Sunday, September 28, 2014
START THE WEEK
WHETHER in ballerinas, or in heels, or indeed in whatever shoe type, we start the new week with confidence! A lovely book about shoes is In her Shoes, by Jennifer Weiner. This is a book about accepting who we are, which in turn makes us stronger and better. Everyone is different and everyone is worthwhile. I loved In her Shoes, the book and the film, an I recommend both. In fact I even think that it is one of those rare occasions where the film is better than the book (but this is only an opinion). Have a great Monday morning! xxx
FASHION SUNDAY
IT'S Sunday, which only means that I am updating my fashion journal! I am here uploading the page where I record how impressed I am with Serkan Cura's use of the corset! If you are interested in the corset, I think the best book remains Valerie Steele's The Corset: A Cultural History! Also, the Victoria & Albert Museum has very good editions on the history of clothing and underwear, all with lovely photographs. I wish you a lovely Sunday afternoon! xxx
Saturday, September 27, 2014
THE LIPSTICK PAPERS WEEKEND REVIEW
HELLO and welcome to this weekend's review from The Lipstick Papers! Today we got The Woman in White, a novel by Wilkie Collins!
Written in 1859, The Woman in White belongs to the genre of sensation fiction. This was an extremely popular Victorian type of novel, concerned with mystery, family secrets, murder, and the supernatural. Often, the centre of the mystery was a beautiful woman.
In The Woman in White, there is not one beautiful woman but two, Laura Fairlie and Anne Catherick, the actual woman in white. The two women are identical in appearance, and are both caught up in the fate of Walter Hartright, a young and idealistic art teacher.
The scene where Walter meets Anne, clad in white, on the moonlit road to London at midnight is, for me, among the finest pieces of literature ever written. I am not sure why. This scene is not pleasant, it is rather tragic. Yet it is unforgettable.
The novel became a huge hit in the Victorian era, and made Wilkie Collins famous. Other memorable characters in The Woman in White are the evil Count Fosco and Marian Halcombe, Laura's faithful half-sister.
The Woman in White played with many Victorian hopes and fears: finding happiness and moving upwards in the social scale as against deadly family secrets, villainous and violent husbands, crime and madness.
What is the secret of the Woman in White? Not only the plot, but also life and death depend on finding the answer. But I also think that the answer has a lot to do with the heart and mind of each reader, for the novel is unsettling and enigmatic to the end...
The Woman in White is a long novel. Victorians loved the slow-moving, dense narrative. If you don't mind this, and you love mystery, this novel is for you!
Have a lovely weekend, always with beauty and a book! xxx
Written in 1859, The Woman in White belongs to the genre of sensation fiction. This was an extremely popular Victorian type of novel, concerned with mystery, family secrets, murder, and the supernatural. Often, the centre of the mystery was a beautiful woman.
In The Woman in White, there is not one beautiful woman but two, Laura Fairlie and Anne Catherick, the actual woman in white. The two women are identical in appearance, and are both caught up in the fate of Walter Hartright, a young and idealistic art teacher.
The scene where Walter meets Anne, clad in white, on the moonlit road to London at midnight is, for me, among the finest pieces of literature ever written. I am not sure why. This scene is not pleasant, it is rather tragic. Yet it is unforgettable.
The novel became a huge hit in the Victorian era, and made Wilkie Collins famous. Other memorable characters in The Woman in White are the evil Count Fosco and Marian Halcombe, Laura's faithful half-sister.
The Woman in White played with many Victorian hopes and fears: finding happiness and moving upwards in the social scale as against deadly family secrets, villainous and violent husbands, crime and madness.
What is the secret of the Woman in White? Not only the plot, but also life and death depend on finding the answer. But I also think that the answer has a lot to do with the heart and mind of each reader, for the novel is unsettling and enigmatic to the end...
The Woman in White is a long novel. Victorians loved the slow-moving, dense narrative. If you don't mind this, and you love mystery, this novel is for you!
Have a lovely weekend, always with beauty and a book! xxx
Friday, September 26, 2014
BEAUTY FRIDAY
The end of the week has a beauty all of its own. I hope you are all having a beautiful Friday! The Lipstick Papers Weekend Review coming soon! xxx
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
PLAY THE PIANO ANYTIME
MUSIC often appears in fiction, sometimes in an unsettling way.
