Quote of the Day (Henry Adams, on How a June Day Inspired a Fashion Designer)

“One afternoon in early June of the preceding summer, Mr. Worth had received a letter on the part of the reigning favourite of the King of Dahomey, directing him to create for her a ball-dress that should annihilate and utterly destroy with jealousy and despair the hearts of her seventy-five rivals; she was young and beautiful; expense was not a consideration. Such were the words of her chamberlain. All that night, the great genius of the nineteenth century tossed wakefully on his bed revolving the problem in his mind. Visions of flesh-coloured tints shot with blood-red perturbed his brain, but he fought against and dismissed them; that combination would be commonplace in Dahomey. When the first rays of sunlight showed him the reflection of his careworn face in the plate-glass mirrored ceiling, he rose and, with an impulse of despair, flung open the casements. There before his blood-shot eyes lay the pure, still, new-born, radiant June morning. With a cry of inspiration the great man leaned out of the casement and rapidly caught the details of his new conception. Before ten o'clock he was again at his bureau in Paris. An imperious order brought to his private room every silk, satin, and gauze within the range of pale pink, pale crocus, pale green, silver and azure. Then came chromatic scales of colour; combinations meant to vulgarise the rainbow; sinfonies and fugues; the twittering of birds and the great peace of dewy nature; maidenhood in her awakening innocence; "The Dawn in June." The Master rested content.” —U.S. historian, novelist, and descendant of Presidents Henry Adams (1838-1918), Democracy: An American Novel (1880)

Quote of the Day (Cyndi Lauper, on Her Transformation Into an ‘80s Influencer)

“People used to throw rocks at me for my clothes. Now they wanna know where I buy them, right? Doesn’t that seem weird to you?”—Rock ‘n’ roll singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper, quoted in Kurt Loder, “Cyndi Lauper: Dream Girl,” Rolling Stone, May 24, 1984

Quote of the Day (Anthony Trollope, on a Great Adornment to Curls)

“One of her instructors in fashion had given her to understand that curls were not the thing. ‘They'll always pass muster,’ Miss Dunstable had replied, ‘when they are done up with bank notes.’" ―Anthony Trollope, Doctor Thorne (1858)

Quote of the Day (Lupita Nyong'o, on the Red Carpet as a ‘War Zone’)

"The red carpet feels like a war zone, except you cannot fly or fight; you just have to stand there and take it.” —Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o, quoted in “Yes, I Did Say That!”, The Hollywood Reporter, July 4-18, 2014

Very helpful to remember, as the Oscar races begin again…

TV Quote of the Day (‘Freaks and Geeks,’ With Teen Superstud Fashions, 1980)

Neal Schweiber (played by Samm Levine) [seeing friend Sam Weir in the Parisian nightsuit] “Oh, my God. I guess Elvis hasn't left the building.”

Bill Haverchuck (played by Martin Starr): “Hey, don't make fun of him. That's a Parisian nightsuit, in case you didn't know.”

Sam Weir (played by John Francis Daley):” Hey, you guys...”

Gordon Crisp (played by Jerry Messing)  [interrupting] “A Parisian? Ooh la la!”

Neal: “No, no. It's a jumpsuit. My grandpa in Fort Lauderdale wears them all the time because he's too lazy to put on pants.”— Freaks and Geeks, Season 1, Episode 11, “Looks and Books,” original air date Feb. 7, 2000, teleplay by Paul Feig, directed by Ken Kwapis

Quote of the Day (‘The New York Times,’ With Great News for Col. Klink)

“From the trendy enclaves of Berlin cafes and Manhattan restaurants to gin ads and fashion magazines, the monocle is taking its turn alongside key 21st-century accouterments like sharply tucked plaid shirts and certificates in swine butchering.”— Allen Salkin, “One Part Mr. Peanut, One Part Hipster Chic,” The New York Times, March 6, 2014

Quote of the Day (Comic Myka Fox, on Encountering Maybelline)

“Maybelline stopped me on the street for a fashion shoot. They said, ‘Can you please get out of the way?’”—Comic Myka Fox, quoted in “Joke of the Week: Myka Fox,” Time Out New York, February 13-19, 2014