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Dress: Gift mesh & sequins (from Paris)
Heels: Emerson @ Big W patent
Bag: Navie's Jewellers, Ipswich satin
Headband: Lovisa rose
Necklace: Gift pearls (from China)
Hinged Bangle: Vintage, 1940s silver
Ring: Gift silver & pearls (from China)
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I have always adored fairy tales.
For all their schmaltz, fortuitousness... otherwise known as unbelievable coincidences & (mostly) happy endings *cough cough original Little Mermaid cough cough* they also contain a heady mix of danger, intrigue, adventure & sense of justice that small children & adults alike find almost impossible to resist. I mean, who doesn't love it when the ugly - both inside & out - sisters in Cinderella "get theirs" while our girl glides off into the sunset with Prince Charming, never to sweep a fireplace again?! Or in Snow White when the evil Queen finally realises that she is NO LONGER THE FAIREST ONE OF ALL; that she has been usurped by someone who is not only fair of face but pure of heart. To me, they are endlessly appealing & I don't let any of that feminist talk about "teaching girls to fend for themselves in the world rather than wait for a man to save them" ruin the magic of these classic stories.
Therefore, it would probably be an understatement to say that I was looking forward to attending the Sleeping Beauty Ballet (heavily influenced by the 1959 Disney film) at the behest of a dear friend, considering that I own copies of both works that the film was based on - The Sleeping Beauty (or La Belle au bois dormant) by Charles Perrault & Little Briar Rose by The Brothers Grimm, as well as a copy of the Disney animated film & Soundtrack record. When it came to the performance, as always, the dancers were magnificent & the production (music, costumes) truly encapsulated the preternatural tale of the cursed princess.
For those of you unfamiliar with the tale, here's a quick run-down:
Cursed by the evil fairy Maleficent, who proclaims that on her sixteenth birthday, she will prick her finger on a spinning wheel & die, royal baby Aurora is taken to live as a commoner - renamed Briar Rose - in a Woodcutter's cottage in the forest under the watchful eye of 3 fairies, one of whom uses a "blessing" to ensure that if Maleficent's curse does come to pass, the princess will not die, but be in a "death-like" sleep from which she can only be awakened by true love's kiss.
Years pass & the princess becomes more & more beautiful. On the morning of her 16th birthday, Aurora is singing to herself in the forest when the beautiful sound draws that attention of the handsome Prince Phillip, who was betrothed to the princess when they were both children. They instantly fall in love & plan to meet later that evening. When Aurora returns to the cottage & tells her fairy guardians about the meeting, they are forced to come clean about the truth of her heritage & make the heartbroken princess-in-hiding promise to never see him again. Meanwhile, Prince Phillip is heartbroken by his father's refusal to allow him to the marry the peasant girl he met in the forest due to his childhood betrothal, not realising that the girl he met - Briar Rose - & the missing Princess Aurora are 1 & the same.
The fairies take Aurora back to the castle to be reunited with her parents but she is lured away from them by Maleficent & pricks her finger on an enchanted spinning wheel, instantly falling into a deep slumber. The fairies place Aurora on a bed in the highest tower & realising that the boy she was speaking of & Prince Phillip are the same person, plan to have him break the spell. He is kidnapped by Maleficent but the fairies rescue him, arming him with the Sword of Truth & Shield of Virtue. He vanquishes the evil fairy & awakens his love with a kiss, breaking the spell so they may live happily ever after.
But I digress...
Deciding to go "all out" for such a special occasion, I donned a beautiful black mesh empire-line dress with black sequinned flower embroidery that was given to me as a Christmas present by a dear friend returning from Paris.
The tasteful v-neckline - not too low yet still showing just enough decolletage - was the perfect "frame" to show off the 3 strand pearl necklace that my brother Louis brought back for me from one of the pearl markets in China; the tiny diamante beads threaded onto the necklace at intervals adding that extra bit of sparkle to match that of the dress, as evidenced below:
To match this stunning piece of jewellery, I chose a delicate silver & pearl ring with tiny diamante in the centre - also a souvenir from Louis' recent Chinese jaunt - as well as a vintage 1940s silver hinged bangle covered with what appear to be moulded fleur de lis & complete with tiny safety chain. This stylised silver floral touch, in addition to the dress' black embroidery, worked well with the choice of handbag - a unique black satin drawstring purse with a trio of silver 3D roses on the front. Heels were kept simple with a pair of black patent platforms.
And just in case that wasn't enough, this gorgeous oversized black rose headband was the final flourish, framing one side of my face & completely "maxing out" the whole flower theme of the day... After all, why not?
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