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Bell(e) of the Week: October 22nd By Tykeya O'Neil & Lindsey Story QuailBellMagazine.com Cast your vote by Friday at midnight EST!
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The Spell of Cose BelleBy Christine Stoddard QuailBellMagazine.com Photo courtesy of Cose Belle Fredericksburg, Virginia's Old Town suffers no lack of historical enchantment. Cose Belle only deepens the spell that the district naturally casts upon its unsuspecting visitors. This small women's boutique brings lesser-known European designer fashion to a place best known for early American history and the University of Mary Washington. Everyone this side of the Atlantic has heard of Prada and Gucci. But what about beautiful designer clothes you can actually afford? Look up Cristina Gavioli, Gabrielle Parker, and AB-Nahlik for a glimpse into the sort of timeless elegance that graces the boutique. Cose Belle is the perfect place, for example, to buy a black sweater that will stylishly last you the next decade (or until it finally wears out.) It is the same place where you can find the velvet clutch you want to one day give your granddaughter. Whether you're in the mood for the wearable works of Italian, English, French, or even Polish designers, Cose Belle carries a variety of carefully curated clothing and accessories. For a dose of Old World magic and shopping novelty, try Cose Belle. You'll need a break after visiting Kenmore Planation and the James Monroe Museum, anyway. 1002 Caroline Street
Fredericksburg, Virginia Tel: 540-361-1400 CoseBelleBoutique.com The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Beau of the Week: October 8th By Tykeya O'Neil & Sidney Shuman QuailBellMagazine.com The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Belle of the Week: October 8th By Tykeya O'Neil & Lindsey Story QuailBellMagazine.com The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Beyond the FAQsBy Luna Lark QuailBellMagazine.com Google 'vintage blog' and ChronicallyVintage.com will appear within the first five results. Depending on your browser and location, it may even appear as the very first. That is because creator Jessica Cangiano has turned her blog into a shrine--a shrine to old clothes, old books, and old culture. It is a place where bygone beauty is celebrated. Intrigued by Jessica's musings, her carefully orchestrated style, and the photos taken of her by her husband, Tony Cangiano, we decided to get in touch with her. But before we did that, we did our research. We scrutinized her 'About' section and her FAQs. After all, redundant questions are only interesting if the answers changes. But Jessica seems so confident in her tastes, that we guessed that her answers regarding shopping and fashion have not changed much over the years. We guessed right. She's been paying homage to mid-century looks since her teens. So, we posed a few new questions for Jessica. Here's how she replied: • Can you explain why you typically gravitate toward the 1950s? What distinguishes that decade from the other mid-century decades? While I'm the first to admit that I do veer toward the 1950s a little more, I embrace the 1940s with the same passion and sport fashions from that decade quite often, too. Both decades, though certainly marked by distinct differences, also shared much in common, including some of their fashions and a general attitude towards ladylike beauty and taking pride in one's personal appearance (two things which are near and dear to my own heart). The 1950s was an era of hope and prosperity, rebirth, growth, social change, legendary stars, amazing fashions, and a general sense of positiveness with, for entirely understandable reasons, hadn't been present for much of the 1930s (due to the Great Depression) and 40s (due to WW2 and its aftermath). It's easy to look at the 1950s through rose-colored glasses and gloss over its less than stellar elements, but I try never to do this with any period in time and fully acknowledge that the decade had its fair share of problems, too. Ultimately though, I believe that the 1950s represented the last vestiges of a time and way of life that began to change (not always for the better, to my mind), and in some ways vanish forever, in the ensuing decades. There was a wholesomeness, a sense of family and community, of right and wrong, of morals and standards, and respect for oneself and those around them to the 1950s that has always appealed to me so deeply. When you couple these points with the fact that 1950s clothing, which I've loved for my whole life and have been actively wearing since my teen years, makes me go weak in the knees, it's no wonder that I can never get enough of this intriguing, inspiring decade. • You describe Chronically Vintage as a 'visual scrapbook.' Where do you find many of your images? Do you have any inside tips for our readers about the best places to find old photos and illustrations?
