Arts & Crafts with Dior

 

I was going to post something craft related today, but looking through older photos, I found some I'd taken at a past Christian Dior exhibit. It's not exactly crafts, but these dresses are works of art.

Dior's "New Look" was all about femininity: full skirts and cinched waists (if I recall correctly, he tried to bring back corsets). I totally understand why women didn't want to go back to these kinds of restrictive styles after the general comfort and freedom of 1930s and 40s fashions, but a part of me also wishes I could've dressed like this (the part of me that forgets how much I prefer being comfortable).

I love these ribbon details. If my sewing skills get a little better, I'm tempted to add something like this to a skirt.

I also think gloves should make a comeback. In this post-covid world, it only makes sense.

The dress above looks like something from a fairytale, and the one below looks like something Marilyn Monroe might've worn...

I'm not usually one for beading on my clothes (maybe I should be?) but the beaded collar on this dress is just amazing. I don't think my photo does it justice.

Speaking of beads, these necklaces were also part of the exhibit...

The exhibit also highlighted some of Dior's perfume bottles, which he designed:

This dress was included at the start of the exhibit. I don't remember if it's a Dior, or if it was there to show some of his influences, but I love it, so I'm sharing.

What do you think of Dior's New Look? Which dress is your favourite? And who is your favourite designer of the past (I also love House of Worth and Callot Soeurs). Share in the comments...

My Books

Love Lies Bleeding

Bleeding Heart

*Blood Magic

*Tooth & Claw

(Links take you to all available stores. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

Cheers,

Aspasia

PS: Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com. 

All photos by Whimsy Bower/Aspasia S. Bissas.

Happy Canada Day!

Photo by Brett Sayles, pexels.com

Happy Canada Day to all Canadians, no matter where they find themselves on 1 July!

Did you know that Canada Day is not our independence day? It's Canada's birthday (happy 152nd!) July 1st marks the anniversary of Confederation, or the day the first four provinces officially joined to create the Dominion of Canada.

Long weekends are also the perfect time to catch up on your reading (how else are you going to digest all that BBQ?) Take advantage of Smashword's sale and get my novel Love Lies Bleeding for half price (and Blood Magic, as always, is free). Stop by my official website and say hi too! Support Canadian indie writers and have a good day 🍁

If you want to learn more about Canada, watch this short video by a couple of resident experts:

A Short History of Aspasia of Miletus

Those of you who've glanced at the "About Me" section to the right of this column have probably noticed my name is Aspasia. Yes, it is my real name ;) It came to me by way of my grandmother, who in turn was named after her grandmother. I would love to know how far down the line this tradition extended but, unfortunately, record keeping was pretty much nonexistent in Greece during centuries of Ottoman occupation. Sometimes, though, I wonder if the line of Aspasias in my family could possibly stretch all the way back to the first known Aspasia: Aspasia of Miletus.

Aspasia of Miletus was born in 470 BCE and died in 400 BCE. Although born in Miletus (in present-day Turkey), she found her way to Athens, where she made an impression. At a time when Athenian women led severely constricted lives, Aspasia was independent, outspoken, publicly active, and renowned for her intelligence (she influenced and impressed intellectuals and philosophers, including Plato and Socrates). At some point she caught the eye of Pericles of Athens ("...arguably the most prominent and influential Greek statesman, orator and general of Athens during the Golden Age...") and they fell in love. Unable (or unwilling) to marry, they chose to live together as partners.

Aspasia is commonly thought to have been a hetaera, which many people have wrongly interpreted as meaning a prostitute. In reality hetaerae were trained companions, more akin to the geishas of Japan. As an occupation, it would have appealed to a woman used to more independence and freedom than what was allowed in ancient Athens. My opinion on the matter, however, is that whether Aspasia was a hetaera or not, the term "whore" was, is, and unfortunately probably always will be applied to strong, outspoken women by people, cultures, and societies that don't approve of strength and outspokenness in women. Not always popular among her contemporaries in Athens, Aspasia was an easy target for such insults, as well as a number of unfounded allegations. At one point she was put on trial for impiety (she won). She was also accused of being responsible for the Samian War, the Peloponnesian War, and even for corrupting the women of Athens.

