June 2014 Potpourri Post Part 2

A trip to the Wallace Collection is a nice place to wander through while having a chat with a friend on a rainy London day.  

This museum gets forgotten among the heavyweights of the 

British Musuem and National Gallery 

but it is perfect for a little cultural injection.

It used to be a private home so is a perfect backdrop for many of the grand objets d'arts the collection houses.  It also is a popular venue for private and corporate parties.

They have something for everyone.

 Don't let the Game of thrones extra throw you.

They also happen to a sizable collection of the Sevres porcelain outside Versailles that was commissioned by Louis XV and 

his mistress madame de Pompadour.

I can't get over the still vibrant blue and

 the ever stylish design below.

But not only do they have precious items but the rooms themselves are a pleasure to pass through.

I think all the rooms with the silk walls are perfect.

Wedding Dress Exhibition 1775 - 2014 at the V&A

I went to the  exhibition at the V&A today called the 

Wedding Dress 1775 - 2014.

The V & A seem to consistently be setting a high standard to rival the Met in fashion history.

They have had recent successes with their past fashion themed shows and are continuing in that vein with this and another fashion themed exhibition showing about the glamour of Italian fashion.

It spanned two hundred years of wedding dresses and had a comprehensive selection.

Dita Von Teese's Vivienne Westwood dress when she married the Manson bloke. Very Scarlett O'Hara coming down those stairs.

There is a saying that a dress maketh a woman but dresses hung on mannequins disproved that theory.

Hence I will try and show you the picture of the woman showing the same dress where possible.

This was one of the other rare colored wedding dresses.

Apparently wearing a colored dress was considered more appropriate for older brides. But did you know that the custom of white wedding dresses only dates as far back as Queen Victoria?

She started the fashion when she wore white lace to her wedding.

A statement wedding dress with the longest train in the exhibition was the following.

While I appreciated the workmanship and detail the dress seemed to be more of a conduit to convey the bride's status.

Can you guess which bride wore this wedding dress?

I was a bit surprised that it was worn by her as well.

Not that I know what I expected from her but it wasn't that memorable for even a devourer of pop culture not to recall...

Most of you should be able to guess the one this belongs to.

Just a postscript...

The shoes were Linda Bennett for LK Bennett.

I had to double check at the exhibition and they did seem to make a point of it too...

This dress is not very photogenic because up close the colors are nuanced and delicate.

No photographs were allowed in the exhibition so most of these photos were courtesy of the museum.

So these are some highlights.

A piece from the 90's.

An example of a wedding dress from the 1700's.
I did wonder if anyone honestly replied when the bride asked if her hips looked big in that dress.

And one by a modern popular designer Jenny Packham.

But my favorite dress of all was this wedding dress which was designed the the American designer that has an exhibition in New York at present.  It was made by Charles James.

Via

It is deceptively simple.

But then you turn around and there is a detail that would be considered avant garde even now.

But upon closer inspection, 

you can see the clever cuts, darts, and stitching.

He put the darts slightly lower than the bust line and that seemed to create a smooth flow of the bust to the waistline.

Apologies for the crude explanation but all I know how to sew is a hole in a sock.

But he knew what he was doing.

There are no pictures I could find but I did find a link to the video news reel of her wedding.
It seemed a merry affair with her bridesmaid wearing a scarlet dress!  Even if you are not interested or don't like the dress, 
the video clip is a charming in many other aspects.
Please view the link here.

If you are in London or plan to be, then I must encourage you to visit and there is plenty of time as it ends March 2015.  
However, if you can't make it then please click on this link and 
browse through the items individually.

Have a lovely weekend.

June 2014 Insta Post Part 1

Still hectic but I have a feeling that if I don't continue this is how bloggers think they will rest and stop all together so I am plogging on. ( that's plodding on and blogging )

When I came back to London, I found that Hyde Park and changed in the 3 weeks I was away.

The pedal boats were out but then so was all the algae.

There are times when the algae can really stink so they tend to have to cull it about twice a year.

London really gets into the spirit of the Chelsea flower show and a lot of stores do their own displays.

No one will convince me to wear socks with heels.

Not even Karl who designed this all in one bootie Chanel contraption for those who are into this trend.

I love recycled wellies.

Best of Living Magazine May and June 2014

Something to browse for the weekend and the summer in fact.

I notice everyone is getting in the mood and getting fresh flowers to decorate nightstands and tables.

As flowers are so expensive, I always ask florists tips on how to make them last longer.  They mumble and then give me a plastic tube with something that says "flower extender".

At one very short stage in my life I tried to be like Martha. 

I actually put water in the freezer to get it slushy 

so the cold would refresh the stems and petals.

But this is the official stance from Martha.

I never knew about putting a pin through the stem.
I might do a comparative test to prove it.

Of all the various tips I have heard with flowers, 

I have never heard of anything involved with fire.

Seoul, Korea Trip Highlights

I know some don't like going through other people holiday snaps so this is only for those who might be interested in a country that doesn't otherwise get much tourism publicity like Thailand or Japan.

Seoul was and is too busy trying to become an economic powerhouse to have tried to become a tourist destination although that is starting to change as well.  Korea has a recorded history of about 5000 years and is full of historical monuments that have managed to survive wars and invasions.

This is one of my favorite landmarks which was the king's pagoda for rest and leisure on a man made island in the middle of a natural spring lake in the main royal palace.

This is the gate to the main royal pavilion.

I happened to be going in at the changing of the guard.

Except these guards don't get botox subsidies like 

at Buckingham Palace.

This main palace is where the king would conduct state affairs four times a month and all goverment officials would father and fill the courtyard according to rank.

The architecture is very influenced from China has many similar architectural characteristics.

Cornices are also very much a feature and colors and designs all have significance and is ultimately used to protect the kingdom and is a form of feng shui.

The dragon and phoenix is a very popular safety totem.

All the designs would have been handpainted.

Korea is quite a religious nation and has a population that is split between Buddhism and Christianity.  When Christmas was made a public holiday, the Buddhists also received a public holiday for their religion in the form of Buddha's birthday.

There were lanterns hung in public parks to commemorate the holiday.

Even if one isn't Buddhist, it is very common to have parents or cousins who practice a different religion.

Plus the country was Buddhist on and off for over a thousand years so Buddhism has had a huge influence on Korea's culture.

I hadn't been in Korea for Buddha's birthday in over twenty years so I forgot how colorful the decorations were in small temples.

And then the decorations in the bigger temples were spectacular.
Don't let the Buddhist version of the nativity scene fool you.



There were lanterns everywhere.

The lanterns were like a giant parasol.