Miss Meadows' Pearls: April 2012

Monday, April 30, 2012

Burlesque Flea Market 3.0

Yesterday the third burlesque flea market took place in Stockholm, and of course Miss Meadows was there as your very own reporter. I have a horrible cold right now, but I couldn't miss out on this!

Both burlesque artists, vintage sellers, hat makers, jewelry creators etc had come to sell their stuff!

It got extremely hot after a while, so a bathing suit was probably the best thing you could wear...

Amongst all the corsets, dresses, shoes and jewelry there were also pasties made by Lady Francescca...

...And hats by Marika Smith!

Every hour, on the hour, there were burlesque performances! The lovely Fräulein Frauke was our conférencière!

Photo: Jenny Thornell

Foto: Jenny Thornell

But she also performed for us!

Then there was a fashion show with corsets from Viola Lahger.

Since I know most of the people who performed I was lucky enough to be able to sneak backstage, where I could eat my lunch in peace and quiet, try on Fräulein Frauke's head piece...

...and take a pre-performance picture of Lady Francescca.

And this is what she looks like taking her clothes off - marvelous!

The only thing I managed to buy though, was a white cardigan covered with pearls. It's actually from H&M and not vintage at all! But I have been looking for something like this, and it was a complete bargain!

Friday, April 27, 2012

Fabergé Friday

Imperial Easter Egg number thirty seven: The "Alexander Palace Egg", from 1809!

This egg is carved from Siberian nephrite. The surface has then been divided by five diamond studded lines, which are connected to each other by gold garlands inlaid with rose and ruby flowers. Between the vertical lines are five oval miniature portraits of Tsar Nicholas II's children, framed by rose-cut diamonds. Over each of them is also a diamond-set monogram. On the inside of the egg are written the names and birth dates (based on the Old Style calendar) on the back of each child's portrait: "Olga" - November 3, 1859, "Tatiana" - May 29, 1897, "Maria" - June 14, 1899, "Anastasia" - June 5, 1901, "Alexei" - July 30, 1904. On top and bottom of the egg are set triangular diamonds, bearing the initials "A.F." (Alexandra Feodorovna). The original stand has been lost, and the present one was made at the Moscow experimental jewelry factory in 1989.

When opened up, the egg reveals the surprise - a tiny replica of the Imperial family's favorite residence at Tsarskoye Selo, the Alexander Palace!

As usual when it comes to Fabergé's work, the miniature is extremely detailed. It is made out of tinted gold, with a green enamel roof and rock crystal windows.

The replica stands on a round "table" with five narrow legs. The inscription "The Palace at Sarskoye Selo" is engraved on the base.

The Alexander Palace was built in 1769, by the Italian architect Giacomo Quarenghi., for Catherine the Great's favorite grandson, Grand Duke Alexander Pavlovich, who would become Tsar Alexander I. Later the palace became the principal residence of Tsar Nicholas II and his family.

Ok. Just had to show you this picture too! This is Alexander I's bedroom in the palace. Sweet dreams...

The "Alexander Palace Egg" never left Russia, and is one of ten Imperial Easter Eggs which are held at the Kremlin Armory in moscow.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Tim Walker

Tim Walker has been photographing for different magazines for a long time. For Vogue he has worked for over a decade. His style is characterized by extravagant staging and romantic motifs. I love his pictures, and as usual when I see something that catches my eye more than usual, I have to share it with my readers. So here comes some his recent work, starting with a self portrait of the master himself!