Dior-chid

"Poetic Illusions" Illustrations by Mats Gustafson. I saw an orchid at my neighborhood market that looked like this (if you squint). Yes, I'm goofing off more than usual. (Vogue China, December 2010) Via the Fashion Spot, on Vintage Rose Garden)

Mnemosyne/November, 1967

"A previously unseen work by Dante Gabriel Rossetti is to go on show at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery next year." BBC

&

Dr. Zhivago was playing at the Paramount
Theater in St. Cloud. That afternoon,
we went into Russia,

and when we came out, the snow
was falling—the same snow
that fell in Moscow.

The sky had turned black velvet.
We'd been through the Revolution
and the frozen winters.--rest of November, 1967

If I seem overly-reliant on the BBC website lately--what can I say? Guilty. That it's about Mnemosyne (Memory) makes it even better. Here's a link to the Delaware Museum of Art's Pre-Raphaelite Collection where the Rossetti painting is currently on view. (It's in a private collection.) I would love to see the new exhibit in January titled The Poetry of Drawing. (Here's the Birmingham Pre-Raphaelite Collection link.)

The poem because no less than 4 people emailed to ask, did you hear/read that poem on Writer's Almanac? (It was a few days ago.)

That's not a photo of Mnemosyne. It appears to be Tim Walker's take on Ophelia. I like the pearlized gray folds in the gown. (I most certainly do not identify with Ophelia, so let's nip that one in the bud.)

(photograph via Vogue Italia)

Paris Awaits Pup

The Clever Pup will be visiting Paris soon. I await her distinct take on la belle Paris sans saccharine sentiment. (She will be solo.) Sibiliance. Susurrant. Silly Sunday. Pfhttt. Thwap. I can barely type. La Pup has already mapped out a few excellent walks.

In other breaking canine news, Benjy the Oracle on AUREA, has been visiting & granting everyone the benefit of his Dachsund Wisdom. He's another pup in Paris at the moment. (His maman is in Los Angeles. Don't ask, just go see.) Herewith, his latest postcard. Also, another amusing & fashionable pup is London's Posetta Baddog, Liberty London Girl's sister's dog. OK, it's funnier than that, see Chien Lunatique.

Yep, I'm goofing off. Oh, & on Giulia Geranium I'm hawking, uh, suggesting a fashion night thingy for charity...but mainly I wanted to re-use a beautiful photograph of an equally beautiful blue YSL coat.

So what are these photographs? Well, they are Paris gowns that are pretty but also funny, sorta fishy looking. (ah ouais). I think I'm so snippy ce soir because I can't watch Mad Men until it downloads in iTunes - tomorrow. Which means I must also avoid a related weakness, Basket of Kisses, the Supreme Mad Men Blog (says moi). It's written/wrangled by two smart, sassy sisters.

[fishy frocks by Louise Dahl-Wolfe via LIFE archives but also on myvintagevogue]

Rose Clothes

[Nina Leen/LIFE archives]

Garden Party Hats

Not everyone finds it easy (or even possible) to choose a suitable parental day celebration card. This is not because there's an overabundance to choose from. Think about it before you send email & the like to friends whose mothers (&/or fathers) you know to be, uh, not nice. I like the photograph because I've been looking at hats & it reminds me of some personal family photos from the 1950s & 1960s. Especially hats & grabbing a flower just before the white shutter noise started. That merciful noise that made some people straighten up, shut up, & otherwise behave, if even for a few moments. On that cheery note, have a peaceful day (really).

Black Night

Photographs by Gjon Mili, 1945/LIFE Archives

Winter Fog

I may be in one (a fog) but finally I have a winter coat. Not a moment too soon, according to the weather report. [photograph by Nick Bartoletti from his Clise Mansion set. Thanks, Nick.]

Welcome to England, he said...

..you better bring your own sun...

Update: forget it. Even the small YouTube format is too large & it's annoying me already. If you want to see it, go here.

