A Fashionable Day at the Races – Leave your hat on

Christchurch Casino New Zealand Trotting Cup Day is at Addington Raceway this Tuesday 13 November. Cup Day is known for FASHUN too:

Fashionistas get their chance to shine during the glamorous Westfield Riccarton Style Stakes Fashion and The Hits Body Art competitions.

Here is some last minute Cup Day fashion inspo, with a focus on hats, fascinators, titfers, and millinery:

Bill Cunningham – famed as a New York street fashion photographer as featured in doco Bill Cunningham New York – first found fame as a designer of ultra-arty and outlandish hats under the alias William J. His memoir Fashion Climbing: A New York Life has lots of juicy hat stuff.

And of course, if you are looking for a contemporary hat goddess, you can’t go past the much-missed Isabella Blow.

LOVE this hat and veil combo worn by Adut Akech on the cover of British Vogue’s December issue (coming soon to RBDigital Magazines for your reading/viewing pleasure)

Adut Akech covers our December 2018 issue, hitting newsstand this Friday – photographed by Steven Meisel & styled by @Edward_Enninful. Celebrating Edward Enninful’s 1 year anniversary at the magazine, Vogue has released 4 very special covers #1YearNewVogue https://t.co/Svyr9aXM8B pic.twitter.com/R576xcloga

— British Vogue (@BritishVogue) November 5, 2018

You don’t even have to visit a library to get ideas. We have eMagazines as well as magazines in print. RBDigital and PressReader feature a range of fashion eMagazines, online magazines and newspapers including Vogue Australia, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire and more.

And how some historical inspiration – this stylish trio rocked Addington in the 1930s.

Three friends at Addington races, late 1930s. Source: Entry in the 2013 Christchurch City Libraries Photo Hunt by Pip Joyce. Discovery Wall CCL-PH13-259

More fashion

• Find more Hats in our collection.
• Fashion
• New Zealand fashion

A magnificent disaster, or a really good read?

I’m a sucker for Victorian fashion, the sillier the better – and it’s hard to beat the Victorian crinoline for ingenuity, ridiculousness, and sheer presence. So I was pretty excited to get my hands on a shiny new copy of Crinoline: fashion’s most magnificent disaster.

Co-authored by Denis Pellerin and Dr Brian May (yes, that Brian May – no stranger to extreme fashion himself), Crinoline documents the rise and fall (metaphorically!) of this most capacious of undergarments through a rather unexpected record – stereoscopic images. It’s a sumptuous boxed set, containing a richly illustrated history and a stereoscopic viewer (designed by May, patent pending). This nifty little fold-up apparatus allows you to see the images in the book in 3D, as they should be viewed.

Crinoline, circa 1869, United Kingdom, by W.S. & E.H. Thomson. Gift of Elizabeth Ridder, 2000. CC BY-NC-ND licence. Te Papa (GH007988)

The second work by the pair on this subject, the book is meticulously researched and very readable. Through 3D images and other documentary history, we get a real sense of the outrage, amusement, and titillation the undergarment caused in Victorian “social media” – cartoons, pamphlets, periodicals, and that hugely popular parlour entertainment, the stereoscopic viewer.

The crinoline was actually a huge (sorry!) improvement on previous womenswear fashions, replacing the layers of heavy petticoats needed to achieve fashionably bell-shaped skirts. Its lightness and ease of movement was a liberation (and also an excellent personal space generator – I can attest to this, having worn a couple to fancy dress events). However it also had its hazards: there were many cases of women being horrifically injured, or even killed, when their crinolines caught fire, became caught in trams, or suffered other wince-inducing vehicular mishaps.

When I first came across mention of Crinoline, I thought the combination of topics could be a little forced or gimmicky, but this really isn’t the case. Pellerin and May have actually hit upon a very real convergence of two tremendously popular coexisting technologies that, when looked at together, provide a vivid and altogether fascinating glimpse of Victorian fashion and attitudes.

