19th Century Fashion

Hello ladies,

Time for part two of my costume history themed posts! The 19th century brought a change in women's silhouette which, from 1840 onward, was dominated by a restrictive corset and layers of crinoline petticoats. In the 1860s, the shape of the crinoline changed into that of the rear bustle and only in the 1890s the skirt returned to a relatively slender shape. However, in spite of the elegance, beautiful decorations and luxurious materials, the dresses where rather uncomfortable due to the restrictive corset which refused to step out of the limelight :P

I'd better let the pictures speak for themselves along with the descriptions from the Met Museum. Enjoy!

 I will once again start with my favourite three dresses (I adore the colours, the shapes and the patterns of the first three dresses, but that doesn't mean that the rest are not equally amazing).

Evening dress by R.H. White & Company (1885) made of silk and feathers

The Met's official description of 19th century fashions: "The bustle silhouette, although primarily associated with the second half of the 19th century, originated in earlier fashions as a simple bump at the back of the dress.The full-blown bustle silhouette had its first Victorian appearance in the late 1860s, which started as fullness in skirts moving to the back of the dress. This fullness was drawn up in ties for walking that created a fashionable puff. This trendsetting puff expanded and was then built up with supports from a variety of different things such as horsehair, metal hoops and down. Accessories were petite and allowed for the focus on the large elaborate gowns. Around 1874, the style altered and the skirts began to hug the thighs in the front while the bustle at the back was reduced to a natural flow from the waist to the train. This period was marked by darker colours, asymmetrical drapery, oversize accessories and elongated forms created by full-length coats. Near the beginning of the 1880s the trends altered once again to include the bustle, this time it would reach its maximum potential with some skirts having the appearance of a full shelf at the back. The dense textiles preferred were covered in trimming, beadwork, puffs and bows to visually elevate them further. The feminine silhouette continued like this through 1889 before the skirts began to reduce and make way for the S-curve silhouette."

 Dinner dress (1880-1882)

 Dress from 1885 made of silk, rhinestones and metal

American silk dress (1880-1885)

French dress by Mme. Martin Decalf (1882-1883) made of silk

 Evening Dress by House of Worth (1887-1889) made of silk

 American silk dress (1878-1880)

 Evening dress by House of Worth (1887) made of silk and metal

Description: "This is truly an attention getting gown with fantastical themes. The fantasy here is depicted in the bodice which imitates a peasant's cotton blouse and is played against the traditional 18th century and neoclassical motifs in the skirt embroidery."

Ball gown by House of Worth (1898) made of silk, rhinestones and metal

Description: "This gown is made from a very special fabric which was woven à la disposition to fit the shape and dimensions of the skirt so that the butterflies flutter upward from the hem and, being graduated in size, seem to disappear in the distance."



Evening dress by Duval and Eagan (1889) made of silk

French dress (1867-1869) made of silk and cloth

Silk French dress (1865)

Ball gowns by House of Worth (1887) made of silk and metallic thread

That's a wrap with 19th century fashion. Do you have any favourites from the dresses above?

Next post will be about early 20th century fashion (my favourite). I saved the best for last :)

Talk to you soon x

18th Century Fashion

A few days ago I was browsing the web page of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and I came across their gorgeous section of costume history. I've spent literally hours looking through pages with countless costumes dating from different historical periods. I was amazed by the beautiful materials and gorgeous embroideries of the dresses. I even made different scenarios in my head of countesses and duchesses sweeping the floors of their magnificent mansions with their beautiful and elegant attire. So silly, I know, but I must confess that I've never seen such fantastic creations in my life, and while I'm sure that they were not the most comfortable clothes to wear, they looked simply stunning.

Therefore, I decided to share with you a selection of costumes dating from the 18th, 19th and early 20th century. I'm sure you will understand why I'm so mesmerised after you are going to see them :)

So, today's post is all about 18th century fashion (I have a ginormous number of pictures and this is why I've decided to split them into three posts). Enjoy!