For example, there is something terrible in the scene where Laura Fairley plays the piano to say goodbye to Walter Hartright in The Woman in White! Laura is a young, aristocratic woman, not allowed by convention to marry Walter, who is just a poor teacher. She has to marry someone her father chose for her, and who, of course, turns out to be totally evil. Will the two lovers eventually get together? I can't say; check out the novel to find out!
;-)
In Middlemarch, too, Rosamond's beautiful piano music stands for a talent wasted. George Eliot generally uses music to pass messages about women's subversion, and I have read that this is especially so in her novel Daniel Deronda. Personally, I found that novel unreadable, so I can't say much else about it.
Dorian Gray is a masterful piano player, and again the scenes where he plays are disturbing if not downright scary.
The beautiful Edward Cullen is also talented with the piano.
Yet, for me, the most amazing piano playing scenes are in Fifty Shades of Grey! Like Dorian, Christian too plays to express sadness, loneliness and despair.
Give me a mysterious man who can play the piano anytime!
For example, there is something terrible in the scene where Laura Fairley plays the piano to say goodbye to Walter Hartright in The Woman in White! Laura is a young, aristocratic woman, not allowed by convention to marry Walter, who is just a poor teacher. She has to marry someone her father chose for her, and who, of course, turns out to be totally evil. Will the two lovers eventually get together? I can't say; check out the novel to find out!
;-)
In Middlemarch, too, Rosamond's beautiful piano music stands for a talent wasted. George Eliot generally uses music to pass messages about women's subversion, and I have read that this is especially so in her novel Daniel Deronda. Personally, I found that novel unreadable, so I can't say much else about it.
Dorian Gray is a masterful piano player, and again the scenes where he plays are disturbing if not downright scary.
The beautiful Edward Cullen is also talented with the piano.
Yet, for me, the most amazing piano playing scenes are in Fifty Shades of Grey! Like Dorian, Christian too plays to express sadness, loneliness and despair.
Give me a mysterious man who can play the piano anytime!
Monday, September 22, 2014
I COULD ONLY REMEMBER THE ODDITIES
I SAW this beautiful painting on a board, and I thought to write about the love letter in literature!
Of course, the subject is too wide, and a whole library shelf could be filled with love letter anthologies, from fiction or real life!
Not all love letters are lovely, however. In fact, when I sat down to try and list some fictional love letters, I could only remember the oddities! For example, Mr Darcy's inflated love confession and marriage proposal in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, and the ambivalent love letters in Secret Engagement (Μυστικοί Αρραβώνες), a Greek novel by 19th century Greek author Gregorios Xenopoulos (Γρηγόριος Ξενόπουλος). Also, Dorian Gray's unusual love letter to his fiancee in The Picture of Dorian Gray. The letter is unusual because Dorian doesn't know the fiancee is already dead. Dorian had broken up with her, she killed herself, while Dorian writes to make amends.
Not too pleasant, I must admit.
Having said that, there are good examples that come to mind too. Christian and Ana write amazing emails to each other in the Fifty Shades trilogy!
When it comes to real life letters from poets or writers, among the most beautiful are John Keats's love letters to his fiancee Fanny Browne. I have a weakness for John Keats, this is true; yet, more objective authorities than I am consider that his letters are, in general, among the finest letters ever written.
Also, I have to add this. Probably the best fictional love letter I have ever read is from one man to another, in David Mitchell's lovely book Cloud Atlas.
Cloud Atlas is a long novel, written in complicated prose. However, I highly recommend it!
Have a good evening, always with beauty and a book! xxx
Of course, the subject is too wide, and a whole library shelf could be filled with love letter anthologies, from fiction or real life!
