If I could go back in time, well there would be a lot of things I would like to do, but one of them would definitely be performing as a Ziegfield Follies girl. Probably for obvious reasons this appeals to me. One, being the dancing and entertaining, and two, the costuming! How amazing would it be to get to wear these beautiful babies!? Intricate craftsmanship like this always takes my breath away. Someone spent lengthy periods hand sewing sequined appliques for costumes and creating incredible bead work, that I can only imagine in this time period (1907-1931) would take hours upon hours. And that doesn’t even touch upon the pattern making and sewing of the costumes themselves. From what I know about sewing tutus (watching my mom sew me a bajillion of them growing up) it truly takes time and patience. Whether it be a romantic, classical or platter tutu, they all take a great deal of skill. In this case, practice truly does make perfect. I think my mother had her tutu skills down pat by the time I left my dance studio and moved to this big ol’ city.
There are so many things I would love to teach myself to do. Bead work and crafting appliques is one that really stands out in my mind. Even if I would have nowhere to wear these things, even if they just hung on my walls, I imagine it would feel incredibly gratifying.
If you have never heard of Ziegfield Follies, you should check em out. It’s worth a gander and a few good reads. And maybe even check out the movie Ziegfield Follies. It’s full of the very best when musical theater was at it’s prime! Fred Astaire!
*most of these photos came from this lovely tumblr
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