The Edwardian Era

This blog started off as a fun blog with pretty fashion ladies and other French symbols! But since beginning it, I have ordered books from all over the world and collected lots of clip art. I often spend time in second-hand book stores too, concentrating on period and historical literature .

I am therefore creating some order here and will start with the first great fashion era of the century: The Edwardian Era, fondly known as la belle epoque and also called the Long Edwardian Summer! King Edward VII, son of Queen Victoria set the scene with a lavish and opulent lifestyle. He loved France and all things French and Queen Alexandra was the first to wear many of the new trends.

This simple painting shows many Edwardian fashion trends:

• The hair, supplemented by false hair pieces, was piled high and loosely on top of the head with a fringe effect over the forehead. Pads and frames were used to keep the hair gently in place. There were "tornure" frames and heart-shaped frames. With a frame in place the hair could support large hats too.
• The neck for evening wear was wide open to the bust line which appeared as one single rise of flesh.
• The stance of the Edwardian lady was very upright, just think of "Eliza Doolittle" in the ball scene in "My Fair Lady"! Undergarments played a role in this stance and I will have a post about them.
• All soft pastel shades were worn: pink, blue , mauve and soft shades called "eau de Nile" and "ashes of roses"! The soft shades matched the lightness of the fabrics. Here we see a lemon yellow ball dress by Gustav Beer, maybe the first German designer to open shop in Paris.
• Inserts, like the purple velvet insets seen here was popular, and lace was quite the rage! This dress have shoulder straps, rosettes and trimmings of lace and ribbon contrasts.
• The lace- trimmed open-ended sleeves were called pagoda sleeves. Don't they just look like pagodas?
• Another great Edwardian fashion trend shown in my painting, is the "dog collar" made of many rows of pearls and fastened with a diamond clasp, one of the fashions first seen on Queen Alexandra. Read more about Queen Alexandra's Pearls.
• Already in this painting, there is a hint of the small (wasp) waist, of which I will tell more in the next post!

Hats for Smart Wear

Towards 1927 smart suits were worn by women and "misses" alike. The world started a lasting love affair with crisp white shirts, also called overblouses in the Twenties as they were not always tucked into the skirts but had a band around the hips to round off the design. The blouses could be made from chiffon, a material called radium silk, and popular English broadcloth! Now why does that last material sound so strong and practical?

Feathers and porcupine quils were found on hats throughout the Twenties and I decided to use a Berti Borelli type of design for my belle with the unexposed hair, the black parts being part of the hat design and not hair! And, yes, you can buy vintage style hats on E-Bay today! And one last thought, one can still spot the Victorian bonnet in the style!

Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day

Shall I compare thee to a Summer's Day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May

And Summer's lease hath all too short a date.....

(From Shakespeare Sonnet # 18)

6x6 (200 x 200mm) Oil on Canvas

Hello, Young Lovers

Hello young lovers wherever you are,

I hope your troubles are few,

All my good wishes go with you tonight,

I've been in love like you.

(Words from The King & I, Rodgers& Hammerstein)

Oil on canvas 6"x 6" ( 200 x 200mm)

Irresistible Lavender

Lavender plants are noted for the flowers from which aromatic oils are produced. I cannot pass a lavender bush without rubbing some of the buds through my fingers. How wonderful also that these tiny flowers in mass can make such an amazing display! A special thank you to the French with their wonderful displays of many square miles of lavender bushes. Those scenes are just too much to bear, one can only call it 'overfill of the senses'!

My painting is extremely plain as I am thinking of the delicate display of a single lavender bush under a lace-filled window. This is my second lavender painting for this blog.

I Will Remember Your Kiss

I took the title for this post directly from one of the songs in the vintage songbook. There is no publishing date on it, but the fashions look like it could be from the 20-30's. On top of the cover is this warning: This book must not be exported for sale in America, Canada or Australasia. Now why on earth not???, I wonder!

The sketch on the cover is lovely! Those artists knew how to capture the spirit of their time. I used it for inspiration for my latest French Belle, and tried to make it more romantic by showing the man as a silhouette.

The ostrich feather in the girl's hand was the type of fan used in the early thirties, with most of the feathers imported from South Africa, where in our country several "ostrich barons" were smiling broadly at the demands of fashion! Now here is The Duchess of Windsor wearing a feather headdress (very queenly) and holding a feather fan. This was her introduction to the Royal court in 1931. (I took the photo from her book: "The Heart has it's Reasons")

The Little Straw Boater

Now is this true or not: we had our fill of a couple of ridiculous hats this week, on viewing and reviewing the Royal Wedding? What was true of the previous centuries, is true today, and that is that most feathers look better on the original bird than on a lady's hat!