The vast majority of the images that I use in posts on my blog come from Flickr, which is a true treasure trove of vintage (and antique) images ranging from people's family photos to snaps of yesteryear celebrities, found photos to thousands of scans of vintage magazines, book covers, and ephemera. Not all users there have their accounts set to allow use of the images they've posted, but many do and I've rarely had trouble tracking down the right image (or images) I was searching for from amongst these such Flickr pages. Aside from Flickr, I sometimes turn to sources such as the Life Magazine photo archive, Wikipedia, Pinterest, fellow bloggers, and general Google searches, and highly recommend all of those sources (plus Flickr) to anyone looking for vintage photos to use as inspiration in their own life. In terms of finding vintage images and magazines, eBay, etsy, thrift stores, yard sales, estate sales, local auctions, and grandma's attic are all excellent places to turn to if you're looking to build a personal collection of old school images. I have a modest collection of vintage magazines and books, oodles of old cookbooks and recipe booklets, and a super tiny (at this point) collection of vintage photographs that I've purchased over the years, and which I'll likely share more on my blog in the coming years. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Belle of the Week: October 1st By Tykeya O'Neil & Lindsey Story QuailBellMagazine.com Please vote tonight by midnight!
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Beau of the Week: October 1st By Tykeya O'Neil & Sidney Shuman QuailBellMagazine.com Please cast your vote by midnight tonight!
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Beau of the Week: September 24th By Tykeya O'Neil & Sidney Shuman QuailBellMagazine.com Please cast your vote by Friday at midnight. The winner will be announced Saturday and also featured in an original Quail Bell Photo Tale! Click to set custom HTML The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Belle of the Week: September 24th By Tykeya O'Neil & Lindsey Story QuailBellMagazine.com Please cast your vote by Friday at midnight EST. The winner will be announced Saturday and also featured in an original Quail Bell Photo Tale! The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
The Sweetheart of the Rodeo SpeaksBy Christine Stoddard QuailBellMagazine.com A flock of emails haunts my inbox everyday, each message tweeting like an eerie ghost bird until I finally give it notice. These emails often come from people wanting Quail Bell's attention. Other times books, letters, drawings, and other goodies squawk from my P.O. box. They, too, come from people wanting Quail Bell's attention. As much as I enjoy sifting through all of this story fodder, I usually want to do my own research and make my own discoveries. One recent discovery of mine was Dakota, the blogger behind Sweetheart of the Rodeo. Somehow I stumbled across her blog and found a fellow fledgling in spirit. An Art History major studying in Vermont, Dakota fancies the past just as any good Quail Bell(e) would. She's particularly enamored of Victorian Goth and the 1930s/40s. Her blog regularly features her beautiful outfits, but also showcases her interest in art and culture from the past. (Including her love of Loretta Lynn and other classic country singers!) I contacted Dakota with a few questions, curious how she would answer them. In case you were wondering, too, these are her responses: "No modern frock can compare to the feeling of connection to the past and aged patina vintage textiles convey; it's a bit hard to articulate, but I bet you fellow vintage lovers know what I'm talking about." You have such a gorgeous look. Can you cite any specific vintage influences of yours? Oh, thank you!! I am heavily inspired by the landscape and culture of rural America, particularly my corner of Northern New England. I've grown up in a funny little old-fashioned village in Vermont; think Ethan Frome meets "Twin Peaks"! Time is a little stagnant, a little ambiguous…like you go into these old farmhouses that have been in the same families for generations, and it’s this complete chronology of changing tastes: ornate Victorian moldings, faded floral wallpaper, an Art Deco dresser here, a midcentury-modern kitchenette there. A rusted (but running) [John] Deere tractor in the stark Puritan barn. But it’s no museum: we use these old things every day. I am very inspired by that notion of moving forward, sure, but always engaging with the past. There are many artists and musicians who inspire me, as well: American regionalist painters like George Ault and Andrew Wyeth, photographers Clarence John Laughlin and Walker Evans, Southern gothic writers like Flannery O’Connor and Carson McCullers, and early country singers like the Carter Family, Loretta Lynn, Dock Boggs, and Hank Williams (to name but a few). What attracts you to vintage fashion? When did you first discover your love for it?