Not all love letters are lovely, however. In fact, when I sat down to try and list some fictional love letters, I could only remember the oddities! For example, Mr Darcy's inflated love confession and marriage proposal in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, and the ambivalent love letters in Secret Engagement (Μυστικοί Αρραβώνες), a Greek novel by 19th century Greek author Gregorios Xenopoulos (Γρηγόριος Ξενόπουλος). Also, Dorian Gray's unusual love letter to his fiancee in The Picture of Dorian Gray. The letter is unusual because Dorian doesn't know the fiancee is already dead. Dorian had broken up with her, she killed herself, while Dorian writes to make amends.
Not too pleasant, I must admit.
Having said that, there are good examples that come to mind too. Christian and Ana write amazing emails to each other in the Fifty Shades trilogy!
When it comes to real life letters from poets or writers, among the most beautiful are John Keats's love letters to his fiancee Fanny Browne. I have a weakness for John Keats, this is true; yet, more objective authorities than I am consider that his letters are, in general, among the finest letters ever written.
Also, I have to add this. Probably the best fictional love letter I have ever read is from one man to another, in David Mitchell's lovely book Cloud Atlas.
Cloud Atlas is a long novel, written in complicated prose. However, I highly recommend it!
Have a good evening, always with beauty and a book! xxx
Sunday, September 21, 2014
START THE WEEK
THE best start to the week must certainly have to do with a slash of lipstick, a bit of fashion and a good book! After Fifty Shades of Grey I have to say that I find most fiction unexciting, and I don't read too much anymore. The novels which imitate Fifty Shades are, to me, not that good. I have gone back to old favorites, like Charles Dickens and Charlotte Bronte, all this while waiting for the new publishing craze! Any ideas what that may be?
I wish you all a great start to the week! xxx
I wish you all a great start to the week! xxx
SUNDAY FAVORITES
IT'S SUNDAY so, after doing the house-cleaning, which I hate, I am updating my fashion journal, which I love! Updating the fashion journal is my second favorite pass-time! Which is number one? Writing in The Lipstick Papers, of course! :-)
Saturday, September 20, 2014
THE LIPSTICK PAPERS WEEKEND REVIEW
HELLO and welcome to The Lipstick Papers Weekend Review! This week we got The Complete Short Stories by Oscar Wilde, published in Oxford World's Classics!
This edition features all of Oscar Wilde's short stories and fairy tales, including The Happy Prince, The Star Child and The Fisherman and his Soul!
Oscar Wilde's prose is absolutely lovely. The fairy tales and short stories have been written with imagination, elegance, sensitivity and honesty. Above all, they have been written with a great understanding of the deep pain which runs through the world and human life.
The fairy tales are not for children, or at least not for small children. I would give them to a child of about eleven. I think only The Selfish Giant can be read by a child smaller than this.
When I buy classic literature, I prefer to buy Oxford World's Classics (published by Oxford University Press). This is because the OUP editions are easier to use than other scholarly editions. The notes are very easy to find, there is a chronology of the author's life and of the period in which he/she is writing, and always a good introduction. Also, the covers are usually more tastefully chosen than those of other editions.
;-)
I recommend Wilde's short stories to anyone interested in Victorian literature, in literature about beauty and in the fairy tale!
Have a great weekend, always with beauty and a good book! xxx
This edition features all of Oscar Wilde's short stories and fairy tales, including The Happy Prince, The Star Child and The Fisherman and his Soul!
Oscar Wilde's prose is absolutely lovely. The fairy tales and short stories have been written with imagination, elegance, sensitivity and honesty. Above all, they have been written with a great understanding of the deep pain which runs through the world and human life.
The fairy tales are not for children, or at least not for small children. I would give them to a child of about eleven. I think only The Selfish Giant can be read by a child smaller than this.
When I buy classic literature, I prefer to buy Oxford World's Classics (published by Oxford University Press). This is because the OUP editions are easier to use than other scholarly editions. The notes are very easy to find, there is a chronology of the author's life and of the period in which he/she is writing, and always a good introduction. Also, the covers are usually more tastefully chosen than those of other editions.
;-)
I recommend Wilde's short stories to anyone interested in Victorian literature, in literature about beauty and in the fairy tale!
