#a nice polonaise

[bumblebeebats]

We really gotta start giving classical music nicknames. Every time i listen to some youtube study music compilation i'm like "Wow that song was nice, what was it called so I can find it again later??" and it's like Andante spianato et Grande polonaise brillante, Op. 22: Grande Polonaise in E-flat Major, Molto allegro. Like ok. Thanks. I'll remember that

[chic-a-gigot]

Le Petit écho de la mode, no. 40, vol. 18, 4 octobre 1896, Paris. Jaquette Salomé à 22 fr. Toque Tite à 5 fr. 95. Cravate écossaise de l'Oural à 20 fr. 95. Manchon assorti à 41 fr. 95. Vêtement Samson à 19 fr. 95. Canotier en feutre à 8 fr. 95. Ville de Paris / Bibliothèque Forney

Nous offrons en prime à nos charmantes lectrices deux vêtements qui, par leurs prix très avantageux, vont faire leurs délices.

We are offering as a bonus to our charming readers two items of clothing which, with their very advantageous prices, will delight them.

—

(1.) Jaquette Salomè dernière création, en drap anglais très chaud et très souple au prix de 22 fr. 95 non doublée et 28 fr 95 doublée, polonaise de couleur ou noire. Cette magnifique jaquette se fait en tabac, gris clair et gris ardoise.

(1.) Salomè jacket, the latest creation, in very warm and very soft English cloth at the price of 22 fr. 95 unlined and 28 fr 95 lined, colored or black polonaise. This magnificent dust jacket is made in tobacco, light gray and slate gray.

—

(2.) Collet Samson, façon tailleur en drap cuir, qualité supérieure, orné de baguettes piquées, au prix de 19 fr 95 non doublé, à 23 fr. 95 doublé polonaise de couleur ou noire. Ce collet se fait en noir et marine. Peur accompagner ces vêtements nous donnons: 1. Une gentille toque Tite en feutre orné de choux de velours en biais. Sur le côté gauche est posé un mignon petit oiseau noir. Les formes se font en noir, marine, tabac, beige et gris. Le velours est noir, marine, grenat, tabac, héliotrope, crème, rubis, vert d’eau, vert foncé et émeraude au choix. Prix: 5 fr. 95. — 2. Canotier en feutre, orné sur le côté d’un gros chou en beau ruban de satin soie et plumes couteaux. La calotte, entourée d’un biais de satin crème ou assorti au ruban, est bordée de velours noir en haut et en bas. Le ruban est, au choix, noir, marine, grenat, tabac, gris clair, héliotrope, vert foncé et crème. Les plumes sont assorties aux formes. Prix 8 fr. 95.

(2.) Samson cape, tailor-style in leather cloth, superior quality, decorated with stitched baguettes, priced at 19 fr 95 unlined, at 23 fr. 95 lined polonaise colored or black. This cape is done in black and navy. To accompany this item we give: 1. A nice felt Tite hat decorated with velvet puffs on the bias. On the left side is a cute little black bird. The shapes are in black, navy, tobacco, beige and gray. The velvet is black, navy, garnet, tobacco, heliotrope, cream, ruby, sea green, dark green and emerald to choose from. Price: 5 fr. 95. — 2. Felt boater, decorated on the side with a large cabbage in beautiful silk satin ribbon and knife feathers. The crown, surrounded by a bias of cream satin or matching the ribbon, is lined with black velvet at the top and bottom. The ribbon is available in black, navy, garnet, tobacco, light gray, heliotrope, dark green and cream. The feathers match the shapes. Price 8 fr. 95.

—

(3.) Magnifique cravate écossaise en martre de l'Oural avec tête et flot formé par 5 queues. Prix 20 fr. 95. Manchon assorti 41 fr. 95.

(3.) Magnificent Scottish tie in Ural marten with head and flow formed by 5 tails. Price 20 fr. 95. Matching sleeve 41 fr. 95.

—

Aucun envoi n’est fait contre remboursement; adresser mandat-poste à M. Orsoni, 3, rue de la Sablière, Paris. Les frais d’envoi en gare française sont compris dans les prix désignés ci-dessus. Pour la différence de frais de port, ajouter 0 fr. 50 pouf la Corse, l’Algérie, la Tunisie, la Suisse, la Belgique et l’Allemagne, 1 franc pour l’Espagne, le Portugal, la Hollande, l’Autriche et l’Angleterre, 1 fr. 50 pour la Roumanie et l’Egypte. Un délai de huit jours nous est nécessaire pour la bonne exécution des commandes de chapeaux et douze jours pour les vêtements. Mesures à donner: Pour la jaquette, 1. largeur du dos; 2. longueur du dos, prise du pied du col à la taille; 3. largeur du devant; 4. contour sous les bras, pris au plus fort) de la poitrine; 5. contour des hanches; 6. épaule; 7. tour de taille. Pour le collet: 1. encolure sur le col de la robe; 2. contour de poitrine en passant par dessus les bras.

No shipment is made against reimbursement; send money order to Mr. Orsoni, 3, rue de la Sablière, Paris. Shipping costs to French stations are included in the prices designated above. For the difference in shipping costs, add 0 fr. 50 pouf Corsica, Algeria, Tunisia, Switzerland, Belgium and Germany, 1 franc for Spain, Portugal, Holland, Austria and England, 1 fr. 50 for Romania and Egypt. We need eight days for the proper execution of orders for hats and twelve days for clothing. Measurements to be given: For the jacket, 1. width of the spine; 2. back length, foot take from collar to waist; 3. front width; 4. contour under the arms, taken at the fullest) of the chest; 5. hip contour; 6. shoulder; 7. waistline. For the cape: 1. neckline on the dress collar; 2. chest contour going over the arms.

[study-with-aura]

Thursday, April 18, 2024

Reviews have started for Geometry, and I think I will be starting reviews for my other courses soon too. I am glad to be done with my literary analysis. I could have spent some time tomorrow working on it too as it only had to be complete tomorrow and emailed to my mom, but I did not want to deal with it on a Friday, so I finished it today. I might look over it one more time tomorrow with a set of fresh eyes again before sending it to Mom, but I think it turned out okay.

The bad weather we were supposed to get never occurred today, which was nice. I hate when we have to drive in the rain. People do not know how to drive around here when it is storming or the weather is anything but sun.