Ages ago I connected these photographs with the song &...other things--instantly. That's all I'm saying about going to & leaving England here. [This YouTube version of Tori Amos on Craig Ferguson's show has a somewhat darker, heavier sound than the album's; I like both, but that's why I include it & not the one from her website.] And yes, I can now watch videos & the like. I can see how someone might still be in their pj's & braids & goofy glasses late of a Saturday afternoon (uh, early evening) when they have the ability to download an iTune in 20 seconds vs. an hour (I kid you not). Must watch that.

The computer is no longer dial-up (well, the laptop isn't, working on the desktop) nor on the edge-of-a-nervous breakdown...so I have to think up another excuse for this mess & lack of header photo or image & ridiculous subtitle.

[Photographs are by generous Nick Bartoletti who is in Seattle, not England. From his Clise Mansion shoot. The gown is featured in The Fuse-Blower post/ reminiscence if it looks familiar.]

Week's End - You're the Top!

You're the top!
You're the Coliseum,
You're the top!
You're the Louvre Museum.
You're a melody from a symphony by Strauss...(see below)

If I were as cheeky as I seem, I would make a collage of images from Cole Porter's You're the Top & post it as a tribute to Hazel at The Clever Pup. It's her birthday. Time, copyright law, & the weather (storms, ack) prevent my descent--for now--into a life of crime. Phew. I think Hazel will let me off with this mini-tribute. Have a great evening with assorted Pups & Cool Cats.

A Skeleton Key to 'You're the Top' by Timothy Noah of Slate Magazine is amusing & must have been a lot of fun to research & write. His response, sort of, to feelings about Bloomsday. Intrigued? I was.

ciao, xo from Washington, DC

[hastily procured LIFE archival photos by David E. Scherman of 'lady at masked ball in Paris, July1946. Two of 'em. Hey, give me a break. I nearly chose a Communist Party rally in Paris. At least it looked like they had champagne.]

Back to work, sort of. A great weekend to all (& go pester the Mme. Pup). And yes, I'm sad about Farrah & Michael. Are you kidding? No matter the intervening years & academia, hey, I was growing up then, too. The first time I walked into Jersualem's Old City, the Damascus Gate entrance, you know what was playing somewhere-in-the-souk? No? I'll say anyway. Layla & then Billie Jean. Worlds collide. Weirdest damn day of my life (so far).

Week's End - Crème de Menthe Trifle Gown

See what you might do about that, would you?*

*This directive was first issued to or near my person (it was that weird) one horridly hot, humid, no A/C in the house morning... from an excessively-self-regarding summer-sublet. (The other resident friend-housemates shot out the door for their offices/classes with a vigor intense even for DC. Cowards.) She actually did the little QEII wave of the hand (without irony--I would've given style points for that). She'd blown the fuses just one too many times (I kept a paper bag of them by the fusebox--that's how often).

There's a very funny story here (at my own expense, yes, of course, the funniest kind). It's way over 500-word limit & a messy tangle at that. I'll rework it off-line. The things a photograph will do. So see? It's working, sort of.

I love this photograph (& two uncropped versions) by Nick Bartoletti in Seattle. [Update: here's the direct link to his Clise Manion shoot set.] His photograph in the Jump! post (1 June 2009) is a new addition to the wall at my right. At the moment, I can't even manage a bunny hop; that's not his fault, though. This dress reminded me of The Clever Pup's Crème de Menthe Trifle recipe (her post here) that I'd planned to make for a party last night. Best laid plans...

The dress also reminds me of the gorgeous costumes in Sofia Coppola's Marie-Antoinette & that little wave of the hand by The Fuse-Blower.

I have two major commitments this weekend--one quite demanding, the other outside. For hours. Taking people's guff (& niceness, too, to be fair) behind a table. And if it would just stop, please someone, stop the thunderstorms it would be most helpful. It's been a bad week for a lot of people here in DC. Yes, the museum shooting.

I'll try to be back for something worth reporting over the weekend. Perhaps over the phone...ciao

[Nick Bartoletti photograph used by permission/all rights reserved]