It's so Medieval

Because I'm a senior, I got to do a final project for my Medieval Literature Class instead of taking a final exam. Woot! The assignment was pretty open, so being who I am, I decided to focus on medieval fashion. I spent hours poring over fashion history books, searching for any mentions of clothing in the books we had read in class, and looking at obscure internet sites for additional information. I ended up making a bunch of paper figures (they took a lot of time) and writing a paper. I have to present my findings in front of the class on Monday.

So why am I telling you about my assignment? Because it's relevant in fashion today! Huzzah!

Here are some (majorly downsized) scans of the little paper figures I outfitted in different medieval garb:

Above you can see (L-R from top left corner): King Arthur & Queen Guinevere in Britain around 500 AD; King Charlemagne in France around 800 AD; a young female noble in Italy in 1343 AD, a young male noble in Italy in 1343 AD; a well-off craftsman's wife & fashionable page & rich but not-so-well-dressed knight away from battle, all in England in the late 1300s. These are all characters from books we read, if you care to guess which ones!

Of course, medieval clothing is not so practical today. Long capes get caught on things, shawls are cumbersome, and tall headdresses get in the way. But there are some aspects of medieval fashion that have stayed with us over the centuries. Here you can see modern outfits clearly inspired by medieval ones:

From left to right: Fall 2006 Dior Couture, Fall 2006 Dior Couture, the Sartorialist, Antonio Berardi Fall 2008, Fall 2006 Jean Paul Gaultier Couture, Project Runway final collection: Santino Rice.

These outfits borrow things from both men's and women's medieval clothing - specifically, armor, shape, high necks, long tunics, outer corset lacing, leggings, voluminous sleeves, long skirts, and fur. Expensive furs were a major status symbol throughout most of the late medieval period, and I'm tickled that this is still the case today.

Here are some more wallet-friendly medieval-inspired garments to bring a whiff of history to your wardrobe:

From left to right:

♥ Jovovich-Hawk for Target corset front dress: Outside corset lacings were in vogue for a portion of the medieval period among the ladies.
♥ Irregular Choice boots: Pointy-toed shoes were in, baby! Among some nobles, the points grew so long that the tips of the shoes had to be tied to the knees in order to walk. Eep!
♥ Forever 21 cinched tunic: Simple tunics were often worn under more elaborate pieces.
♥ Lux entwined dress: This kind of garment would have been worn over chain mail/armor for a knight or over a dress or tunic in the early feudal period.
♥ 12 x 12 jewelled headband: Elaborate hairstyles came in the late medieval period, but circlets came in and out for hundreds of years.
♥ Forever 21 leggings: Men wore leggings (they called them hose) a lot. On a slightly-related note, have you all seen Mel Brooks' Robin Hood: Men in Tights? If not, you should! "We're men - manly men! - We're men in tights...")
♥ LA Made heathered Prague jacket: With its high neck and voluminous sleeves, I have no trouble imagining a fashionable 14th century noble wearing this. Just, you know, without the zipper.
♥ La Redoute sequined shirt: Can you get any closer to armor without straining those upper body muscles? I think not!

Well, fare thee well, dear readers. Thine queenly writer must retire to the royal bed chamber until early morn.

Fashion Inspiration: Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo is someone I've known about for a really long time. Her self portraits have always been recognizable to me by the uni brow painted in over that steely gaze. I think my Spanish teacher once told me she was a Surrealist when we studied the murals of her husband, Diego Rivera, in class. But apart from that. . . well, I was a bit fuzzy about the details of her life, her artwork, and who she really was until I picked up her biography the other day.

It was fascinating.

Frida Kahlo was an incredibly strong, intelligent, and passionate woman. She was always looking to make a statement. She loved politics and celebrities and her (unfaithful, womanizing) husband Diego. And she loved herself.

