I am delighted to have kindled a friendship (via MySpace) with the charming Countess of Beaumont, also known as Lady Pearl Elizabeth Chester of Sissingford Manor. The Countess's dressing room is a trove of elegant decadence from the past century - an aesthetic that has resurged in today's Lolita fashion. She has kindly permitted me to share some of her treasures, in the hope that they will lift your imagination away "to magical worlds, secret hideaways, dark corners and exciting flights of fancy."
The ribbon-trimmed bloomers are darling; don't be surprised to find them under a Lolita's skirt! The Countess and I are fond of feather fans, especially if they're made of lush pink ostrich plumes. Also pictured are an antique cameo brooch, pale blue "lace" earrings, and a reproduced Edwardian shoe.
Designs by Baby, The Stars Shine Bright are only a few steps removed from the Countess's Victorian cotton petticoat, Edwardian tea gown, and late Victorian undergarment with a J.Lo bustle.
The above 1796 illustration by Hannah Humphrey is my model for living! As the Countess puts it: "You can often find me sitting in my favourite gold and pink chair, fluttering a fan. I daydream for hours, thinking, musing and fantasising. Life is so fleeting... we should enjoy every sensation while we can."
She invites you to visit her manor for Earl Gray, pink champagne, marshmallows, and other genteel titillation. You'll certainly be hearing my skirts rustling and dainty shoes tip-tapping on her wooden floors!