Tasks Completed:

Geometry - Geometry Basics review + honors questions

Lit and Comp II - Reviewed Unit 24 vocabulary + read Act 4 Scene 1 of Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare + read modern translation of same scene + typed up a page about about the "pairs" in the play for a 10 minute writing challenge + completed edits and the final draft of my literary analysis for Emma (due tomorrow)

Spanish 2 - Reviewed vocabulary + completed listening practice exercises

Bible I - Read 1 Samuel 21-22

World History - Added WWII information to my timeline + began reviewing my timeline (it's my final project done as a presentation)

Biology with Lab - Microorganisms vocabulary assignment

Foundations - Read more on tolerance + read another article displaying media bias + wrote an analysis of my audience for my persuasive speech (I am using my parents as my audience)

Piano - Practiced for two hours in one hour split sessions

Khan Academy - Completed daily High School Geometry mastery challenge

CLEP - Completed Module 12.2 lecture video + completed Module 12 reading "Europe: 1945 to Present" 14.3

Streaming - Watched Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War episode 2

Duolingo - Studied for 15 minutes (Spanish, French, Chinese) + completed daily quests

Reading - Read pages 294-323 of Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

Chores - Put away the dishes + took the trash out

Activities of the Day:

Personal Bible Study (Romans 12)

Ballet

Pointe

Journal/Mindfulness

What I’m Grateful for Today:

I am grateful that the storms we were supposed to get today did not come, although it was cloudy.

Quote of the Day:

It's not a crime to feel joy, even when things seem hopeless.

-Divine Rivals, Rebecca Ross

🎧Op. 44, Polonaise in F sharp minor - Frédéric Chopin

[jivvin]

if you're willing to do the music ask thing, I'd also love a Playlist from you as well. If doing them all is too much, just do the questions you like the most. :D

oh man, this sure was a ride <3

1: A song you like with a color in the title

Charles Brown - Black Night. it's double damage, 'cause the artist's name also has a colour in it ;p

2: A song you like with a number in the title

Steeleye Span - Seven Hundred Elves

3: A song that reminds you of summertime

Cesaria Evora - Sangue de Beirona

4: A song that reminds you of someone you would rather forget about

i don't have anything quite like that, but this one - Michal Oginski - Polonaise Farewell - reminds me of someone departed, thinking of whom is still painful, so i don't listen to it often

5: A song that needs to be played LOUD

Ida Maria - Oh My God

6: A song that makes you want to dance

Florence + The Machine - Free

7: A song to drive to

i can't and don't drive, but this is what i imagine would be a cool track to drive to: Wormview - Ashes and Diamonds

8: A song about drugs or alcohol

again, can't recall anything quite like that. SIAMÉS - The Wolf is a great song though, about addiction in general

9: A song that makes you happy

Meg Rock - Clover

10: A song that makes you sad

Neutral - Luna

11: A song that you never get tired of

Caravan Palace - Miracle. don't know if i'll never get tired of it, but there was definitely a time when i was listening to it a lot and often, and i still love it

12: A song from your preteen years

Sum 41 - Fat Lip

13: One of your favorite 80’s songs

Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill

14: A song that you would love played at your wedding

honestly never given it any thought or whatever, but i guess this is a nice wedding-vibe song: Beach Boys - God Only Knows

15: A song that is a cover by another artist

Hannah Gill - Somebody That I Used to Know. i love the original, but there's just something about this cover, man

16: One of your favorite classical songs

and here's where i out myself as the most basic bitch imaginable, but Eric Satie - Gnosienne no.1

17: A song that would sing a duet with on karaoke

i absolutely cannot imagine myself singing karaoke, let alone with another living person( sorry, but this is the one that genuinely stumped me, i can't even come up with an interesting alternative here

18: A song from the year that you were born

Queen - The Show Must Go On

19: A song that makes you think about life

Alex Wurman - Ending

20: A song that has many meanings to you

The National - Sorrow

21: A favorite song with a person’s name in the title

Anaïs Mitchell & Jefferson Hamer - Willie's Lady

22: A song that moves you forward

Антитіла - Все красиво

23: A song that you think everybody should listen to

Go_A - Solovey

24: A song by a band you wish were still together

Високосный год - Метро. i not so much wish they were still together, as i wish they'd done more than 1 album over their entire career

25: A song by an artist no longer living

Connie Boswell - I Cover the Waterfront. this is probably the category where i could go on for an especially long time lol

26: A song that makes you want to fall in love

not sure if i've ever gotten this kinda feeling from a song, but Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes - Home is one of my favourite love songs, and i think it captures well this warm, upbeat feeling love is theoretically supposed to give you

27: A song that breaks your heart

Лея - Підмінок. definitely cried at this one

28: A song by an artist with a voice that you love

Rammstein - Haifisch

29: A song that you remember from your childhood

Oda Kanako - Moonlight Densetsu (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

30: A song that reminds you of yourself

well, that's easy: Gotye - Smoke and Mirrors

[if-it-isnt-cello]

Oct 7th (Stage I)

Morning Session

Yukino Hayashi (Japan)

Bach, Preluge and Fugue in B flat major (DWK I):

Chopin, Polonaise in B flat major:

Mozart, Fantasia in D minor:

Karol Kurpiński, Polonaise in D minor:

Chopin, Barcarolle in F sharp major:

Rec:

Satoshi Iijima (Japan)

Kurpiński, Polonaise in D minor

Chopin, Polonaise in B flat major

Mozart, Rondo in A minor

Bach, Prelude and Fugue in B minor (DWK II)

Chopin, Ballade in F minor

Rec:

Oscar Jiang (Australia)

Bach, Prelude and Fugue in D sharp minor (DWK II): did I tell you I love Bach's short piano pieces? Anyway. Prelude was lively and sharp, while the fugue surprisingly dolce, almost melancholic.

Mozart, Fantasia in D minor: this one was less dreamy than yesterday's interpretations (I've heard one or two in the radio in passing). More... sharp, with this light quality that I attribute to Mozart.

Michał Kleofas Ogiński, Polonaise in D minor: okay I didn't know this one! In case of polonaises, I always try to listen to the internal rhythm; I know they aren't really made for a dance, but polonaise is a dance, and imo it's important to acknowledge that. Here, I could hear this internal strength, along with a strong sense of what a polonaise is.

