Mostly Cream with Coffee. Plus Pink and White.

Something Old Something New

Wedding Dresses from 1850-1980

Bexhill Museum

Until 6^th December 2015

OLD AND NEW

Lots of cream satin and pearls. A coffee coloured silk chiffon and lace dress and jacket. A pink lace dress and jacket and of course some white lace.

There was so much to see and enjoy at this wedding dress exhibition. All the dresses were of exceptional quality and there were a great deal of accessories and extras to see…shoes, wedding favours and headdresses to mention but a few. The Star shaped case layout was excellent. You could see all the way round the dress. So much better than just the front. And there was a Catwalk display too. It was marvellous to see the clothes out in the air as it were. You could get up close and have a peer with out glass getting in the way. I have rarely seen such a collection of high quality, beautifully conserved garments as I did in Bexhill. All the examples on display were exquisite and some were more exquisite than others. (apologies to G. Orwell)

Rather than try to describe the feast for the eyes that all these dresses presented when you walked into this large, calm room…here are a few tidbits to tempt you to go to see it for yourself.

A ‘Second Day Wedding Cap.’ 1842  

CAP 1842

Silk and lace and pearls. Worn by the bride the day after the wedding.

I have to confess that this is a new idea to me. I hope readers can enlighten me as to some history of second day caps?

Waterfall. Tumbling. Two words that describe this fabric made ‘false’ bouquet from the early 19^th century. (See Old and New photo above)

1857 FRINGE

Victorian fringes and an attached overskirt.             And not shown, but held by Bexhill, are the many love letters from the groom to his be fringed bride.
All together now. Ahhhh.

                                                

Veil

An Edwardian Veil in embroidered lace

From Bourne and Hollingsworth in London. A long time later it came back to the shop to be looked after. The shop closed in 1970 and as the veil was unclaimed, it was given as a memento to a staff member. 

1932 Rear View

This bride of 1932 has left us her silk crêpe de chine, cut on the bias dress with its draped neckline and long train. She also left long locks of auburn hair, which the museum has in store. Whether she sported said hair at the wedding is not recorded.

Proving chic is timeless, a pink lace 1940s suit that was worn by a 1997 bride can be seen in the photograph of the catwalk.

1960s Classic  

1960s Wedding Dress.

A classic. It’s all there. Full length. 

Nottingham lace. Under wired petticoat.

Catwalk

The most recent dress (2007) was startling in style...Goth ...as well as colour. It was green and purple. (Although green and magenta were popular bridal colours in the 1860s)

The bolero jacket was worn over a ruched and beaded bodice, with some dramatic rear lacing to the bodice and a bustle and a train. A bridesmaids dress was a less elaborate purple version of the brides dress.The more I studied these, the more I liked them. The detail and the drama of these dresses was superb.

There are top class information sheets for the wedding dresses which are portable…greatly appreciated.

Don’t miss the fascinating social and dress history on permanent display in the room.

Thanks to Bexhill Museum for permission to use these photos.

Special thanks to Karen for her help.

Hello to the friendly volunteer staff I met.

www.bexhillmuseum.co.uk

 And finally. Can someone please tell me what Petal Dust was used for? A bridal ensemble from 1921 included a packet of this. The notes describe it as an accessory. Was it scattered like confetti? Used as rouge? Dusted over cocktails? ? ? ?

 

Definately a voice for radio

CLICK AND GO.....



Click on this

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02x1683

And go to 2 hrs 40mins 

You will be rewarded with my interview on Radio Sussex on 5th August 2015

I am talking to the lovely Allison Ferns

You will find out all you ever wanted to know about

How fabulous I am

How extremely good I am on the radio

How mellifluous is my voice

How I bet you wish you had that husky chuckle

Volunteering at a museum.

I am lucky enough to be responsible for the costume collection at my local museum...so listen up and see what you might go on to do.....

Benvenuto a Topogigio

Pizza, Pasta and Puddings

Few things in life are black and white but a lovely exception to this is Topogigio in Hove. 

The restaurant is a chic monochrome space with white walls and black details. The tables are black and the chairs are barley sugar twists of clear acrylic with black cushions. The ceiling boasts a spectacular white chandelier…  E 'tutto molto molto elegante …lovely to look at and a delicious place to eat.

No amount of decor will detract from a restaurant with disappointing food but here you get the whole package. Tasty food. Good service. Stylish surroundings. Did I mention the wonderful food?

Have a look at http://www.topogigiohove.com/  if you want to have your taste buds tickled …you really need to see the photos. Words are definitely not enough for this menu.

