Gayle Brennan Spencer – sending random thoughts to and from South Austin
Store displays gave us advance warning American Halloween traditions had bridged the ocean to invade Europe.
Spain’s vulnerability is enhanced by the fact that Halloween is the eve of a national holiday – Dia de Todos los Santos, or All Saints’ Day. While not a full-scale conquest yet, Bilbao appears on the cusp of adopting costumes.
Continue reading “Postcard from Bilbao, Spain: All Hallows’ Eve”
Above left: 19th-century Indian fine muslin dress embroidered with silk, silver and gold thread, Victoria & Albert Museum South Kensington. Above right: Lampshade skirt, Mary Katrantzou, 2011, The Design Museum.
Visiting numerous museums in a row, it’s impossible for me not to compare what might seem as incongruous exhibits. A portion of “Rebel: Thirty Years of London Fashion” at The Design Museum struck me as almost consciously mimicking the Asian fashion display in the Victoria & Albert Museum combining robes and fabrics.
Thirty years represents an anniversary celebration of the British Fashion Council NEWGEN program offering young designers an opportunity to expose their creativity to a wide audience. With a fresh M.A. in Fashion degree, Lee Alexander McQueen (1969-2010) was in that first group of beneficiaries.
Continue reading “Postcard from London, England: Fashion fusion”
Above left: Hedgehog at the feet of an entombed noble, Westminster Abbey. Above right: Butterfly-wing sandals, Sophia Webster, “Rebel: Thirty Years of London Fashion,” The Design Museum
One might assume I have a foot fetish, as once again I focus on what’s found underfoot of effigies atop monumental tombs of the rich and powerful who occupy prime real estate in churches in Europe. Prior to this, most guardians of the feet we encountered were dogs – beloved lapdogs or prized hunting hounds to offer comfort and protection for the dead.
But the fashion for many of those buried in Westminster Abbey is sculpted to emphasize distinction and convey rank and power. Kings and queens incline toward lions. The regal Scottish red lion posted by Mary Queen of Scots appears assigned to make sure no one attempts to peep up her numerous layers of petticoats.
Continue reading “Postcard from London, England: Fashion foot forward”
Postcards from Barton Springs 