I started seeking out vintage pieces from the thrift store when I was 14, but didn’t get into the head-to-toe look ‘til I was 16. But ever since I was a little girl I was hopelessly nostalgic; in elementary school I had this obsession with seeking out and reading the oldest, mustiest books in the library, and I collected these vintage model horses (I was kinda weird). The past was like a beautiful golden realm, and it both pained and intrigued me...painful because it's over and gone forever, but so intriguing to find these little vestiges of it. It was a natural progression to dressing the part, I suppose. As a kid, I spent many happy hours exploring abandoned farmhouses, too. There is a strange sort of magic in those gently decaying shells of homes; stepping into them feels like entering another dimension, where time is frozen. But they are also melancholy places, entirely alone and forgotten; stark reminders of our own impermanence. I used to dream about running away and living in one particular abandoned farm, the Ashworth Farm. The vivid flowered wallpaper and big empty rooms incited all sorts of romantic daydreams in my mind, and I felt an acute longing to visit the home in its heyday, when the halls rang with human voices, and the pastures were full of cows and corn. I couldn't travel back in time, sadly, so I did the next best thing, and surrounded myself with vintage clothing and ephemera. And of course, the right vintage dress is just a sublime aesthetic experience. There’s really nothing comparable to the glamour and charm of a beautiful midcentury frock! The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Rumors Has It! By Julie DiNisio QuailBellMagazine.com Despite the fact that Rumors has recently moved, the clothing store has changed very little. Music still pumps from the small building, now located at 723 W. Broad Street in Richmond, Virginia. Their gently used “preloved” clothes and accessories are still stylish yet affordable. What started out as just another Richmond consignment shop has turned into a local legend, due in part to owners Casey and Marshe's dynamic personalities and involvement in the Richmond community. Best of all, they have generously agreed to lend clothing for Once Upon a Time II: Forgotten Folklore, our fashion show on October 4th. So show them some love and check out their blog/online store.
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Beau of the Week: September 10thBy Tykeya O'Neil & Sidney Shuman QuailBellMagazine.com Please cast your vote by Friday at midnight. The winner will be announced Saturday and also featured in an original Quail Bell Photo Tale! The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Bell(e) of the Week: September 10thBy Tykeya O'Neil & Lindsey Story QuailBellMagazine.com Editor's Note: Now that school's back in swing at the ever-creative Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, our popular Bell(e) of the Week feature is back. Pardon the hiatus! Please cast your vote by Friday at midnight. Find out the winner on Saturday and check for the accompanying Photo Tale in The Unreal next week. Also keep an eye out for our new Beau of the Week feature. We'll be posting that next! -C.S. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Fall to pieces over Pieces By Julie DiNisio QuailBellMagazine.com Before I actually entered Pieces Boutique and Consignment, I drove by its picturesque Main Street location about a hundred times on my way home, every day. And I always noted the mannequin outside the store, dressed fashionably and in clothing I could tell I wanted, even from my car. So, trying to be good to my budget, I avoided actually going in the store, a decision I regret now. Due to the store's affordable, brand name and brand-new looking men and women's clothing selection, there's little reason not to stop by.
Store owner Lynsi Montgomery set up shop less than a year ago, bringing a much-needed non-restaurant establishment to the Fan district. And this personable entrepreneur will be lending clothing for Once Upon a Time II: Forgotten Folklore, Quail Bell's October 4 fashion show. So in your spare time, check out Piece's Facebook page for the newest deals and attend the show to see the clothing in action! The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
The Last Days of SummerBy Kat Gualtieri QuailBellMagazine.com At last, summer's ghastly humidity is waning. The sunshine becomes milder with each passing day. You crave a sweet breeze and the pleasure of sitting outside for an hour without feeling your make-up run down your face. You're hungering for autumn. But don't be so quick to yearn for the next thing when you already have something good going for you. This in-between time is precious. School's about to start and your office work will start to pick up now that vacations are coming to a close. Soon, it'll be too chilly and you'll be too busy to sip tea on the porch. Fashion-wise, you can still wear shorts and tank tops, but your light sweaters and pants play a daily role, too. In only a few weeks, you'll be wrapping a scarf around your neck. Your summer love will stop calling. Frozen drinks will tingle your spine. Be bold and indulge yourself in the whimsy that comes with these last days of summer. Nostalgia for these days will nip you soon enough. -C.S.