Have a great weekend, always with beauty and a good book! xxx
Friday, September 19, 2014
BEAUTY FRIDAY
NOTHING beats the beauty of Friday! Friday is beautiful no matter what. I hope you all have a nice day. The Lipstick Papers Weekend Review coming soon! xxx
BOOKS ARE FOR EVERYONE
THE Lipstick Papers loves, loves, LOVES this!!!!!! Books are for everyone. The pic also shows that not all beauty advice is right for our type. How to get great legs may not be too suitable for our mermaid here. Yet, it's good to be interested in everything, isn't it? :-)
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
FIFTY SHADES OF BEAUTIFUL
BEAUTY always has a story to tell, a fascinating story!
The painting, for example, is full of the antitheses of an age. The color grey in 19th century fashion had a double meaning -- it was quite often in vogue, and could mean elegance and taste. On the other hand, sometimes it came to mean plainness and insignificance. Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre plays with this double meaning of grey: Jane, who often wears grey, is plain, but she can be quite attractive when she chooses to.
As for lipstick, or lip-paint as it was then, it was not wholly desirable. The 19th century frowned upon make up, saying that it had to be discreet and preferably home made. At the same time, best-selling cosmetics had started to appear since the 18th century.
Novel reading, finally, was opposed by the moralists. They believed that romance reading was bad for women, because it excited their fancy and made them dissatisfied with the reality of life. I see nothing wrong with having a romantic attitude, but more about this in a later post!
Even today, when it comes to beauty, we often wonder how much: how much make up, how much weight, how much care for fashion. I say as much as we like! Make up is self-expression and can greatly boost confidence, but only if we want it to. Weight ought to be healthy, fat/big/corpulent versus slim are false categories. And there is nothing wrong with a love for fashion!
Enjoy a great day, and have beauty always with you! :-)
The painting, for example, is full of the antitheses of an age. The color grey in 19th century fashion had a double meaning -- it was quite often in vogue, and could mean elegance and taste. On the other hand, sometimes it came to mean plainness and insignificance. Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre plays with this double meaning of grey: Jane, who often wears grey, is plain, but she can be quite attractive when she chooses to.
As for lipstick, or lip-paint as it was then, it was not wholly desirable. The 19th century frowned upon make up, saying that it had to be discreet and preferably home made. At the same time, best-selling cosmetics had started to appear since the 18th century.
Novel reading, finally, was opposed by the moralists. They believed that romance reading was bad for women, because it excited their fancy and made them dissatisfied with the reality of life. I see nothing wrong with having a romantic attitude, but more about this in a later post!
Even today, when it comes to beauty, we often wonder how much: how much make up, how much weight, how much care for fashion. I say as much as we like! Make up is self-expression and can greatly boost confidence, but only if we want it to. Weight ought to be healthy, fat/big/corpulent versus slim are false categories. And there is nothing wrong with a love for fashion!
Enjoy a great day, and have beauty always with you! :-)
Sunday, September 14, 2014
START THE WEEK
PAMPERING and beauty make an excellent start to the week, and the same goes for a hearty breakfast and an overall positive attitude!
On Saturday night, I was listening to some guy speaking on NPR radio. I was doing some work, so I only caught bits and pieces. "This guy talks sense", I often paused to think.
Eventually, "this guy" turned out to be Titanic director James Cameron. If he wasn't so famous in the movies, I think he could equally make a career writing excellent self-help books! I was impressed by the simple yet strong and solid advice he had to give.
Because I only caught bits and pieces of the speech, I can only give the highlights -- that our individuality and imagination are the greatest weapons we have, and that we must not give up. The speech ended something like this:
"Don't put limitations on yourself. Other people will put limitations on you. Don't do it to yourself. ... Failure is an option. But fear is not".
I think that this thought is a beautiful way to start the week!
On Saturday night, I was listening to some guy speaking on NPR radio. I was doing some work, so I only caught bits and pieces. "This guy talks sense", I often paused to think.
Eventually, "this guy" turned out to be Titanic director James Cameron. If he wasn't so famous in the movies, I think he could equally make a career writing excellent self-help books! I was impressed by the simple yet strong and solid advice he had to give.
Because I only caught bits and pieces of the speech, I can only give the highlights -- that our individuality and imagination are the greatest weapons we have, and that we must not give up. The speech ended something like this:
"Don't put limitations on yourself. Other people will put limitations on you. Don't do it to yourself. ... Failure is an option. But fear is not".
