Fashion Article Series

1900s: The Feathered Hat

I've always been interested in Fashion and comparing current trends with those from long ago. Using the forum of this blog, I wish to explore styles from a particular period within history and how they have inspired 21st century designers. So every week, I'm going to write about a different topic within the broad realm of "fashion" and hopefully you can learn something new along the way, too!


Many contemporary Fashion Designers base their designs on past styles to create the most fascinating and unexpected clothing. This week I wanted to focus on feathers within fashion - starting with 'the feathered hat.'

Image of 'The Plume Bloom'

This trend soon went out of fashion when the First World War broke out as it was frowned upon to wear these hats in a time when so many were sacrificing so much to end the war. Today, feathers adorn many fashion garments and are widely used on catwalks all over the world - as seen in the image below.

Hats have been worn for centuries; starting in the medieval times when women had to cover their hair because the church considered it improper otherwise. If we jump forward to the early 20th century, it became extremely popular for hats to increase in scale and extravagance through the use of feathers; this was called the "Plume Bloom." Interestingly, taxidermied birds were often used to create this hat - which resulted in not only the decrease in the bird population, but the extinction of some birds!

Modern Day Feathered Garment

Written by: Rebecca Eames [Principal Blogger]

Have A Great Week!

This 'Classic Joke Wednesday' is all about ART..

It's Monday Which Means It's Time For Some Motivation!

 

I chose these quotes because they really inspired me; I hope they inspire you too!

Written by: Beth Eames

From 10 words, could you create an interesting story?

I had been on the plane for approximately fifteen minutes. My city was still visible through the low hung clouds and the sunlight was shining on all of the rooftops. I was slightly uncomfortable sat next to a strange man; he didn’t talk to anyone and looked very nervous. He was wearing weird clothes, and a hat which was hiding his face. Perhaps I was being paranoid but as the flight went on, my suspicion grew. He was always looking at his watch like if he was waiting for something. Sometimes he was looking around for something or someone.

By this time I had been on the plane for two hours, and nothing out of the ordinary had happened. The pilot announced that we were going to land shortly and ask that we put on our seatbelts. I could hear the landing gear come down and felt really relieved that the flight was coming to an end. At that moment, the man sitting next to me removed his seatbelt and stood up between the aisles. Five other people also stood up. Two of them went to the cockpit, and the other four pulled out guns. Everyone was afraid. The two who went to the cockpit killed three flight attendants before entering the cockpit. Forced by the terrorists, the pilot announced that the direction was going to change and that we will arrive in London in half an hour.

The terrorists then explained to us that they were members of a gang called, “Second Waves,” and that England had organized an attack two months prior against their gang and had killed five of their members. So to avenge the deaths of their friends, they have decided to wage war on the British parliament. The plane started to move in all directions and I heard a shot; the terrorist that was in the cockpit announced that he had killed the pilot. My mind grew wild with fear wondering if there was anyone onboard who could fly the plane. All of a sudden, the plane started to go down… 

Written by: Baptiste Faure

It was eight o’clock in the morning and I was on a plane bound for Amsterdam. I could see my city through the window and I realized how sad I was to be leaving. However, the agreeable sunlight make me feel much more comfortable. Observing the rooftops and the different landscapes below, I couldn’t help but think about my new life in Amsterdam. I will have to get new friends, and get used to my new identity; never mentioning my old life again. Thinking about all of this change made me feel anxious as I wouldn’t be able to make any mistakes because my life was at stake. My husband was a cruel and powerful man who was probably doing everything he could to find me.

The pilot announced that the landing gear was about to descend, and we would soon be arriving in Amsterdam. Through the low-hung clouds I could distinguish skyscrapers in the distance , and I felt so relieved to finally be far away from “him.” Curious about what “good bye” was in Dutch, I reached for my dictionary - when all of the sudden, I heard His voice behind me whisper my name, “Elena!” 

                                                            Written by: Manon Faure

Anne Frank's Story

"We aren’t allowed to have any opinions. People can tell you to keep your mouth shut, but it doesn’t stop you having your own opinion. Even if people are still very young, they shouldn’t be prevented from saying what they think.”  

