{The Bottom Drawer} Gilda & Pearl!


From the new collection: BonBon Silk Kimono


Happy Friday darlings!! How wonderful it is to see the weekend here, it's been a long week.  Since I've blogged about lingerie a few times, I decided to just add it as a topic on the blog - write about what you love & all that, it'll be a mix of shops & history also. There will be more changes to come on the blog, but today we start here.

When I think about the weekend, I always want to turn into a hermit and stay in my night clothes all day long and read books. And now that school and drama are over for the summer, I can. One place that helps me envision that - in a much more glamorous way mind you is Gilda & Pearl. I discovered them after writing about Petits Bisous, when they followed me on Twitter. I instantly wanted to pour myself some tea, grab some cakes and a great book with light music playing in the background, wrap myself up in their pretties and get lost in another world & look marvellous doing it. Born out of Diane Houston's love for stunning feminine pieces, sumptuous fabrics and traditional crafting techniques, in 2008 Gilda & Pearl was created. They offer one of a kind lingerie, too pretty to hide away, too luxurious not to wear every day. The name 'Gilda & Pearl' comes from inspirations, Rita Hayworth's character from the 1946 movie 'Gilda' & 'Pearl' refers to that of which is exquisitely beautiful to look at and not mass produced. I think it fits perfectly and gives a sense of magic to the senses. With her small team they work hard to create a world that leaves the wearer feeling feminine, empowered, beautiful and desirable. Get ready, a dazzling bombshell you shall be! 

Besides how beautiful the lingerie is, I quite enjoyed the themes and names for the different sets. Old vintage movies and starlets made them stand out more in my mind and offer those small treasures that I adore in life. I love their attention to detail, designs and care they have for their customers. Each purchase is made to order in the UK and hand finished for you here in Scotland. They work hard to use UK materials whenever possible to support UK industry, I think that's superb. You can also get custom orders made, have colour changes or discuss commissions. Wonderful, back to a time where service to the customer was at the very top, their every wish granted and items were made with a care and attention that's unbeatable to any mass produced machine, so that you look and feel your best in your purchases.  Below are a few favourites, but do wander to their website as they have many more that I adore there too.

Have a charming weekend doves
xoxoxoxox



Gilda & Pearl Website / Facebook / Twitter

They also ship all over the world - see here.

P.S. Remember GFC is closing, you can follow me here on bloglovin.







{Nostalgia} The long forgotten minds....

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Imagine being committed to an asylum to be forgotten by the world outside...to pass without a care of those who may be walking free beyond the window panes. Having only a small suitcase of your earthly possessions to bring with you. To be left by family members who were fed up taking care of you or brought in on your own, tired of taking care of yourself.  The Willard Asylum for the Insane' in Upstate New York was open to these souls from the 1800's to 1995, housing thousands, some for the rest of their lives. Being born in a time where you could be committed for anything from epilepsy & having seizures (which was grounds for lifelong commitment) to young women who were promiscuous, gays, lesbians, or mothers who couldn't get over the loss of a child within three months or less would be put away here.  When they arrived, they brought a suitcase filled with all the items they thought they might need for their time inside. Sadly, most never left. The mental hospital had an average of nearly 30 years, when a patient died, they were buried in nameless graves across the street; possessions packed up in their suitcases, stored in the attic and forgotten.

In 1995, a worker of the mental hospital came upon these suitcases, 400 of them. They dated from 1910 to 1960. Now, photographer Jon Crispin has taken the painstaking task of cataloging each suitcase and shining new light on the forgotten, echoing the voices of the minds of the people deemed not fit enough to be allowed in society. The place is now used as a drug rehabilitation center. The chills that tingle the spine looking over the articles of clothing, pictures of loved ones, little gems of happiness taken away to never be gazed upon again brings a sense of sadness, yet wonder. In a small way, we get to discover what these people were like, it strips away the stereotype of an 'insane' person, we see the raw underneath that many don't take the time to understand or love. We see the human - the realness, the idea of what is actually normal ripped apart, to realize that no matter what - we all feel! While, thankfully the conditions some of these people were committed for are no longer reasons to do so, we still look at them as if they should be in a place like this. The human mind is such a great creation with so much power that we haven't even touched on, it would be nice to live in a world where we at least tried a bit harder to do so & understand mental illness and conditions better, so that everyone can live a safe & healthier life.

I hope you enjoy, have a great Wednesday dolls
xoxoxoxo

P.S. As things change, be sure to follow this blog on Bloglovin to keep track of posts! 