I think that this thought is a beautiful way to start the week!
Saturday, September 13, 2014
THE LIPSTICK PAPERS WEEKEND REVIEW
HELLO and welcome to The Lipstick Papers Weekend Review! This week we have The Berg Companion to Fashion, edited by Valerie Steele!
Berg is a publishing house which often publishes on beauty and fashion! The Berg journals are also a great series, covering amazing subjects from fashion and art to eating habits and the cultural presence of food.
As for Valerie Steele, she is one of the best fashion historians in the world, and I have many of her books! She is a prolific writer and Director of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. Anything by Valerie Steele is OK with me.
The Berg Companion to Fashion is an one-volume fashion encyclopedia with entries on just about everything, from theories of fashion to specific fashion houses and brands (Prada, Dior, Ungaro, Levis), types of clothes (e.g. swimwear, sports wear, boots, the bikini, the ball dress), history of fashion entries, entries about individual shops, individual designers and items of clothing (the bridle, the corset).
I highly recommend this book to fashion writers, fashion scholars and also anyone who is interested to learn about the amazing and magical world of fashion!
Berg is a publishing house which often publishes on beauty and fashion! The Berg journals are also a great series, covering amazing subjects from fashion and art to eating habits and the cultural presence of food.
As for Valerie Steele, she is one of the best fashion historians in the world, and I have many of her books! She is a prolific writer and Director of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. Anything by Valerie Steele is OK with me.
The Berg Companion to Fashion is an one-volume fashion encyclopedia with entries on just about everything, from theories of fashion to specific fashion houses and brands (Prada, Dior, Ungaro, Levis), types of clothes (e.g. swimwear, sports wear, boots, the bikini, the ball dress), history of fashion entries, entries about individual shops, individual designers and items of clothing (the bridle, the corset).
I highly recommend this book to fashion writers, fashion scholars and also anyone who is interested to learn about the amazing and magical world of fashion!
Friday, September 12, 2014
BEAUTY FRIDAY
THE AMAZING thing about beauty is that it is never too far away: in a song, a book, a drawing, a garden, or in a tube of lipstick! Or in a thousand different things. Beauty is one great survival kit! I hope you all have a beautiful Friday. The Lipstick Papers Weekend Review coming soon! xxx
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
MEMORIES OF SUMMER
SUMMER has come and gone -- it's a memory now; hopefully a beautiful memory! Thank you to all who read this blog. New posts coming for the new season! :-)
BACK WITH A VENGEANCE
IN THE beautiful movie Tristan and Isolde (2006), Isolde, played excellently by Sophia Myles, participates in the long tradition of women healers and purveyors of the medicinal tradition of herbs!
Across history, women were linked with healing. Healing with herbs and medicines extracted from plants was special female knowledge which survived for centuries.
In the Middle Ages, many hospital gardens were run by women, "who were expert herbalists. They dried and pounded the herbs, seeds and roots into pastes to make potions, and gathered leaves and flowers to make perfumes and to infuse in baths for the sick." Women also made ointments for skin and eyes, cordials, medicines for cough and sedatives.
Women healers were found across the social spectrum, from peasants to ladies of the manor and noble houses (this information comes from Jenny Uglow's A Little History of British Gardening).
Scientific medicine (androcentric as it is) tried to quench this female knowledge and tradition, dabbing it as "old wives tales". The tradition and knowledge survived, of course! It is now back with a vengeance, as women work once more as healers and makers of herbal medicines.
Also, Estee Lauder and Helena Rubinstein famously concocted their creams and lotions themselves, becoming millionaires to boot.
As for Tristan and Isolde, it is one of the most enchanting films I have ever seen. Isolde is an expert healer, almost a witch with her potions and concoctions. She saves Tristan's life, birthing him again in her cave of life!
Have a lovely Tuesday afternoon. More on make up and female tradition in later posts! xxx
P.S. That James Franco who played Tristan is so beautiful also helped me like the film ;-)
Across history, women were linked with healing. Healing with herbs and medicines extracted from plants was special female knowledge which survived for centuries.
