...I only *look* like I ran off to join the circus.
This Chessa Davis skirt is impossible to accessorise. I'm not typically a fan of the, "less is more" thinking, but I didn't think the skirt required competition for attention.
Yep, there's a lot going on there. Wild as the skirt looks, Chessa Davis didn't make clothes for hippies-these were for well-off socialites and the like. First Lady Betty Ford wore Chessa Davis clothing, though I'm sure with a ruffly blouse and roller-set hair the overall look would be a bit more sophisticated. I'm about as sophisticated as a sack of spuds.
I love the signed clay trinkets hanging off the skirt. They're fragile, but can be removed for laundering. I'm amazed they survived intact this long.
Oh no, that hemline doesn't scream, "clown" at all. Not one bit.
Outfit Particulars:
Chessa Davis skirt, Thrift World, Millard
Black Top-Gordman's (years ago)
Earrings-World Market (also about 10 years ago)
Rings-All over the place
Bright red bangle (weighs a TONNE) Goodwill
I ordered the new shower curtain. I'll just bet you're shaking with excitement. I know I am.
6 comments:
I'm GAGGING for the new shower cutain, preferably with you wrapped in it!
That skirt is AMAZING. Yep, it doesn't need anything distracting from it's amazingness!
XXX
If only you could get a shower curtain in a multitude of prints like that amazing skirt! Clay trinkets? That's crazy, but I like it!
PS. Pattern on its way. xxx
@Curtise
*jumping up and down with excitement*
Thank you hon!
WOW!
Boho chic for the rich & famous in the 70's.
"Chessa Davis was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico into an old Spanish land-grant family. Her first career was as an actress, having been discovered at age 12 by Charles Laughton. She appeared in many films & hundreds of TV shows. She first got into fashion by giving her husband, Ellis Kadison, some wardrobe advice on a film he was making.
But what really got her design career into high gear was a peasant skirt she made for herself to wear to a party. A Beverly Hills shop owner ordered 6 on the spot & they sold out immediately. She made her garage into a workshop & hired seamstresses to make the unique skirts, which were based on old peddler skirts. Historically, they were stitched together out of odds & ends of fabrics & embellishments were added. These skirts then became popular among the rich, who tried to outdo each other by adding more & more ornaments, including intricate needlework patches, wedding rings, baby spoons, thimbles, rings & coins.
In the early 1970s these Peddler’s Cloak skirts, being manufactured in California by WW Duke, became wildly popular among the bohemians & artists. Thousands of them sold around the world, making Chessa famous for this rich peasant style. Some of the names of the skirts were Tinker Frau, Aunt Goldie, Captain’s Daughter & Georgetown. They were made in panels & included patchworks in cotton, gauze, lace & velvet. Many of the skirts came with blouses & sashes. Quoting Chessa: “they are romantic, feminine, comfortable, yet not a costume. And they make a woman look & feel young”. Some of her customers were Princess Grace, Dinah Shore, Mary Tyler Moore & Betty Ford."
From the Vintage Fashion Guild .org
Gorgeous skirt, not a circus one at all, that would have hoops in it! New shower curtain? Look out!!
Oops!
I almost forgot.
I'd like to invite you & your readers to visit a blog that belongs to a friend of mine-
thedreamstress.com
It belongs to Leimomi a Kiwi whom is a textile historian, seamstress, designer, speaker and museum professional.
She discusses fashion history, her historical sewing projects, her vintage finds, & every Wednesday she has 'rate the dress' where she posts an iconic dress of various eras & we critique.
See ya there!
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