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Pieces of a past life: This suitcase belonged to Anna. Inside was a letter that was not addressed to her, a pair of toothbrushes and several belts and sashes - as well as shoes and hats.

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This case belonged to Frank C., a U.S. Army veteran from Brooklyn, New York. Here, a sewing kit, personal grooming kit, toy pistol and bread ration card are all visible. He also carried several photos of himself and his family

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Frank C.'s uniform was perfectly preserved - even though it was packed away in the 1950s and not found until 1995

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This is the family that Frank C. left behind. It is unknown whether he ever left the Willard Asylum for the Insane.


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This remarkably-detailed prosthetic leg was shipped to Willard for Henry L.


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Flora T.'s kit includes what appears to be strychnine sulfate, which is a drug that could treat epilepsy. It is unknown why she was committed, though.


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A moment in time: Peter L. bought a newspaper in Syracuse, New York, the day before he was committed. The date: March 22, 1941


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There is no sign of mental illness is this well-ordered suitcase left behind by Frank C.


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Dmytre, who owned this suitcase, is one of the few patients from Willard who is well known. He was committed in 1953 and stayed in the hospital for 24 years. He died in 2000

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Flora T. was clearly a woman of class. The fine possessions, including a perfume bottle and silver napkin ring, reveal a woman with means. However, the kit of needles and injection drugs adds a dark element to this collection

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Eleanor G. had several suitcases in the collection. This is one. It contained an expensive bottle of perfume, a pair of electric curling irons and the remnants of a sewing kit

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Charles played the zither and he brought it with him when he was committed to Willard in the 1930s. It's unknown whether he was allowed to play it while in the hospital

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A bottle of glycerine, still corked, was found in Maude K.'s case, along with a paperweight from the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago.













{All images & some of the picture info is copyright to Jon Crispin. Some put in my own words. No alterations done to any photos. For display purposes only}


{Photographer} Katarzyna Widmanska

Good Monday my darlings! Something different for a Monday, because as soon as I saw this again, I had to share at once! I say 'seen again', because for the longest time I followed Katarzyna's facebook page, enjoying her creations, but forgot to share them here. So dreamy and fairy tale like, yet others feel like I am looking in an old picture book of people from long ago. I lose track of time and forget where I am for a while. Melodic and moving, sensual and deep, tantalizing and striking, each brings a gift of a difference. Born in Krakow, Poland; educated in fine arts. It clearly shows that a lot of this comes directly from her insides. I can't get over how moving and wondrous her work is. It's always so joyous to come across women creators and not only see what your enjoying but 'feel' it too. I've shared a small selection of her work below, because I really want you to venture to her sites to discover more, there are so many exquisite pictures, it was hard to select a small portion. Have a wonderful Monday my sweets!!

Love loves
xoxoxoxoxoxoxox















{All work is copyrighted to Katarzyna. Please do not use/alter without her permission. These are for display purposes only & have not been altered in any way.}





Satin, Feathers & Lace....

Hello beauties!! I'm here with my second piece from Vedette. This one is the 'Sarah' Underwire Bustier, it gives firm control from the bust down & also firm tummy control. Not that I need it, but I found like the first piece I showed you, it helped greatly in keeping a good posture and I found my back wasn't as tired at the end of the day after chasing after my youngest daughter. It has a hook and eye back closer with support rods, padded cups with underwire for added support, you can also remove/change the straps as you wish. Sometimes with bustiers I find myself constantly having to adjust them throughout the day, but this one pretty much stayed where it was throughout the day. Made of nylon, spandex/lycra, cotton and polyester. Easy for moving and twisting with the body. I've jazzed it up here as a costume like look, but it can easily be worn under a top as part of the outfit if you were so daring to. Wearing this under my dresses is perfect, as it gives a seamless look to them. If you want to see the item in colour, just click on this to go to the Vedette shop page. I really love both of the items I chose and have been very pleased with them, perfect for getting your outfit looking just right from the inside out!! I hope you have a great day dolls! For the dear that asked, I'll resume my outfit posts next week.

Have a great day!!
xoxoxoxoxoxox






{All photos taken by Gorgeous Gavin. Please don not use without my permission. This was a sponsored post. I received this item to review. All opinions are my own. Thank you}

Ten Wishes...



I'd like everyone to believe this more often, so they can fulfill their potential and reach their stars....




I would like to walk along with a pretty parasol like this...




But, when the UK crazy weather kicks in, I want one like this, so I can fly away....




To maybe some place like this, so I can swim in the pretty blue water...though without all these people, haha...




