Sunday, January 17, 2010

A Year in the Making, Day 136

Red and Gold Steampunk Lolita Parasol




Red and Gold Parasol by *dbvictoria on deviantART

When Madeleine was a child, she was always drawn to bright colors, in part because her clothing was always so drab. Her mother took in washing for ladies, some of them of the "soiled dove" variety.

Madeleine was fascinated by their clothing, and made the mistake of telling her mother that some day she would have clothing like this. Her mother, horrified, told her that they were not acceptable wear for "proper ladies." Madeleine earned a thorough thrashing and was sent to bed without dinner when she announced that if this was the case, she had no interest in becoming a proper lady.

As she grew, she showed a good hand at mending and sewing, and managed to apprentice herself to a seamstress. She turned part of her wages into cloth, out of which she made herself outfits in the bright colors she so loved. Brightly garbed, but still in a stylish and modest fashion, she began earning commissions, and was soon living quite comfortably. In time, she was able to open her own shop, and earned modest renown in the area for her work.

Her mother, of course, was quite willing to capitalize on her daughter's success, despite the fact that it was dependent on those resplendent colors that she had professed to abhor.

This parasol was one of her early creations, and while well-loved for years, it has fallen into disuse, and so she has asked me to market it for you here.

1 comment:

GrandmaMarilyn said...

Love the colors. So vibrant. Love the story with it.