Author’s Note: Men, keep reading. Do not despair. There is something for you in this post, I promise you.
That’s a Thierry Mugler dress I gifted to the Costume Council of the Chicago Historical Museum. And tomorrow night, it makes its debut at the gala Costume Ball as part of an exhibition entitled “Chicago Styled: Fashioning The Magnificent Mile.
The invitation reads “Featuring more than twenty-five ensembles from the museum’s permanent collection, Chicago Styled explores the development of North Michigan Avenue into one of the country’s most recognized and and renowned destinations for upscale retail.
Set against a shifting cityscape, the clothing collected by the Museum with the assistance of the Costume Council tells the story of the growth of this landmark district, while showcasing the fashion from the past decades and stylish people who wore it.
Highlights include designs by Norman Norell, Adolfo, Gianni Versace, and Chanel.”
And my Thierry Mugler.
Tomorrow night, November fourteenth, is THE perfect night for it, because tomorrow is my birthday.
What a gift.
I am thrilled to have a dress of mine pulled from the CHM collection. With pieces dating back from the 1720’s, and over 50,00 costume and textile artifacts to chose from, it’s the second largest costume collection in the world.
And they picked my gold lamé cocktail dress from the 1980’s as a representative of the era with all its Ronald Reagan excess.
Mr. Blackwell Fashion Note: I bought it for a costume party. I went as Cleopatra- complete with wig and a gold serpent arm circlet worthy of the Queen of the Nile herself. I wore it strictly with a sense of irony. (But it did look great.)
The last time the Costume Committee so honored me was by putting a pair of my patchwork, bell-bottomed blue jeans into a 1970’s exhibition. My donation was posed right next to Gene Siskel’s. He had given them John Travolta’s iconic white suit from Saturday Night Fever.
I loved seeing my jeans featured in a museum exhibit, but I was always afraid that future generations would always think of me as a hippie.
Tomorrow night will fix all that.
Now I’ll be thought of as a flashy glamor diva instead.
I’m not sure if that’s an improvement but still, I’m delighted. Getting any piece of yours into the collection is hard to enough to begin with. Believe me, they decline way more than they accept.
The clothing you give them has to have some historical or cultural merit. You have to include paper work with every donation. Provenance, where you bought it and why, these things all factor into the decision.
And the item has to stand out on its own. Make a statement of some kind even on a mannequin.
Getting the curators to include a piece in a show is the fashion equivalent of the Oscar. (And I don’t just mean De La Renta, may he rest in peace.)
This honor makes me feel like Babe Paley, Jackie O. Audrey H. and the Duchess of Windsor all emballé into one Diana Vreeland-approved Best Dressed List.
Because I love clothes. Simply adore ’em.
And actually it’s fitting (sorry about the pun) that the Chicago Historical Museum has showcased my blue jeans and a cocktail dress. From bleached blue jean cutoffs to gowns that have trains and feathers, from Alaïa to Zoran, my closets pay tribute to the great, the Gap, and every designer in between.
I’ve had the privilege of meeting a few, too. I went to a birthday party for Christian LaCroix (I wore LaCroix, naturellement) and Donna Karan. (I wore her, of course.)
And I got to rub elbows with the King of 80’s excess himself- Mr. Arnold Isaacs. Better known as Scaasi.
Take a look at this understated little number of his.
But I had the thrill of a lifetime when I was introduced to le maître himself, Monsieur Le Conte, Hubert de Givenchy.
I didn’t have any suitable couture by Givenchy to wear to this occasion so I wore this instead.
That’s my friend Georgann Munic and I. I’m wearing a cheongsam I had made in Hong Kong.
When Givenchy saw me in it, he looked me up and down, and then pronounced, “Très chic!”
I want this on my tombstone.
BUT this week I got another VERY SPECIAL birthday present from another museum.
(Here you go, guys. You’ve sat through the fashion show and now, as promised, here’s something for the boys.)
A few months ago, I talked my co-conspirator puzzle constructor, George Barany, into making a Three Stooges puzzle.
He was dead set against it but I hit him in the face with a pie, slapped him in the head with a board and poked him in the eyes.
And he caved.
This was the result. (Even if you don’t do the puzzle, click on the underlined links. Fun and mayhem ensue.)
Spread Out!by Ellen Ross and George BaranyThis “mid-week level” puzzle pays homage to … oh, never mind, you’ll just have to try it to find out (pictoral hint to the right). After completing the puzzle (spoiler), click here for a highly relevant blog post by the lead author, here for an 18-minute video that just might make you laugh, and here for information about a most unusual museum. For solvers who are accustomed to our highly hyperlinked “midrashim,” sorry, this is all you are getting; the demographic overlap with fans of this puzzle’s theme just isn’t big enough to justify such a major effort of scholarship. Click here to view or download the puzzle in PDF format; here to download it as a puz file [requires Across Lite software to play]; here to solve the puzzle interactively (thanks to Jim Horne); here for the solution. We thank Martin Herbach for beta testing the puzzle in the Summer of 2014, and making sure that it conforms to the highest standards of accuracy and fairness. If you want to tell others about this particular page, refer them to More puzzles here (all) and here (tributes). E-mail barany@umn.edu to be added to a bcc distribution list. |
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I was excited with our result. I knew it would be a big hit. (Even though Kenny and George pointed out that the only demographic that actually did crossword puzzles and liked the Three Stooges contained exactly one person- me.)