Chopin, Polonaise in B flat minor:

Chopin, Barcarolle in F sharp major, Op. 60: a stron (too strong?) beginning---they said in the radio that Pleyel has a strong lower notes voice and you could hear it perfectly here. Overall, a lovely piece, just making you drift on the waves of music.

Rec: Ogiński, Polonaise in D minor.

Intermission with Polish Radio Programme 2: Chopin's demanding pieces are generally too demanding for the participants (bar one, Eric Guo), which the radio speaker finds interesting since after the preliminaries they admitted five more participants. There's more interest in period instruments amongst pianists (you can see in the bios they are interested in playing on p.i.), but sadly the stereotype that period piano is for those who can't achieve much in modern piano is probably still there? + there's technique, but you also need to be able to show the interpretation. A lot of gushing on Eric Guo :) (who played yesterday) i.e., Kurpiński's polonaise that was great, filled with references to C.P.E. Bach and so on. The speakers agree that he was the brightest until now, though, and as for now, the only one very good. Bach's interpretations are called school-etudes, as for how the majority of competitors played his DWK.

Satoshi Iijima: Kurpiński's Polonaise---unfortunately with mistakes, but nevertheless played with ease. Mozart lacked the fantasy, the protoromanticism. Used the four pedals in Bucholtz, tried to use the nuances---very nice.

Oscar Jiang (taught by Dang Thai-Son!): felt at ease with period instruments, but lacked interpretation. Tried to create his repertoire with awareness, but still needs to learn playing in a conscious manner (?).

Saya Kamada (Japan)

Hyunji Kim (South Korea)

Song-Ha Kim (South Korea)

PR2:

[wordsandrobots]

Wishing on Space Hardware update . . . I never actually started counting these, did I? Oh well, never mind. An Update, of indeterminate numeration.

I just finished posting Fic #18 over on Ao3, which completes the set up for the grand finale. Mwhaha. This brings the total word count to over 476,000 words. *expires on the spot* *revives immediately because it’s still not done!*

I had originally planned not to post the final arc until I had everything ready but honestly, all my plans around timing are vague suggestions at best and have consistently gone out of the window. C'est la vie.

I’m working steadily on Fic #19, the extremely reassuringly named ‘Ragnarök in G Minor‘, currently on chapter 7 of 20 (on top of which there will be a total of 10 prologues, interludes and epilogues). Overall, I think I’ve got about a third of the writing done, and the planning/plotting for the rest is unfolding nicely, so I’m feeling good about progress -- even if I can’t actually say when it’ll be done yet.

For those wondering about the title beyond the gag about invoking another Gundam series, I direct you to this harpsichord version of Bach’s Polonaise in G Minor, with reference to music used for Gjallarhorn in IBO and the character who has been the main instigator of chaos thus far. Also Mozart associated G minor with, to quote Wiki, “sadness and tragedy”. So. Yup.

Anyhoo, I thought since it will be a fair while before I get to posting, I would share some technical details one what I’m doing with #19 AKA here is the hole I am digging for myself.

I decided to structure this story so each chapter is told from a different character’s point of view. That is, each chapter focuses on a single character and that is the sole use of their POV in the narrative (excluding the epilogues where I’m going to mix and match). This is the technical maximisation of the strict single-POV-per-section style I’ve been using throughout the series, which is hard mode in terms of landing emotional beats but does force me to make each chapter the culmination of a particular character’s development. Not necessarily the end-point of their stories, you understand, but the point at which I can say, this is definitively what the character is like under my pen.

I think I’ve worked out an order that will let me tell the story I want using this method. It involves a a lot of jumping around temporally, the narrative looping back to tell earlier events from other perspectives, but that does means I can do some quite excellent chapter cliffhangers too (yes, a man with a gun IS going to spring through a door at a dramatic moment, because sometimes you really do just have to Chandler yourself out of a situation).

And it means I can do cute flourishes like entitling each chapter using a single word I associate with a character, and ending them on a quote from an appropriate song. Which admittedly does double my workload somewhat. I’ve managed to sort out the words but I still need to find songs for some people.

For your (hopeful) amusement, I’ll list out the chapter titles and then the characters with their associated songs under this spoiler-preventing cut. Have a go at guessing which go together, if you like. Some are pretty obvious, others probably less so. Regardless -- thank you for reading if you have been!

It’s great to have had so many of you along for the ride.

Chapter titles (not in the order they will appear):

Academic; Devil; Echo; Fighter; Friend; Fury; Human; Loser; Oddball; Maiden; Minister; Mouse; Noble; Remainder; Smith; Stray; Survivor; Sword; Terror; Tool

Character playlist (likewise alphabetised to protect the innocent):

Almandi Iverson (OC) - Fight For Me (AlicebanD)

Almiria Bauduin - Fall Together (Thea Gilmore)

Ahmed Fahim (OC/it’s complicated) - RAGE OF DUST (SPYAIR)

Argi Mirage - Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked (Cage The Elephant)

Atra Mixta-Bernstein - leaning towards Gold (The Wandering Hearts)

Chad Chaden - not sure yet

Derma Altland - not sure yet

Embi [Barton] - Appetite for Destruction (Vo Williams)

Eugene Sevenstark - Some Kind of Hero (Felix Hagan and the Family)

Hirume [I should invent him a surname too] - not sure yet.

Julieta Juris - Apparition #13 (Thea Gilmore)

Kudelia Aina Bernstein - My Silver Lining (First Aid Kit)

Kipchoge Ordsley (OC/it’s complicated) - Wolf Like Me (TV on the Radio)

Gaelio Bauduin - The Road You Didn’t Take (Stornaway)

Mackenzie Croft (OC) - leaning towards Fire With Fire (AlicebanD)

Norba Shino - Rattle & Roar (Skinny Lister)

Ride Mass - Skin and Bones (Cage The Elephant)

Sri Chaifin (OC) - Mile Magnificent (molly ofgeography)

Takaki Uno - Bones (Of Monsters and Men)

Yamagi Gilmerton - Parallax (Afterlight)

[grim-reaper-baby]

CAS-MAS challenge: Day 4

Mila Shay seems a nice and humble person. This girl is literally living at the musical canservatory, where is practicing waltzes and polonaises for long hours.

She's not interested in communication with other people for now. Mila already has a very close friend – her violin Belladonna, which's patiently listening all filings and thoughts. With violin she's real.

Milas' main dream is become a world known composer and show her dramatic and gothic sole.