To mark the Holocaust Memorial Day, I wanted to write an article on a girl whose life was turned upside down during World War I. Her name was Anne Frank; here's her story:

Anne Frank was a Jewish girl who went into hiding during World War I to avoid being captured by the Nazis. Together with seven others, she hid in the secret annex of her father's business in Amsterdam. After two years in hiding, they were discovered and deported to different concentration camps. Her father, Otto Frank, was the only one out of eight of them to survive. After her death, Anne Frank became world famous because of the diary she wrote while in hiding.

On her thirteenth birthday, Anne Frank’s parents gave her this diary. She was excited because she wanted something she could write her secrets in but within a month, her entire life changed. Anne’s adolescence was spent hidden away from the outside world. She lived in a tiny room and often heard gunfire and bombs. Although they had tons of reading material and a radio, she spent her time studying and writing. 

Anne became very close with a boy called Peter van Daan and she came to see Peter as much more than a friend. However, two short months after Anne’s fifteenth birthday, and two days after her last diary entry, they're discovered. No one knows Anne’s thoughts or feelings at that point or any time after, but we know things got worse.

Today, people from all around the world travel to Amsterdam (address: Prinsengracht 263-267, 1016 GV Amsterdam, Netherlands) to visit Anne Frank's house and see first-hand where she would have lived in during the war. Some day I hope to go to Anne Frank's house and walk up that tiny staircase leading to her room.

- Rebecca Eames [Principal Blogger]

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

In 1931, the Surrealist artist, Salvador Dali, created a painting bursting with symbolism and timeless allegories. This hypnotic painting was called, “The Persistence of Memory,” and captures the landscapes within one's dreams.

In our Art and Design class this week, we were asked to create our own 3D clocks inspired by Dali's painting. We all approached the project slightly differently - each clock varying in shape, size, colour and design.

The class enjoyed this project because we had never done sculpture before and it was really exciting being able to shape the clocks in our hands. With the left-over material, the class got to use their imagination and make whatever they wanted! I personally had so much fun and it was my favourite art class so far.

- BETH EAMES

The hidden secrets of a blue hole..

Image of a Blue Hole In The Bahamas

Blue holes are round, underwater caves in the Earth that were formed during the Ice Age when the water rose to 100-120 meters causing the caves to fill. These caves can be found in low-lying coastal regions all over the world, including: The Bahamas, Belize, Australia, Egypt and Guam [a small island in the Pacific.] 

Scientists have actually been able to extract minerals from the 400ft deep Blue Hole in Belize to help uncover the truth behind the extinction of the ancient Mayan Civilization; proving the theory that drought and climate change were behind it.

The Mayan civilization was responsible for building great pyramids, developing the art of astronomy, creating a hieroglyphic writing system and formulating a complex calender system.

Image of Mayan Hieroglyphics

Here's some, 'did you know' trivia about Blue Holes:

#1 - It is uncommon for sea creatures to live in Blue Holes because of the lack of oxygen.

#2 - The deepest blue hole in the world is in Pozzo del Maire, Italy and measures at 392 meters in depth. 

#3 - Many interesting and bizarre things have been found in Blue Holes: the skeletal remains of tribes and carcasses of crocodiles, birds and turtles.

#4 - Where the salt water and fresh water meet is called the 'hallocine.'

#5 - Blue holes have the ability to preserve bones just as well as a museum because of the lack of oxygen!

Want to know more? Here's a phenomenal video documentary about blue holes:

                                                                                        Article written by: Beth Eames

Sources for this article:

http://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/belizes-blue-hole-reveals-clues-mayas-climate-doom-n276296

http://www.incredipedia.info/2009/06/blue-holes-bahamas.html 

Motivational Monday!

Sage words from four wise men:

Albert Einstein was a German-born Physicist who created the Theory of Relativity!

Nikola Tesla developed the alternating- current electrical system that's widely used today!

Thomas Edison created the light bulb and the phonograph!

Isaac newton was an English Physicist and Mathematician who became famous for his findings on the Law of Gravitation.