Le Chat Dans Le Chapeau

Late nineteenth century cabarets and music halls are an endless source of fascination to creative types: so many varied and colourful characters to draw inspiration from.

Le Chat Noir is one such venue, established in November 1881 by the artist Rodolphe Salis, and touted by himself as: “…the most extraordinary cabaret in the world. You rub shoulders with the most famous men of Paris, meeting there with foreigners from every corner of the world.”

Salis produced his own journal too, filled with illustrations, or ‘stories without words’ – comic strips virtually, featuring cats or other animals. Adolphe Willette, Caran d’Ache and Theóphile-Alexandre Steinlen were principal illustrators; it was Steinlen who created the image that is most famous today, hung on walls all over the world.

Work by Theóphile-Alexandre SteinlenI wonder what they would have thought of my pussycat, grasping for a dragonfly? Inspired in part by my striped hat (pounced upon last year in Dalat, Vietnam), I nevertheless found the notion of a cabaret cat far more appealing than the cartoonish antics of Dr Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat. Miaow.

Easy On the Lobes

Out of all the accessories in a woman’s wardrobe today, jewellery alone serves no purpose except decoration. (Unless of course you are a monarch or aristocrat wearing ostentatious jewellery for the noble purpose of stunning your subjects into submission by the sheer size of your baubles.)

Historically, jewellery was used to indicate identity or status, but the popularity of earrings in particular was subject to the changes in fashion of hairstyles, headwear and necklines. If the ears were hidden earrings were obviously superfluous; equally so if the hairstyle or headdress was elaborate.

Dancing girls wearing girdles, earrings, bracelets and armlets, and female musicians wearing earrings, broad collars, bracelets, armlets and finger-rings; detail of a wall-painting from the tomb of Nebamun, W Thebes, 18th Dynasty. Image from Ancient Egyptian Jewelry by Carol Andrews; Abrams 1991.

Original screwbacks: a pair of Tutankhamun's gold earrings inlaid mostly with coloured glass; c. 1336-1327 BC. D 5.2cm.Although pierced earrings were worn in the Middle East as far back as 3000 BC, times changed, and many millennia later, piercing one’s ears was considered barbaric – possibly because it was indeed reminiscent of tribal violence, slavery, and other unsanitary notions. (I wonder what they would think of today’s fashion for multiple piercings?)

When screw-back earrings were patented in 1894, and sleeker hairstyles were adopted, earrings once again became popular. This popularity led to the invention of clip backs, which were patented in 1934. It was not until the 1960s that pierced ears again came back into vogue: movie stars, models and the emerging fashion magazine industry inspiring women to emulate their style.

Famous earrings of the past: Vermeer’s Girl With a Pearl Earring, c 1665. (Click on image for larger version.)I remember clip-ons during the Eighties. I wore them before I had my ears pierced, and found them mostly either useless (the earrings slipped off) or incredibly painful (the metal clamps like a deathgrip on my lobes). Pierced earrings are ultimately just more convenient.

However, I had never tried old-fashioned screw-backs before I bought these quaint ceramic earrings from a charity shop earlier this year. They are navy blue with copper polka-dots, and a copper glaze overall. The elderly lady who sold them to me warned me that they were screw-backs; I dismissed that paltry consideration and handed over $4.

I cursed the inventor of screw-backs and pondered the gullibility of women everywhere, suffering atrocities for the sake of fashion.

Wow! Two of my favourites combined into one: earrings AND shoes! Vintage 1940s enamel earrings from Vicious Vintage on Etsy. (No longer available.)When I arrived home and excitedly pulled them out to try on, I discovered they were as agonising to wear as those infamous Eighties baroque gold pearl chandelier clip-ons I had once owned. I cursed the inventor of screw-backs and pondered the gullibility of women everywhere, suffering atrocities for the sake of fashion.

But just last week I was forced to retract my vows of hatred! I found the prettiest, sparkliest vintage necklace and earring set at the Salvos. A gorgeous lolly pink, the dangling teardrops on the gold necklace looked like bonbons. The earrings were screw-backs, and bravely I ventured to try them on. At first I thought I hadn’t attached them, but when I tugged, I discovered I had – they just didn’t hurt at all!

I didn’t buy the set though, as the little button-like earrings were just not quite ostentatious enough for me. 

Spring Fling

What’s in for spring? This is not a rhetorical question: I really want to know. (I can hear your collective gasps at my ignorance.) I have kept this breaking news hush-hush, but the truth is I overcame my addiction to fashion magazines about a year and a half ago. I went cold turkey, and have only slipped up a few times.

Why would I do such a shocking thing? Well, I was becoming inundated by magazines that I had no time to read. The piles were towering guiltily on my coffee table, and finally I decided it had to stop. So now spring is virtually upon me, and I have no clue.

But surely – as per usual – it’s pretty pastel colours and florals and floaty things that match the joie de vivre of spring, right? Regardless of exactly which colours are in fashion, I advise you to wear what suits your complexion, at least next to your face.

…spring is such a lovely time of year: fruit trees blossoming, balmy breezes, sunshine, birds singing again…

I have been doing a lot of vintage shopping lately, disregarding trends, although as it happens some of my favourite things are fashionable at the moment: 1950/60s style, lace, over the knee socks and stripes are a few. (I did purchase a gorgeous current season Veronika Maine top in bold orange and taupe stripes, which I LOVE.)

But spring is such a lovely time of year: fruit trees blossoming, balmy breezes, sunshine, birds singing again in the morning, beautiful scents in the air. So why get hung up on trends? Go out and enjoy the weather, and wear what makes you happy. 

Umbrellas Anonymous

It’s the last day of winter! I don’t know about you, but I shall be celebrating with my annual ritual of throwing one umbrella into the rubbish bin.  

I bought this cute polka-dotted umbrella to replace my beloved old one (which itself was not very old). Knowing full well how fragile they make them these days, I treated this one tenderly, hardly daring to use it; only taking it with me if possible showers were forecast – merely as a precautionary measure. If thunderstorms were assured, I took my sturdy black vintage umbrella with me instead. It defies a gale.

So I cannot understand how, after three or four gentle uses over the space of a month, three (THREE!) spokes on this umbrella have snapped. It’s a disgrace.

This has happened to other people too. I know, because they all poured out their tales of woe when I aired my rage. What is to be done?

I think I shall start a group, and call it Umbrellas Anonymous. People of the world unite! Let us all take our broken umbrellas with us to China and whack the CEOs of these shoddy manufactories over the head. That’ll teach them to rain on our parade. 

Le Petit Choux

I have already waxed lyrical about these little harem shorts before, but I shall indulge myself once more. They are like delicious little fondants in my wardrobe; le petit choux; the bonbons; the icing on the cake. Which is appropriate since this hat looks like a pavlova, feathers whipped into a frenzy like cream atop a black velvet band.

This symphony of black and white (and silver shoes) was originally intended to entertain Melbourne Cup racegoers last year; except that it was freezing cold and my vintage hat had not yet arrived from the US, alas. I wore something much more sensible on the day (if you can call a gold foil skirt sensible).

Slightly more demure is this smoke blue, grey and black silk top. It made me think of a flapper’s tunic, so I swung some jet-black beads around my neck and skipped out of the house in blue suede shoes to meet friends for drinks one Sunday night.

I plan to dream up more delightful ways to adorn these yummy shorts for the warmer months ahead.