Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Easter Finery


Down here in the Deep South, we take Easter garb very seriously.  I 'm not especially proud of this,  but in the 70's when I spent the winter as a P.O.W. in Neenah, Wisconsin, I drove through a snowstorm in order to buy my 2 year old a pair of white Mary Jane shoes for Easter.  You can probably guess she was the only child at church on Easter Sunday not wearing a snowsuit!  That said, when I spotted these adorable pink shoes and the exquisite dresses in Christine's Across the Street's  window in Mountain Brook Village,  it all came back to me.  The Easter shopping ritual.  How fun it was to get the new outfit, shoes, even the brand new socks and slip!  Of course mine were never as fine as these, but a delight nevertheless.  Christine's is a mother's and  grandmother's paradise alright. When I hit the lottery, I'm going to shop right here!

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New photos of the Sloss Iron Pour on Flickr 

20 comments:

alice said...

Treasures for little princesses! And I like the box under the shoes too...

Olivier said...

la premiere photo est superbe, un petit moment de poesie....simple mais vraiment beau
the first picture is beautiful, a moment of poetry .... simple but really beautiful

Pat said...

I too was decked out for Easter, even through my early teens, hat and all. I still like hats, but now they're more functional for me than just for special occasions.

B SQUARED said...

There are so many traditions of the "Old South" that should continue. When I grew up in the Midwest, after church on Easter, we would drive to "certain areas" to watch the women exiting church with their Easter hats. Great memories and some fantastic hats.

Unknown said...

I really like the way you framed the 1st shot. It's so cool and funny at the same time! :-)

Ken Mac said...

for a second I thought there was a body in those shoes! And I loved yer comment on my blog today. Hilarious!

Halcyon said...

When I was a little girl, my Granny would send my sister and I Easter dresses. I liked getting a new dress - but hated that my sister had the exact same one!

FireLight said...

The picture brings back a flood of memories. I love the dress with pink slippers! You really do know how to FRAME your pictures! Of course, in the fifties, the dresses were not so elegant. My mother had three girls stair stepped in five year increments. She would sew new and matching dresses for us each year. We would have the lacy socks and patent leather slippers, and a hat. Oh, yes, and a beautiful Easter basket. After church, my father would drive us over to our grandmother's to show her how we looked all dressed up, and then it was off to an Easter Egg Hunt in Fairfield Park. (My sister Sue & I were really the wild outdoorsy types. I was the youngest, and Sue was the was in the middle, and Anita was the young teen beauty.) I am sure I never said thank you. Thank you, Mother & Dad.
And thank you, V for such beautiful Easter images.

Anonymous said...

There's not a doubt in my mind you are mother and grandmother #1. Will you be modelling this year's Easter bonnet?

Virginia said...

AH,
Actually I have a straw hat that I wear at the lake and the beach that occasionally doubles as a "church hat". If I wear it, I don't have to do my hair!! Oh, and we need to chat about our future garden shop.
V

Alice, I knew you'd like the window displays, very French I'm thinking!

Fire,
Oh I can picture the matching sisters all decked out! DId your hat have that elastic thing to hold it on your head?? Mine always cut into my ears and I hated it.

Daryl said...

So sweet .. such a funny dear memory, for a sec, no a nano sec I thought POW .. and then of course I got it .. nice

Rob said...

Easter is upon us, my how time flies. Reminds me to shine my shoes for Sunday.

Anonymous said...

Let's draw up a business plan. I love the name already. We could have cozy little nooks, you know? Like the Buried Berry section, etc. We could have the crookneck squash dangling from a hangman's noose.

Kate said...

I am assuming that your POW comment re. Neenah-Menasha is tongue-in-cheek, which I understand since I left my home in Green Bay as soon as I could as a young adult. The Easter finery is something I truly miss in today's society. It just doesn't seem as important...more's the pity!

Virginia said...

Kate
Merely a reference to the dreadful winter with no escape! HA That year, sans the 6 months of snow, was really nice and we made some wonderful friends. Let's just say I was glad to move back south. The North Pole has nothing on that place. Brrrrr BTW. I drove to Appleton in the snowstorm for the cute white Easter shoes! CRAZY

AH,
I knew you'd get right on it. We'll make millions, right?

B Squared,
I know exactly. Luckily there are still many ladies in B'ham that still wear some mighty fine hats. A photographer has captured many of them in a lovely book.

Janet said...

Not only fine but really sweet Easter clothes!

Bob Crowe said...

You are developing an increasingly precise eye for detail, the skill of telling a whole story with a gesture. Very nice work.

Tom said...

Excellent post,
I remember what we called 'Wakes' week as a child... it was when all the local mills shut down for a week and every one took an holiday.. We always got new outfits back then... if we were lucky.

Jane will like this post I must remember to show later... have a great Easter weekend

Tom
Wiggers World

Love the Doorways picture... :O)

Paula said...

Yes, I would love to be your enough to wear this for Easter. Nothing I've worn since childhood has ever been as pleasurable. I hope you hit the lottery soon. Your build up to Easter is marvelous with a capitol M.

Marie-Noyale said...

Really like that second picture..
I could stay in front of that window for hours and dream....