Links O' The Morning

[anotheranon]

Goodies gathered from here and elsewhere:

Saya Espanola: Images and Information Concerning Late 16th C. Spanish Court Dress for Women - will look through when I have time; I'm especially curious about the colors as at least one person has suggested that the colors might be more flattering on me than the Elizabethan trends for russet and tawney (these just don't fly on olive skin. Yes, I've tried! :P)

Alton Brown, the Slashdot Interview - cooking for geeks, Mr. Wizard in the kitchen. Cool stuff.

gothic1920s - it's gothic, it's flappers, it's user pix and artwork and other pretty stylized things. Check it out :)

Reviews of the LOTR Costume Exhibit in Boston - mostly text as photos aren't allowed, but plenty of detail can be found if you wade through long enough. I'm not a huge LOTR fan, but you never know when you might need an elfin ballgown, you know?

Comments

[jlsjlsjls.livejournal.com]

I think you'd look great in Spanish costume; although I saw a few yellows/golds, looks as if the majority favour strong, clear, untainted-by-yellow colours as accent/alternative to the black ... most flattering. :-))))

P.S. Have you seen the National Gallery Fine Art Series books? I ask because they seem to be lingering on many bookstores' clearance tables at the moment; I got Costume in Art for for $4.99 a few months ago (any CHEAP reference book is a good one, right? ***grin***) Instead of exhaustive coverage, it focuses on 30 paintings in the National Gallery and shows close-ups of costume details ... I'm just checking in mine right now and there are a couple of Spanish portraits (Infanta Isabella, Philip IV ... early 17th century, but, as the site you linked to says, the fashions look as if they didn't change all that much) with close-ups on lace patterns, cuffs, ruffs, gloves. Also Flemish, Dutch, Italian portraits from that period, with similar close-ups.

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

Haven't seen that book, but will keep it in mind. Thank you for the heads up!

Also, dig the listing for the National Book Festival (http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/04/authors/index.html) in October (link courtesy geekchick. If I can find out pricing on this, I'm going to try and go :)

[jlsjlsjls.livejournal.com]

That's an impressive roster of authors ... hope you get your wish and go to the ball! :-)

Spanish Costume

[pinkdiamond.livejournal.com]

I've seen Costume in Art before... but at the time I was looking for German garb I think;)

I did read that the Spanish Court of the time rather threw themselves into mourning... I wonder if it then became fashionable to wear all that black because of it...
Or maybe they discovered how very flattering black is;) And sombre and rather severe which all matches with the prevailing mood...

And thinking about it, the little girls dress is lilac (embroidered in gold), which is another colour for mourning.. and so is white which is the other main colour..

I wonder if the extremely sombre mood of the court of Charles and Felipe gave way later as the greens and reds seem to abound mostly in the 17thC.

Oh btw, it is my site;) And I'm glad it's being used, as the style is one not often done:) It came about as I was hunting for images for my own recreation of the Isabel de valois gown painted by Anguissola:) I tend to get far too many images of a style I like;)

Re: Spanish Costume

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

Oooh, hi there! Like the site very much - and yes, you're right, not that many people do this place/time.

Re: Anguissola - the local community college library has a book of her works that I'm going check out once I get a few other things squared away. I too am curious about why there is so much black, especially as I'm led to understand that it was a very hard color to maintain, even for royalty.

Re: Spanish Costume

[pinkdiamond.livejournal.com]

I just found a great book about Sofonisba at the central library in town. Really nice, and included images from her later life (including some pretty moving self portraits.)

I'll have to head back to look at it again:)

Re: Spanish Costume

[jlsjlsjls.livejournal.com]

I've seen Costume in Art before... but at the time I was looking for German garb I think;)

Yep, a significant lack of German representation (the only German painting is a portrait of an English woman :P ). Flemish, Dutch and Italian subjects form the majority in this particular volume.

Re: Spanish Costume

[pinkdiamond.livejournal.com]

Most volumes;)

I searched through three bookstores and the Central Library here in Auckland to find absolutely no pre Picasso books on Spanish art... even the museum books had a severe lack of the stuff...

There were two books on Cranach and a few on Holbein in the library. Nice book on Sofonisba Anguissola, including self portraits from her last years.

Luckily the Fine Arts libarary of Auckland University has a lovely collection of many 'obscure' art interests...