So apart from the pleasing interior, the out of this world pizzas, and puddings that you will not want to share with anyone (try the pistachio ice cream), what has else Topogiogio got to offer?

Well the staff has that wonderful knack of making you feel welcome and they look as if they are pleased to see you. The service is friendly, knowledgeable and professional.

The Topogigio logo is memorable and very clever. Apart from learning that topo means mouse in Italian, I discovered that Signor Topogigio was a TV star in Italy in the fifties and sixties. I am sure that I remember ‘him’ on British TV in the sixties? Anybody else???

In a nod to the late lamented (only not quite so much now as Topogigio has opened) Topolino Duo, some pictures on the walls had a very familiar look.

As well as the very moreish cassata I had for pud, I loved the glass coffee cups and saucers…think coffee bars. Vespas. Fellini films. Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday. Someone really thought about setting this place up. Every detail is just right.

Do go. E’ eccellente.

Topogigio

6 Church Road

Hove BN3 2FL

01273 926266

Cars. Trains. Buses. And Sticks.

A man to make your car better

A lady dressed to complement her vintage car

      A bus driver with a white summer cover on his peaked cap

A train driver with a cap and braces

   And two gentlemen stick makers with aprons

An eclectic bunch all doing what they were doing on a sunny Sunday and all enjoying every minute.

Where was I?

Amberley Museum and Heritage Centre in West Sussex.

Going into the Amberley site is like going into a secret kingdom. Once you are inside it is a microcosm of times past. And when there is a special event in full swing it teems with people and noise and colour and movement.

Last Sunday was such a day. I wandered round, deciding what to look at first.

I stopped under a tree and there was an AA box. Now readers of a certain age will know immediately of which I speak, but for all you minors out there, AA boxes were a common sight at the side of the road in olden times. They are a sentry type box that were used originally as a shelter for the AA man in bad weather and later on all members had a key to open the box and use the telephone inside to summon help. Yes. Even I would admit….. it does sound fairly olden.

This particular box at Amberley, no 44, had a special extra feature. An AA man.

AA Patrol Man c1967

So smartly turned out in his green uniform and cap. There was more than a hint of the military in the cut of the jacket and trousers. Patch pockets, epalettes, contrasting colour for the collar, AA crest on the buttons…smart, authoritative and capable. I dare say that keeping it clean (the responsibility of the individual) was a lifetimes work, but I was assured by the gentleman on ‘duty’ that keeping yourself presentable was second nature. In the summer months they were permitted to take off their jackets, but standards were maintained by keeping ties on. A white cover for their caps added a summery feel. As England in 1967 had just as much rain as today, I was relieved to hear that oilskins were standard issue, not forgetting a waterproof cap cover.

The special attraction on this day at Amberley was classic cars. Row upon row of highly polished beautifully kept cars took up every corner. Sports cars, powerful cars, unusual cars, family cars. All immaculate. The hours of work required to keep a vehicle looking this good is a test of the true enthusiast. I’ve tried putting a car into concourse condition. But I discovered that giving it a quick flick with a chamois and polishing the brightwork just won’t cut it. One car and lady combo stood out for me. Not only was the car perfectly turned out, but the lady owner had gone the extra mile and dressed to complement the car. For the technically minded the car was a 1961 1172cc Ford Popular Deluxe Saloon. 

Classic car and Elegant lady.

For the sartorially minded the charming lady was dressed in wide legged dark blue trousers, black top with Peter Pan style lace collar, short black and white striped jacket, all set off with a black and white scarf. Finishing touches were 2 tone shoes, plus the flower in her period perfect hairstyle matching the flowers on her fab bag. It all went together beautifully. She told me that she didn’t just wear and drive vintage, but danced it too. Lindy Hop was the one and apparently it went down well with the real vintage people, when she demonstrated it at retirement and residential homes.

                                                                                                                                              

I caught the single decker Southdown bus (the site is 36 acres) to explore another part of the museum. As soon as I saw the driver I was reminded of past summer holidays when you knew it was definitely summer because the bus drivers had their white hats (and coats) on. He wore a white shirt and green Southdown tie and his cap had a splendid Southdown metal badge on the front. 