After the swim, I will put a dress like this on and frolic in this garden...




Monet's place in Giverny...take a walk along the bridge and imagine showing up in one of his paintings...




But, later I want to wear this Gaultier creation & go to a party where everything is white, even the place...




At night, when I'm all tucked up in bed, with my precious white dog....




I'll hope with all my heart, that I lived a life that says exactly this below...



And I hope the same for you too!

Have a wonderful Monday my dear dolls.










{All photos found via pinterest. I do not claim ownership of any, for display purposes only. If any are yours and you would like them linked or taken down, let me know}

{Wonder Woman Series #6 } Meet Louise a.k.a. Miss. Pandora!

Good day dolls!! I hope your week has been beautiful. I'm ending the week with another beauty in our Wonder Woman series. I have read Louise's blog for a very long time, in fact, it was one of the first blogs I read when I started mine and after all these years I am still in love with it and have become friends with Louise now too - after my husband told me to not be shy & say hello, haha. When I first saw her blog, I was shocked at how much we have in common, as it is very rare in this day to find a soul you can connect with on so many levels, but when you do, it's like magic. We share our love of art, books, vintage, music and so so many other things. I feel she has given a new world and image to not only fashion blogging, but to blogging itself as a whole. Unique as she is charming, I'm very happy she agreed to take part in this series as I feel she has something very special to say. It's wonderful to find another who works to keep Art & passions alive! I hope you enjoy & be sure to say hello to Louise, she is very kind!

Have a wonderful weekend darlings
xoxoxoxox

Louise's Blog

PANDORA




1. With art being a majour part of your life, which painter, if you could, would you wish to paint your portrait?? 

That's a great question !!! It's a tough choice, but I think that my heart would definitely go to Dante Gabriel Rossetti, for the way he magnifies women, both sacred and sensual.


Dante Gabriel Rossetti




2. Who are the women that you have been inspired by throughout your life so far??

God, so many ! All my life I've been inspired by amazing muses, it's how I built my myself..There's Courtney Love, Anita Pallenberg, Luisa Casati, Simone de Beauvoir, Isabelle Adjani, Camille Claudel, Marianne Faithfull, Elizabeth Siddal, Suzanne Valadon, Rita Hayworth, Pamela des Barres, Penny Lane (I know, not real but big inspiration..), Misia Sert, Otero/Liane/Hortense and all the parisian courtesan, Zelda Fitzgerald, Anaïs Nin...And many more ! 

Courtney Love

Anita Pallenberg

Luisa Casati



3. Do you ever feel as a young woman in this day and age, there are still those who look down on women & see them as less equal? 

Wow it's really hard for me to answer that, because it's the kind of subject that is impossible for me to sum up, I could write pages and pages on that matter...Of course I still feel that women are not equal to men. Compared to the revolting condition of women around the world, I'm very lucky to live in France, but here sexism is not that much about rights, it's about strong prejudices, and a narrow-minded society. Sexism is like a national treasure here, it's stuck in every mind. If I'm alone for a minute in a café, waiting for my boyfriend, men will come and annoy me in a second, because in France, men feel like women's beauty is a gift to them, and they have the right, if not the duty to comment on it, appreciate it and try to taste it. We girls get so annoyed in the streets that it's created a new expression : street harassment.  As a woman you'll always be considered stupid/shallow/bitchy/greedy, you have to fight to prove that you're intelligent if you wear skirts, and you'll always find people that think that you'd be better at home with kids than working. And you have to watch for your safety every fucking second, especially in Paris and that makes me so angry...But compared to women's condition in the XIXth century (that I study, and it made me realize that we're still deeply rooted in XIXth century morals and ideas), we're very very very lucky. 




4.  What do you hope to achieve through your blog?

When I started the blog, I didn't really know what I wanted to do, and still don't, because I never plan things. It's important for me to stay super spontaneous, and trust only my creativity and inspiration, I let things come to myself...For now I've been able to get over my self-confidence issues and it's pretty great, I developed my creativity a lot and built a strong visual universe. Through my characters, I've learnt who I am, and it's the most important for me. In the future, I'd like to be a better writer, to always go further with my inspirations and creativity, discover many many things everyday, and meet lovely art lovers like me, because it's so important to both share and receive...






5. If you could give all women in the world 3 things for their lives, what would they be? 

Love, art and music. Simple as can be!






{All images of Louise are copyrighted to her & the respected photographer. Please do not use/alter without her permission. For display purposes only. All other photos found via the internet}



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