Saturday 27 October 2012

Into The Woods, Halloween 2012













 
 
 

 
 

"Like the word wild, the word witch has come to be understood as a perjorative, but long ago it was an appellation given to both old and young healers, the word witch deriving from the word wit, meaning wise.
....the ogress, the witch, the wild nature and whatever other criaturas and integral aspects the culture finds awful in the psyches of women are the very blessed things which women often need most to retrieve and bring to the surface...
To be strong does not mean to sprout muscles and flex. It means meeting one's own numinosity without fleeing, actively living with the wild nature in one's own way. It means to be able to learn, to be able to stand what we know. It means to stand and live."
 
Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Women Who Run With The Wolves
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
The Outfit
Black lace, velvet and satin ballgown made by my granny Kiki in the late 1930s or early 1940s.
 Provencal brown cotton cloak, handsewn in the 18th or 19th century, a family heirloom.
 
 
The Soundtrack
Bats For Lashes Fur And Gold.
 
 
Photographs taken by myself and Mr Eve, using my cheap and basic Kodac EasyShare digital camera.
 
 
Happy Halloween everybody!
 
 
Halloween Parties kindly hosted by Vanessa Valencia of www.afancifultwist.com, click on the website link to see her own party in full swing.
 
I'm also proud to be a part of Visible Monday, hosted by the glamorous Patti from www.notdeadyetstyle.blogspot.co.uk, click on the website link to see her outfit and those of many others.
 
 
 

58 comments:

  1. Oh my, what a gorgeous gown. How lucky you are to have such a precious piece of history!! Awesome post :-)

    Angela

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  2. oh my gosh,at first I was thinking you were showing us something we could buy from an etsy shop or something....but to know this was made by your grandmother, just AMAZING! What a treasure!

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  3. What a lovely gown! Love the history!

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  4. What a beautiful frock!! Edgar even perked up a bit when he laid his eyes upon it... {and that very rarely happens!}

    Thank you for stopping by my little haunting spot!

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  5. Beautiful treasure of art .....thank you for sharing.

    Xoxo
    Gina

    Thank you for coming to my party ;)
    Come visit again soon

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  6. Ooooo a gorgeous dress, you look wonderful.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Rachel, and thanks for being my first follower too :)

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  7. I was admiring the wonderful cloak and now that I know its history I am even more impressed.

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  8. What a beautiful dress! Happy Halloween! :-)

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  9. Bewitching...and a lovely story. :) That's amazing!

    Wear it well, wondrous girl

    xoxo Rhonda Roo

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  10. Wonderful, you wild lady you!!

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    Replies
    1. thanks dear Isidora, can't wait to see you soon!

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  11. Ooh, I dreamt about wonderful dresses last night. Your post is magical!

    Please visit my party at: http://msmisantropia.blogspot.se/2012/10/halloween-party.html

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  12. I'm glad that you reminded me about your other party. I love this one too. Very mysterious, I love the atmosphere. Lovely dress and cloak. You look great.
    Thank you for having me back.

    momentsinaneye.blogspot.com

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  13. Ohhh, very cool post. Unique and unexpected. Lovely dress and cloak as well.

    xoxo
    Kim
    Gerushia's New World

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  14. Love the cloak, thanks for your comment on my party post.

    Happy Halloween,

    Victoria from Brushstrokes

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  15. You look beautiful and mysterious in that beautiful ensemble....what gorgeous pieces of history!

    Thank you so uc for making me want to embrace the witchiness in me :)

    Cameron
    Paint Myself Pretty

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  16. Two wonderful posts! You have many visually beautiful things you have shared. Love the vintage wear! Cheers!

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  17. Love this glorious post!!! Thanks so much for the invite here♥
    xoxo
    Dena

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  18. What a mysterious Gypsy girl - so beautiful!

    I could get so lost in those glorious woods and not mind one bit!

    Happy Halloween!
    QueenCreative

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  19. FaBOOlous photos! I just loved the whole outfit. :)

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  20. So Wonderful! I love, love, love that you still have clothing from such a long time ago! I truly believe handmade objects carry so much of the spirit of the person who made them. How lucky you are to still have this connection with your ancestors! And, please tell me you have heard the new Bat for Lashes! It was our Dear Vanessa who introduced me to them! Their new album is amazing!

    Thank you so much for your visit to The Tearoom!!

    Wishing you a great rest of your evening,

    Betty

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  21. A beautiful lyrical Halloween post. That gown is fabulous.

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  22. Beyond wonderful!!!!! Oh just perfect!!!