Robe à la Français (1760–70), made of silk and cotton

The description provided by the Met: "Women with coquettish airs were imposing in robes à la française and robes à l'anglaise throughout the period between 1720 and 1780. The robe à la française was derived from the loose negligee sacque dress of the earlier part of the century, which was pleated from the shoulders at the front at the back. The wide skirts, which were often open at the front to expose a highly decorated underskirt, were supported by panniers created from padding and hoops of different materials such as cane, baleen or metal. The robes à la française are renowned for the beauty of their textiles, the cut of the back employing box pleats and skirt decorations, known as robings, which showed endless imagination and variety."

Robe à la Française (1765) made of silk

French dress  (1775), made of silk.

These three dresses are my favourite ones...just look at those patterns and colours. Stunning!

Robes à la Française (1770), made of silk

 

Robe à la Française (1770) made of silk

Robe à la Française(1750–75), made of silk

French Dress (1750–75) made of cotton

Robe à l'Anglaise (1770–75), made of silk and metal

      Description:  "The robe à l'anglaise developed with a fitted back after the style of dress worn in England.They are renowned for the beauty of their textiles and the meticulous fit of their bodice back."

Robes à la Polonaise (1780), made of silk

Robes à la Polonaise (1780-85) made of silk de chine with hand-painted multicolored floral sprays

Description: "The polonaise gown first came into fashion in the 1770s. It was a style of gown with a close-fitting bodice and the back of the skirt gathered up into three separate puffed sections to reveal the petticoat below. The method of suspending the fabric varied. Most often the dress had rows of little rings sewn inside the skirt through which a cord ran from hem to waist. Alternatively, ribbon ties would be used, with the ribbons forming decorative bows. However, in some instances the skirt was held in place by simple cords sewn to the inner waist of the dress and looped over buttons attached to the outside waistline."

That's it for part one. I really hope you liked the dresses and this type of posts :) Stay tuned for the next post about 19th century dresses.

Kisses x

18th Century Paintings

Many of you may or may not know that I love history. I think it is absolutely fascinating...Yep, I'm a history geek :)) I bet you didn't see that coming, did you? Basically everything history related attracts me, whether it's a book, a film, a TV show, a documentary, you name it.

My favourite historical period, besides antiquity, is the 18th century and the historical figures whom I admire the most are Henry VIII, Elisabeth I, Louis the XIV and Marie Antoinette. I actually have a little obsession with Marie Antoinette and 18th century France. I believe she was a fascinating character who was and still is misinterpreted and misunderstood. As for France, there never was a people more sophisticated and elegant than the French. For me, both England and France have the most fascinating histories and I most enjoy  reading about these two great nations. If you are interested, you can check Madame Guillotine's beautiful blog, which is amazing and has the most interesting posts about Marie Antoinette and about different historical events and personalities.

Soooo, today, as the title of the post suggests, I want to show you some of my favourite 18th century paintings. What's with these type of posts you might ask? Well, on the one hand I just wanted to write about something different and on the other hand I thought I could share with you my passion for art and history.

I'm going to start with my favourite painting, which is one of the most beautiful portrayals of the queen Marie Antoinette.

Marie Antoinette with the Rose by Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun (1783)

Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire painted by Thomas Gainsborough

The Swing painted by Jean-Honoré Fragonard in 1767

Love Letter painted by Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1770)

Both paintings depict Madame de Pompadour painted by François Boucher

Carl Herpfer, The Love Missive

Self-Portrait with a Harp, Rose-Adélaïde Ducreux (1790)

And last but not least, since tomorrow is Valentine's Day, here is one of the most romantic paintings in my opinion:



Romeo and Juliet by Frank Bernard Dicksee (1884)

That's it for today. I hope you've enjoyed this selection of my favourite paintings from the 18th century. Be sure to check my next post because you will no doubt love it!

Just....plain random

Hello boys and girls! I hoped you had a pleasant weekend somewhere warm and sunny. It's snowing in my beloved Bucharest....again! For the 100th time in the past 3 weeks!!! I'm so fed up with all the cold and snow (yes, I know I'm moaning again about the weather but it's absolutely horrible). For the past weeks the word "style" is not in my vocabulary anymore. All I've been wearing lately are Uggs and jumpers since it is impossible to wear something else given the circumstances. I'm so bored to wear the same stuff over and over again while my beloved shirts, dresses and boots are resting in my closet. Damn you crappy weather!

