Cheongsam Faire!

How many of us are not familiar with the cheongsam? This wonderfully simple and elegant dress which when we think of when Chinese fashion springs to mind along with the most unglamorous Mao Tunic.

Like the sari of India, I think this is a very elegant form of dress, which can cross social boundaries.

A derivative from the rather shapeless garments that prevailed for both men and women during the Qing Dynasty when the Manchu ruled China, the modern day version had its roots in Shanghai during the 1920’s. Shanghai being China’s main commercial port was a melting point for Chinese and westerners alike, so it was only natural that traditional Chinese dress was modified for western tastes.

Chinese women eagerly sought a more modernized style of dress and transformed old traditional styles of clothing to suit their tastes. Slender and form fitting with a high cut, it had great differences from the traditional mode of dress, however it was high-class courtesans and celebrities in the city that would make these redesigned tight fitting dresses popular at the time.

As Western fashions changed, the basic cheongsam design changed too, introducing high-necked sleeveless dresses, and bell-like sleeves.

Come 1949 and we all know what the Communist Revolution did for fashion in China. Gone were the exquisite silks and brocades only to be replaced by the Mao Tunic (a fashion statement all on its own). As a result, the mass exodus of the local Shanghai populace to Hong Kong ensured that the cheongsam would become even more popular in Western culture.

Women in the Hong Kong workforce in the 1950’s adopted the cheongsam in more functional fabrics as everyday wear.

Films such as The World of Suzie Wong with Nancy Kwan cemented the hold the cheongsam would have over Western fashion, with pattern companies such as Simplicity offering versions where American housewives could whip up their own piece of Oriental glamour.

Open to interpretation by modern designers the cheongsam has become a staple in many a wardrobe and can be seen in many areas where a Chinese style look is desired. It was also nice to see the Swedish Olympic Team of 2008 adopt a form of the cheongsam as a nod to their hosts.

Unfortunately sometimes the cheongsam can appear kitsch, however I know that done right it is a knockout!

Send Me a Wire. STOP.

Have you ever received a telegram? Do some of you even know what a telegram is?

I do remember telegrams, and have received a few myself over the years, however what ever happened to them?

Read out at weddings, sent to congratulate births, and unfortunately sometimes sent in emergencies or death, somehow they were a rather exciting way to receive news.

Sent by the Queen on occasions of Golden and Silver Wedding Anniversaries and when one turned 100, I wonder how the message gets conveyed now?

I see that even the advertising of telegrams carried as much savoir faire as sending or receiving one did. You always felt important when a telegram arrived and they were invariably ripped open with incredible haste or opened with trepidation afraid of the contents!

Savoir Faire in Venice

One may be forgiven thinking that Truman Capote’s infamous Black and White Ball in November 1966 as the party of the century. Capote dangled coveted invitations for months under the noses of the celebrity of the day as he determined who was ‘in’ and who was ‘out’.

However, I would have to believe that our young upstart who clamored for social acceptance got his inspiration from one Don Carlos de Beistegui de Yturbe. Beisegui’s Le Bal Oriental held in Venice at the Palazzo Labia in 1951 makes Capote’s ball look like a provincial sweet sixteen year olds birthday party.

*Orson Wells

Spectacular in its incarnation, guest list, costumes, extravagance and subsequent publicity the guest list was a who’s who of post war Europe. Cecil Beaton's photographs of the ball display an almost surreal society, reminiscent of the Venetian life immediately before the fall of the republic at the end of the 18th century.

Invitations composed six months in advance included the Aga Khan III, Barbara Hutton, Gene Tierney, Countess Jacqueline de Ribes, Jacques Fath, Duff and Lady Diana Cooper, Orson Welles, Daisy Fellowes, Salvador and Gali Dalí, Christian Dior, Arturo Lopez-Willshaw, Patricia Lopez-Willshaw, Deborah Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, Princess Natalia Pavlovna Paley, Hélène Rochas, Princess Caetani, Princess Colonna, Prince Mathieu de Brancovan and countless others .Winston Churchill and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor were invited but did not attend. (I bet they were kicking themselves!)


*Gene Tierny

On the day of the ball, the host retired to a suite at the Grand Hotel in order to avoid frenetic scenes as those whom no invitation had been forthcoming claimed their invitations had not for some reason arrived.

*Bestegui

Numerous Couturiers were involved in the design and making of costumes for the rich and famous who were attending, with Christian Dior, Pierre Cardin and Nina Ricci designing the majority of the costumes. It was said that several days prior to the event that there was an extraordinary procession of chauffeur-driven basketwork Rolls Royce’s through the Simplon Pass in the direction of Venice, with large Dior boxes strapped onto their roofs.

