January 19, 2012

Lilac

Last post was golden, this is a soft shade of cool lilac.

On a hot day before Christmas, off we went to Castlemaine to visit the excellent art gallery. I've been there before but like all of the best museum galleries, the Castlemaine gallery seems to reveal something new every time.

This is, if I recall correctly, a WW2 era bridesmaid's dress. I wonder, was fabric in shortage when it was made? If yes, then those bias-cut panels on the bodice must have been even more stunning: extravagance added to elegance.

Or maybe it was a refashioning of a pre-war dress? Something about the bias cut makes me think twenties, even teens - but not the colour. Maybe an old dress was reshaped, dyed, made new.

And as for the colour, that lovely cold shade of lilac. Summer skies and spring grass, tiny flowers and cool mornings.

I love to wonder about the hopes and thoughts of whoever made and wore it. I hope it was a magical wedding.

I can't decide whether I like the cut more, or the colour. They're both so fantastic, you just want to wear a dress like this and twirl and twirl and twirl...

2 comments:

Joanne said...

'Tis a pretty dress, indeed! Do they have many textile items in the museum there? I may well put it on my to-see list.

Nikki said...

Oh YEAH. Love it. I'm a sucker for a good frock, especially if it has a history.

And you know, we never made that holiday road-trip up to visit you during the holidays. We thought of it several times, but were happy not to go anywhere at all. I think we needed the stay-cation more than a holiday. Looking forward to coffee and a chat at the next avaiable opportunity!