Ermine and Pearls- The Quickstep vs. The Charleston

I confess that although I am not generally a fan of reality television I do enjoy Dancing With the Stars. It's nice that different styles of dance have made a resurgence (I'm looking forward to trying some Swing myself soon), and the video above showcases two of those styles, and, coincidentally, their use on DWtS. Which one do you prefer?

The Quickstep
Developed iin the 1920s as a faster Foxtrot, the Quickstep actually owes some of its steps to the Charleston. Meant to be danced to ragtime music the basic formula is a combination of chasses, quick jerky movements of the feet, and solid armholds punctuated by brief slower pauses and slides. It was a smooth, refined dance that worked well for more conservative dancers, in contrast to the brash youthfullness of...

...The Charleston
It is both a song and a dance style, though the dance can be performed to other songs. Originating on Broadway in Runnin' Wild in October of 1923, it is thought to have been inspired by black dockworkers in the city for which it was named. Beginning with lazy, loose movements and becoming faster and wilder the dance was associated with flappers and speakeasies who flouted the establishment and prohibition, thus being largely a youthful craze. It helped to give birth to the later Lindy Hop style of dance, and there is even a hybrid called the Lindy Charleston.

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Italian Renaissance Hairstyles

In keeping with my last post on Italian Renaissance costume I thought we would take a look at something we didn't touch much on; hairstyles. They were extremely varying; up and down, braided, netted, entwined with silks and ribbons, even pearls, and, of course, dyed, bleached, and curled. The only thing in somewhat short supply seems to be hats, and really who would want to cover up what you had spent so much time constructing? "Do you have any idea how long it took me to get the curls placed?!" 1544 Portrait of Laura da Pola by Lotto Occasionally a small cap, or scuffia, was worn either with side curls, or with most of the hair stuffed up underneathe:- 1490 portrait by Ghirlandaio 1502 Betrothal 1510 Portrait by Araldi Another notable hair decoration was the reta, or hairnet. Some of these were beaded, some woven in decorative patterns, and some left very simple. 1505-1508 Siena 1545 Lavinia Under and around these ornamentations, o...

How Our Ancestors Slept

As someone who wakes up during the night feeling frustratingly refreshed...and then struggles to rise in the morning, I found this article to be a kind of vindication. Apparently the way we sleep has changed. For more information you can visit the link here .

The De Berry Project- The Fabric and shoes

As I mentioned last time I am working on a version of the outfit to the left for an event coming up soon in July. I wanted something with a hat to shade my face, and not too hot since we are going to be outside in the middle of a Virginian summer. The fabric gods were not kind, when I went to my local fabric stores. There was really nothing in the right weight, color, pattern, fiber, or amount; especially the amount since I need about 8 yards for the undergown and 10 yards for the overdress. Part of the problem is that there are no waist seams, so each piece has to be cut from a long continuous length of material. Also, those sleeves are about four yards by themselves. I resigned myself to ordering online, which I hate doing because it's so hard to be sure of the color etc without seeing it in person, and by the time the fabric arrives often there just isn't time to send it back and get something else. I went first to an oldie, but a goodie; Thai silks. I knew they would...

Amphorae

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