Mrs Stanzl - photo by Nigel A. JAMES
Hard Times and Beauty
Of course, finding
something decent to wear nowadays isn’t a problem at all, but, after the war,
as Mrs Stanzl of Vienna
recently told me, things were really quite different. There were no decent clothes to be had
because the shops were all empty. And
so, one had to make them oneself! But from
what? There was no material either!
The solution was
simple. In most
people’s houses there were more than enough sheets, towels and blankets. The sheets were made into the finest of
shirts and blouses, the bathroom towels were converted into shorts and long
socks, and the blankets were turned into wonderful warm winter coats. When times are hard, the tree of life bears
wonderful fruits!
But, of course, life in those days wasn’t all doom
and gloom. There were parties, there
were balls, and, there were weddings, as well, and, all such occasions demanded
really nice dress to put on. And this
was the role of the curtains! And, the
nicer the curtains the nicer the dress! And
the finest of silk curtains were saved for the best of the best. And, so it was, that the curtains, one by
one, were taken down and sacrificed, in part, for the sake of pure beauty!
And, while the women looked stunningly great in their
gowns made of drapes, Viennese homes took on a brand new expression of nocturnal excitement! After the candles had been lit (there still
wasn’t much electricity), and the fires had been stoked, the curtains were then
drawn to reveal an amazing performance of curtains with holes shaped like dresses!
Women, as everyone knows, only wear a
dress once!
But, of course, women in those days were ingeniously
clever! The simple style of their
dresses meant more flexibility. Very
often, the front of the garment was from a piece of a living room curtain, whilst
the back was from a room somewhere else! And, for even more thrilling variety,
the dresses were often worn back-to-front, too!
But, of course, nowadays things are the way that
they are, everyone knows this. But, I often wonder, if hard times were to come
back again, would everyone be able to sew?
And, would people have the same imagination as they did in those
days? I think so! Everyone wants to look nice!
The Year of 46 – by Nigel A JAMES