In the Middle Ages, many hospital gardens were run by women, "who were expert herbalists. They dried and pounded the herbs, seeds and roots into pastes to make potions, and gathered leaves and flowers to make perfumes and to infuse in baths for the sick." Women also made ointments for skin and eyes, cordials, medicines for cough and sedatives.
Women healers were found across the social spectrum, from peasants to ladies of the manor and noble houses (this information comes from Jenny Uglow's A Little History of British Gardening).
Scientific medicine (androcentric as it is) tried to quench this female knowledge and tradition, dabbing it as "old wives tales". The tradition and knowledge survived, of course! It is now back with a vengeance, as women work once more as healers and makers of herbal medicines.
Also, Estee Lauder and Helena Rubinstein famously concocted their creams and lotions themselves, becoming millionaires to boot.
As for Tristan and Isolde, it is one of the most enchanting films I have ever seen. Isolde is an expert healer, almost a witch with her potions and concoctions. She saves Tristan's life, birthing him again in her cave of life!
Have a lovely Tuesday afternoon. More on make up and female tradition in later posts! xxx
P.S. That James Franco who played Tristan is so beautiful also helped me like the film ;-)
Sunday, September 7, 2014
START THE WEEK
I STARTED the week in one of the best ways imaginable -- reading an interview in the Fashion & Style section of The New York Times! The interview was with designer Diane von Furstenberg, who talked about her special office space and how personal is everything on her desk.
Also, I continued my book on the Goddess Aphrodite, reading about her jewels, as mentioned in the Homeric hymns: a tiara, earrings and intricate necklaces, all made of pure gold! Aphrodite's handmaidens are the Graces and the Hours.
Fashion, beauty, inspiration -- all necessary for a good start to the week! xxx
Also, I continued my book on the Goddess Aphrodite, reading about her jewels, as mentioned in the Homeric hymns: a tiara, earrings and intricate necklaces, all made of pure gold! Aphrodite's handmaidens are the Graces and the Hours.
Fashion, beauty, inspiration -- all necessary for a good start to the week! xxx
Saturday, September 6, 2014
THE LIPSTICK PAPERS WEEKEND REVIEW
HELLO and welcome to The Lipstick Papers Weekend Review! This week our book is A Little History of British Gardening, by Jenny Uglow, published by Pimlico in 2005.
This is a lovely book, which sets out the phases of British history through gardening. It begins with the Romans and the original British tribes, to the monks and monasteries, the knights, the Victorians, the World Wars and ends in our age.
Each chapter gives not only the history of gardens and plants, but also the cultural framework and lifestyle for the period. It's a history of plants, flowers, gardens, and a history of the people!
Jenny Uglow is an amazing writer. To me, she is a historian extraordinaire. It is unbelievable how much she knows about the past, and how well she can put that into writing. I have her book The Lunar Men, about a group of scientists in the 18th century (including James Watt and Erasmus Darwin, grandfather of Charles). Though the book is too androcentric for my taste, I am astonished by the incredible historical information inside! Also, Uglow has written an excellent book on beloved writer Jane Austen.
I would easily recommend any book by Jenny Uglow. But I think A Little History is my favorite by far. It's easy and pleasant to read, clever, and informative. The edition is lovely too, and there are some very nice color plates as well. It's a book which will be loved by anyone interested in plants, gardens and history!
Enjoy your weekend, and have beauty always with you! :-)
This is a lovely book, which sets out the phases of British history through gardening. It begins with the Romans and the original British tribes, to the monks and monasteries, the knights, the Victorians, the World Wars and ends in our age.
Each chapter gives not only the history of gardens and plants, but also the cultural framework and lifestyle for the period. It's a history of plants, flowers, gardens, and a history of the people!
Jenny Uglow is an amazing writer. To me, she is a historian extraordinaire. It is unbelievable how much she knows about the past, and how well she can put that into writing. I have her book The Lunar Men, about a group of scientists in the 18th century (including James Watt and Erasmus Darwin, grandfather of Charles). Though the book is too androcentric for my taste, I am astonished by the incredible historical information inside! Also, Uglow has written an excellent book on beloved writer Jane Austen.
