Whoa!
What, you say?
This is a Western blog. Out west, people, including the ladies, weren't big into frou-frou like they were back east.
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| 1880's Fall Outdoors Fashion Plate |
In the West, women had to be tough. They had to work hard. They had to be practical.
They also were the civilizers of the West. Many of them came from the East. They brought their religious and character values, and their social skills, and their fashions with them.
In the 1870's and 1880's, that included not only bustles, but frou-frou.
Frou-frou, as in lace and buttons and ribbons and feathers and ruffles and ruching and pleats and fancy hair combs and a host of other gew-gaws -- personal decorations to boggle the Western male mind.
In the 1870's and 1880's, they brought frou-frou hair. Not just hair piled up on their head in curls or braids, but also covered with a hat intended to entertain the eye of the beholder for hours. Please notice the hair curled in a high chignon behind the lovely bonnet:
And for special occasions, such as a dinner with the town mayor--whether he wore a stylish plaid business suit and derby, or dusty cowboy boots and a Stetson--the piled-up hair of the hostess emulated Eastern designs found in the latest issue of Godey's Magazine, and was decorated with frou-frou.
What prompted my interest in hair and all its frou-frou was the cover reveal of my latest novel that will be released next week, Dead Set Delphinia:
The hair drew the most negative comments: "Disconcerting."
"Helmet hair."
Yup! It does look a little like the good ol' beehive of my salad years. Not really late 1870's-early 1880's style.
Or is it?
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| 1870-1880 hair accessories |
Add some frou-frou, and whallah! Period-correct hair.
I pay attention to constructive criticism. After doing a little photoshopping and pulling from the frou-frou on my heroine's skirt, here is my REVISED cover reveal:
This fancy outfit, complete with frou-frou from her hair to her toes, is just right for my recently "from back East" Delphinia who shows up at the harvest dance held in Jubilee Springs, a backwoods Western mining town, especially when she thinks she has deliberately worn an outdated and understated gown to the event.
Dead Set Delphinia is not on preorder, but is scheduled to be released next Tuesday, September 26th. On that day it will be available at the release day price of $.99. After release day, the price will be raised to its usual amount. It will also be available for Kindle Unlimited. This is Book 11, and my fourth book, in the Sweethearts of Jubilee Springs series.
Here is an excerpt:
Bennett
raised his eyes from her boots with their two inch high heels to her face only
to discover her attention had focused on him. “Good morning, ma’am. May I help
you with something?”
“It’s
Miss. This store has some lovely pieces. Too bad your employer has not required
you to better maintain the showroom. These sets would be far more appealing to
potential buyers if they were arranged by wood type and style in a manner that
would allow a person to visualize them in a home setting. And although I’ve
noticed there is an inordinate amount of dust in this town, perhaps more
frequent use of a broom and dusting cloth would also help.”
Bennett
tipped his head and raised an eyebrow as he watched her once again focus on a
dining room sideboard made of walnut and stained dark. He knew all these
things. He had particularly been painfully aware of every failing she had
mentioned, especially once Gerald Shumaker had warned him he would be bringing
in his wife to look at dining sets in the next few days. However, who did this woman he had never seen
around town until now think she was, waltzing into his store and telling him
how to manage this showroom?
“I’m not
the clerk; I’m the owner, Bennett Nighy.
I have three novellas
in the Sweethearts of Jubilee Springs series available.
Book 3: Aaron’sAnnulment Bride
Book 6: Cat's Meow
Book 7: Bargain Bessie
~o0o~
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