'Bellas' Umbrellas - History of Fashion Accessories

The actual origin of the umbrella is so ancient as to be lost.  Perhaps the umbrella was evolved from a primitive shelter of leaves carried by Adam long before the earliest known civilizations. As social life developed from family to tribe and from tribe to small kingdoms the leafy shelter developed into a canopy, which became more ornamental and converted into a symbol of rank.

Apparently, the umbrella entered Europe via Greece, Italy and Turkey.  Tradition has that the Normans brought the umbrella to England with them, presumably as some sort of canopy regalia, in 1066. Jonas Hanway was the first Englishman to carry an umbrella regularly.  (Gays Trivia: “The Art of Walking the Streets of London,” 1712) In those days, the only covered transport was the private coach or Sedan chair.  The umbrellas were very heavy, made with whalebone or cane ribs, mounted on a long, stout stick of about 1" in diameter and covered with a heavy cotton fabric, waterproofed by oiling or waxing. Only on a few public buildings had gutters and fall-pipes. The water simply ran off the roof into the street.  Sometimes it was collected in gutters under the attics and poured out like a miniature Niagara Falls, through the mouths of grotesque gargoyles at each corner of the building.  The choice was then either to carry one of these portable tents or get soaked wet. By 1787, the umbrella had achieved some considerable measure of popularity within a short period of time and the French ladies’ umbrellas had achieved remarkable elegance. On the continent, they were used as much as a sunshade as protection from rain.  And it is from this period and via the sunshade that umbrellas began to develop into something lighter and more graceful. This was partly due to the use of finer fabric of silk and by the substitution of lighter materials. In the late 1800's came the development of the Fox Steel Ribs and Frames, and so the modern umbrella was born.

Parasols - History of Fashion Accessories

Parasols were used in France from early in the century. In the end of the eighteenth century, the parasol’s cousins, umbrellas, were used to keep the rain off; and parasols to protect from the sun both in Britain and America. The basic umbrella was invented more than 4,000 years ago. There is evidence of umbrellas in the ancient art and artifacts of Egypt, Assyria, Greece, and China. These ancient umbrellas, or parasols, were first designed to provide shade from the sun. An umbrella or parasol is a folding canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs, which is usually mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is designed to protect a person against rain or sunlight. The word “umbrella” typically refers to a device used for protection from rain. The word parasol usually refers to an item designed to protect from the sun.
 
A parasol is defined as a light usually small umbrella carried as protection from the sun. The word parasol literally means ‘for sun’ in Spanish. The name parasol, which we know today, comes from its old Italian French name parasole, which is derived from the Italian word parare, which means prepare or ward off, and the Latin word sol, which means sun or sunlight. So, use the parasol and ward off the sun! Parasols originated in the East Indies about 5,000 years ago. In 3000 B.C., the Egyptians used parasols as a sunshade for sun protection. This was a royal privilege and bearers did the carrying. Around the 1st century B.C. the parasol spreads to ancient Rome and Greece. It took the Italian Renaissance in the 16th century to introduce the parasol to European soil. King Louis the XIV soon after brought them to France. A parasol appeared on a street corner in Windsor, Connecticut, in 1740 carried by a fashionable lady. It had been brought all the way from the West Indies and may have been the first parasol in North America.
 
Because of their high cost and limited manufacture, parasols of that early age were almost exclusively used by nobility, royalty and clergy, symbolizing wealth and power. Another very important cause of parasols popularity was the view point on beauty, which often demanded that rulers and nobility carry pale skin that was not tanned by sun, a tradition that survives even until today in Japan, where pale skin is regarded as one of the most important factors of female beauty.
 
 The parasol is most often associates with fashion trends in Victorian society in England and the United States. Perhaps the main reason for it popularity was the Victorian admiration, or even obsession for a fair complexion. It was more than a sign of beauty, it showed the world that a woman was a lady and didn’t have to work outdoors. The parasol was as a much a part of a well-dressed lady’s outfit as were her gloves, hat, shoes and stockings. A fashionable lady carried a different parasol for each outfit. They became popular gifts for men to give their ladies. Like the fan and lacy handkerchief, the parasol was both practical and helpful aid to the subtle art of flirtation. Parasols continued to increase in popularity until the Edwardian era in the early 1900s.
 
Lace parasols have had a long and rich history in Europe, especially during the 1600s and early 1900s. Apparently, it is from these eras, which saw the height of the opulence and elegance in Europe's society, that lace parasols today are associated with items of luxury, feminine class, and elegance. Nevertheless, their expensive price, women owned lace parasols in different colors to match every outfit – a long dress gown or dress with fitted top and full, heavy skirt, which was the central clothing for women at the time. When riding in a carriage, ladies would make sure that their driver pulls down the carriage's convertible top so her lace parasol is beautifully exposed.
 
While older women have long used parasols for protective purposes, it has been only recently that young women have seen them as a fashion accessory. After remaining out of fashion for about ninety years, parasols had a resurgence around 1990 as many women no longer considered it healthy or wise to be in the sun too long. Increased awareness about skin cancer contributed to the renaissance of parasols. Parasols are being carried again in increasing numbers in the U. S., Great Britain, France and especially Japan. There was an exposure in a baby showers’ trend to use the sunshade parasol as a center piece. The parasol is a true newest and oldest fashion accessory trend.

Literary Eats

If you like to read and to eat, you probably will enjoy the

Emily Dickinson's Gingerbread,

Ernest Hemingway's Picadillo,

Eudora Welty's Onion Pie and

400 + other recipes from American Authors

past and present.

 

Here is a book written by Gary Scharnhorst

entitled "Literary Eats."

Please enjoy both good reading and good food!

Devotion to Create

 

The strong sense of home: "Home, Sweet Home!"

 

Another two pieces of completely excellent expression:

"X-mas in July!"

 

Delicious beautiful production of soul-invigoration.

One word is yelling: "Yami!"

Every time I pick it up, I find the love 

for vanilla, pistachio, and chocolate flavors

of ice cream on a hot summer day.

 

Design style: flat applique 

Method: crochet

Colors: off-white, green, and brown

Accessories: buttons

Time: 30 min for each

Handmade: Ms. T. @ 2017

Oysters Rockefeller

Let me introduce you to the "Taste of Tradition" - a recipe from a collection of appetizers that are very appropriate for August's Seafood Season.

So, here is my first highlight of the ingredients:

36 oysters on the half shell        1/2 tsp. celery salt
2 c. cooked spinach                    1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. chopped onion                  6 drops Tabasco sauce
2 bay leaves                                6 T. butter
2 springs parsley                        1/2 c. bread crumbs

Now, let's move to the step-by-step instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degree
2. Place oysters on backing sheet
3. Put spinach, onion, bay leaves and parsley through food grinder or chop finely in food processor
4. Melt butter in skillet; cook spinach mixture for 5 minutes, and add bread crumbs
5.Spread spinach mixture over oysters and bake for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and serve hot.

Enjoy!

 

Home-growing parsley

 

After the Rain

 

Here I come creeping, creeping everywhere...

 

In the noisy city street

Silently creeping

And cheering the sick at heart.

 

The summer rains will pass by,

the sun will come out -

hotter as ever,

and my flowers will grow and shine

brighter as ever.

Flowers and smiles go together

as August month is ruling.

Just Before the Rain

Hot summer day. Just before the rain.

Suddenly above me, the sky got dark. The sound of thunder roaring.

The palm tree's leaves awaiting the rain.

Far away the sky is still light, but not where I am standing.

It started to drizzle.

I took a quick shot of the view and hurried up indoors.