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Old-fashioned Shopping By Mademoiselle Alouette QuailBellMagazine.com "Traveling the world to find uncommonly good stuff." That's J. Peterman Company's tagline--and it's just one of many solid lines that appears in their cheeky 'owner's manual.' If you want to pick up a catalog that's different from the typical photo book of gaunt models sporting teeny-bopper clothes, pick up J. Peterman's. When's the last time you saw a catalog full of hand-drawn illustrations and captivating prose? Probably not since you did your thesis on the allures of 1950s advertising. The clothes in and of themselves are intriguing, often with a vintage or folkloric vibe, but it's the presentation that sells them. The descriptions bring you to Parisian jazz clubs and English safaris during the Age of Imperialism. The paper's just a little nicer than it ought to be for something that came free in the mail. If you never drop a penny on an authentic JP article, you'll glean plenty of enjoyment from simply reading their catalog and dreaming of escapades you've yet to have. JPeterman.com
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Timeless Style By Julie DiNisio QuailBellMagazine.com “The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries or the way she combs her hair.” Perhaps this is why we remember Audrey Hepburn and revere her as a style icon; she wasn't obsessed with looks or beauty. She knew that true beauty and grace comes from within. But this remarkably likeable female celebrity still experienced fame for her classic looks, on and off the screen. And her timeless style can still be duplicated today. Hepburn tried out a variety of hair styles during her career. She is most known for her elegant updos and short pixie cuts. Her iconic chignon in Breakfast at Tiffany's is as notable as the movie itself, her most famous role. In my opinion, the actress looked best when her hair was short or pulled back, revealing her youthful and unconventional face. Her beauty – the result of an English father and Dutch mother – was an oddity at the time, especially for Hollywood. But her willowy frame and pixie-like features forever changed female acting and modeling standards. She popularized a gamine look. Hepburn maintained a close relationship with French couture designer Hubert de Givenchy. They met on the set of Sabrina, for which he was designing her clothes, and Hepburn fell in love with his feminine yet simple, well-tailored designs. Givenchy designed the black dress worn by Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's opening scene, considered one of the most treasured pieces of clothing from the twentieth century. Note that the dress was only worn in the one scene. Regardless of its short air time, it defined Hepburn's chic and elegant style. Givenchy also designed much of Hepburn's personal wardrobe. In her casual wear, she made use of several key pieces like white button-up shirts, skinny cut pants, fitted skirts and suits, and, of course, little black dresses. She often paired these pieces with kitten heels or ballet flats. And in terms of accessorizing, she knew the effortless drama a scarf, set of pearls, or pair of black, elbow-length gloves could add to any ensemble. If attempting to emulate Hepburn, adopt the motto “Less is more.” Hepburn once said about herself, “I never thought I'd land in pictures with a face like mine.” Nowadays, it's hard to imagine how she couldn't have gained such colossal fame with her classic, one-of-a-kind looks. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
A Good Pair Somewhere between the summer of 1908 and the winter of 1910 there is a man hunting in the woods. He is hunting in those shale filled peaks on the Tennessee border. He lines up a shot on his prey and his overalls rip, causing him to miss his shot. He curses the stitch, the tailor, and the general store clerk who sold him the pants. He looks down at his pointer dog Carolina Bill and sighs. Bill continues pointing. It hits Landon Clayton King ( L.C. to everyone but his minister) that making a pair of pants canʼt be nearly as difficult as raising a champion pointer dog. He sets up shop in Bristol with his Pointer Brand and erects the L.C. King factory. About a hundred years later, that same idea of making a better pair of pants strikes a girl in Georgia. She quits her job and sets out to make it happen. Her name is Ashley James. She sets up shop in that same factory or at least the way I like to imagine it without the facts. It has a nice a symmetry. We left before the dawn. After five and a half hours of driving and a couple stops for coffee and cigarettes, we pull off State street and onto 7th. Ashley James is hard to miss. She is leaning against that hundred year old brick, rolled up khaki overalls, dark wash denim jacket, and a slick billed Nets cap. If you have never been to Bristol, Tennessee, let me assure you that no one dresses like that there. We park across from the factory. Two stories of tan brick, large paneled windows that can be propped open and the raised letters of L.C. King. The entrance to the office that looks like it was last updated in the 1960ʼs. We spend a few minutes talking with Ashley outside before we head in. It is exactly as I imagined it would be. The walls are covered in wood paneling and the desks piled with papers. Ashley talks with the two receptionists as Jeff and I examine the walls. We look through framed posters of the brand logo, a framed pair of childrenʼs overalls that has been worn by every generation of the Kings, and a certified document showing the lineage of Carolina Bill and his pedigree. The receptionists welcome us in an accent that says they were born and raised in the Tennessee woods. They speak to us with big smiles and are uncommonly sweet. They ask Ashley how the overalls are working. She turns her foot to show her pants and says they are fine, with a smile. We walk through the door into the first level of the warehouse. Ashley points out what different machines are used for. There isnʼt much light beyond a few flickering fluorescents and the light from the second level. I am reminded of being much younger and playing in the empty offices and cubicles in the downsized administration building of a power plant that my father worked at. We follow Ashley upstairs to the “floor.” There are various types of sewing machines. Some are as old as the factory and some look brand new. There are wires that look like veins from the machines to the ceiling and to the rows of lights above our heads. The machines outnumber the people by probably four to one. It makes it seem like most people are on vacation or that we are visiting in off hours. We follow Ashley to the main room. People wave and nod and everyone seems to ask how those overalls are working. She has that same gracious response. We stop and talk with one woman sewing aprons. Mary has worked here for thirty years and is instrumental in helping Ashley manufacture Ruell and Ray.