Sorry guys, but I had to get that out of my system :)) Since OOTDs are out of the question because there's nothing interesting about Uggs and jumpers, I must bore you with a random post about Ikea. I was looking for some decorations and since I had nothing better do do at home or anywhere else, I decided to browse the store a bit. I fell madly in love with some bedroom furniture and a vanity table but since at the moment I don't have where to store any of them, all I can do is dream about my perfect house where I can cram everything I want :)

Gorgeous! The perfect bedroom :)

This is the vanity I've fallen in love with. So simple and elegant

 Even in Ikea, there were hearts everywhere :))

This is a lace dress I've found over at Peek & Cloppenburg. I don't know whether to buy it or not...my bf said it looked like a drapery :)) But I still like it a lot. Any advice?

So these were today's highlights. Yesterday I've browsed all day the web page of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and I've found some beautiful and interesting things. This is why my next few posts are going to be rather different from the usual ones. I'm going to surprise you with something truly beautiful and amazing.

Take care x

Benefit erase paste & some bits and bobs

Not only it's weekend but I'm also almost done with my exams! But since for the time being I'm living in the North Pole, probably in the next 2 days I'm going into indulge in some indoor activities. Honestly, after this stressful period I can't wait to just relax and do nothing. I have a pile of DVDs waiting for me, some good books to read and my favourite magazines to flip through. A well deserved rest I may add.

Moving on now, I'm so happy that I finally found a great concealer. It took me a while, but the wait was worth. I've heard for quite a while about Benefit's erase paste, but I was a little sceptical and preferred to buy other concealers instead. But since I wasn't fully satisfied with them, I decided to finally give the famous erase paste a try. Aaaaand...I love it! For once, the rumours were true, so to say.

What I love about it:

- its great coverage (my dark circles are history)

- its creamy texture which doesn't dry out my under eye area

- brightens the under eye area

- it blends really well

- it also covers blemishes

What I don't like

- it tends to settle into the thin lines under my eyes

You only need a tiny amount of product to do the job. Use the spatula to take the product out of the pot, then apply it under your eyes and simply dab it with your fingers until it blends completely. I  like the idea of the little "instructions manual" with the 3 lessons on how to use the product. They do know how to sale a product, don't they? Will I repurchase it? Definitely yes! It is the best concealer I've used up to now.

Here's a swatch of the erase paste (I have the medium shade).

I've also swatched my new Sephora liquid eye liner in shade prune aubergine. I love purple eye liners because I have green eyes and purple tends to make my eyes stand out more. Not much to say about it, except the fact that it has a good staying power and a lovely pigmented shade.

The last thing I want to show you is this beautiful diary I bought a few days ago. Its art deco design attracted me immediately. It looks so sophisticated and the woman seems so mysterious and exquisite. Love it!

Have a beautiful weekend and stay warm!

Ramblings from the North Pole

Hello lovelies! What have been up to lately? The weather in Bucharest is awful, there are -15 degrees outside and it's snowing...again! It is horrible, it feels as if I were living in the North Pole! Today, while I was going to work I had the impression that I was going to turn into Frosty the Snowman. And I heard that the worst is still to come...

Fortunately, I'm home now where is nice and warm, but the downside is that I have to study for my last exam which is tomorrow (I still have another 2 essays for next week, but at least no more studying after tomorrow!!)

However, right now I'm relaxing a bit while reading one of my favourite magazines.

I'm so happy that tomorrow everything is going to end (for the next 4 months); I just hope that after the exam I'm going to be just as happy and positive as I am today :D

There's not much more to say now, since all I did these past few weeks was study, write projects, moan about the weather and freezing my butt off.

Ah, yes, there was one little interesting thing I did do this week: I went to buy my mother a present for her birthday, but I also ended up buying some cosmetic bits and bobs for myself (helpless, I know). I'll probably talk about them in one of my future posts since I was so happy to finally found some of the things I bought.

One more article and I'm off to studying!

Xoxo