I would easily recommend any book by Jenny Uglow. But I think A Little History is my favorite by far. It's easy and pleasant to read, clever, and informative. The edition is lovely too, and there are some very nice color plates as well. It's a book which will be loved by anyone interested in plants, gardens and history!
Enjoy your weekend, and have beauty always with you! :-)
Friday, September 5, 2014
BEAUTY FRIDAY
NEW month and season, which means new colors, fashions and a new mood! Beauty has something for everyone. Have a lovely Friday -- the Lipstick Papers Weekend Review coming soon! xxx
Thursday, September 4, 2014
BACK TO THE FUTURE
EXETER University, where I did my PhD, had a massive archive of Victorian periodicals, including women's magazines, with a wealth of information about fashion and beauty!
During my study and research, I collected material from the archives, but obviously I need to find more if I am going to continue writing on the broader Victorian discourse on beauty and fashion.
With advice from the group on Research on Victorian Periodicals, I searched the Hathi Trust and Dickens Journals Online and --hallelujah!-- there is lots of archived digital material! You can see my notebook in the pic, and the amazing lipstick pen!
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So I can continue investigating the wonderful nineteenth century periodicals, learning their ideas about beauty and fashion, and smiling or frowning with their prejudices. I also wonder what another researcher will say, two hundred years from now, when she or he will be reading our periodicals, magazines, social media, blogs, even this blog.
Hmmm... I can't speak for every other magazine or medium, but I am sure for one thing. This future researcher will find The Lipstick Papers fascinating!
Have a good Thursday night -- xxx
During my study and research, I collected material from the archives, but obviously I need to find more if I am going to continue writing on the broader Victorian discourse on beauty and fashion.
With advice from the group on Research on Victorian Periodicals, I searched the Hathi Trust and Dickens Journals Online and --hallelujah!-- there is lots of archived digital material! You can see my notebook in the pic, and the amazing lipstick pen!
So I can continue investigating the wonderful nineteenth century periodicals, learning their ideas about beauty and fashion, and smiling or frowning with their prejudices. I also wonder what another researcher will say, two hundred years from now, when she or he will be reading our periodicals, magazines, social media, blogs, even this blog.
Hmmm... I can't speak for every other magazine or medium, but I am sure for one thing. This future researcher will find The Lipstick Papers fascinating!
Have a good Thursday night -- xxx
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
CONFESSIONS OF A FASHION ADDICT
I HAVE recently stopped reading Margaret Oliphant's Phoebe Junior (I will tell you why below). The one good thing about the book, however, is the attitude to fashion! Victorians had an ambivalent attitude to fashion, but in Phoebe Junior fashion is positive, exciting, and important!
Fashion is important in the book because it can help us to look good and gives us confidence.
Early in the book, for example, protagonist Phoebe goes to an important ball. Phoebe is very young (I think she is about eighteen) and blonde, with a white and pink complexion. Her mother, also called Phoebe, advises her to wear a pastel gown, but Phoebe refuses. She chooses a gown of black silk, which makes her golden beauty shine. Phoebe is striking and so confident at the ball, that young men fall in love with her; young women can only admire her fashion sense.
What is wonderful in this episode is, for me, the correct stance towards fashion. The other girls are not presented as competition, and they do not "dislike" Phoebe for outshining them: they admit that she chose the best piece for herself. Also, Phoebe does not choose the dress because she wants to "beat" competition, but because she wants to feel confident and look her best.
Fashion gives us confidence and makes us look our best. Many speak against fashion, saying that it promotes impossible ideals. I disagree with this. Fashion promotes impossible ideals only if we listen to those who say that everyone else is competition and more beautiful than us. Personally, I never compare myself to others and don't see them as "competition". I love fashion, and I do the best with what my minimal budget will allow. Fashion has something good for everyone!
Now, the reason why I stopped reading Phoebe Junior is the class snobbery. Not only important characters, but also Phoebe herself, look down upon lower middle-class and working class people. Maybe the book improves later, but I am not interested to find out.