Summer hat for a summer day

How long is it since a bus driver said ‘Hold tight please’ as he (or she) drove off?  How 

long is it since bus seats were covered in such smart fabric or had ashtrays and silver grip rails along the top of the seats? Mind you. Either buses have got higher steps or my legs are shorter, but getting on wasn’t so much of a hop as a haul…

A gentle chuff on a steam train took me back down the museum road. The train driver wore the sort of everyday clothes that workers did in days gone by. In the time before uniforms ruled the roost many people wore the same clothes for work as out of it. Slightly scruffier maybe, but a driver would wear ordinary trousers, shirt and braces. Completed by a flat cap to keep the soot and rain off and a rag or scarf round your neck to absorb the sweat and wipe it out of your eyes. Hot work steam trains.

The engine is from 1917. No word on the driver.

                     

The train arriving....

                                                                                                                   I am too young (quiet at the back) to really remember steam and I certainly have never traveled in a carriage with no windows or doors. (No it wasn’t difficult to get in and no it wasn’t dark. Think about it) 

You had a bird’s eye view of most of the site as you chugged along through a green and leafy way.My fellow passengers were loving it too. Young and old. Thomas has a lot to answer for…but today’s 5 year old is tomorrow's volunteer for the railway. At least they will never have to grow out of getting dirty.

Oh to be in England

Stick men are not confined to paintings from the north of England. I had a peep into the stick makers building at Amberley and watched the interest on the faces of the other people as the two guys behind the counter worked and fashioned the wood at their bench.

They were clearly highly skilled, as there were many examples of their craft on display. My favourite had to be the stick with a birds head handle…a duck I think. So much choice; heights, colours, materials, not to mention what the handle looked like.

Their working gear can’t have changed much over the years. A stout apron to protect the clothes, with a big front pocket. Whether this was to keep spare tools in or just make sure you ended the day with a pocket full of shavings I don’t know.

The Stick Makers

A trip to Amberley looks different to people depending on how old they are.

If you are young, it’s all new and fascinating and (in some cases) wonderfully dirty and whistly.

If you are not so young, you look around and think......

When did I last see an AA box? The patrol men used to salute my father as he had an AA badge on the car. Now the gestures you get from other road users might not be so respectful.

When did cars last have metal sun visors on the outside of the windscreen? (As seen on the Ford Pop that my stylish lady had brought along).

When did trains and buses stop looking as good as the ones I saw today and get so ordinary?

And when did I last see something being made that had no moving parts, no batteries and definitely no WiFi?

Whatever you like looking at, try Amberley. There’s a lot of looking to do there. www.amberleymuseum.co.uk

BBC Radio Sussex is FAB

LOCAL RADIO IS WONDERFUL.

There I've said it.

And not just because I was at BBC Radio Sussex today.

For the second time I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Allison Ferns. Allison is one of those friendly, buzzy people who greet you as if you are the one person that they have been waiting to talk to all day. 

You get to sit in a studio. You get to put on a head set (earphones and mike). Knobs still are twiddled and sliding switches are slid. And then you are ON.

Well ON with a small o as it was being recorded...last time it was live and that really was scary.

Allison asked me a range of questions about volunteering for Henfield Museum. I described what I'd done so far. What the museum had on show and how much fun it all was. I was pleased to be able to mention BN5, the great local magazine that I contribute to occasionally and to recount some of the back stories of clothes in my latest exhibition.

I really had no idea how long I'd been in the hot seat. The time passed so pleasantly. So well done Allison and well done Radio Sussex.  

They help people like me publicize places like my local museum..win win really.. I had a great time...what a way to spend part of a wet Monday morning...and here’s hoping Henfield Museum ....BN5 9DB... enjoys more visitors whatever the day of the week.

Dress Label Mystery

C H E Q U I T A

NOT   C H I Q U I T A

A DRESS LABEL, NOT A LITTLE GIRL

I do hope that one of my loyal readers..wake up there at the back...can give me some information about this dress make. I have found one example on an excellent site 

the.saleroom.com

but so far no other mentions.

In common with my last post Desperately Seeking Seamstresses, there must be someone out there who knows something about those dressmaking ladies and this dress company.

So hurry up. The quicker you mail me, the less research I have to do ......

So Ladies when did you sew?

Desperately Seeking Seamstresses

Can anyone help me with information on the following dressmakers/seamstresses?


Madame Juliette STATES

Madame Fanny PHILLIPE 

Madame Thirza HARTE


Juliette States is described as  'Dressmaker and Milliner'

Fanny Phillipe's real name was Frances Pierron, married to Paul.

I know that at different times they worked from these premises;

12 Princess Street,
Hanover Square,
London 


Circa 1850s for Mme States and c1880s for Mme Phillipe..of Mme Harte I can find no trace.

This is a costume based quest......I know that there will be costume mavens out there who will scoff at my ignorance and then mail me....lets hope so anyway....