She was in constant pain her entire life, which makes her accomplishments all the more amazing. My Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has been a real source of misery, but I can't even begin to imagine what Frida suffered. She was struck with Polio at age 6, and after an agonizing year or so, was left with a shriveled leg and foot that plagued her mercilessly. Then, as a teenager, she was riding a bus home from school when it was struck by a trolley, giving her many serious injuries that would never fully heal. Her marriage to Diego Rivera gave her ample money and a leg up in the art world, but his constant womanizing (including an affair with her own sister) took a huge emotional toll. From what I understand, she was often incredibly unhappy.

Now that's what I call bad luck! I think it's amazing that she did what she did with so much working against her!

The reason I'm posting about Frida on my fashion blog is that it turns out she was quite the fashionista! She took great care with her dress, wearing the tehuana skirts favored by peasant women at the time to show her communist/pro-Mexican sympathies. But still, she accessorized with roses in her hair, rings on all fingers, large earrings, red lipstick, manicured nails, and all kinds of opulence. Sometimes she would wear men's suits as well. Later in her life she was featured on the cover of Vogue Paris (I searched endlessly for a scan of this, but couldn't find it), and she was even the inspiration for a dress made by Elsa Schiaparelli. Even half a decade (give or take) after her death, her influence still reigns in the fashion world. For example, Jean Paul Gaultier designed an entire collection based on her style in '97, and included a look that clearly drew inspiration from the corsets Frida had to wear to support her spine in his 30th anniversary collection.

Anyway, here is a collage of the exotic, glamorous Frida Kahlo and her dazzling style:

I think she was so gorgeous! The dresses at the bottom of the collage actually belonged to her.

Here are some more modern fashions inspired by Frida:

Note the Gaultier corset dress I mentioned earlier near the bottom left. Beside it is a painting of Frida (I forget who the artist is) in Dior couture! And I'm a fan of Gwen Stefani's flowers-in-hair homage to Frida in the upper center - so fun!

Frida Kahlo loved to be the center of attention, so I think she would be happy to know that she is still so prevalent in the fashion world. Viva la Frida!

For more fashion 'n Frida: Icons from the Past: Frida Kahlo on the Fashion Spot; Frida Kahlo: Beauty Icon on Style.com; Dress like Frida! Frida Fashions; Salma Hayek as Frida Kahlo in Vogue; Self Portrait in a Velvet Dress: The Fashion of Frida (a book I would dearly love to read); Frida Kahlo-inspired Fashion Collections; Online Frida Paper Doll.

Phew! I got a little carried away there! Enough links for ya?

Always in Vogue

I think it's time to write about a truly inspirational lady- Edna Woolman Chase. She was the editor of Vogue from 1914-1952, put on the first fashion show (as a response to WWI), and started the Fashion Group International. She essentially jump-started the American fashion industry (before Edna, most fashion was in Paris). Also, she brought a lot of creative ideas to Vogue during her time there, such as Salvador Dali-directed photoshoots, art-deco covers, and lots of fashion drawings. And of course, she did it all with amazing class and style at a time when professional women were not as respected as they are today. Not only that, but the woman spewed out amazing quotes like there was no tomorrow:

"Fashion can be bought. Style one must possess."

"Fashion is general. Style is individual."

"The beaux and babies, the servant troubles, the social aspirations of the other girls seemed superficial. My work did not. I was professional. I could earn my own money, or I could be fired if I were inefficient. It was something to get your teeth into. It was living."

"Once Vogue showed two or three dresses for stout women, but we were so shaken by the experience we haven't repeated it in fifty-seven years. Today...we must acknowledge that a lady may grow mature, but she never grows fat."

"The combination of good taste and sound judgement is what counts. Taste may be a sort of instinct - good judgement is the flowering of sound thinking."

Good quotes, huh? If I can think of half as many intelligent things to say during my lifetime, I'll be thrilled.

I have one more quote left to share. (You should know that I spent some time hunting for these 'cause I am a dork and am totally fascinated by EWC.) But I just wanted to say that certain celebrities, and some, but not as many, non-celebrities, should take this quote into mind when dressing themselves.

"Women seem to have forgotten that men are lured by mystery. There is not much thrill left for them in the styles today."

I don't know about that, but I am all for a little mystery. It's time for the end of trashy dressing. All hail Ms. Chase!