Sunday, August 12, 2012

Why all the Wedding Dresses?

Recent pins on my pinterest Fashion + Style board
I've been asked why on earth I have so many wedding dresses posted to my pinterest. It's actually pretty simple: I like clothing that looks nice and is supremely stylish. Therefore, wedding dresses are right in the middle of it. However, in addition to this, there are a couple of genuinely good reasons:
  • I love floor-length gowns.
    • Most floor-length gowns that are properly constructed drape better than shorter dresses.
  • Not all of them are actually wedding dresses.
    • Just because someone might wear a dress in a wedding, doesn't automatically make the dress only suited for a wedding.
  • Some Maxi dresses are ugly.
    • Honestly, as much as I like floor-length dresses... some maxi dresses are less flattering than a pair of mom-jeans paired with crocs. As a result, I have to compensate for those dresses that are less nice.
  • Most wedding dresses are pretty.
    • Do I really have to defend this? I actually do like wedding dresses as wedding dresses... and I'm a major fan of weddings. Weddings are happy. Yes that does sound silly, but I also doubt you disagree here.
  • White dresses shouldn’t just be for weddings.
    • During the Regency, white was one of the most popular colors for dresses--not just for weddings. In fact, historically, wedding dresses were reused and then eventually turned into other garments. The dress was an actual, functional piece of clothing that went on to be very practical. Today, it is quite possible that we waste a lot on dresses that are pretty but will never be re-used more than once. That said, I am not suggesting that we get rid of the concept, but rather that we consider releasing dress styles that would be quite nice outside of a wedding from being trapped in a 'for weddings only' mindset. 
  • Beautiful should be for life, not just a day.
    • This is why I write this blog, with the hope that I can encourage all of us to make the world a more beautiful and stylish place. The thing to note here is that every day we put on something nice, we make that moment special. There is no reason to wait for other people to make an excuse for dressing sharply, we have the right to do so whenever we like.
  • No, I’m not about to get married—it’s not a hint.
    • Just thought I'd clear that one up, in case anyone might have missed all the points I already made... 
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Thursday, August 2, 2012

Europe 2011: Part 9, Opera Garnier


The next step of my Europe trip took me to the historic Opera Garnier in Paris. The architecture is absolutely stunning and this post, like many others exists largely to share photos with you. I was lucky enough to be able to get a tour of the Opera, but unfortunately, all shows were booked and I was not able to actually have time to see anything played there.




This is the main staircase area, it's really large the open space and the height of the ceiling. Everything really feels massive. Open up the photosynth below to navigate around the room.
















I guess that counts as a smile....

An opera box... very nicely furnished

Grand hallway along the end of the building facing the square





Even the doors were velvet!


The photosynths below are of the smaller side rooms off the grand hallway I showed earlier: