with the fashion!”
I’m generally not a flamboyant dresser and firmly believe that a little black dress goes a long way. I noticed no black garments, however, among those present. Going all Audrey Hepburn on Kat seemed ill-advised, so I didn’t comment on the omission andset about selecting some garments around which to build my outfit.
Some plum-colored velvet sleeves caught my eye; I lifted them to take a closer look.
“Dolly,” Kat said softly, fingering some sapphire-blue damask pieces, “take a closer look at
these
. They would be pure magic with your chestnut hair and brown eyes!”
The way the fabric scintillated in Kat’s hands was magic indeed. On closer inspection, I could see that it was generously embroidered with metallic thread.
“A beautiful effect,” I admitted, “but maybe a little too showy for a humble college professor such as myself. I think it would be best for me to dress simply if I am to be meeting with the great Gloriana of fashion, Elizabeth I. It wouldn’t do for her to think that I was trying to show her up, fashion wise.”
“Ha! As if you stood the slimmest of chances of doing that!” Kat said, laughing heartily.
“I suppose you are right, Kat; fat chance of me showing up Elizabeth I!”
“Snowball’s chance in hell of you achieving that level of elegance and élan, Dolly.”
“You may not fancy my chances, Kat, but perhaps you would be kind enough to humor my fancy. That plum color is just too pretty for me to let it go.”
“Well, I’d love to see you in the blue, Dolly. My poppet, when people started starching their ruffs blue, issued an edict against the use of blue starch because blue was the color of Scotland. It made people reluctant to wear blue at all. It meant that some lovely garments, such as this one, were consigned to oblivion for a long time. Now that my poppet is in a place where old politicsdon’t matter, I think we can bring the blue out without risking upsetting her.”
“Yes, Kat, but the rich plum color of those sleeves—it is speaking to me!”
“Well, then, I suppose you should listen to what it says,” said Kat, holding up the sumptuous sleeves. As I fingered the rich fabric, I realized that the sleeves had slits in them.
“We could put a damask chemise beneath the sleeves, Dolly, and pull it through the slits for a puff-and-slash effect. Imagine that, combined with the blue of the kirtle and gown I chose for you!”
I could indeed imagine the combination. “The outfit would be very like the one worn by the sitter in Titian’s
La Bella
, Kat!”
“Really?” said Kat.
“You are not impressed, are you?” I asked her.
“
La Bella
is nothing next to the portraiture of my poppet!
The Pelican Portrait
!
The Phoenix Portrait
!”
“I know those two portraits well, Kat, and I must admit they are spectacular. One doesn’t know where to look for the jewels, the embroidery, and the embellishments in general. So much texture, color, and symbolism! Such conspicuous consumption, with the Pelican and Armada jewels prominently featured. Hilliard certainly did Queen Elizabeth I—your poppet—proud in those works of art!”
“And Gowers’s portraits of her, of course, further amplified her glory.”
“Yes, indeed, Kat, with everything Hilliard had and then some! Such creative use of props! Who’d have thought to paint a portrait of the queen of England with a sieve?”
“It was a fitting tribute to the woman known as the virgin queen!” Kat said with spirit.
“Of course, Kat; it was a skillful allusion indeed to Petrarch’s story of a vestal virgin who proves her chastity by carrying water in a sieve and not spilling a drop. Some trick!”
“And what Marcus Gheeraerts did for my Elizabeth’s image! Outstanding!”
“If you say
outstanding
, you must be talking about the
Ditchley Portrait
, Kat. The uber-farthingale that Elizabeth wore in one that was something, wasn’t it? It must have stuck out a yard. And from a
I’m generally not a flamboyant dresser and firmly believe that a little black dress goes a long way. I noticed no black garments, however, among those present. Going all Audrey Hepburn on Kat seemed ill-advised, so I didn’t comment on the omission andset about selecting some garments around which to build my outfit.
Some plum-colored velvet sleeves caught my eye; I lifted them to take a closer look.
“Dolly,” Kat said softly, fingering some sapphire-blue damask pieces, “take a closer look at
these
. They would be pure magic with your chestnut hair and brown eyes!”
The way the fabric scintillated in Kat’s hands was magic indeed. On closer inspection, I could see that it was generously embroidered with metallic thread.
“A beautiful effect,” I admitted, “but maybe a little too showy for a humble college professor such as myself. I think it would be best for me to dress simply if I am to be meeting with the great Gloriana of fashion, Elizabeth I. It wouldn’t do for her to think that I was trying to show her up, fashion wise.”
“Ha! As if you stood the slimmest of chances of doing that!” Kat said, laughing heartily.
“I suppose you are right, Kat; fat chance of me showing up Elizabeth I!”
“Snowball’s chance in hell of you achieving that level of elegance and élan, Dolly.”
“You may not fancy my chances, Kat, but perhaps you would be kind enough to humor my fancy. That plum color is just too pretty for me to let it go.”
“Well, I’d love to see you in the blue, Dolly. My poppet, when people started starching their ruffs blue, issued an edict against the use of blue starch because blue was the color of Scotland. It made people reluctant to wear blue at all. It meant that some lovely garments, such as this one, were consigned to oblivion for a long time. Now that my poppet is in a place where old politicsdon’t matter, I think we can bring the blue out without risking upsetting her.”
“Yes, Kat, but the rich plum color of those sleeves—it is speaking to me!”
“Well, then, I suppose you should listen to what it says,” said Kat, holding up the sumptuous sleeves. As I fingered the rich fabric, I realized that the sleeves had slits in them.
“We could put a damask chemise beneath the sleeves, Dolly, and pull it through the slits for a puff-and-slash effect. Imagine that, combined with the blue of the kirtle and gown I chose for you!”
I could indeed imagine the combination. “The outfit would be very like the one worn by the sitter in Titian’s
La Bella
, Kat!”
“Really?” said Kat.
“You are not impressed, are you?” I asked her.
“
La Bella
is nothing next to the portraiture of my poppet!
The Pelican Portrait
!
The Phoenix Portrait
!”
“I know those two portraits well, Kat, and I must admit they are spectacular. One doesn’t know where to look for the jewels, the embroidery, and the embellishments in general. So much texture, color, and symbolism! Such conspicuous consumption, with the Pelican and Armada jewels prominently featured. Hilliard certainly did Queen Elizabeth I—your poppet—proud in those works of art!”
“And Gowers’s portraits of her, of course, further amplified her glory.”
“Yes, indeed, Kat, with everything Hilliard had and then some! Such creative use of props! Who’d have thought to paint a portrait of the queen of England with a sieve?”
“It was a fitting tribute to the woman known as the virgin queen!” Kat said with spirit.
“Of course, Kat; it was a skillful allusion indeed to Petrarch’s story of a vestal virgin who proves her chastity by carrying water in a sieve and not spilling a drop. Some trick!”
“And what Marcus Gheeraerts did for my Elizabeth’s image! Outstanding!”
“If you say
outstanding
, you must be talking about the
Ditchley Portrait
, Kat. The uber-farthingale that Elizabeth wore in one that was something, wasn’t it? It must have stuck out a yard. And from a
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