Easter Celebrations Past & Present

Closet Fashion Analysis: 

Easters Past & Present

Nice

Photo Source: SophiasStyle

When I lived with my parents, Easter was a time to dress up for blessing the Easter basket filled with foods to break the lenten fast and then go to church early Sunday morning. When I was little, I always got something new to wear for Easter. Not just one something but a whole outfit, dress, coat, matching hat, ankle socks with a lace trim and new shoes. I particularly remember a yellow and white jacquard dress with wide satin sash (much like this one), a yellow swing coat, a Juliette cap of white and yellow petals and white shoes. It was still early spring and I remember not wanting to wear the white leotards my mother insisted upon because it was still colder than a normal spring day that Sunday morning. I posed in front of the house on Main Street while my mother took a photo outside because she didn't want to waste a flashcube.

Note-Worthy

Fast forward several decades later when Easter 2020 will be remembered with voluntary confinement and restrictions to congregating in groups, which of course, affects churches (and well they should) as well as extended families which would include several different households. Everyone I know here in our prairie city has been, is and will be compliant given the pandemic requirements. 

I plan to dress up for Easter dinner, just as I have done for most of my life, albeit in nothing new this year. Although, I do wish I had something yellow. Dinner will involve 3 people all living within the same household. Perhaps I will order yellow flowers and have them delivered.

No Thanks but Necessary for some

I understand that several American states have granted exemption to churches regarding the no-congregating-in-groups initiative to help suppress the spread of COVID-19. Excuse me? What's that all about? Nicolas Little in his online article Keeping Churches Open will Damn Us All (posted April 2, 2020, retrieved April 9, 2020) appeals to those who continue to think rationally, "Let's not grant the extreme fringe, like Florida Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne license to jeopardize the health and safety of the rest of us, just so he can keep the donation basket full." I must say, I am glad I am not living in Florida or in any of the States perpetuating non-compliant attitudes among the general public.

Generally, I do not like sarcasm since it often degrades another person, incites ridicule at someone else's expense and is scornful. However, I have succumbed to that level with the news of this sanctioned non-compliance . . . I would suggest to those who have decided to congregate that they choose an appropriate Easter Sunday outfit during the present pandemic . . .  

Photo Source: China Medical 

Photo Source: China Medical

Update (April 13, 2020) Thanks Amy Jo for the photo enhancement.
The perfect colour for the non-compliant churchgoers on Easter Sunday during the pandemic.

Style for Children

NICE

With Christmas preparations on our minds, I have been reminiscing about holidays past. I remember getting a special dress for the festivities when I was somewhere between five and seven. Those were the days of velvet and lace, certainly not the most practical fabrics for children opening gifts and eating cookies. I remember having a dark green velvet dress with a lace collar. It would have been a child's A-line, not as fitted as the adult version. I would classify this dress as the starting point of my passion for sheath dresses.

Carmin Girl Dress
Photo Source: La Coqueta Kids

This dress is similar to the style of the one in my memories except that mine had 3/4 length sleeves. Europeans still dress their children like children. This particular dress could have been around for the past 75 years. The company La Coqueta Kids was developed by an English woman in Spain.

In October of 2017 we visited Logrono, Spain; and more interesting than women's clothing was the way children were dressed. Take a look at LaCoquetaKids for an overview of what I mean. This clothing is designed for children, unlike what I sometimes see in Canada or the United States. It seems that in North America, children are being dressed in miniature versions of provocative teen or adult clothing and that just is wrong. There is a good article in Psychology Today on trashy dressing and why our daughters are choosing to dress this way. It's one thing for teenagers to go through this type of dressing and quite another when mothers are choosing trashy clothing for six year olds.

Indigo Girl Dress
Photo Source: La Coqueta Kids

On a civic holiday in Logrono, I saw a toddler and a six year old dressed in matching skirts and pullover sweaters. They were adorable. I wanted to take a photo but felt that it was too intrusive on the family and did not even want to ask. I did not take the photo. This was the look except the skirts were denim and the pullovers were that amber gold colour with blues woven in to the upper quarter of the sweater. I remember the shoes being a similar colour as the ones in the photo but there was a dark blue edge running along the upper above the lacing. I already wrote that they were adorable but there is no better word to describe their dress and disposition.

When shopping for a Christmas outfit or any outfit for your little ones, forget the tulle and itchy fabrics with satin ribbons and rosebud appliqués or trashy neon mini-skirts. Instead go for classic styling just like you might for yourself.

Kid's Summer Clothes

Closet Content Analysis: Designer, Handmade & Consignment Clothing in Childrens' Closets

Nice

It seems that children's clothes in Europe do not follow trends in the same way that North American children's clothing do. In fact, little people clothes are timeless in a way that they are not in North America. The next photo is of a little guy that looked . . .  well, he looked, French. Are those Dolce & Gabana "tennis" shoes? Bien sur! This little guy's mother did not dress him with clothes from the Tati kids' bargain bin. He was definitely dressed for Cap Ferret on the South-West coast.

Photo by Brian B while in Cap Ferret, June, 2013.