In the Twenties there were actual publicity and movements to stop the use of 'bits of animal or bird', like those bound bundles of feathers or porcupine quills which were perched on the side of hats. Worse were the ostrich feathers which could be seen bobbing way above the heads of most of the males in a room!

So here is something innocent and refreshing, the straw boater! These hats became popular once again when women gained their freedom of dress in the Twenties. What could be more ideal to wear for summer picnic lunches, drives in open Model T Fords, playing golf or tennis, hiking or cycling?

Sweet Spring Rain

A little bit of rain, nothing serious! My sweet blonde belle's umbrella is more for the show of it! To sing her praises, I chose this extract from a17th century poem. It shows that femininity is very enduring!

"With solace and gladness,

Much mirth and no madness,

All good and no badness,

So joyously,

So maidenly,

So womanly,

Her demeaning

In every thing;

Far, far passing

That I can endite

Or suffice to write......." from To Mistress Margaret Hussey by J.Skelton

As French as....Eating Al Fresco

We all know where we first saw a pebbled courtyard with outdoor furniture and umbrellas attached to a good restaurant. It was in France! Now, all over the world we are fortunate as everyone has their favourite outdoor eatery. I have painted Cafe Felix at Riebeek Kasteel, a tiny artists town not far from home.

Of course, dining "out" at home can be such fun! We have an ocean breeze to cool us as we enjoy our light fare. This is the way I prepare the salad: cut up ripe room temperature tomatoes into a flat wide dish, salt them with freshly grated course salt, pour on olive oil and leave the dish for a while. This is the time to pick rocket, basil, fennel, broad-leaved parsley and lots of spring onions in the kitchen garden. Wash lightly, pat dry and break the leaves on top of the happily marinating tomatoes. Just before dishing up, toss thoroughly. Do not add avocado, nuts, fruit or anything else! I am a purist when it comes to this salad!

Is there an aroma of barbecued angel fish coming from the braai area? Super! Bring out an olive bread on a wooden board. Pour the wine! Bon Appetit!

Wearing a scarf with Flair

There is one thing about a Frenchwoman: she definitely knows how to wear a scarf! In my bedroom there are some hooks brim-full with the most beautiful scarves which friends and family brought me.

Every Frenchwoman throws a scarf over her clothes, they say, and you should do it too! Do these lovely gifts suit me? No! If I do try one on, no matter where I wear it, it will seem as if I have headache, neck-ache or toothache! It does not help that many of my forebears were French!

This French Belle was one of the first I painted. She was adopted by a small company that sells imported French fruit drinks. Unlike me, my Belle knows what style of scarf will go with her white sun dress and beads!

Reading on the Patio

Being French is all about being feminine, even when you sit alone under the wisteria, reading and relaxing. My belle is looking ageless with tied hair with a live flower in it.

The Plain Suit

By the end of the Twenties the Eton crop and severely bobbed hair made way for shoulder-length hair. Little hats were now often worn at an angle to show the hair. Suits of good design became very popular. The style was somewhat masculine but not yet influenced by the military.

In my painting, once again drawn from imagination, the severe suit is softened with a soft pink blouse and umbrella. The photo, a lovely one of the Duchess of Windsor from her book:"The Heart has its Reasons" shows her happily awaiting the arrival of the Duke in France prior to the wedding. The fun butterfly jewellery massed on both sides of the collar adds a wonderful touch of personal style to a severe suit.

Ample make this Bed

I have done a set of belles where I have used soft pastel colours.The hair is straight from the Twenties! It was the ideal style for ladies to wear under the lovely cloche hats and little gold croched evening caps.. My daughter Susan chose a poem by Emily Dickenson to go with this image:

Ample make this bed

"Ample make this bed.

Make this bed with awe;

In it wait till judgment break

Excellent and fair.

Be its mattress straight,

Be its pillow round;

Let no sunrise' yellow noise

Interrupt this ground."

Emily Dickinson

Swimwear Revolution!

Covered from head to toe, our great-great grandmothers were allowed to "take to the water"! The early Twenties brought some light relief with constructions called tank suits. The legs were naked but some knee-high stockings were still worn. It was such a break-through, because soon a very sensible swimming costume was developed. The lines look good even today because there was a timeless elegance about them. I love Glamour Daze, a blog about vintage fashion. Here is a short illustrated history of vintage swimwear!

Open backs appeared in fashion once the short dresses of 1925 were no longer "shocking" and another area of daring had to be developed. As we know, that is a trend that sells a lot of fashion to this very day in our "who-will-be-first-to-wear-it" culture!