More information

• Find more reading about Victorian fashion and Steampunk
• Find more titles with sterescopic images
• Find more images of historical fashion

Photo Hunt October: At the pub, 1970s

Entry in the Christchurch City Libraries 2008 Photo Hunt, Kete Christchurch HW08-IMG-CE099. CC-BY-NC-SA-3.0 NZ.

Anne Kelly and John (Mungo) Tamaira socialising in a Christchurch pub (probably the Star & Garter) in the early 1970s.

Christchurch City Libraries has been running an annual Photo Hunt in conjunction with the city’s Heritage Week since 2008. The 2016 Photo Hunt is running again from 1 – 31 October. During the month of October we will be posting a series of images from earlier Photo Hunts.

Enter the 2016 hunt online or at your local library.

Kete Christchurch is a collection of photographs and stories about Christchurch & Canterbury, past and present. Anyone can join and contribute.

Barbie: The Icon

Rightly or wrongly I was determined that my daughter was not going to have Barbie dolls, but by the time our daughter was 3 our house was awash with Barbie and all her paraphernalia. How did this happen?

To try to even things out I presented our son with Barbie – he proceeded to use her spiky limbs as a weapon! We had Malibu Barbie, Night and Day Barbie but best of all was Wedding Day Barbie! Tiny little handbags were lost as were multiple pairs of shoes … bits and pieces of Barbie limbs would appear in odd places. Thankfully all could be replaced by the neverending Barbie gravy train at the local toy store.

In my own way I became quite fond of Barbie, and I grudgingly admitted that she did provide hours of fun for my daughter and her friends.

When Barbie: The Icon arrived in the library I couldn’t help myself, and immediately borrowed it. Perhaps it’s the memories of times past, but I have had a lovely time browsing its full page photos of Barbie dressed in her finest, as well as enjoying the writing.

The focus of the early seventies was to make Barbie increasingly bendable…

and

Barbie has become the interpreter of aesthetic and cultural transformations that have distinguished more than half a century of history, but unlike other myths of contemporaneity, crushed by time passing, she has had the privilege, as a doll to be timeless.

Bendable and timeless! Oh how I envy her.

Some Barbie facts:

• After a 43 year relationship Barbie and Ken break up in 2004. Barbie meets a new man, Blain – a surfer from Australia, however by 2011 Barbie and Ken are back together again. Phew.
• Barbie has had more than 150 careers including being US President, watch out Hillary Clinton!
• It wasn’t until 1980 that a black Barbie doll was created , called… ta da…Black Barbie.
• Fashion designers who have created her outfits have included Donna Karan, Vivienne Westwood, Calvin Klein and Dior.
• Her full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts.

Find more Barbie stuff – including movies – in our collection.

“Wear only one interesting piece of clothing at a time”

Supported by the strength of a cult following of dedicated, fashion‐forward young men around the globe, designer Mark McNairy has risen from an under‐the‐radar favorite to a driving force in contemporary American style

Mark McNairy’s book F**K Ivy has hit the library shelves. (As the title might indicate the book is not for those of you who prefer their books expletive free).  Mr McNairy sees himself as the sort of guy who tells it like it is – bad words and all.

He starts off with thoughts on jeans –  “Levis … Period”.

How to care for jeans? “Don’t wash them.  Dirt is like cool” … and remember that “your cap does not have to match your sneakers”.

This is a book to pick up and read in ten minutes with plenty of pictures and often just a few words on each page.  I quite like his style, it’s simple, based on tradition with a twist, and his clothes are not made in 3rd world sweatshops.  He is however a man full of contradictions. In one breath he announces that rules are supposed to be broken, and then proclaims that you  should never, never, never button the bottom on any jacket, and that brown brogues are the first pair of proper shoes you should buy.

So if you like your fashion with a touch of grit, mixed in with some humour, confidence, and attitude (plus  few choice words) then check Mark McNairy out.

See more on our fashion page.

Bad Hair Days

You know it’s a bad day when you stumble myopically to the bathroom, ‘cos you can’t find your glasses without the aid of glasses; open the bathroom cabinet and spray your luxuriant locks with anti-perspirant and only realise your mistake when you locate aforementioned specs and can see that you are about to apply the hairspray where it will just prove ineffectual!

