I FELT LIKE A TOP MODEL (PEARLS, SHELLS AND A LITTLE PRINCESS)

"THERE were velvet dresses ... and lace dresses, and embroidered ones, and hats ... and muffs, and boxes of tiny gloves and handkerchiefs and silk stockings ...". In A Little Princess, the protagonist Sarah Crew has a perfect wardrobe, looked after by her French maid Mariette: "petticoats with lace frills on them -- frills and frills". Today, I visited my friend Sadaf in her boutique Pearls and Shells, and felt a little like Sarah myself!

In the 19th century, women were advised to be modest and circumspect, and luxurious fashion was viewed with suspicion by some moralists. Not so in A Little Princess! Lace, muslin and lace trimmings are happiness, while austere and worn out clothes are misery. Sarah remains strong and dignified, whether in richness or in poverty. Yet, fashion is an index to the from rich-to-poor-and-back-to-rich plot. In the final scene, Sarah appears again happy and glittering, like a princess!

Sadaf's boutique is lovely and full of amazing clothes --lace, embroidery, ethnic, jeans-- as well as accessories, some imported and some handmade. My friend was kind enough to let me try on these spectacular clothes and we took pictures! It was tremendous fun. I felt like a top model!

Personally, I bought an amazing lipstick kisses blouse, which I will wear and show in the blog in a later post!

Have a good Monday evening xxx