Unfortunately, it's difficult to be completely certain of the accuracy of what is known of Aspasia's life. But the fact that her memory has survived at all (particularly through millennia of patriarchal bias and the suppression of Hellenistic culture by the Greek Orthodox Church) is kind of amazing. In some cases, she's even been honoured: a species of orchid, a type of viola, and a butterfly have been named after her. On International Women's Day, Aspasia of Miletus is still a source of inspiration.

Aspasia lunata

Viola 'Aspasia'

 

Parantica aspasia

 

If you'd like to know how to pronounce "Aspasia" correctly, here you go (I had to wade through several incorrect videos before I found this one, which was incredibly frustrating):

 

  

 

To read more about Aspasia, check out these links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspasia

http://www.pappaspost.com/7-badass-greek-women-of-antiquity-you-might-not-have-heard-of-before/

http://www.ancient.eu/Aspasia_of_Miletus/ 

http://www.pbs.org/empires/thegreeks/characters/aspasia_p2.html

http://classicalwisdom.com/political-woman/

 

[Edited to add pronunciation guide and to update links. Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com]

 

Christie's Antique and Vintage Show

Today was a long day that was a long time in the making.

Several months ago I was reading the latest post on one of my favourite blogs (see it here), and discovered the existence of Christie's Antique Show. Well, as soon as I saw the photo of an entire table covered in jadeite (AKA jadite, green milk glass, or that awesome green stuff...) I set the date in my calendar.

Yay antiques!

Today the big day finally arrived and the SO and I set forth to Hamilton (about an hour west of Toronto), coffees in hand and excitement rising (okay, I was excited; he was wondering how he got suckered into this). Despite getting turned around in the wilds of Hamilton (at one point we saw a valley with numerous plumes of smoke/steam rising, which led to comparisons with Isengard and jokes about Orcs), we made pretty good time to the show.

If I hadn't already pre-bought the tickets, I might just have turned around and gone home at the sight of all the cars lined up to get in. I don't like lines. Or crowds. Or small groups. But jadeite is a powerful motivator so we forged ahead (another Isengard reference for you). I'm so glad we did. The lines and crowds really weren't bad, and there was so much to see. Tons of glassware and metal signs, a surprising number of vintage wooden crates, some great furniture pieces, plenty of Canadiana. Some weird stuff too, like an actual life-size mugwump from David Cronenberg's movie Naked Lunch. If you thought those things were creepy onscreen, you have no idea (I should've stopped to ask where they got it or how much they were asking).

And there was lots of jadeite. Two places with large selections, and a few with smaller offerings or only a couple of pieces. The shock was the prices. Why didn't I start buying this stuff years ago when I fell in love with it and it wasn't super popular? Now everyone's into it and the prices reflect that. Sigh. I should probably just wait until it's out of fashion again. But I couldn't resist getting a couple of pieces anyway. I'm stupid like that. Keep reading for pictures of the show and to see what I ended up getting...

The tents beckoning in the distance...

Jadeite in all its glory, along with accompanying sticker shock

Awesome little dollhouse. Note the bird and nest on the window ledge, as well as the letters in the mailbox.

old-school gas pump

The table of jadeite that lured me to the show in the first place

The show was being held at Christie Lake Conservation Area.

John McClane would be so jealous...

Big Boy indeed--this thing was taller than the corner of the tent.

What's better than Bohemian glass?

That's right--two Bohemian glasses.

I was so excited to take the picture, I didn't notice the glass was wet. Sorry about the spots.

I couldn't resist this set of three covered dishes. All the jadeite I got today is 1940s era. Side note: the table cloth is one I got at the market in Carpentras, Provence.

Fire-King sticker still there 70 years later

A better view of the design on the lid. Not sure how the colour ended up so off in this shot.

The best part is how it glows when the light hits it

Shadow stopped by to see what I was up to and then promptly got distracted by everything else.

You can see this flour shaker in the first jadeite market shot above. I especially liked it because I actually needed something like this. It's a darker green than the other pieces too--extra pretty.

Another useful piece. I justify my magpie tendencies by at least trying to get things that are useful and not just dust collectors (although I have more than enough of those too...)

All my loot. Can't wait for the next show!

 

Oh, and we ended our visit by treating ourselves to some mini donuts, made on the spot and tossed in powdered sugar. Those were worth the trip on their own...

 

[Edited to update links. Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com]