If you’re an optimist I suppose you would simply remark: “Well, if it gets really hot today I’ve taken appropriate action to avoid head sweat.”  If, on the other hand, you are me then you step wearily into the shower to try and rectify the damage.

Washed and blow-dried to the best of your limited capabilities, your ‘crowning glory’ is no longer glorious…  It’s at this point you decide that a radical restyle is in order; but how to achieve it?…

The answer lies with your library card and password / PIN.  Simply search in the catalogue for hairstyles and – voilà –  books and magazines galore devoted to the subject that are the answer to a distressed maiden’s prayer.  The 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s Look, Big Hair, Curly Hair, Long Hair, Short Hair, Fantasy, Dreadlocks, Braids, Buns, Twists, Marcelle Waves, Beading and Bows are there for the taking.  And for those who are stunningly reckless there is always the ‘cut’.

So, to all those ladies (and gents!) out there stressing about their tresses, remember, the research can be done via your local Library.

Some ‘mindful’ thinking on future trends

MiNDFOOD is a popular magazine that never lasts long on the shelves. Marketing promotes it as containing:

intelligent, inspirational ideas and information. A completely integrated concept, MiNDFOOD the magazine brings you in depth features on society, wellness, environment, culture, travel and food. It’s all about Smart Thinking.

So when MiNDFOOD publishes its Trends for the Future, we should surely sit up and listen. Bear in mind however that these trends are very much focused towards the MiNDFOOD reader – urbane, “mindful”, middle-class and with a spare bob or two.

Preserving:  Whether it’s eating like a caveman or revisiting Grandmother’s preserving tips, we are still searching for ideas from the past. Of late fermenting has become an added twist to this trend.

Later Learning: This is an area that the Library excels in. Research suggests that career changes, redundancies and retirement mean we have a lifetime of learning ahead of us. The CINCH directory is the ideal place to start looking for that next option.

Child’s Play:  You can’t but help but have noticed the proliferation of colouring books on sale this Christmas. Although this is not an area the Library can contribute to, a previous blog post has a suggestion for Zentangles that could well satisfy the need to doodle and colour. There are also many books in the craft section that can help you to glitter and glue to your heart’s content.

• Side by side : 20 collaborative projects for crafting with your kids

Fashion to the people: Apparently runway shows are opening up to the masses with social media making them no longer the realm of the elite.  Here are some tips to help you keep one step ahead of the next big thing.

• Street fashion photography: taking stylish pictures on the concrete runway
• Designers on Instagram: #fashion

Inside and out: Individuality is becoming the essence of living environments… apparently.  I suspect the vast majority of us already know this, not having the time, money or inclination to redecorate in the latest trends each year, however here are two books that encourage your unique style.

• Furniture hacks: and other creative updates for a unique and stylish home
• The nesting place: it doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful

Travel Smarter: It’s all about Wellness Tourism, Eco Tourism and Adventure Travel.

• Volunteer vacations: short-term adventures that will benefit you and others
• The art of free travel: a frugal family adventure An Australian family set off on a road trip like no other, bartering, foraging and living on a diet of free food.

Urban Renewal: Now this is a trend that we in Christchurch can understand!

• Designed for the future : 80 practical ideas for a sustainable world  A series of essays that outline how a project or design practice has created a more positive relationship between the built and natural environments, alongside the multitude of complex challenges that face us in the 21st century.
• Happy city: transforming our lives through urban design

Lifestyle Matters: It’s all about co-housing, communities and community living and “rural retreats”

• Collective housing
• How we live now: redefining home and family in the 21st century explores everything from multi-generational homes to cohousing communities where one’s “family” is made up of friends and neighbours to couples “living apart together” to single-living.

Mindfulness goes mainstream:  You can be mindful in the kitchen, the bedroom and have mindful children and cats. We are now mindful when we eat, exercise and work. In fact Mindfulness seems to have permeated almost every aspect of the Library collection.