Venice was captivated with the ball and the general public waited for hours along the Grand Canal to catch glimpses of the rich, famous and titled arriving.


One party imitating the splendors of China arrived in a Chinese Junk. Baron Alexis de Redé who was part of the group remembers "I was an attendant in their suite, with a fantastic Chinese crown, staff and sword, looking, I confess, rather like the last 'boy' emperor. Our costumes were exact copies of those in the famous tapestries, 'the Voyage of the Emperor of China'.

The couturier Jacques Fath and his wife, with Fath dressed as the Sun King, had to remain standing in his gondola because “his posture [was] dictated by a costume so perfectly fitted and heavy with embroidery that he could not sit,”

*Fath

Chinese Junks aside another spectacular entrance was made by Lady Diana Cooper dressed as Cleopatra in a costume designed by Cecil Beaton. Her entrance which "people thought was the loveliest sight with the light from the windows of the palazzo falling on her face and pearls and blonde wig" was inspired in the Palace's Tiepolo superb fresco The Banquet of Cleopatra that was the central theme of the ball.

Daisy Fellowes came as the Queen of Africa dressed by Dior. She was not feeling well the night of the ball, so she rested beforehand on a sofa before making her entrance. When time to enter, she rose from the sofa and made an entrance that would leave all green with envy. "She was by far the most elegant person at that ball. I have never seen anyone walk as beautifully as she did. She had in-born style." Baron de Redé said.



Just the sight of all this Savoir Faire must have been overwhelming and tiring within itself, without the prospect of being social for another 5 or 6 hours! Nobody does it like this anymore!

A Vacation in March!

Savoir Faire has booked their little mini March vacation and we are so excited! Can you guess where we will be vacationing?

St. Valentine's Day 1900

While it is St Valentine’s Day I would love to post about one of my favourite books, which is set on St Valentine’s Day. Made into a movie it became the one of the most hauntingly beautiful pieces of cinematography I have ever seen.

Written by Australian Joan Lindsay PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK tells the mysterious tale of a group of schoolgirls and one teacher who, on Valentines Day 1900, disappeared up on Hanging Rock (a mysterious rock formation) in Victoria Australia , never to be seen again. To this day, there is still a great deal of confusion and misunderstanding surrounding the story by the general public.

Although she commands little more than half an hour of screen time, the film's central character is Miranda, a young student whose beauty is compared by Mademoiselle de Portiers to one of Botticelli's angels.

Sinister undertones, a stunningly beautiful soundtrack, romance and the great cinematography leave an indelible impression on reader and movie viewer alike.

Now that is all I am going to say, as the book and movie are well worth reading and watching. Subsequently with the way the book has been written one wonders if the events actually took place or not! It is mystery for all.

Just Because!

Just because it is cold an dreary here, I think these two young lovelies are sightseeing somewhere warm and exotic! Egypt?

Will the Real One Stand Up?

I have been wrestling with this post for the last couple of days, becoming increasingly frustrated with the soppy, dollar store ideas out there for Valentines Day.

With Valentine’s day fast approaching the commercial world, are probably collectively rubbing their hands together with glee. Another day/holiday when lots of money is to be made, playing on the heart strings of us mere mortals.

It is generally believed that Saint Valentine was the patron Saint of Lovers, however really this is debatable. Many martyred saints by the name of Valentine (in Latin Valentinus) existed in Ancient Rome; however which one is our guy? The name of “Valentine”, derived from valens, meaning strong, worthy and popular was extremely popular in late antiquity. However of the Saint Valentine who we celebrate on February 14th, not much is known, except that there are several caskets/boxes of relics floating around in the world’s churches.

Santa Maria in Cosmedin Rome has his skull for posterity. No doubt the relic attracts countless lovers on February 14th, for his blessing.

There is another set in the Blessed John Duns Scotus' church in the Gorbals area of Glasgow, Scotland, my guess is as good as yours as to what is in this box.

Still in the region of the British Isles, the Irish also have a set. In 1836, some relics that were exhumed from the catacombs of Saint Hippolytus Rome, were identified with St Valentine; placed in a casket, and transported to the Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, Ireland, to which they were donated by Pope Gregory XVI. At least this set has official approval.

Alleged relics of St. Valentine also lie at the reliquary of Roquemaure in France, and also in the Stephansdom in Vienna. (The Viennese seem a little secretive about their lot, as I could not find a photo).

So not only being the patron Saint of Love, it seems that Saint Valentine could also do double duty as the patron Saint of Travel as well, because he sure does get around!

Regardless of the origins and whose bones all of the above may be, let’s dispense with the commercialism and the soppy kitsch of the day and celebrate love every day with savoir faire!