All Photos By Gail
Humor: That quality in an expression of ideas which appeals to a sense of the ludicrous or absurdly incongruous; a comic or amusing quality.
Christian Francis Roth brings both wit and flawless workmanship to his designs; as Roth himself noted, without quality the humor of his fashions would fall flat.
Continue reading Eye On Design: Christian Francis Roth, Crayon Dress
All Photos By Gail
This is the Place Heritage Park is a Utah State Park located on the east side of Salt Lake City, at the foot of the Wasatch Range and near the mouth of Emigration Canyon. The park’s location is where, on July 24, 1847, Brigham Young first saw the Salt Lake Valley, which would soon become the new home for the Mormon pioneers.
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe Young had a vision shortly after they were exiled from Nauvoo, Illinois. In the vision, he saw the place where the Latter-day Saints would settle and “make the desert blossom like a rose” and where they would build their State of Deseret. As the account goes, Young was very sick with Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and was riding in the back of a wagon. After exiting Emigration Canyon and cresting a small hill, he asked to look out of the wagon. Those with him opened the canvas cover and propped him up so he could see the empty desert valley below. He then proclaimed, “It is enough. This is the right place. Drive on.” The words, “this is the place,” were soon heard throughout the wagon train as the Mormon pioneers descended into the valley, their long journey having come to an end. A Utah state holiday, Pioneer Day, occurs each year on July 24 to commemorate the entry of the Mormon pioneers into the valley.
This Is The Place (1990), a fun and colorful painting by local Salt Lake City artist Susannah Kirby pays tribute to Young (who is seen at the top left side of the canvas) and his famous declaration, while also including nods and winks to various notable Salt Lake City facts and figures, including actress Loretta Young (no relation Brigham), depicted on the top right side of the painting. You can also spot diverse visual references to things Utah is known for, including Snelgrove ice cream parlors, the Native American tribe Ute (from which the state takes it’s name), and the Framed ‘Home Sweet Home’ slogan over a Beehive, as Utah is the Beehive State. Meticulously reconstructed skeletal remains of the dinosaurs seen roaming freely in the foreground are now on display in Salt Lake City’s Natural History Museum of Utah.
Photographed in the Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA) in Salt Lake City.
All Photos By Gail
Technically, a parabola is a symmetrically mirrored U-shape. Pierre Cardin began working with the parabola in the 1950s, particularly in the 1957 Lasso collection. With the introduction of stretch fabrics and hoops in the 1960s, those sweeping, graceful parabolic drapes became amplified, evolving into ellipses and cones. Continue reading Eye On Design: Parabolic Evening Gown by Pierre Cardin
Photo By Gail
Have you heard the expression, “I want to be Barbie, because the bitch has everything!” It is so true, and one of her prize possessions is a Pink Motor Home which is, in fact, a bit magical. Barbie’s Magical Motor Home is somewhat like a Transformer, in that converts from its van-like original form into both a sporty Jeep (for off-roading activity) and a “luxury home” for glamping! Barbie’s Motor Home has evolved over the years but this one is circa 1990 and currently sells on eBay and similar collectors’ auction sites for hundreds of dollars.
Photographed as part of Trenton Doyle Hancock’s Mind of The Mound: Critical Mass, on View Through October 31st, 2019 at MASS MoCA in North Adams, MA.
All Photos By Gail
Dennis Tompkins and Michael Bush, who were Michael Jackson’s longtime costume designers, were asked to create a pair of Metal Cowboy Boots (circa 1990) for Jackson. The designers found inspiration in sabatons, the part of a knight’s armor that protected the foot. The singer wore these boots to the White House in April of 1990 to received the Artist of the Decade award from President George H.W. Bush.
Photographed in the Autry National Center in Los Angeles.