Pressured Viewing

Publicity photograph for the film Woman of the Year, featuring its stars Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. Wikimedia Commons.

Once upon a time there was ‘The Movie’. I’ve never tried to work out how many hours I’ve spent watching them (the hours lost that can never be regained), but as a child/stroppy teenager I would slump down in a chair on a Saturday afternoon at around 3pm to watch the Saturday afternoon matinee.

It would greatly annoy my Dad (extra kudos for me playing the bolshy ‘teen’ card), as he had just purchased his first Colour television set and there I was making a mockery of it all by watching Black and White 1930s and 1940s classics.

Eventually a mockery of a compromise was reached – the kids got the old telly and bickered and argued between themselves for viewing rights whilst the ‘Head of the Household’ watched uninterrupted colourful sport…

Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell in the 1940 film His Girl Friday. Wikimedia Commons

Edith Head fashion, sumptuous sets, orchestrated Busby Berkeley choreographed extravanzas all in Black and White!! Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Norma Shearer, Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, Van Heflin, John Wayne, Rosalind Russell, Cary Grant, Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn (I could continue ad nauseam but will give you all a break!). It was fantastic.

Fast forward countless years and we have, yet again, ‘The Movie’ – normally taken out of the library for one week. No problem, you would think – given my amazing ability of yesteryear, I could watch the one film countless times – but NO!! Invariably I receive the email gently reminding me that the DVD has to be returned to the library in the next 2/3 days and panic ensues as I haven’t even had time to read the synopsis on the back of the DVD cover.

The number of films and TV series I have had to return without even inserting them into the DVD machine… But now, especially with regard to a TV series, I have a longer time frame to play with:

Two Whole Weeks!!

Until very recently I was watching TV series on DVD such as the Danish production of The Bridge, Shetland, Parade’s End, and Desperate Romantics under immense pressure – two or three episodes a night so that I could return them, haggard and red-eyed, back to the shelves having gone through 3, 4 or even sometimes 5 DVDs in the set.

Times they are a-changing… I’ve even been known to watch in Colour.

New Zealand Fashion in Pictures: Our Image Collection

For New Zealand Fashion Week we’re sharing some of our favourite images of New Zealand fashion.

Over the years, Christchurch City Libraries has built up a collection of local images. Many of these are donated from private collections and capture the places and people of Christchurch, and Canterbury’s history. Some of these we’ve grouped into themed image collections, including one on Costume and Fashion.

Our image collection is mostly made up of early 20th century images but is less comprehensive in terms of more recent history. If you’ve got photos that you think we’d be interested in then please contact us.

In the meantime, here are some oldies but goodies in the fashion stakes –

Suits you

Members of the Christchurch Drainage Board and visitors present at the opening of the septic tank, Bromley sewage farm [4 Sept. 1905] CCL PhotoCD 2, IMG0084

A group of Maori women dress reformers [1906] CCL PhotoCD 11, IMG0096

Mr E. H. Hughes, Mr R. E. Alexander (Director of the College), and Mr Walter Macfarlane [1909] Selwyn-P7030226

The diploma winners of 1913. Selwyn-P3051336

New Zealand Fashion in pictures: Our Flickr

For New Zealand Fashion Week we’re sharing some of our favourite images of New Zealand fashion.

The Christchurch City Libraries Flickr account is a treasure trove of local images. We have photos of library events and displays, things we see around the city (buildings coming down, and going up), but we also have photos that have been donated for digitising from members of staff and the public, often as part of our annual Photo Hunt competition.

And, my word, there are some great outfits captured in those photos. Here is just a selection  –

Fantastic frocks

Papanui High School Prefects and House Captains, 1948, Flickr File reference: HW08-IMG-FE066

Mother and Daughter, 1951, Flickr File reference: HW08-IMG-HA081

Wendy & Ina Bradley, Circa 1967, Flickr File reference: HW08-CE134

Debutante Ball, Akaroa, 1969, Flickr File reference: HW08-img-fe113

Three cousins, 1971, Flickr File reference:HW08-img-ce104