[disappointingsalad]

Ten Pieces, Ten People

(a modified version, because calling the stuff i listen to “songs” would just be plain wrong xD)

Got tagged by a bunch of people (i’ll probably end up tagging you guys back, but we shall see O.o)

Shuffle your library, list the first 10 songs (or pieces) and tag 10 people.

1) Chopin, Nocturne Op.48 No.2 in F-Sharp Minor

I absolutely love just about any of Chopins pieces, although i do prefer the faster and more rhythmic ones. This is still very nice.

2) Mahler, Liebst du um Schönheit

Had an obsession for a while with Mahlers Klavierlieder and i must say the pure female voice and piano combination is still something i like a lot.

3) Paganini, Caprice Op.1 No.20 in D-Major, Allegretto

As a violinist myself all i can say is fun. Devilish but fun.

4) Bach, Violin Concerto No. 2 in E, Adagio

Some of the best violin music ever. Gives me goosebumps when hear live.

5) Haydn, Violin Concerto in G, Adagio

I mean it’s Haydn, so it very much sounds like it. Great for simple listening and brain stimulation.

6) Brahms, Horn Trio in E-Flat, Finale (Allegro con brio)

YES! Rhythmic, wonderful to listen to when brain needs to be actively occupied. I love the entire piece a lot. 10/10 would love to play it myself once.

7) Chopin, Nocturne Op.32 No.2 in A-Flat Major

Back at Chopin, still a Nocturne, i prefer the Etudes and Polonaises though (*side eyes my library* as it should know)

8) Schubert, String Quartet No.14 in D Minor “Der Tod und das Mädchen”, Allegro molto

Absolute masterpiece. Schuberts Klavierlieder are fantastic to begin with and the chamber music versions are just stunning.

9) Bach, Violin Concerto No.1 in A Minor, Allegro moderato

A good classic of Bach repertoire, i’ve played it a bit too often to actually enjoy listening to it as a recording.

10) Brahms, Sonata for Cello and Piano No.1 in E Minor, Allegretto quasi minuetto

Brahms! Yes! Awesome!

@karin-in-action @caromitpunkt @fallingforfandoms @frauv @fall-fromashootingstar @dragodina ok this is getting hard because i suck at this, you all saw ten tags here right?

[muffinsandpages]

Making a Robe à la française

Because I want to :)

Part I

We all have those dream projects we keep coming back to every now and then. Mine usually change every few months and so get discarded, but reconstructing an historical gown is something that has been living in the back of my mind for years, maybe even before I started sewing.

Ideally, I'd start with something more reasonable, like the Regency period. But I can't help obsessing over 18th century gowns, especially over decorated Robes à la française. I just keep getting back to those.

My mental health is... terrible, to say the least, so I already know that this project is going to take ages for me to complete it. If I manage to complete it at all. But I found that external validation helps, which is why I decided to blog about it.

And so... here goes nothing!

The inspiration

One of the reasons why it took me quite a while to get started was that I didn't really know what I wanted my final result to look like. I have never wanted to make a specific historical reproduction, but you gotta start somewhere.

A couple of years ago (like, more than four) I found these old curtains in my gradma's old house. I I thought they would be perfect a robe, but I still didn't know where to start.

Luckily, mindlessly scrolling intagram isn't always useless (well, it is except for this one instance, but I digress), because I came across this dress on @/katestrasdin's page

After some digging (aka a google image reverse search) I found out the dress is owned by LACMA. Despite being the second image that comes up when you google "Robe a la Polonaise" (via Wikipedia) it's described by the museum as a Woman's Dress and Petticoat (Robe à la Française)" from Spain, circa 1775.

My goal is to make something similar to this, as far as decorations go. The structure should be more "à la Française", so without the draped back à la Polonaise and with a floor lenght skirt. But we'll see.

I'll try to use a patten from Norah Waugh's "The Cut of Women's Clothes" from a 1740-50 Sack Dress.

Since I had no idea how such a pattern worked I started by tracing it on a piece of paper and draping it on a small mannequin, just to have a rough idea of what I was getting myself into. The process gave me flashbacks to the Alexander McQueen paper doll I built in lockdown (if you have a few minutes to a few hours to spare, please check it out here). Nevertheless, I now feel a bit more confident about the whole thing. It can be done

The undergarments (and my plan of action)

This kind of dress needs to be built on the undergarments/understructures. That means they they need to be made before the actual dress. At the same time, making undergarments that are (a) never going to be seen by anyone and (b) pretty difficult to make isn't the most exciting thing in the world.

Weirdly enough, I already made a pair of stays in 2021. They're far from perfect, quite ugly and very much not historically accurate. But the shape is there and they'll do the job, at least for now.

The other most important part are the pocket hoops. It's what I should work on next, but I think I'll actually make a mockup of the dress first, as i want to see how much volume I'll need. Then I'll make the pocket hoops.

Then I'll probably make a mockup of the petticoat to use as an under-petticoat. At this point I should know whether I have enough fabric to make the main petticoat of the same fabric of the dress or not. Then the main petticoat itself and then, hopefully, the dress.

Somewhere in between all of this I should make a shift as well, but it's not vital for the process, so I suspect I'll end up procrastinating it as much as possible

Easy peasy, right?

Right, wish me luck :)

Other stuff

It's not going to be historically accurate. I am starting from historical sources, and I'll try to follow them as much as possible, but in the end I just want to have fun and make a nice dress without too much stress. I will keep the hand stitching to the bare minimum and I'm pretty certain that my fabric is synthetic :)

I'm going to keep it as cheap as possible. Reuse, recycle and r...ice? Idk, you get the idea. I am not invested enough to put hundreds of euros in a project that I'll wear maybe once. And I think that sewing and crafts should be more accessible anyways

Resources

The Cut of Women's Clothes: 1600-1930 by Norah Waugh

Woman's Dress and Petticoat (Robe à la française) (LACMA)

[chic-a-gigot]

La Mode nationale, no. 63, 9 juillet 1887, Paris. No. 10. — Toilettes de promenade. Modèles de l'ancienne Maison Cheuvreux-Aubertot, 7, boulevard Poissonnière. Bibliothèque nationale de France

(1) Toilette de bains de mer pour maman. Robe en étamine gris foncé et gris clair. La première jupe, gris clair, est recouverte derrière par une seconde jupe polonaise, gris foncé, tenant au corsage, qui en est séparé sur le devant. Cette seconde jupe, très étoffée, forme le pouf.

