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Wearable Art by Shirley Cunningham
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Snatches of color and texture bring back bits and pieces of times long ago, my memory works like that. One particular group of vintage pieces from my collection brought to mind an enchanting afternoon. Hand-in-hand we walked, my twelve year old sister and I, across the vacant field that separated the Barret's large white two-story frame house, with its dark green painted porch, from our one-story white frame home with the red brick pillars supporting our smaller front porch.
It was always a wonderful day when I was allowed to be part of the life of my older sister and her friends. On this day, standing in the middle of the Barret's living room, they dressed me in what I thought was the most beautiful dress I had ever seen. It was made of what seemed to be yards and yards of soft cotton net. It was so long on my small body that it swept the floor. I slipped my hands through the narrow fabric loops on each side of the skirt, lifted my arms and watched the full gathered ruffled skirt rise off the floor as I twirled around the room. I danced to "Alice Blue Gown" playing on the Victrola. To this day I know the words to the chorus of that song:
"In my sweet little Alice blue gown
when I first wandered down into town
I was both glad and shy, as I felt every eye
And in every shop window I'd primp passing by.
Then in manner of fashion I frown,
And the world seemed to smile all around.
Till it wilted I wore it, I'll always adore it.
My sweet little Alice Blue Gown."
In an antique store not long ago I found the sheet music to "Alice Blue Gown". It was then that I decided to celebrate that afternoon of long ago and create a study in blue, a painting named "Alice Blue Gown". |
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