Photo by JoyD, May, 2013

Ella was visiting France from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, when our neighbours, Jean-Charles & Nancy, so graciously gifted her with this very cute outfit in primary colours from Du Pareil . . . au meme. The red tunic has a blue border hem with animal motifs and yellow foot-free tights. How cute!

Her mother is eco-friendly and has no trouble shopping consignment for herself or for Ella. When she was in France she picked up a Laura Ashley dress in beautiful condition at a vides grenier (empty attic sale/boot sale/garage sale) in Eymet. 

At the same time, Melanie has no trouble spending a goodly sum on clothing of natural fabrics made by artisans. She makes it her practice to support local artists in music and crafters and artisans for other needs in her life. While in Spain and France she sought out local independent shops representing local and regional artists. Her take-back-to-Canada-cache included several handmade, natural-dyed scarves; pieces of artwork and wooden toys.

Of course, we do have to please grandma or oma or mami or baba sometimes and little boys do it well when mom finds a clip-on tie for the little guy. Michael, from Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada was decked out for his oma at the last family gathering.

No Thanks

Not having children in my life but having been around plenty, I empathize with parents who must find it difficult to keep up with growth spurts and maintain some sense of "style" for children, especially those from ages 7 to 10. I once read an article about how mothers were dressing little girls and boys in inappropriate clothing for their ages. I don't remember the author or the source of that particular reference but I have found another online post that is reminiscent of the the same sentiment. Author Celia Rivenbark writes, 

When you see a size 7 shirt that says SEXY! or a mom and her little girl strolling through the mall in matching shorts with JUICY scrawled acrosse the butt, you have to wonder what the hell is going on. 

It seems that I have stumbled upon a few more future post topics: previously worn/owned clothing, handmade pieces for the closet, appropriate children's clothing, pleasing grandmothers .  . . funny how that is . . . looking forward to the next post . . . 

Wearing Baby

Closet Content Analysis: Scarves Put to Other Uses

Choices: Scarves as Baby Carriers 

My niece was visiting me in France and I got to meet my grand-niece, Ella for the first time. Melanie and her husband took part in a family gathering in Wales but then when he had to return to work in Canada, Melanie decided to travel to Barcelona, then to visit me in France. Thank goodness for baby-wearing. Now I had no idea how convenient and expedient this was. What comfort to the baby and how else can you have two free hands to carry luggage and a baby stroller/buggy/pousette? As you see in the photo, the stroller/buggy/poussette was more convenient to carry the luggage.

Baby-wearing: Melanie at the airport in Merignac (Bordeaux) leaving for Gatwick, with baby Ella in a front carrier.

Melanie had a commercial baby carrier but she informed me about the beautiful scarves with which women wear their babies. I never knew! Well, of course, the more we talked about it, the more women I saw wearing babies here in France and wearing them very well indeed, never mind very fashionably at the same time. Of course this is not a new idea, it's just that I have only begun to notice it.

A short aside, baby-wearing also came in handy when Ella's stroller was stolen. I was quite astounded that someone would actually steal a stroller. We were in Eymet having lunch on a Sunday and Melanie put the stroller just outside of where we were eating. We both could see it. However, while enjoying lunch and talking and laughing and reminiscing . . . the stroller was taken. When we were leaving and realized it was no longer there, a woman at the table next to us told us that she noticed a man placing the stroller in the trunk of his car. Of course, she did not think anything of it and certainly could not have been expected to connect us to it. Baby-wearing was the natural solution for this misfortune since we were a fair distance from the car. Two days later, we bought a second hand stroller in Pessac which managed Melanie's luggage well enough.

According to Babywearing International:

"Babywearing" simply means holding or carrying a baby or young child using a cloth baby carrier. Holding babies is natural and universal; baby carriers make it easier and more comfortable, allowing parents and caregivers to hold or carry their children while attending to the daily tasks of living . . . all while keeping the baby safe and content."

There are many sites promoting baby-wearing and baby-slings so google away and you will find much more than I can ever tell you here.

I've never been a mother so I never ever took an interest in this. I must say, after watching six month old Ella as she nursed (unknown to anyone else), snuggled and viewed the world from the front of her mother, that this is definitely a good thing and if you want, it can be a fashion statement. Why not? I can't imagine anyone doing it because it is fashionable, but rather, if you are going to choose to do it, why not make it fashionable? Choice for the well-being of the baby - there lies the difference. Oh yes, and of course, the convenience for the mother. But then there's also proper positioning of the baby's hips and legs. There's so much more to this than meets the eye.

Melanie claims that she hasn't quite mastered the scarf tying and so she used a commercial carrier for this trip. The scarves, rather wraps, needed are huge, more shawls than scarves. The width should be at least .7 meters to 1 meter (at least 1 yard wide) and the length, approximately 5 meters (5 to 6 yards). Not many scarves come in those dimensions or shawls in that length. The fabric needs to be strong, yet with some "give", and lightweight enough to tie. The first thing I thought was simply to buy fabric but it appears that this retail need can be met online. To me, buying fabric should be less expensive and what an array of "shawls" one could have in one's closet. 

There are loads of online videos that demonstrate how to tie a rectangular scarf for a variety of baby weights and sizes and how to do it properly and safely for the baby. When searching, try key words such as baby wearing, baby sling and baby carriers.