Dorothy Brush "Random Thoughts" Published April 27, 2005

Hats took center stage at royal wedding

Popular as reality shows have become on television, they took a back seat to the really real stories that played out in Rome with the Pope's funeral and the announcement of the new Pope. Such medieval pageantry was stunning and breath taking.

Shortly after the scene shifted to London for the royal wedding. There again was a dramatic event filled with pomp and tradition. For all the women lucky enough to be invited it was the opportunity to dress in the latest fashion. In the late 1800s author Sir William Osler observed, "It is the prime duty of a woman of this terrestrial world to look well." Had he been around in 2005 to view the royal wedding, he would have known nothing has changed. As the cameras roamed over the distinguished guest it was apparent that women had performed their prime duty in dressing for the occasion.

But it was not the costumes that caught the most attention but the chapeaux that fascinated viewers. Feathers, feathers and more feathers adorned these creations. There were arrow-like feathers, gold sprayed feathers and natural pheasant feathers. Queen Elizabeth wore a hat decorated with a very simple spray of feathers. The bride wore two different hats. For the civil ceremony she wore a large hat of natural straw but enveloped in ivory French lace and a fountain of feathers. For the church ceremony her head-dress was simpler but gold-leafed feathers were tipped with diamonds - Swarovski diamonds!

Another English writer, Joseph Addison, wrote in the 1700s, "There is not so variable a thing in nature as a lady's head-dress." All these women seemed to agree.

There was a reason for this display of feathers. It seems the emblem of the Duke of Wales includes feathers prominently in its design. The guests were saluting the title.

There was one fashion statement that puzzled me. The queen wore a white or very light colored dress with black gloves. True, her shoes and purse were black but the starkness of the black gloves against the light dress made me wonder if she was making a Freudian statement.

As long as the subject is fashion have you noticed the great number of blouses that have long sleeves ending in flounces. They are very feminine but I wonder how one manages these pretty ruffles while eating. Stained with soup of gravy they would not look very good.

Another recent innovation is extra long pants that dangle over the shoe. How does the wearer keep from getting tangled in that extra yardage? Some unknown once opined, "One had as good be out of the world as out of the fashion" and so in this case if you happen to fall down and get injured at least you are dressed fashionably.

The always popular blue jeans have been upgraded to designer denims. Spring styles are sporting colorful embroidery, funky patches and, gasp, Swarovski crystals on their back pockets. White jeans are the hot item for spring. More designers are using salvaged 40-year-old denim or denim from Japan. Worn and torn jeans filled with holes, ink stains and sewn-in patches are very popular. Price tags for these designer duds range from $72 to $145!

"Bags," more commonly known as pocket books, are status symbols this spring. Louis Vuitton has designed a denim bag to carry with jeans. Depending on the exotic trim, natural leather or red alligator, the price varies from $995 to $5,000! Balenciaga offers a canvas bag which has some celebs ga-ga. I said canvas and the price $465 to $1,385.

Such foolishness has been around a long time. Shakespeare had some words for it. "New customs though they be never so ridiculous, yet are follow'd."

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Dorothy Copus Brush is a Fairfield Glade resident and Crossville Chronicle staffwriter whose column is published each Wednesday.