    ♥ Vanessa

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  23. WOWZA!! beautiful ensemble! LOVE the cloak! I was under the impression strapless was not fashionable at that time, nor looked upon as moral. LOL

    Thanks for sharing it with us!
    I truly enjoyed the book excerpt also :)

    if you haven't already come meet my coven:

    http://piecesoffatesusan.blogspot.com/2012/10/halloween-party-2012-hosted-by-fanciful.html

    love n light,
    Susan

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  24. I absolutely love antique textiles and clothing! This is an outstanding posting. Thank you for sharing your treasures with us!
    I hope you will find time to come visit my blog party! I am having a special giveaway.
    http://www.anaboocreationsbysylvia.blogspot.com
    Happy Halloween,
    Sylvia

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  25. I am SO in love with your gorgeous dress and stunning cloak! Such a truly gypsy Halloween party! Thank you for inviting me over. I had fun at your other party, as well. Happy Halloween!

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  26. Oooh, wonderful!! Marvelous cloak, my Dear!
    Happy Halloween!
    Hugs,
    Anne
    www.alittlefurinthepaint.blogspot.com

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  27. I absolutely love the vintage clothing. Stunning.
    Thank you for the Wonderful party. I had a spooktacular good time. I would love for you to drop in to Wonderland for a Ghostly tale and a few Halloween treats. See ya there
    xoxoxox
    Wishes and Whimsy
    Wendy from Wonderland
    http://candydelane.typepad.com/curiosities/

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  28. Oh my goodness I love this so much! You are so beautiful. What gorgeous clothes!

    Happy Halloween!

    www.broomsticksandlace.blogspot.com

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  29. Aw thanks so much for your kind messages everyone! I'm so proud of my dear late granny Kiki, she was a talented couturier and she would've been thrilled that you all loved her clothes. There'll be more where that came from in future posts :)

    Happy Halloween! Been great partying with you all!

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  30. What a gorgeous gown, and to know it was made by your grandmother -- how perfect. The cloak too is stunning. Thanks for sharing all the fabulous-ness with Visible Monday!

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  31. I like the cotton cloak and have decided I want one of my own!

    Popped in from the Halloween Party 2012 blog hop.

    thriftshopcommando.blogspot.com

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  32. Oh to be able to wander through an English forest dressed in a beautiful cloak and dress! Beautiful images. How wonderful that you have these treasures from your grandmother!

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    Replies
    1. Ah thank you! Wasn't she talented! I love the fact that you're blogging black lace too, you look stunning in it!

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  33. Replies
    1. Thanks Wendy! I love your jumpsuit photos too!

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  34. Oh, that dress is to die for. You look gorgeous. And I loved that quote. I am going to have to buy that book.

    Happy Halloween

    Betsy

    http://fromthemindofalphabetsy.blogspot.com/2012/10/halloween-party-2012.html

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    Replies
    1. It's such an inspiring book, Betsy, I really recommend it for all women :)

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  36. Hi Emalina,

    Thanks for stopping by my blog. I adore your spooky post - that dress is amazing!

    Keep in touch,
    Christine
    www.couturebay.com

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    1. Will do, Christine, let's keep visiting eachother! By the way I loved seeing your photo of Shakespeare & Co in Paris from an earlier post, wonderful place isn't it, I used to work there many years ago!

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  37. Quite the best reason in the world to dress up ... to tell a story. Thank you so much.

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    1. Yes the desire to dress up and play never leaves us despite the fact that we're grown women! Nor should it! Hopefully there'll be plenty more where that came from, thanks for your encouragement Janin.

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  38. So gorgeous and darkly ethereal. Stunning!

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    1. Thanks Ruby! I adore your look in your latest post, beautiful!

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  39. Wow!!!! I adore this outfit. The mix of family history in it makes it all the more special!
    x

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    1. Thanks so much Liz! Yes I love to think of dear late Kiki and her loving spirit whenever I wear her designs, you're right, clothes with that extra emotional meaning are so special.

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  40. Oooh! Very beautiful outfit! That cape is magical !:)

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    1. Wow that's a great compliment from you Sara, as you're one of the talented bloggers whose own work inspired me to make this first clothes post! So glad you like it! There'll be more where that came from, thanks so much for the encouragement :)

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  41. Replies
    1. Ah thanks! Yep I thank my lucky stars I was Kiki's only granddaughter!

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  42. Emalina, I have been wanting to take the time to go back through and enjoy some of your posts, and this is just amazing! I can only imagine a cloak like that! And your grandmother Kiki was so talented. She made that ball gown. Wow. I just wanted you to know that I love this, even though I am a couple of months late getting here. xoxo Lynn

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  43. PS - Oh, and I love what you wrote about witches and the woods and the wild. I was studying to be an herbalist a few years back. It is something I hope to pick up again some day. Maybe when my greenhouse is done. A girl can dream. xoxo Lynn

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    1. I'm so pleased that you enjoyed the post Lynn! I'm planning to do a similarly ballgowny one for Christmas thanks to my dear granny Kiki's designs!

      Have you read the classic woman's psychology/spirituality book Women Who Run With The Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes? That's where the quote comes from and I highly recommend it as a real inspiration to us all to embrace our wild femininity.

      I know a little about herbal medicine as it's something my parents have found helpful at times in the past, and my mum trained as an aromatherapist. Sounds a good idea to pick it up again when the time is right :)

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