In the19th century, most writers and critics came from the middle and upper classes. Critics derided any writer or poet who was lower class. My darling John Keats <3 met a lot of prejudice because he was poor and working class!
I still have Phoebe Junior on the bookshelf, but again only because of the scenes about fashion! :-)
Fashion is important in the book because it can help us to look good and gives us confidence.
Early in the book, for example, protagonist Phoebe goes to an important ball. Phoebe is very young (I think she is about eighteen) and blonde, with a white and pink complexion. Her mother, also called Phoebe, advises her to wear a pastel gown, but Phoebe refuses. She chooses a gown of black silk, which makes her golden beauty shine. Phoebe is striking and so confident at the ball, that young men fall in love with her; young women can only admire her fashion sense.
What is wonderful in this episode is, for me, the correct stance towards fashion. The other girls are not presented as competition, and they do not "dislike" Phoebe for outshining them: they admit that she chose the best piece for herself. Also, Phoebe does not choose the dress because she wants to "beat" competition, but because she wants to feel confident and look her best.
Fashion gives us confidence and makes us look our best. Many speak against fashion, saying that it promotes impossible ideals. I disagree with this. Fashion promotes impossible ideals only if we listen to those who say that everyone else is competition and more beautiful than us. Personally, I never compare myself to others and don't see them as "competition". I love fashion, and I do the best with what my minimal budget will allow. Fashion has something good for everyone!
Now, the reason why I stopped reading Phoebe Junior is the class snobbery. Not only important characters, but also Phoebe herself, look down upon lower middle-class and working class people. Maybe the book improves later, but I am not interested to find out.
In the19th century, most writers and critics came from the middle and upper classes. Critics derided any writer or poet who was lower class. My darling John Keats <3 met a lot of prejudice because he was poor and working class!
I still have Phoebe Junior on the bookshelf, but again only because of the scenes about fashion! :-)
Monday, September 1, 2014
FOR MORTALS AND IMMORTALS ALIKE
PERFUME and a swimsuit can go very well together, as this picture clearly proves! According to the website Top For, the most popular women's perfume for 2014 is Chloe eau de perfume by Chloe! Guilty by Gucci is second, while Romance by Ralph Lauren is at number three.
Perfumes are as old as history: Egyptian perfume recipes from as long ago as 1600 BC have been found!
The Greeks also loved scents and perfumes, something which is obvious in The Iliad and The Odyssey. Perfume is for mortals and immortals alike. In Homeric epic, scent is a must after a bath (and we know how much epic heroes love to bathe). Aphrodite, who often goes to bathe in the sea caves of Paphos, Cyprus, is also a famous user of scent.
The first known perfume based on alcohol was created by a Hungarian man for Queen Elizabeth the first, who was then in her seventies. Later, an Italian from Milan called Jean Paul Feminis, created an improved formula; his nephew, Jean Antoine Farina continued the work, after moving to Cologne in Germany. He called his scent --yes-- "eau de cologne"!
Perfume often appears in paintings, illustrations and artworks as well. Emmakisstina, an amazing Swedish artist, has created an iconic image of Chanel no 5, as well as lovely illustrations of other perfumes, such as Miss Dior and Chance by Chanel!
Perfumes are as old as history: Egyptian perfume recipes from as long ago as 1600 BC have been found!
The Greeks also loved scents and perfumes, something which is obvious in The Iliad and The Odyssey. Perfume is for mortals and immortals alike. In Homeric epic, scent is a must after a bath (and we know how much epic heroes love to bathe). Aphrodite, who often goes to bathe in the sea caves of Paphos, Cyprus, is also a famous user of scent.
The first known perfume based on alcohol was created by a Hungarian man for Queen Elizabeth the first, who was then in her seventies. Later, an Italian from Milan called Jean Paul Feminis, created an improved formula; his nephew, Jean Antoine Farina continued the work, after moving to Cologne in Germany. He called his scent --yes-- "eau de cologne"!
Perfume often appears in paintings, illustrations and artworks as well. Emmakisstina, an amazing Swedish artist, has created an iconic image of Chanel no 5, as well as lovely illustrations of other perfumes, such as Miss Dior and Chance by Chanel!
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