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Suit up in Vintage Swimwear By Julie DiNisio QuailBellMagazine.com Today's women's swimwear is a far cry from its first incarnations. Because of the advent of rail travel in the early 1800s, seaside travel became more accessible. The bathing suits, on the other hand, were hardly as comfortable. At first, women wore full length, long sleeved muslin dresses with weighted hems for full coverage and modesty. Gradually, the outfits became less constricting, featuring bloomers, lighter fabrics, and shorter hemlines. By the 1920s, the bathing suits were only one piece of a light, wool fabric which showed off an unprecedented amount of shoulder and leg. A decade later, swimwear was being made out of figure hugging latex material. And in 1946, the groundbreaking bikini was first modeled in Paris by a French stripper, the only woman willing to show her navel in public (at the time, a big no-no!). It took a while to catch on – in the '50s, many women, including Marilyn Monroe, wore bathing suit tops with corset-like structure and bottoms that went above their waist, only showing a little stomach if any at all. Not until the 1960s, when private swimming pools became more popular, did women start feeling comfortable baring it all in bikinis. Illustration by Kristen Rebelo As the years progressed, Spandex hit the scene, and bathing suits proceeded to become more figure hugging and less skin covering. Nowadays, “retro” bathing suits have become a popular choice for those looking to add a little vintage flair and perhaps hide their trouble areas. Reproductions are easily found, just do a Google search. But for the truly brave, vintage bathing suits are out there. Etsy is a great place to start. Dear Golden has several vintage bathing suits for sale. Another website, Rusty Zipper, has some good, pretty affordable finds, though be prepared to search a little harder for something cute. If you'd rather see the bathing suit in person, visit a local vintage store. Bygones in Richmond, Virginia carries both vintage and “vintage inspired” swimwear. Nearby Halcyon Vintage has similar stock, with styles from a range of decades. Bear in mind that no vintage store will have a plethora of truly vintage bathing suits. They can be a little hard to come by but worth it once found! The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Fantastic Thrift--Rightfully NamedBy Paisley Hibou QuailBellMagazine.com (Pictured above: Not Fantastic Thrift...but still pretty cute.) Even before I moved to Richmond, Virginia and the economy took a nosedive, my spending habits could only accurately be described as 'frugal.' I search for low prices but I'm not stingy to the point of grieving over every last penny handed to the cashier at check-out time. Otherwise I wouldn't be such a huge fan of Fantastic Thrift (1914 Main St.), where the prices are reasonable and sometimes even true bargains but they wouldn't excite someone who chose to put her last $5 or $10 towards clothes, either.Fantastic may not give anything away for practically free, as church and hospital run thrifts shops are famous for doing, yet their quality selection is very, very tempting---especially in a fashion-aware city at a time when the whole country's concerned about the economy. Trust me, you'll want to give Fantastic Thrift a try if you haven't already. Let me tell you about what I picked out during my latest visit: The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Stop and Smell The RosesBy Alexander Kafka
QuailBellMagazine.com With the heat steadily rising and sending tail feathers ruffling with displeasure, a fledgling can forget the beauty that lurks around every corner during the warmer months. So throw on an airy summer dress and go out and explore this world and all the gorgeous things within it. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Achieving the Goth Look for SummerBy Paisley Hibou QuailBellMagazine.com Mysteriously elegant, the Victorian Goth style is popular amongst nostalgic types who long for bygone days and those who simply want to look refined. Unfortunately, as beautiful as they may be, petticoats, heavy velvet, and corsets are impractical, not to mention uncomfortable and even dangerous, additions to summer wardrobes. If your hometown or city boasts a steamy summertime, you simply can’t go Goth the same way as you do the rest of the year without overheating. Many Goths give up over the summer and temporarily adopt another look. But just because the temperatures rise, it doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice the look you love. Here’s how to modify your Gothic outfits for warmer months: • Stick to a specific palette: Carry your gothic color choices into the summertime: black, deep reds, rich purples, silver, emerald green, chocolate brown, ivory, gray, navy, and royal blue. Don’t succumb to tacky colors that stores tend to push as soon as the thermometer starts pushing 70. Remain reserved in your selections and you’ll automatically be halfway to establishing your Goth summer wardrobe. To stay cool, you can still wear summer clothes---tank tops, sandals, mini skirts, and shorts.
