bathing so nobody could catch a glimpse of her naughty bits 

(all facts found at Buzzfeed)

March 1st Today, I am...

...this beautifully delicate doll!

My name is Cinderella (seems like I get a lot of Cinderellas lately!), one of many from the Enchanted Dolls collection, created by Marina Bychkova. "Marina Bychkova is a Russian-Canadian figurative artist and a founder of Enchanted Doll - luxury toy label of exquisite, porcelain dolls./.../ Enchanted Dolls are elegantly sculpted and articulated works of art. Strikingly nude, engraved or adorned in opulent sculptural costumes of precious metals, gemstones, and rare found objects, each doll intricately conveys an aspect of our humanity. Unique and delicate, their forms evoke a strong emotional response, haunting us with their vulnerability. All at once innocent and sexual, Enchanted Dolls depict highly stylized images of femininity, while at the same time reflecting on life’s playful naiveté." You can find all the other beautiful creatures at this site: Marina Bychkova! Btw, they cost several thousand dollars!

other Enchanted Dolls:

 interesting dolls facts:

* first toy advertised on the television was Mr. Potato Head (with an actual potato for his head!)
* one Barbie is sold somewhere in the world every three seconds; her full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts
* reborn dolls are so realistic they have been mistaken for real children; there are known cases that the police smashed a window of the vehicle because they thought that an unconscious baby was in the vehicle when instead was a reborn doll
* modern European dolls were at first made to represent adults. Childlike dolls did not appear until 1850
* there are workshops, called “doll hospitals” specialized for repair and restoration of dolls; oldest is in Lisbon, Portugal (founded in 1830)
* European dolls had brown eyes until the Victorian era when Queen Victoria inspired blue eyes
* Mattel, manufacturer of Barbie, sued MCA Records, for whom band “Aqua” recorded song "Barbie Girl" because they allegedly violated the Barbie trademark. Mattel lost
* in 1963, Barbie came with an accessory book titled “How to Lose Weight” on the back of which was printed “Don’t eat”; in 1965, same book came together with accessory scales which were permanently set to 110lbs (55kg)

(facts found at: History of Dolls)