Peggy Moffitt, breasts, and museums.

radio-canada.ca

I went to the Musée McCord the other day to see "Dévoiler ou Dissimuler?" --Reveal or Conceal?-- an exposition that deals with the attitudes held in western society towards women's bodies in general and also toward specific parts of these throughout the last two centuries, approximately.

As I went through, gawking at the decadence of the lacey, bustled Victorian dresses, pining over art deco shoes, contemplating how the female body adaps to such fashions (naturally) and finally finding myself in front of bathing suits from every era, from full-body suits to towel capes to...

Peggy Moffitt. How do I love thee. I stopped short upon seeing this ad, dating from 1964. Peggy Moffitt here models Rudi Gernreich's "Monokini".

Firstly, I was struck by the sheer elegance of the woman. She looks as though she is in complete posession of herself, completely confident, almost haughty. Very classy, with not a trace of impropriety about her. I see girls walking down the street everyday who look more undressed than she does. I saw pictures of victorian women looking much less confident than her despite all of their corseted, showy-yet-prudish glory. It's all in the attitude.

The design also speaks volumes about what the whole expo is about. Consider the bottom half of the suit, made out of the same fabric that victorian suits were made of. The bottom half is also quite demure in and of itself, completely covering the wearer in its nonchalant black. And so the paradox stands revealed! Taking old conceptions and norms and subverting them, moving away from them yes, but while somehow still saying that while we don't agree with the way that a woman's body was treated or viewed during the victorian era, we can still reach back, take these fashions by the hand, and incorporate them into something new.

And did I mention her gorgeous curves?

For more on the expo visit: http://www.musee-mccord.qc.ca/expositions/expositionsXSL.php?lang=2&expoId=47&page=accueil

J'aime.

Magnifiques bottes victoriennes datant de 1900! Exactement ma pointure.

En plus, elles n'ont jamais été portées. Flambant neuves à seulement 108 ans.

Je meurs d'envie...

Depuis l'âge de huit ans environs, je rêve d'avior une paire bottes boutonnées, car chaque matin et soir j'aurais été forcée de les apprécier Pas de zippers, oh non. Les filles de 1900 enfilaient leurs bottes avec l'aide d'un petit crochet, comme celui-ci:

http://www.morninggloryjewelry.com/images/copied/imagesAC/Access/hook7.jpg

Ah, si seulement...

Il y en a d'autres, aussi:

A 250$ la paire, je devrais me contenter avec le crochet!

http://www.1860-1960.com/shoes.html

All I want for Christmas is PLAID!

Agyness Deyn walks down the runway in House of Holland's season staple: PLAID

The patch is key.

photo credit: http://planetfunkblog.com/2008/02/14/fall-ready-to-wear-2008-goes-fun-fashion-from-eley-kishimoto-giles-and-house-of-holland.aspx

I (Sara) strut our new vintage find!

(and the one and only earmuffs i'll ever love)

Don't be satisfied with wearing only one plaid item,

Mix and match several at once!

This was completely accidental when I mixed the two patterns (below) to go apple picking.

My love for apples surfaces!

(Note to self, clothing looks best when surrounded by fruit, thus, I will soon share my affections for watermelon).

It's ageless.

(The PLAID not the watermelon)

Borrow the plaid coat your mom wore growing up on the farm and

wear it with your new Ralph Lauren dress (below).

PLAID.

The place where classic and contemporary will meet.

(infomercial haha!)

photo credit: http://www.runwaydaily.com/runwaydaily/2008/02/new-york-fas-11.html

Purse.

Black quilted purse currently available on Ebay! Click on the postcard to go see.

Dress: Topshop.

Women Reading

Photo Andre Kertesz

B-side: Va Va Voom!

We couldn't post these on Ebay due to their... ah, blurry nature.

Sara is wearing a Le Château body-con dress that is currently available on Ebay. Click on the postcard to the right to go see.

Faded

Photos found via Foto decadent.

A Bit of Pedantry: Dit LaViolette & Les Filles du Roi

....The name Dite LaViolette was not, contrary to popular belief, coined while eating vanilla cupcakes or while running through a flower field (although we strongly encourage such behavior). The name actually comes from a small province in France: Poitiers. Our eldest traceable ancestor, Jacques Brouillet dit LaViolette, was born in Goeux, in the Province of Poitiers in France in the 17th Century. His son, Michel Brouillet dit LaViolette, came to New France in 1678 as part of the Régiment Carignan to defend New France in the Iroquois wars.







As an aside: the men who were sent over to defend New France were also expected to populate the area afterwards. The monarchy of France thus decided to send over women expressly for the purpose of marrying these men. They were known as Les filles du Roi. Between 1663 & 1673, about 768 filles du roi were sent over. In addition to having the costs of her passage paid by the state, each girl received an assortment of practical items in a case: a coiffe, bonnet, taffeta handkerchief, pair of stockings, pair of gloves, ribbon, four shoelaces, white thread, 100 needles, 1,000 pins, a comb, pair of scissors, two knives and two livres in cash. Upon arrival, the Filles received suitable clothing and some provisions. Allegedly, the men preferred peasant girls as wives because they were considered much more industrious. Every Fille du Roi had the right to refuse any marriage offer that was presented her. In order to make an informed decision to accept a would-be husband, the girls asked questions about the suitor's home, finances, land and profession. Arriving in 1670 was Marie Dubois, who was to become Michel Brouillet dit LaViolette’s wife.



Their first son is recorded as being named “Pierre Brouillet Dit LaViolette,” yet his son is recorded simply as “Pierre Brouillet.” Thus the “LaViolette” became obsolete in the 1700’s. It is said that most French-Canadian families had composite names, but, for census purposes, they were later forced to pick one of their two last names. Others included “dit Champagne” “dit Châteauneuf” “dit Bellehumeur”—aren’t they great?

But what does it mean? Literally translated, it is: “said: the violet”, but could be more appropriately rendered “of the violet.” We use the feminized form here, “dite” because, well, we’re girls.

And its significance to this blog? Because we lament the loss of the beautiful second half of our last name—Sara signs her school papers “Dite LaViolette”—and wanted to grace our blog with its loveliness as a tribute to our French-Canadian heritage.


P.S. Our last name is not exactly “Brouillet,” either, as the name has morphed further over time.

Our last name? Smith.

Just kidding.

Picture Credits: First photo, Postcard from family collection. 2nd, Iroquois wars: http://www.uppercanadahistory.ca/finna/que2p34a.jpg

3rd-5th, Les Filles du Roi, http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/francophonie/images/filleduroy.jpg
http://www.travelworldonline.de/filles.jpg
http://www.uppercanadahistory.ca/finna/que3p7a.jpg.

Last Photo, my great great great great (you get the picture) grandfather.

First listings!

Official launch of "Dite Laviolette Vintage" today.

Here is a sneek peek of some of tonight's listings.

Want to see them closer? Click on the image.

And if that's not close enough, then they're on

Ebay, along with even more items!

(we're excited!)