• Accessorize with period pieces: Since your clothes can’t be as ornate in the summertime without you suffering from the heat, you can rely on accessories to show your gothic style. Look for cameos, crosses, crescent moons, fairies, skulls, and similar charms. You may also consider temporary tattoos, ranging from unicorns to teakettles to horse carriages to dragons. Very thin gloves, warm weather hats, parasols, and light scarves are other fashionable options. • Tone down the make-up: Summer heat melts off most make-up so apply your make-up sparingly and choose waterproof products whenever possible. Most Goths would agree that eyeliner’s the most important cosmetic product, with powder being a close second unless you already possess flawlessly porcelain skin. Remember to indulge in loads of sunscreen to maintain your pale complexion! • Experiment with unusual combinations: Now that I have explained the basics, you may be interested in how you can further your look. One of my favorite styling techniques involves wearing shorts over fishnets (or similarly textured tights). You can also layer camisoles over one another or put tank tops over short-sleeve shirts. You might want to pair boots with shorts or dresses over jeans, too. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Congratulations to Abigail Clouse & Marleigh Culver!By Tykeya O'Neil & Gabbi Herzberg QuailBellMagazine.com This week we had a tie! Thanks to all who voted. Abigail Clouse and Marleigh Culver are our Bell(e)s of the Week. The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Bell(e) of the Week: May 28thBy Tykeya O'Neil and Gabbi Herzberg QuailBellMagazine.com You have until Saturday, June 2 at midnight EST to cast your vote! We'll announce the winner on Sunday, so please check back, fledglings <3
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A Bit About FalsiesBy Lucy Sherman QuailBellMagazine.com My first encounter with false eyelashes was when I was fourteen years old. It was school picture day at my high school, and my class was about to leave to go to the auditorium, where the photographer had set up. My friend Molly, a girl known for wearing combat boots with dresses she made herself from vintage patterns, turned around and handed me a little box. It contained a set of long black lashes and a small tube of glue.
“Put these on” she told me, handing me a small pocket mirror. Deciding just to go along with it, I smeared the glue above my lashes and attempted to apply the line of synthetic hairs to my eyelid. After a good twenty minutes and a lot of help from Molly I had a set of full, lush, false eyelashes set on my face, right as it was my turn to get my photo taken. I’m sure they would have looked lovely too, if the flash hadn’t made me scowl and nearly close my eyes. False eyelashes have a very glamorous history, starting in Hollywood’s silent film era. The American film director D.W. Griffith first dreamed up the idea of false lashes in 1916. He wanted actress Seena Owens in his film “Intolerance” to have eyelashes so long they would sweep across her cheeks. A wigmaker created these false lashes by weaving human hair through fine gauze, and then pasting them to Owen’s eyelids. The film was not a hit, but Griffith’s creations became a Hollywood standard in silent films. As false eyelashes started becoming more popular they were made of fringe. They didn’t look natural, only lasted a few hours, and were applied by a procedure in a salon so only those with enough money could afford them. Because of these factors, false eyelashes didn’t catch on in popularity. It wasn't until the 1950s that they really started to boom. Hollywood starlets started regularly using false eyelashes made of synthetic materials. After the 50’s, though, false eyelashes declined in popularity. In the new millennium the material used for false eyelashes became more advanced, and as a result, 'falsies' have become easier to apply. They look much more natural, and celebrities have started wearing them more frequently. Some are even made of animal products. According to Brian Dakks of CBS, Oprah is said to have a pair made of mink, and Jennifer Lopez has a pair made of fox hair for special events. Models in photo shoots and on the runway use false eyelashes as well. Some celebrities use natural looking false lashes to enhance their own, while some pop divas such as Lady Gaga, Christina Aguilera, and Selena Gomez wear giant lashes in various bright colors for music videos and performances. As false eyelash material became more advanced, they also became more accessible, affordable, and popular. Now they are not only worn by celebrities such as Madonna, Liza Minnelli, and Nicki Minaj, but can be worn as a fashion statement by anyone for any occasion: women on a night out, drag queens in a performance, or even teenage girls for a high school photo shoot. |
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