Sunday 18 March 2012

Followers of Fashion


I had a job to keep up with my Mr Darcy last week in Bath, finally cornering him in the Assembly Rooms. Luckily he was as keen as I was to venture downstairs to the Museum of Costume - the gorgeous exhibition of 17th century embellished and embroidered gloves piqued even his highfalutin taste.





The museum also offers a colourful look at fashionable clothes from more recent periods.


I had forgotten how cool the '80s were, if you were wealthy enough to wear Galliano.


***
Later at the American Museum at Claverton Manor, near Bath, I found a "look" that was very much to my taste.


The museum also displays the original simple cotton kerchief, spotlessly clean and ironed smooth, worn by Nancy Burns a freed slave, and depicted in a watercolour of her dated 1844.


And as we made our way home for tea we found another delightful example of humble fashions in Frome - the neat frills worn by these stone maidens, carved in the late 18th century to adorn a charity school offering training in domestic skills to poor girls. ("I'll bet they're discussing that appalling pointing," said Mr Darcy.)


***    
N.B. Both museums mentioned above now allow photography - Hooray!

12 comments:

  1. Those gloves are amazing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, they are. Believe it or not I found a similar pair on Ebay a few years ago!

      Delete
  2. fashions of the 80s cool? errrrr must disagree on that one, but def agree on the appaling pointing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Shhhh! I'm trying to get Mr N back into "tweed jacket and jeans". This look is hot again, honest!

      Delete
  3. The American Museum at Claverton Manor is a wonderful place to visit, and they have the most amazing cookies in their restaurant!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I will remember that. We had just had lunch at the Bath Assembly Rooms (so were too full for cookies) - very simple sandwiches, but made with very delicious bread.

      Delete
  4. I visited these again last year and thoroughly enjoyed both. Had great fun trying to get into the corsets at the Fashion Museum!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was so chilly in Bath I didn't want to take my coat off... well, that's my excuse, really it was the gaggle of lissom teenage schoolgirls that put me off trying the corsets.

      Delete
  5. lovely informative posting as usual.. enjoyed (even if I am on the point of collapse after 3 days at Shepton mallet..and a day of tweaking the gremlins in the auction on-line catalogue!) Lizzie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We had hoped to see you at the Fair - hope you sold well! We decided the midday start at Shepton would make the drive home afterwards a bit daunting so gave it a miss. The Shepton Flea suits us better - we buy a pitch to get in early!

      Delete
  6. Looks like you had a great jaunt in Bath and I love the stone maidens you found in Frome....utterly charming.
    I am with Mr N on the dreadful ribbon pointing with cement...speaking of course as a lime pointing expert!
    More of that next time I see you....
    Julie x

    ReplyDelete
  7. Mr N thinks your "lime pointing expert" comment is ironic, but I'm keen to hear more! However my sons say that I believe ANYTHING anybody tells me - and they should know...

    ReplyDelete