Tragedy and Mystery

One of my favourite songs in the early 80’s was a song by English band China Crisis. Called Tragedy and Mystery it was a rather upbeat little number no matter what the title conjures up.

In my new project of taking artistic liberty and interpreting prose, songs etc in a visual form, here is my latest effort with one of my all time favourite songs.

Enjoy

Winters fade in a snow white haze

fires burning brightly in the night

Tragedy and mystery

open your mind and you will see

From waterfalls I hear romantic calls

feather in a ray of sunlight

Tragedy and mystery

open your mind and you will see

Your world is changing though you cannot see

and there's no room for secrecy

your world is changing faster everyday

and there's no truth in what they say

Two by two

my heaven made blue

life in a world of love untrue

Tragedy and mystery

open your mind and you will see

Savoir Faire in the Schiaparelli Camp

Now, Savoir Faire’s do not get me wrong here. I do admire what Coco Chanel did for women’s fashion, however a posting on Chanel will not be found here on Savoir Faire. Yes the woman had great style and was a personality to be reckoned with, however there have been far greater couturiers and more colourful personalities out there. The same can be said for Chanel’s private apartment above the Rue Cambon boutique in Paris. Featured in countless magazines I feel that although wonderful there has been a bit of overkill. It is sophisticated and nice! There I said it, nice!



On the other hand Schiaparelli’s residence in Paris was all but nice!, The reigning empress of Paris fashion between the two world wars, and I say empress because she ruled autocratically dictating her style onto her clients without so much as an apology. Her style was distinct and constantly changing whereas her chief rival Chanel’s was evolving and turning into something comfortable and almost bourgeoisie.

While looking imminitely respectable from the exterior upon enetering one was in a virtual Aladdin's cave.


Schiaparelli’s life at home in her favourite house, a mansion on the Rue Berri in Paris, reflected a fertile imagination that was not afraid to try different things, for the pure enjoyment that they would bring.


Stuff was everywhere, tables scattered with various objects ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous.


A lamp with as its base a sculpture of a young woman, gilt goblets, and what looks to be a gold or silver slingshot.


A bizarre object of a sphere on a stand with holes through it and spikes on top almost looks like some obscure instrument of torture.



A large over sized birdcage imitating the one that served as the entrance to the boutique on the Place Vendome, stands in front of a large window overlooking the garden so that any captives could look out and with envy at their avian friends flying outside.


In the entrance hall stood two mammoth carved wood statues representing Mr. and Mrs. Satan standing guard screening whoever dared to cross the threshold. Superstition gripped visitors when met with these two guards, and it was said that if you wanted to return you crossed their palms with silver.

She enjoyed her Paris mansion dressing accordingly at home so that she was almost a part of the tableau she was presenting in each room.


The only way one could tell her bathroom was actually a bathroom was by the bath. The rest of the room gave the impression of an overly crowded sitting room with stuff everywhere. A writing desk in one corner, a sofa in the centre, you could almost entertain guests in this room and I am sure the thought had crossed her mind.


The garden on the other hand was deceptively simple, laid out traditionally and yet here it was that she did some of her most lavish entertaining, holding soirées that would rival Poiret’s of a quarter of a century before.


Quite rightly the residences of Chanel and Schiaparelli reflect their individual personalities. Chanel unsure of herself, and requesting acceptance from her peers, with Schiaparelli full of cofidence and Savoir Faire demanding it, as an Empress would!

Millinery Savoir Faire!

Savoir Faire has been extremely fortunate and has been the lucky winner of Couture Millinery Atelier’s latest giveaway. And the fabulous prize you might ask is the very special andgorgeous Fornasetti candle in the 'Red Lips" jar which is pictured below. Anya the creative genius behind Couture Millinery Atelier has been a fan of Fornasetti Art for many years and I am sure has been inspired by Fornasetti in the creation of her amazing chapeau.

If you have not already visited her blog, http://www.couturemillinery.com/ I urge you to do so immediately!

Originally hailing from Soviet Russia, Anya Caliendo is the creative force behind the most amazing creations you will ever see in the world of millinery! The world needs fabulous hats and Anya is the one to give us these with all the savoir faire in the world. Her inspiration ranges from Tsarist Russia right through to Lady Gaga. Her work draws heavily from her own fertile imagination and dreams, creating vibrantly coloured, sometimes surreal creations, that sometimes defy gravity.

Her hats have been featured in various runway shows including Donna Karan and also in various magazines.

Incredibly feminine and chic, every woman needs at least on hat designed by Anya in their wardrobe!

Biba Savoir Faire on the High Street!

If you were a young hip and with it young girl in swinging London in the late 1960’s and 70’s there was only one place to shop and that was Biba. Biba was iconic to the London scene during this era. Towards the end Biba epitomised the glam art deco style that was fast becoming popular and in more ways than one helped popularise it with young hip crowd that patronised the boutique and subsequent department store. I remember my elder sister having this wonderful evening dress of emerald green jersey which came from Biba.

The brainchild of Barbara Hulanicki and husband Stephen Fitz-Simon the philosophy was simple. Provide the average girl in London with a means for where they could, for less than 10% of her weekly earnings, share the look of popular icons of the time.

‘The Biba Look’ or 'Dudu Look' was ‘fresh little foals with long legs, bright faces and round dolly eyes.’ Barbara Hulanicki described her customers as ‘postwar babies who had been deprived of nourishing protein in childhood and grew up into beautiful skinny people: a designer's dream. It didn’t take much for them to look outstanding.’

Biba's early years were rather humble, with many of the outfits being cheap and available to the public by mail order. The first store, in Abingdon Road in Kensington, was opened in September 1964.

Hulanicki’s first encounter with her new customers was at 10 o’clock on the Saturday morning it opened. "...the curtains were drawn across the window… the shop was packed with girls trying on the same brown pinstripe dress in concentrated silence. Not one asked if there were any other styles or sizes," Hulanicki remarked.

After several other stores opened in the more hip and fashionable areas of London, the final move was in 1974 to the former Derry & Toms department store on the Kensington High Street. This became affectionately known as ‘Big Biba”. The store immediately attracted up to a million customers weekly, making it one of the most visited tourist attractions in London. There were different departments, and each floor had its own theme, such as a children's floor, a floor for men, a book store, a food market, and a "home" floor which sold items such as wallpaper, paint, cutlery, soft furnishings and even statues.

The store had an Art Deco-interior reminiscent of the Golden Age of Hollywood with its crowning glory being "The Rainbow Restaurant", which was located on the fifth floor of the department store and which was destined to become a major hang-out for rock stars, but which wasn’t solely the reserve of the elite. Also at the site was the Kensington Roof Gardens, which are still there today.

Big Biba was a huge responsibility in terms of expense and organization, but Hulanicki and Fitz felt they needed to "keep moving forward." Because of this massive undertaking, Hulanicki said, "Every time I went into the shop, I was afraid it would be for the last time." No one was aware of how serious the financial difficulties were going to be - and they indeed proved too much for the new entrepreneurs. After disagreements with the Board over creative control, Hulanicki left the company and, shortly afterwards in 1975, Biba was closed.

There have been several relaunches over the years including one in 2006 under designer Bella Freud which have not been a success. The latest in 2009 by the British Chain House of Fraser has been highly successful so who knows what the future may hold for this icon, that was on the lips of every young fashionista in the 60’s and 70’s?