In perusing old magazines- searching interesting things to share, perhaps Christmas and Holiday posts, I found the most glorious photograph of the famed designer VALENTINA by Hoyningen Huene in FLAIR October 1950. The article entitled The Enjoyment of Leisure at Home- Fascinating!
The incredible setting- the lady's own Drawing Room. Her dress a design of her own making- is beautiful- "a harmony of greige and gray taffeta over a transparent tulle underskirt, perfectly related to the warm, low tones of the room, to the woman this room reflects"; Madame Valentina of course.
The designer elaborates~ "What you wear when you are in your own house is like a costume for the role of yourself. It must be becoming to you, it must communicate with the colors of walls, of paintings, of all the other beautiful objects you have chosen to surround you. This is so not only because the two things- a style in clothes, the atmosphere of a house- are part of the same expression. It is so because time to spend a t home is precious. "
"I am myself a working woman-if you like, a career girl. But when I am in my own house I forget that part of my life. Most women, whether they are in jobs by day or busy with other things, treasure the time they spend at home. It is a place to be oneself, to be at ease; to see friends in an atmosphere one has created to welcome them."
For this reason, I would surround myself with beautiful and creative things that reflect my taste and enhance my personality. I would discard the suitable clothes of my business day for my dress; I would be myself in my own house."
I wish I'd said that-and though I somehow do surround myself with things I love visually- I am lack than luster in the costume department. Everything Valentina the Divine says makes perfect sense.It is the stunning photograph of her dress that doesn't match the words in thinking about our today's world- almost 60 years later.
Need to step it up a bit? A lot?
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