Comments on: Carnivale of Couture: Kathleen

By: La BellaDonna

La BellaDonna — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 22:36:37 +0000

Pish! You have every right to keep something you love and treasure! What better reason is there? And now you’ve gone and shared it with a whole bunch of people who would never otherwise have seen it! It’s now been appreciated by many more than the one person who “deserves” to wear it. If you and your sweetie ever get a chance to stay by the sea, that would be a lovely dress for walking-by-the-sea-taking-pictures, preferably with you barefoot at the time. Your mother-of-pearl zecchinos would feel right at home.

(and, what the heck? You “deserve” nice things, Kathleen. You’ve paid your dues, in a lot of different ways. What could be better for a garment than love? If you feel the need, perhaps you’ll share more pictures some time. You might, if you are so moved, want to find someplace that will treasure it when you’ve moved to the next sphere; I want to find some place where my treasures will be seen by the people who love that sort of thing, not hidden away forever in the bowels of an indifferent museum. I want a museum that encourages looking and learning!)

By: Becky

Becky — Sat, 23 Sep 2006 19:46:26 +0000

I have a dress that is similar but slightly less embellished. I wore it to my prom senior year of high school in 1987.

I tried it on at a vintage store. I snooty older woman was also there and she said to me, “oh that does not fit you at all.” She then tried it on and the dress pooled at her feet (she was about 3 inches shorter than me.)

Luckily my mom bought me the dressas a birthday present (it was $80!!!!). I relished wearing this dress that some snooty lady wanted for herself! We did have to let out the sides a bit to fit me properly. (although my bust looks quite tiny in the photo!)

oh, and the dress: The label says “Malcom Starr.” It’s a simple sheath dress, silk (underlined in cotton I think), the fabric has a yellow background with pink and green paisley designs. And the dress is beaded all over following the pattern of the fabric. The inside of the big paisleys have rhinestones and sequins.

It is a fabulous dress which is why it still sits (but not hangs!) in my closet. I’ve most likely damaged it by not cleaning it after the prom but I had no idea back then who could clean such a thing! Maybe in 11-12 years my daughter will wear it to her prom?

(click my name for a picture of the dress.)

By: Sue

Sue — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 16:42:25 +0000

Mother-of-pear sequins!!! Oh, wow! I didn’t know there were such things. Since I love MOP in any form, if the dress were mine, you couldn’t pay me to take it off Enjoy it, Kathleen. Much better for you to own, and savour, it’s beauty and workmanship, than for it to end up in the hands of philistines.

By: Gloria

Gloria — Fri, 04 Aug 2006 03:08:40 +0000

Wow, Kathleen. That looks so gorgeous! I agree with Laura- don’t you even think about giving that away! Or rather, that’s the selfish nature in me: if I had a dress like that, I’d let it go over my dead body.

By: Carol Kimball

Carol Kimball — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 17:59:10 +0000

Historical trivia: the very first sequins were tiny gold coins - the suspicious sister-in-law who loaned Ali Baba a pot to measure but first smeared some fat in it to see what he was up to, captured a sequin.

Imagine a cloth-of-gold robe covered with those puppies! You’d need seventeen pages to help bear the weight.

Beautiful dress, Kathleen.

By: laurra

laurra — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 17:22:48 +0000

Hi Kathlen,
Dont you dare give it away, frame it. Framing gives authority.I was at a yard sale a couple of days ago and found some lovely silk scraves and dollies.This women knew how to sew.I will frame all these pieces in honor of her craft.
I do collect fiber art when women had no rights as I collect tranny art today.Oh by the way New Mexico does have a gender law on the books. laurra

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 01:43:26 +0000

I agree, that is an amazing dress. And your readers are showing remarkable restraint in not begging for it.

Signed,

Seriously Resisting Listing All The Places I Could Wear That (a fiction, of course!)

By: jinjer

jinjer — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 19:09:14 +0000

Gorgeous dress!
There’s a really awesome bead store in S.F. that sells vintage sequins. Most of them are made of gelatin (pre-dates plastic); I’ve never seen mother of pearl ones, but now I’ll have to look for them! Vintage sequins are so gorgeous–I have copper ones (yes, they are actually made of copper), which have been stamped into a beautiful and unusual 3-D shape. They’re sitting in a box waiting for me to have time to make a new bellydancing costume. Sigh.

Please don’t feel guilty for owning something you can’t wear. It brings you just as mush happiness on the hanger, right?

By: Jill

Jill — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 15:28:32 +0000

That is one of the most beautiful dresses I have ever seen! I would love to own a dress like this! That must have taken the woman who created this a very long time and she must have had a lot of patience!

By: Ileen

Ileen — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 15:16:52 +0000

Wow, that is stunningly beautiful. Does it still fit you? I would love to see a picture of it actually being worn. You shouldn’t feel guilty about owning it — who better to own something like this than someone who can appreciate everything about it as you do! You can wear it to your son’s wedding someday….