Celebration – British Royal Weddings (Part 1)

Posted on June 3, 2014 by barbara

British Royal Weddings have become known over the past centuries for their grand traditions and pageantry. I remember waking up very early in the morning to watch the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer in 1981 and most recently the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011. (For more information about these two weddings, please click on the link to the British Royal Weddings Part Four) In this post, I will start a four part series, by discussing the clothes, customs and traditions of British Royal Weddings starting with the wedding of Queen Victoria.

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

Date and location: February 10, 1840 at the Chapel Royal, St. James Palace

Queen Victoria had ascended to the throne in June 1837 and quickly she had been encourage by her favorite Uncle Leopold to marry her second cousin, Prince Albert. On Albert’s second visit to England after the coronation, Victoria soon became smitten with the handsome Albert and because of her royal status as Queen protocol dictated that she was required to propose to him, which she did in June 1839. Shortly thereafter, Victoria called a meeting with her Privy Council and wedding plans were finalized for the beginning of the following year.

The wedding day of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert started with imperfect weather conditions, it was a rainy day with high winds but that did not keep the public from gathering along the procession route to St. James Palace. Prince Albert arrived ten minutes ahead of his bride wearing the scarlet and white uniform of a British field marshal with the Star of the Garter proudly displayed on his chest. When Victoria arrived at the Chapel Royal with her twelve bridesmaids she was a wonderful mixture of a composed and regal Queen while still an excited twenty year old bride. (Later the Queen would give her bridesmaids eagle brooches set in turquoise and pearls as a token of appreciation and to mark their participation in the wedding)

The wedding ceremony started as Albert entered the Chapel and proceeded to the altar while Handel’s “See the Conquering Hero Comes” appropriately played. Victoria walked down the aisle on the arm of her uncle, the Duke of Sussex, who officially gave her away. It was noted that as the vows were exchanged, Victoria’s eyes filled with tears possibly expressing her deep happiness at marrying her handsome prince and finding her one true and lasting love.

After the ceremony, there was a reception held at Buckingham Palace. A celebration banquet and the newly married couple cut a massive wedding cake. The cake was nine feet in circumference, weighed three hundred pounds and was decorated with a Britannia figure depicted with cupids at her feet. Later, at four o’clock in the afternoon, Victoria and Albert left London for nearby Windsor Castle for a four day honeymoon.

The wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert set quite a few precedents and created many royal customs and traditions which are still observed today. One of the first precedents set was that prior to the wedding of Queen Victoria, most royal weddings were usually celebrated at night, but the Queen decided to break with this custom and her wedding ceremony was held at one o’clock in the afternoon. Since then, most royal weddings have followed this new Victorian tradition and are generally held in the early to late afternoons.

Another royal tradition was set by Queen Victoria and it has been said that she started a bridal custom of wearing a white wedding gown. Prior to that time royal brides wore elaborate dresses made especially for the occasion from gold or silver fabric sometimes embroidered with silken threads and embellished with semi-precious stones to show their wealthy status. Ordinary brides of the working class wore their “best dress” usually made in a dark and durable material.

Queen Victoria wore a white satin dress which featured a separate bodice top and a full skirt which featured a court train that measured 18 feet in length and had a border of orange blossom sprays that matched the head wreath that Queen Victoria wore on her head to secure a square Honiton lace veil. Orange blossoms were a bridal tradition which were often worn to symbolize chastity and fertility.

Speaking of flowers, Queen Victoria carried a small bouquet of snowdrops which were Prince Albert’s favorite flower. Legend has it that the myrtle supposedly used in her bridal bouquet has been used by every royal bride since the time of her wedding including most recently by Catherine Middleton when she married Prince William in 2011. The tradition of the myrtle first started when the Princess Royal Victoria, the eldest child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, married Prince Frederick of Prussia in 1958 and continued thereafter for their other four daughters’ weddings. In fact the myrtle planted during Queen Victoria’s time, that still grows in the garden at Osborne House, did not come from her bridal bouquet but it originally came from a nosegay presented by Prince Albert’s grandmother during a visit to Prince Albert’s homeland of Germany several years later.

