Continuing the Guo Pei exhibit at Bower's Museum 06-08-19

Layers and layers and layers....  of silk, precisely pleated.  

Applique and quilting. 

Bamboo basketry with gold applique and embroidery.

Shades of the 1950's.

Recognizing Mary Quant. 

Wedding or birthday cake colors.

Metallic plaques, very tightly fitted. 

3-D triangles like a backpack. 

You saw the shoes in yesterday's post. 

Some more possibilities for normal wear. 

Quo Pei does design for celebrities - clothes for special events.  

Elvis is ready for liftoff. 

"Elvis" from the front. 

And a repeat of my favorite.  How conventional I am!

#   #   #

Friday Feet - At the Guo Pei Bower's exhibit 06-07-19

The costume.

The shoes.

And a detail of the shoe.

These shoes go with a costume made of bamboo, using traditional basket weave technique.

Shoes that go with a more wearable costume.  Not walkable, I think. 

They are fabulous, jeweled, gilded, embroidered.  But oh-so-uncomfortable, I'm sure. 

The models in the videos of the runway show walked verrry carefully and slowly.  They were all tall and these very high shoes made them tower over the audience. 

Maybe more costume pictures tomorrow.  

#   #   #

Bower's Museum visit 06-06-19

Yesterday, Wednesday, a friend and I visited the Gua Pai exhibit at Bower's Museum in Santa Ana, CA.  The clothing by the Chinese couturier is mostly not for wearing.  She considers it her art expression and it is spectacular.  I took a lot of pictures, but am still struggling to get them from my phone into my laptop.  I'm working on that.  

This comparatively simple gown is my favorite.  My friend pointed out how 1950's it is and that is probably why I like it.  Yep, guilty as charged, I would have worn this to my high school prom and any other special event I could.  

I had hoped to post about 20 images taken at the exhibit, but it has taken me hours to just get this one to show.  Maybe tomorrow I will have better luck.  Meanwhile you can visit the Bower's website for additional images.  The exhibit lasts until July 14 - I highly recommend it for the style, embroidery, fabrics, etc.  

I believe this is the correct URL to reach the website:

https://www.bowers.org/index.php/exhibitions/upcoming-exhibitions/448-guo-pei-couture-beyond#collection

#   #   #

A repeat from five or six years ago 06-04-19

All those years ago I was having trouble with carpal tunnel and arthritis and had to wear a brace on my right hand - day and night.  Now I am there again.  My right hand/wrist/elbow/shoulder has been so terrible sore for about two months.  I finally had an appointment with the hand doctor.  My choices? Live with the pain, have cortisone shots, have surgery.  My choice, of course, was #2.  The doctor gave me the shot and by the next morning the pain from the carpal tunnel was pretty much gone.  The arthritis, naturally, remains.  All I can do for that is apply ointments for pain relief and take Tylenol.  

Today I went to the hand clinic in Orange and the nice lady custom made a night brace that covers hand and wrist.  The one I had previously only covered my hand.  It is a fascinating process to watch her take a flat piece of plastic and by cutting, shaping, heating in 157degree water, and fitting it to my hand, create the beige brace you see at the bottom.  The black brace is for daytime wear and is a commercial product.  I've been wearing one that only covers my hand, now in the daytime I need to wear this one that covers hand and wrist.   I hope this, along with the cortisone shots will solve my problem, I really dread having surgery.  

 Meanwhile, it seems I will have to learn some new sewing habits.  Since I am relearning, I will just learn a new way at the same time.  She even showed me how I should be pinching thumb and first finger together, something I thought I knew how to do all my life!  I need to pinch in the middle of my thumb and not just to the right side of it.  Who knew??

#   #   #

A Coral Tree

The common name coral tree refers to about 100 different species of trees that belong to the genus Erythrina. Some other nicknames are flame tree and tiger's claw. These are tall, broad, leafy shade trees that bloom with brilliantly colored flowers. They grow in tropical climates all over the world.

I have always thought this is one of the strangest trees around.  The Coral Tree is also called a Flame Tree (as in the "Flame Trees of Thika").   They lose all their leaves in the winter and set out flowers on the completely bare trunk and limbs.  The flowers have a very short stem and appear to grow out of the bark.  Later the leaves come out and are large heart shaped.  The blooms have no fragrance that I can detect. This particular tree was heavily pruned this past winter and I sometimes wondered if it could regrow after the shock, but it is blooming vigorously now. 

#   #   #