The development of swimwear was the result of the new liberty women experienced. I suppose that once they had the vote, they felt free to drive cars and take part in sport! In my painting, my little belle celebrates summer at a quiet and discreet locality, another favourite pastime of the Twenties.

180 x 180mm (10 x 10)

Acrylic on Canvas Board

COPYRIGHT MARIE THERON 2010

The Barrel Line

Utility clothes worn by women during World War I, was extremely drab. Wartime fashion gave us a heavy wide skirt in rough material, not a pretty button in sight!

At last in 1919 at the end of the war this skirt made way for 'the barrel line'. Dresses were now tubular with the anatomy of women quite suppressed. No shape and no waist were shown. If you did not have a boyish built, a 'flattener' was needed. The skirts of these dresses ballooned inwards near the ankles to show for the first time some well-turned ankles in femine shoes to cleverly make up for the absence of daring near the neckline!

In my painting, I exaggerated the length of the barrel line, the way it is often done on pattern packets. The soft detail of the belt shows off the dropped waistline which is the most outstanding characteristic of fashion from 1919 to well into the Twenties. The cloth is soft and silky and pastel-coloured.

Acrylic on Stretched Canvas

COPYRIGHT MARIE THERON 2010

A Stroll in the Rain

Some of the nicest childhood memories are those of strolls we took in the rain. Isn't it a treat to be almost isolated in a bubble of peace while it is softly raining? My Parisienne looks cosy and contented! Around the corner is a coffee house with steamed up windows and wonderful aromas....

180 x 180mm (10 x10)

Acrylic on Canvas Board

COPYRIGHT MARIE THERON 2010

At the Couturier

For an elegant lady who lived in the twenties and thirties in an environment of liveried servants, clothing was an investment. Here I imagine her in the setting of the show lounge of her couturier, making a decision about a coat, while it is modeled for her by a live mannequin. I do believe you had to have morning, afternoon and evening coats!

My little belle looks serene in a blue suit with a tight-fitting flattened bodice. Suits in pastel colours were popular and female curves were abandoned. Frenchwomen had a battle with this, but English and American women found it easier to achieve the boyish frame, being naturally more angular.

The photo comes from Costume & Fashion by James Laver.

I came upon a very special blog today, called "Eye Prefer Paris". I thought I would show you this delightful post on Parisian dogs in their winter coats.

180 x 180mm (10 x10)

Acrylic on Canvas Board

COPYRIGHT MARIE THERON 2010

Winter Pleasures

This is my absolutely favourite little painted lady! I have waited until you were truly shivering over there in the Northern Hemisphere before I posted the painting here. So please disregard the fact that I am writing this on a sunny summer's day in Cape Town!

In her book: French Women for All Seasons, Mireille Guiliano writes: "Most of us don't have a choice to sit winter out. The fact is that not every bird gets to fly south. And I confess I wouldn't want to: I love my morning walks in the winter, breathing the cool crisp air, and I can't imagine living in places without much seasonal variation. "

Well said! Wear your coziest coat and let me know what you see and experience out there. And tell me what you eat and drink out there!

180 x 180mm (10 x10)

Acrylic on Canvas Board

COPYRIGHT MARIE THERON 2010

As French as....Lavender

200 x 200mm

Acrylic on wrap-around stretched Canvas

COPYRIGHT MARIE THERON 2010

AVAILABLE in South Africa from January 2011

Price R500 + R50 Postage and Packaging

I am adding a different line to my blog! Every now and then, as I paint them, I will post something very French as part of a series called "As French as...." So here is my first inspiration, a bunch of tall lavender stems bound with ribbon that is casually plaited through a louvered window shutter (also typical of French cottages).

The Lunch Date

The vintage era was a time of great style and elegance. I thought that this neat suit and hat portrayed the spirit of the time!

The Duchess of Windsor gave a lovely description in her autobiography (The Heart has its Reasons) : "There was good company in the Washington of the early 1920's, perhaps the most charming, exciting and cosmopolitan company in the United States" It was known

as the "diplomatic set".

Among the social events she names protracted dinners, dancing in Embassy ballrooms, teas, cocktail parties, Sunday night suppers at the houses of friends, impromptu excursions to little country restaurants, picnics in the Virginia countryside. "One lunched in a leisurely fashion", she wrote.

In the paintings by Modigliani, his beloved Jeanne Hebuterne wears hats like these. For an interesting "artwork- within- an- artwork" approach, you can look at the fashionable Jeanne's hats in Life Without Modi II by K.Madison Moore.

180 x 180mm (18 x 18 cm)

Acrylic on Canvas Board

COPYRIGHT MARIE THERON 2010