Le corsage, croisé devant, à le dos gris foncé; il est plissé de l'épaule à la ceinture; il ouvre sur une chemisette en surah crème bouillonnée, garnie d'une grosse fraise de tulle. Manches plates, demi-longues.

Petite capote béguin en paille, garnie devant par un bouillonné de surah, et sur la forme, par une agrafe de nœuds de ruban, formant aigrette.

Métrage: 7 mètres étamine gris clair, grande largeur, 4 mètres étamine gris foncé, grande largeur.

(1) Sea suit for a dmother. Dress in dark gray and light gray cheesecloth. The first skirt, light grey, is covered behind by a second polonaise skirt, dark grey, attached to the bodice, which is separated from it at the front. This second skirt, very substantial, forms the pouf.

The bodice, crossed in front, with dark gray back; it is pleated from shoulder to waist; it opens on a chemisette in surah cream mousse, garnished with a large tulle fraise. Flat, half-length sleeves.

Small bonnet in straw, trimmed in front with a bubbling of surah, and on the form, with a clasp of ribbon bows, forming an aigrette.

Yardage: 7 meters light gray cheesecloth, wide, 4 meters dark gray cheesecloth, wide.

—

(2) Costume de jeune fill. Robe de voile bleu, forme polonaise, formant jupe et corsage derrière. Devant, corsage plissé et jupe en voile crème, retenu à la taille par une ceinture russe en faille bleue, terminée sur le côté par de longs pans. Le pouf bleu et la tunique crème, séparés sur le côté, laissent voir une jupe de dentelle crème, posée sur une sous-jupe de soie bleue formant transparent. Un grand col pierrot, en dentelle crème, termine ce gentil costume.

Métrage: 5 mètres voile bleu, 5 mètres voile crème, grande largeur.

Chapeau de paille rond, à bords droits, garni d'une plume qui l'ombrage en saule pleureur.

(2) Young girl's suit. Blue voile dress, polonaise form, forming skirt and bodice behind. In front, pleated bodice and skirt in cream voile, held at the waist by a Russian blue faille belt, ending on the side with long panels. The blue pouf and the cream tunic, separated on the side, reveal a cream lace skirt, placed on a blue silk underskirt forming a transparent. A large pierrot collar, in cream lace, completes this nice suit.

Yardage: 5 meters blue voile, 5 meters cream voile, large width.

Round straw hat, with straight edges, trimmed with a feather that shades it like a weeping willow.

—

(3) Toilette de jeune femme en lainage léger beige uni. La jupe, plissée à larges plis couches, est brodée de soutache sur le côté. Elle est recouverte par une longue tunique, faisant pointe devant, très enlevée sur le côté, et formant le pouf derrière. Corsage court, garni de revers soutachés, ouvrant sur un plastron de surah crème plissé très fin. Le corsage est relié par des barrettes croisées sur la poitrine, en velours beige. Manches plates demi-longues à revers boutonnés.

Métrage: Il faut 12 mètres de lainage beige grande largeur pour ce costume.

Chapeau de paille beige, garni autour par une écharpe de surah crème, et sur la forme par une grande plume grise.

(3) Young woman's ensemble in plain beige light wool. The skirt, pleated with large layered pleats, is embroidered with soutache on the side. It is covered by a long tunic, pointing in front, very raised on the side, and forming the pouf behind. Short bodice, trimmed with soutache lapels, opening onto a very fine pleated cream surah plastron. The bodice is connected by bars crossed on the chest, in beige velvet. Half-length flat sleeves with buttoned cuffs.

Yardage: 12 yards of wide-width beige woolen fabric are required for this costume.

Beige straw hat, trimmed around with a cream surah scarf, and on the top with a large gray feather.

[tn4na]

16012023 from my laptop the fact that i type from my laptop means that i could probably also just open my journal. but i really do get to write more this way. i suppose prioritizing is not a bad thing. today, i saw my cousins for maybe? the last time this visit? it was very nice to see them. one of them, i only got to see today. but it was a very nice day. it was very nice to see them—made me happy. today has been quite long! woke up, took an hour to really fully wake up. i think i’m gonna wake up earlier for whatever time i have left here. but anyways, i had crises, in my head. cried. was worried about urop things (silly thing to be worried about, because i can stop, whenever i want). felt stressed about spending my dad’s money (he told me that’s silly as well, i’m blessed). felt like this spring, i might be doing too little, or too much. but really, i just have to go with the flow. i have a hard time doing just what i feel like. a lot of times i also shouldn’t do just what i feel like because sometimes that’s rotting in bed while it would really make me feel a lot better to get up and do something. talked to f about all the things i want to explore in the spring, and iap. i think my theme for 2023 is play. to approach things curious, wanting to learn more. really, i just want to try my best. a year of play is a year for process, because that’s where most of the play takes place. this iap, i’ll go to the rink, because i need to move my body, and i made a commitment. i’ll also go to the building 4 practice pianos. asked j for a recommendation for what i should learn next, and he recommended me the polonaise by chopin that people call adieu (op posthumous). i’m excited to learn it. it’s something i’ve heard before for sure, but it’s not like liebestraum, or clair de lune, or these other even more famous pieces. even though this one is famous as well. i think i have a better time learning things that not literally everyone around me knows. it takes a little pressure off, and i feel like i’ll be able to play around with it a lot and come up with an interpretation of it that feels good to me. of course, i don’t actually know how far i’ll go with it, but i’ll try my best. at least for iap. anyways, those are my two independent projects, though i may also ask r or j for help with piano. other independent projects might include knitting a balaclava, or drawing, or just listening to music and observing the world. observing the world is a forever ongoing independent project. as for non independent projects, maybe i’ll learn to paint. i think that would be quite fun. told f that i had been thinking about light, and maybe that i was also thinking about ceramics and painting. but that i’m really resistant to starting things on my own, especially when things require me to buy things. f offered his paints that he bought recently, and also to teach me. since i am not alone in this, i think it may actually go somewhere. that might be another big thing for iap. also, since my dad told me to worry less about money, if there are any art classes that require money, i’ll just spend it. i’m looking forward to these things! scared, in a way. but i’m always doing things that make me scared. maybe not really, but in general, i am able to do things that make me scared. i consider this a positive thing. tomorrow, i’m gonna wake up early so maybe i can go out to lunch with my family. in the afternoon, i have an interview for an internship at the film fest in armenia. i’m not really nervous, but i do wonder if they’ll really think i’m suited for the position. i’ll just write down here all the reasons i want to go:

