|
Dressing
for Carnival in Italy
|
By Janice Clark
Carnival is celebrated all around the world, notably in Brazil,
Trinidad, Switzerland, Italy and in the US. The history, folklore,
foods, music, customs, costumes, parades, balls and pageantry have
become part of the local culture. |
|
Carnival
in New
Orleans |
By Janice Clark
The New Orleans Carnival in America is similar to the Fasching
in Switzerland and Germany which begins on the twelfth night after
Christmas and continues until Shrove Tuesday. The expression "Mardi
Gras" is from the French, meaning "Fat Tuesday". The
season officially kicks off on the Epiphany, Kings Day, the first
Thursday in January with balls and parades leading up to a frenzied
climax on the first Tuesday in March, Mardi Gras Day. Unlike anywhere
else in the world, from a wrought iron balcony, one can observe a
jazz funeral during the festivities while dining on crawfish or pecan
chicken or a bowl of jambalaya, finishing with bananas foster or a
slice of the famed King Cake. |
|
Carnival
in Switzerland
|
By Thomas Krauss
In Switzerland the carnival activities include colorful processionals
and masked balls in several cities. Most carnivals are held after
Lent begins, a historical Protestant reaction to Catholicism. Festivities
usually start a week before Ash Wednesday.
In Lucerne, on the Rhine, bordering France and Germany, the tradition
harks back to medieval times; costumes, especially masks, tend to
be hideous to frighten away the devil.
|
|
|
Elegance
Abandoned - Tiaras
|
Reviewed by Nancy Lyons
A lecture by Antiques Roadshow and Radio 4 personality Geoffrey Munn,
at The Royal Academy of Art, Society of Antiquaries, Piccadilly in
London on November 8, 1999. As Geoffrey's
lecture illustrates, tiaras may have been abandoned, but their elegance
and awe-inspiring designs certainly linger on.Tiaras or diadems have
their origins in the ancient custom of crowning the victorious with
oak twigs and acorns. |
|
Dressing
in Top Hat
|
By Nancy Lyons
On 15 January 1797, John Hetherington, a hat-maker on the Strand in
London, stepped out wearing the first top hat. He created such a sensation
that 4 women fainted, pedestrians booed and a little boy broke his
arm. Hetherington
was arrested for wearing "a tall structure having a shiny lustre calculated
to alarm timid people". He even had to pay 500 pounds for breaching
the peace.However, perhaps because of their flashiness, soon afterwards
top hats with tall crowns and curled brims had become the must-have
fashion accessory. |
|
Collecting
Fashion
Plates |
By Nancy Lyons and Jane Carr
Fashion plates originated in the late 18th century when
Costumes Parisiens and The Ladies Magazine and others suddenly started
presenting beautifully engraved illustrations of women wearing the
latest fashions. Fairly plain by modern standards, they were black
and white, and pictured the fashionable models of the day in "haute
couture" clothing without any special props or backgrounds.
Not surprisingly, soon after a wide variety of ladies fashion magazines
appeared with fashion plates. By the mid-1800s handcolored fashion
plates peaked in popularity; they didn't disappear until after the
1920s.
|
|
|
|
|
No part of this website may be reproduced
by any means without prior written permission from the producers.The producers
of this website accept no responsibility for, nor necessarily agree with,
views expressed, statements or claims made in any of the articles or events
listings posted.
©www.aboutDecorativeStyle.com
2001
|
|