Category Archive: Fashion
“Completely Wanton”
Encyclopedia of the Exquisite‘s entry on Heels focuses on how Marilyn Monroe wore them with such va-va-voom back in the mid-20th century. In Niagara, a film noir shot in 1952, she played a vixen with a walk so provocative that…
What’s a Diva to Do?
Reading about the great Italian ceramics designer Piero Fornasetti and his series of 350 plates all based on the same beautiful face, I got curious about his inspiration, the legendary beauty and turn-of-the-century Italian opera star Lina Cavalieri (1874-1944). (You can…
Leona Dare, a Mega-muse
Leona Dare (1855-1922), one of Encyclopedia of the Exquisite‘s brightest stars, is someone you should know. She was a circus queen in the late 19th century, thrilling audiences across Europe and around the world by going up in a hot-air…
Silken Petals
If I lived nearer to the Paris flea market I’d start collecting antique silk flowers, of the sort that used to bedeck the world’s prettiest hats. It’s said that in 1775 Marie Antoinette was presented with a silk rosebud that…
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