(i get too distracted on my laptop but anyways) i want to do something different freshman summer, because in the future i’ll be doing more work things. i want to go somewhere to challenge myself in a field that is different than what i may work in in the future, because it will still be relevant to my life.

armenia: in a beautiful region of the world i don’t know much about.

i want to learn more about what makes people. what drives people. lightness and darkness, good and bad, what people think, what people feel. the people i know just in the us and thailand are so different already. and i’ve learned so much just from what’s around me. i think i could learn a lot by being in a region that i’m completely unfamiliar with. i specifically want to learn more about the arts in that area, and the types of things that connect to armenian people. while a lot about everyone is the same, culture matters. where you are matters. i just want to learn

i think that having this general understanding of people allows me to approach the world in a better way. i want to make a clearer picture of how i want to spend my days.

i’ve written for my school newspaper before, and i have an interest in the arts. i’m a hard worker! [examples] and i will be able to live up to the tasks they give me

i think i am setting myself to be very lonely, and i am setting myself up to have to make new friends. i wonder how. i do wonder why i want to put myself through more pain. i think it’s out of fear.

i’m gonna try my best not to think too hard about these things. it’s a year of play. but even being free feels so unnatural to me. it’s like that passage from 1q84—it’s so hard to learn to be anything else. like i would shatter if i relaxed. but it’s okay. i’m working on it. i realized, when i texted j (not all these letters are the same person please remember) that when i go back to boston, i probably won’t see as much of the sky. i’m gonna make an effort to keep looking up.

[le-brave-des-braves]

Look who is this! Davout, nice to see you. Welcome to this madness.

Would you believe that Lannes just married Bessières and Poniatowski just got a pink horse and fucking sparkling kurwa-brigade or what is that?

He gestured at @le-bayard-polonaise and his strange entourage.

Come and have a drink!

The large glass of wine appeared in @perdicinae-observer’s hand as Ney spoke

Levavasseur: Michel, maybe… this wasn’t such a good idea after all.

But what can he do? He feels awful about the idea of dragging the poor lonely marshal away just now when he finally decided to join his friends.

@your-dandy-king

Drinking with your local God

As written by @your-dandy-king in The Wedding event:

Ney would hate to admit it, but he hated the loneliness of his isolation. He was used to being around people, leading and commanding, always being in movement, and the quiet lifestyle of a hermit was a true nightmare.

That may be why he didn't protest as much as he probably should, given the nature and instability of his powers. Moreover, he knows that he and Murat definitely should talk. After all, he shot him in the ass after being stabbed by Murat's stiletto. If they don't settle this, it might end up in a vicious circle of mildly embarrassing deathstrokes.

Murat, hey... I should go soon because of the... thing. I just wanted to tell you that I'm really sorry for that shot. I really had no idea it was you and I guess that we should stop killing one another.

He doesn't even know how he ended up with a giant wine glass. There is one thing everyone should know: alcohol was the only anti-anxiety medicine available in the early 1800s (unless you were super into herbs, which Ney certainly isn't). And Ney needs to calm himself down because the tension of his powers is killing him.

It wasn't as bad before, but after his imprisonment by Nicolas, it feels far stronger and far more unpredictable. There are moments when he can see the liquid light dripping from his wounds. Little does he know that he will need time and space to heal. But it is not his body that needs healing.

(Everyone free to join the madness!)

[if-it-isnt-cello]

October 8th

Morning session (Stage I)

Arisa Onoda (Japan) finished Juillard, now studies with Dang Thai Son

Bach [Pleyel, 1842] Prelude and Fugue in C sharp major (DWK I)

Mozart [Pleyel, 1842] Rondo in A minor [they say she made a huge memory mistake, but was able to recover nicely]

Chopin [Graf, 1835] Polonaise in G sharp minor (WN 4): very polonaise-y, but also... dreamy? lyrical. maybe that's the word. but also strong (how can you achieve both things???)

Maria Szymanowska [Graf, 1835] Polonaise in F minor

Chopin [Pleyel, 1842] Barcarolle in F sharp major: it's a too long piece for me to know it well, but everything flowed and drew me along

Recomendation: Chopin's Polonaise

Madoka Okada (Japan, France) (can I just say: bold clothing decision?! chose a blouse with some white pannels/kinda window frames with things pattern) plays piano and violin, like Arisa Onoda

Bach [Pleyel, 1842] Prelude and Fugue in D minor (DWK II): I feel like I missed the fugue?... idk

Mozart [Pleyel, 1842] Fantasia in D minor: having in mind what was said about this piece yesterday, it definitely felt like a fantasia [radio speaker: this piano is a bit too late for a Mozart piece, kinda confused why this choice]

Chopin [Pleyel, 1830 (copy from 2017)] Barcarolle in F sharp major: (very nice)

Chopin [Graf, 1835] Polonaise in B flat minor (WN 10) [radio speaker: the trio part is opera-based, I didn't know that]

Michał Kleofas Ogiński [Graf, 1835] Polonaise in A minor ‘Farewell to the Homeland’: a bit too fast? but nevertheless, sounded good even in that tempo

Rec:

Piotr Pawlak (Poland)

Chopin [Pleyel, 1842] Barcarolle in F sharp major

Mozart [Buchholtz, 1825 (copy from 2017)] Fantasia in D minor

Chopin [Pleyel, 1830 (copy from 2023)] Polonaise in B flat major (WN 17)

Bach [Buchholtz, 1825 (copy from 2017)] Prelude and Fugue in C sharp minor (DWK I)

Michał Kleofas Ogiński [Pleyel, 1830 (copy from 2023)] Polonaise in A minor ‘Farewell to the Homeland’

Rec: Chopin's Barcarolle and Ogiński's Polonaise

Intermission with PR 2: this morning was a triple-Barcarolle, each one different and placed in a different position

Arisa Onoda (in 2015 and 2021 took part of Chopin competitions). Great musical sensitivity. Unfortunately, made a huge mistake in Mozart's Rondo, but was able to recover towards the end; her Barcarolle was really good, made an impression on radio speakers. During the short interview after her recital, Onoda called this piece an "unfulfilled dream of going to Venice".