But I ignored their hoots of derision and was inspired to sent it to The Stoogeum. That’s right, an entire museum dedicated to the oeuvre of Moe, Curly, Larry, Shemp, and all things nyuck nyuck nyuck.
I got the nicest email back from the Stoogeum staff telling me that they thought our puzzle was pretty darn nifty and they were forwarding it on to the executive director himself.
So there you have it. A dress in one museum and a puzzle in another all in the same week. I’m psyched.
Just don’t tell the Chicago History Museum.
(Or The Stoogeum.)
Ellen — As a card-carrying (or should I say Y chromosome-carrying) MAN, please tell me why I should care one whit about a woman’s dress? And having grown up without a TV in our humble immigrant New York City households, what would I know about Three Stooges, let alone one stooge? But yeah, I do know a thing or two about crossword puzzles, like rule #1 is that you need to “tease” your potential solving audience without just giving away the whole plot.
But what the hey, I’m glad you talked me into helping implement your idea of a puzzle about Curly, Moe, Larry, and sometimes Shemp, and hurrah, congratulations on being honored by the Stoogeum! And I respected your unwillingness to write a “midrash” about the vaudeville act, given your assessment of the vanishingly tiny target demographic for that puzzle. At least, you gave it a shout-out on the “Letter From Elba” blog, that’s a high enough honor for me.
But I’m not done yet, Ellen Ross. A few weeks ago, it came to my attention that someone rather special had a birthday coming up on November 14, so I carved out some time away from my teaching and research activities to construct You’re So Vain (you probably think this crossword’s about you). And that wasn’t all. I next recruited a certain someone to write not only the clues, but also (against her better judgment) a highly relevant, highly entertaining “midrash” about the puzzle.
So (SPOILER alert), happy happy birthday, Ellen. May the coming year bring you good health and much joy!
Thank you very very much, Doctor. For getting your homework done on time and for your good wishes. And congratulations to you, as well. Now to the long list of awards, honors and prizes, you’ll get to attach “Stoogeum Donor” to your lengthy CV. (Even Meryl Streep can not claim that.) What more could a eminent man of science want?
Ellen, I’m not going to rest until Benedict Cumberbatch plays me in the biopic “Everything I know, I learned from crossword puzzles.”
Oh, Professor. You’re Turing my head.
What about the dress made from bobby pins? Certainly an icon that won’t be matched in the foreseeable future. Do you still have it? If so – why? This should be hanging either in a museum or a hair salon.
It’s made of gold safety pins- not bobby pins. And yes I still have it. (Made by Moschino, btw.) And more importantly, I can still wear it. That’s why I still have it. Sending you a photo so you can see for yourself.
As luck would have it, I was researching the late, great Henny Youngman the other day. He would ask the ladies, “Do you want a diamond pin?” and when they replied in the affirmative, he would pull out a safety pin with a dime attached to it.
Remember his business card? Well, Professor, you’re my Pride and Joy. Oy.
That reminds me of the title to one of my as-yet unpublished puzzles, “Oy to the World.”
Your move.
EVERYTHING reminds you of puzzles. It’s a condition called “The Enigma Code Cold.”
Check,(Barbara’s) mate.
Nice move, birthday girl! Of course, many things remind you of past “Letter from Elba” posts. However, not everything reminds me of crossword puzzles. I submit to you (and your loyal fans) a 13 minute reading of “The Gossage Varbedian Papers,” read by its author. Those preferring a written version may click here. Stay with it until the punchline, which is priceless!
I will I will. But later. I have to work now. Not dally over the funny papers.
Good morning Ellen. Wishing you a Happy Birthday tomorrow and a wonderful year!
You did Cleopatra proud! (And TM too.)
Thank you, you doll. You’re a sweetheart. (Cleo thanks you, too.)
To my extremely multi-talented friend, congratulations on all your very interesting, entertaining, sometimes hysterical blogs. You continue to live in all decades and seemingly enjoy them all !
But on this occasion, your legion of fans and friends doff their chapeaux to you and wish you a wonderful, happy and healthy birthday! Looking forward to celebrating you!!
Love to my dear, dear friend,
Joan
Merci beaucoup, my dearest “Betty.” So happy – and grateful- that you were brought into my life. Your friendship and support never goes out of fashion. A demain. Your Demi.
First, sincere congratulations on the “Oscar” and very happy birthday.
Your blog post got me to thinking about a pair of under pants I have from the famous Munsingwear collection, circa 1967. It still has my name sewn into it from my Ojibwa days so it wouldn’t get lost on laundry day.
There is also a pair of white sweat socks (name sewn in) that would add to the ensemble. I believe these were purchased at Marshall Fields in downtown Chicago, which is in close proximity to the Magnificent Mile.
They certainly have historical and cultural significance, after all those were the days that underpants only came in white. Add to that, a white terry cloth elastic headband and there is no question in my mind that the entire ensemble would definitely stand out and make a definitive statement on a mannequin.
So, Ellen, what do you think? “Oscar” material?
Don’t knock underwear as museum bait. I had a great close up and personal encounter with Oriole’s pitching legend, Jim Palmer- Cy Young award winner and hunk. We hosted an event together for the CHM, and it was underwritten by Jockey. He was a doll. I think you’re a shoe in. Keep collecting.
Just one comment:
Ronald Reagan was NOT “excessive”.
Pretty sedate for you, Bernie. I’ll take it!