Madoka Okada studied in Paris, is now studying period playing. A bit controversial choice of the instruments (Mozart on Pleyel---maybe for easy playing, maybe a French tradition, maybe to get closer to how Bach and Mozart were played in Chopin's times?). An interesting choice to put Barcarolle in the middle of her recital [also Okada said that for this piece she chose a piano that lacks one note that is needed for this piece?! hey say though it also resonates bass notes nicely which can help in Barcarolle---also she used the dolce sfumato pedal that made the piece stand out].

Piotr Pawlak winner of 2017 Darmstadt Chopin competition, a bit of mathematician. A bold choice to begin with the Barcarolle---a real challenge. Bach was intriguing; played on a Viennese piano, una corda used in fugue, one of the most interesting during this competition.

Takahiko Sakamaki (Japan) MA thesis (Köln) on the methods of tuning of period pianos. [radio speaker: sat on a typical orchestral chair, seemed very relaxed]

Chopin [Buchholtz, 1825 (copy from 2017)] Polonaise in D minor (WN 11): lovely

Mozart [Graf, 1835] Fantasia in D minor [a short improvisation and modulation to go into Kurpiński's polonaise]

Karol Kurpiński [Graf, 1835] Polonaise in G minor

Bach [Broadwood, 1846] Prelude and Fugue in G minor (DWK II): very lively fugue, with this constant motoric motion

Chopin [Broadwood, 1846] Ballade in F minor: he got me at subito piano near the end. but then his chords, one after another, seemed too fast. a nice, if maybe a bit strong, ending. [seems there was some memory mistake?]

Rec: Bach and improv

Kamila Sacharzewska (Poland) studies with Janusz Olejniczak in Warsaw (lovely classic dress)

Bach [Buchholtz 1825 (copy from 2017)] Prelude and Fugue in C sharp minor (DWK II): loved the prelude. very motoric fugue.

Mozart [Buchholtz 1825 (copy from 2017)] Fantasia in D minor

Chopin [Pleyel 1830 (copy from 2023)] Polonaise in A flat major (WN 3): full of grace

Michał Kleofas Ogiński [Buchholtz 1825 (copy from 2017)] Polonaise in A minor ‘Farewell to the Homeland’: nice, very decisive. she had quite a bit of mistakes with grace notes, maybe because of the change of instrument (I had listened to a reminder that al these pianos have different key width last night)

Chopin [Pleyel, 1842] Ballade in G minor: aaah, ballade in g <3 quite a bit of mystery, but also playfullness where it was needed (those semiquavers)

Rec: polonaises (and ballade, honestly)

Viacheslav Shelepov (Russia) studies in Hannover with Zvi Meniker

Chopin [Pleyel, 1842] Polonaise in F minor (WN 12)

Bach [Buchholtz 1825 (copy from 2017)] Prelude and Fugue in E minor (DWK I)

Mozart [Buhcholtz 1825 (copy from 2017)] Fantasia in D minor

Karol Kurpiński [Buchholtz 1825 (copy from 2017)] Polonaise in D minor

Chopin [Pleyel, 1842] Ballade in G minor ["you can't unhear it"?! wow]

Rec:

PR2 recs: Bach on late pianos sounds very good, which you can't say about Mozart on same pianos... Imagination and individuality as the main characteristics of the winners, but together with some order, with thought

Piotr Pawlak about Buchholtz: in Bach, every voice sounds different, which is great for him. He chose the piano (Pleyel) by playing first bars from the Barcarolle. Radio speakers: he was able to find the affect in that piece, which is difficult (also, he began his recital with it!) Spontaneous improvs/ornaments in Ogiński's Polonaise that sounded very natural and beautiful (in Darmstadt, he got a prize for improvisation). Nice Fantasy, contrasting recitativs (going back to CPE Bach). Treated Buchholtz, a Viennese-type piano, as an "emanation of a harpsichord".

Takahiko Sakamaki: Bach played on Broadwood, which also worked. Intriguing, all played on una corda, which made it sound completely different. This Broadwood is identical to the one used by Chopin in England. Great Ballade, fascinating. Chopin's Polonaise: a bit too nonchalant; Mozart a bit like in "Amadeus" (but with a style). Sakamaki about Broadwood: very romantic. He chose a standard chair bc the piano one was too high while he wanted to sit really low, alnd he prefers to have a backrest as it helps him relax and concentrate.

Kamila Sacharzewska: sure, calm and composed. Bach, which was difficult, played very surely. Chopin's Polonaise very nice, non banal, with good articulation. Ogiński: finally a polonaise played like a polonaise, like a dance, a bit melancholic. Used the una corda pedal wisely. Ballade: one of the most interesting, unfortunately the sound was a bit too forced, too much for the Pleyel.

Viacheslav Shelepov: a bit tiring recital, lots of mannerism, emphasy in the phrasing, too much of agogic changes. A bit histeric ballade O.o nice prelude. Probably will not get into stage two.

[thinkingimages]

Grand duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia Nikolaevna picking mushrooms in the Finnish skerries, circa-1913. 

Every summer prior to the war, the Romanov family boarded their imperial yacht “The Standart” and headed for a holiday on the Finnish skerries. The time they spent in Finland was always one of their fondest memories.From Grand Duchess Olga’s 1913 diary:“We walked through the woods for ¼ an hour and finally came to the picnic site. [They] set up a stage there, and a few people from ‘The Polar Star’ performed 2 plays. Very funny. We all sat on the rocks. After that there was dancing, first to an accordion, then musicians played. Lots of Finns came over from the villages with little children. The crew had a lot fun and danced a lot. The crew had a lot fun and danced a lot. [We] went to dinner at 9 o’cl. Sat at the table until 11 o’cl. because by the end of dinner the singers came out, and they sang and danced and every other thing one can imagine. Artemiev and T.[atiana] Yevg.[enievna] were really making everyone laugh on stage. They told funny stories on stage and mimicked sailors from different countries, danced folk dances in different [ways], the way they dance them in various provinces. Then we returned to the old spot and danced again. We danced with the officers. Then Allaverdov, etc. Datzoev danced the ‘lezginka’ very well and did not even get tired. When he finished, Artemiev started mimicking him – [it was] unbelievably funny. The last dance was the polonaise to the ‘Old Ranger’ march. I danced with Pavl. Al. [We] returned to the yacht at 12 o’cl 35 min. Mama was already in bed. It was so nice and fun.”

[itmeansapricot]

hey i read the post about abby cox's video and (with the caveat that im just a history-enthusiast, and therefore have no real 'skin in the game') i was interested in your annoyance with historical bloggers like Bernadette Banner. do u think they misrepresent stuff? i watch some of those bloggers sometimes but i don't really know how reliably to take them. i do, on the other hand, tend to pretty much buy in to what i read on /askhistorians -- i find in general it's hard for an amateur who doesnt have historical analytical training and/or time to read monographs to gauge reliability/expertise, particularly in pre/early modern stuff

No, it is honestly 95% just that I am a bitter and jealous hag. I have been ever since Blogger. The way to get attention then was to actually sew things and then have photoshoots somewhere nice and show them off on your blog, and since my blog was mostly my research into things like terminology (my blog was one of the first places anyone posted about the polonaise being specifically NOT an anglaise with the skirts hiked up!) and my translations of the Galerie des Modes fashion plate captions, I did not get a lot of attention. I was a student and then a precarious worker so I didn't want to buy fabric, and I didn't really have friends so I also didn't have people to meet up with for picnics or other events. It was definitely the whole Instagram Culture problem before Instagram existed. When my book of patterns came out, nobody really cared and several of the BNFs of costuming declined to review it even for a free copy or did review it really lukewarmly. Then everybody transitioned to Instagram which ramped up the Instagram Culture problem.

Then everybody transitioned to YouTube and I was like, okay, I could get back into the game because I have lots to talk about. But there are two major problems with trying to make YouTube videos. One is that it takes an incredible amount of time to write, film, and edit them - you have to make Doing YouTube your hobby, and I spend so much time on AskHistorians (thank you for reading AskHistorians!!!) and on writing projects that I can't do that. The other is that I have a very flat affect and I just cannot manage the video-essay-talking-head manner, so the whole time I was editing and posting the few videos I made, I was cringing intensely at myself ... and then nobody really wants to watch them ... But ultimately the issue is that I just don't prioritize what I would need to prioritize to be a successful costuber, and I don't put in the work to learn techniques for making good videos. I cannot expect to excel if I do not practice a good deal!

The other 5% is that, yeah, they can be a bit shallow. They're just not aimed at me, though - their videos are decent introductions to e.g. the Gibson Girl, historical sewing techniques, pockets, etc. but I have pretty intense knowledge about lots of fashion history, but particularly the eighteenth through early twentieth centuries, which is what they talk about (particularly, like, 1880s-1910s for some reason). There also seems to be a lot of analyzing film costumes for accuracy, which can be an interesting topic (I have a whole tag on it), but ultimately it tends to be pretty repetitive and again, I have loads of my own opinions there. I also CANNOT watch video essays - I had to watch Abby's for the other post with the sound off and captions on - I would rather read blog posts.

[honorhearted]

agoldenlily​:

She couldn’t help but laugh softly to herself once he was out the door. Honestly he was far too easy to fluster. One single mention of underthings and she swears he would run the other way. Maybe it wasn’t entirely nice to mess with him so but if he was going to go about saying that she could distract with talk of fripperies than she could get her amusement in other ways.

Starting work on the dress she manages not to pause too much in order to admire the thing. It was a rather beautiful dress and she did enjoy wearing beautiful things. She had grown up on them after all. Sometimes, though, of late especially, she didn’t let herself worry about things like that. There were more important matters after all. But that’s one of the reasons that made tonight a thing to look forward to. 

There was a feeling of determination that she allowed to seep inside of her. She was going to prove her worth and Ben was certainly going to see her differently once this mission was over. He wouldn’t see her as someone that was just chosen randomly. No, she had talents and there was no way that she was not going to use them. 

“I’m done.” She calls out with a roll of her eyes at his words. Honestly. He really was the worst. Well, perhaps not the worst but he did deserve a good box in his ears every so often. Not that she was the one to do it. Maybe Anna Strong would definitely be the one to do it. She seemed well more suited to an action like that. To Elayne she did, anyways.

She doesn’t wait for him to go to the door. She strides over, lifting her skirts for easier walking, and pulls open the door. Her gaze lifts to his and she offers him a small smile. “Do I look the part?” And she can’t help that tone of hopefulness from tinging her voice. She really was eager for acceptance. She might draw up all the confidence in the world but her greatest fear was to let everyone down and she wasn’t about to start tonight.

“I, for one, think you look the part. You shouldn’t feel ridiculous by the way.” She smiles at him, warmly this time. He should get through tonight with the confidence that he could. It was a big mission but he had done far more dangerous ones, hadn’t he? “I think that you look every bit the handsome escort that I require.” And her eyes glint with that earlier mischievous teasing.

Despite Elayne’s call of confirmation, there was a clear bite to her tone -- one that Ben didn’t appreciate, but also didn’t garner enough agitation for him to bite back. “If you’d have been any more done, it would be Easter by now,” he grumbled to her through the door. 

All right. So perhaps he hadn’t been able to resist biting back just a little.

Elayne opened the door then, causing him to nearly stumble over the threshold and thud into her. Quickly straightening his stance, Ben was far too flustered by his potential faux pas to notice the earnest, hopeful look shining in her bright eyes.

Squinting at her amidst the morning sunlight provided by her window, Ben couldn’t help but do a double-take. It wasn’t that he was blind to her appearance -- no, despite her aggravating airs, vexing need to torment, and overall displeasing mien, he knew she was lovely in her own right -- and yet as his longtime friend, he had never truly looked at her as anything beyond the bright-eyed, knobby-kneed girl from their youth. 

“You look...uh...” Clearing his throat, Ben avoided her gaze before offering, “You look very suitable. No one will believe you hail from Setauket.” Chin tensing, he observed her pale pink polonaise gown with charming, hand-painted posies before snapping his eyes back up to her face. “We should go,” he said. Here, he offered her his arm. “Given our alleged status, we have been lent a carriage for our travels. At least in this regard, we can go over our cover story privately. Do you have any questions before we depart?”

Elayne complimented him yet again -- good God, was she trying to embarrass him? -- and feeling a deep, uncomfortable heat burning beneath his collar, Ben detected the simper in her tone and finally smiled. “When we were children, I remember you calling me ‘duke of limbs’ quite often. Are you laying it on thick to make up for my emotional scars, or are you buttering me up for a favor?”