To complete her bridal ensemble, Queen Victoria wore a necklace and earrings set made from Turkish diamonds. Also, on her wedding day, Queen Victoria received another significant piece of jewelry, a beautiful sapphire and diamond brooch which she wore attached to the bodice of her wedding dress. The brooch was a wedding gift from Prince Albert and after her death it became the personal property of the British crown and, on special occasions it is still currently being worn today by Queen Elizabeth II. (For information on the history of this item of historical jewelry and a brief description of the brooch, please on the link to The Queen’s Personal Jewel Collection)

To conclude this post, I have a few last additional notes regarding Queen Victoria’s bridal veil. Queen Victoria continued to wear her bridal veil long after her wedding day. She wore it for the christenings of her nine children and the weddings of several of her children. Queen Victoria wore her bridal veil for the final time in 1897 for her official photograph on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee. When she died a few years later in 1901 her request was to be buried alongside her beloved husband, Prince Albert, who was laid to rest almost 40 years earlier in 1861 at Frogmore in the Windsor Great Park. As a fitting final tribute to him, the Queen also requested the she be buried wearing her wedding veil.

For more information about additional British Royal Weddings, please click of the following links: Part Two – Prince Albert (later King Edward VII) to Princess Alexandra of Denmark and Prince George (later King George V) to Princess Mary of Teck. Part Three – Prince Albert (later King George VI) to Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon and Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) to Prince Phillip. Part Four – Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer and Prince William to Catherine Middleton.

Travel – Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Posted on May 25, 2014 by barbara

If you have read any of the previous Travel posts on my blog, you know that our family loves weekend car trips and when we moved to Indiana several years ago we had a list of things to see and do in our new home state. The famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway was on that list and we decided to plan a visit. In this post I will discuss the history of the Indianapolis 500 car race and what to see if you plan a visit to the Hall of Fall Museum that is on the grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The Indianapolis 500 is an annual car race which takes place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana and it is held during Memorial Day weekend, normally the last weekend in May. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway was built in 1909, the 2.5 mile oval track and is run with 200 laps counterclockwise around the track for a total distance of 500 miles. After several fatal accidents were caused by defects in the gravel and tar racetrack, improvements were soon made during that first year to allow for a better and move even surface for the car races and 3.2 million bricks were used to repave the racetrack (which is why the track was originally known as the Brickyard) and a concrete wall as added around the track for the safety of the race car drivers and the spectators.

1909 first winner of the Indy 500 - Ray Harroun

1909 first winner of the Indy 500 - Ray Harroun 1

The first Indianapolis 500 race was held on May 30, 1911 with 80,000 spectators in attendance and a substantial prize of $25,000 was won by Ray Harroun who drove a Marmon Model Wasp racer that was outfitted with his new invention, a rear view mirror. This was a very controversial win and Harroun was considered a safety hazard on the track because at the time drivers rode with their mechanics in the car to check the car’s oil pressure and other car functions but most importantly they were there to constantly let the driver know about the position of the other cars on the track. In 1912 a riding mechanic was made a race requirement, this was eventually eliminated as car safety standards improved. By 1935, hard crash helmets were made mandatory for the race and a yellow light system was devised to caution drivers to slow down in the case of debris on the track or stopped cars or accidents.

After World War II, the Speedway was in a severe state of disrepair and in danger of possibly being sold for a housing development. The Speedway was purchased by Tony Hulman, an Indiana businessman, in November 1945 for a reported $750,000. After major repairs and renovations were made to the racing facility the track opened in time for the 1946 race.

The Indianapolis 500 race continued to draw increasing larger crowds over the following years with the race events extending not only to race day but a weekend long festival that included entertainment. For safety reasons, the race field was now limited to only 33 cars. The cars speeds increased dramatically as the race cars were designed to be were lower to the ground and more streamlined instead of the larger and heavier roadsters used in the Speedway’s earlier races. By 1961, the remaining brick of the old track was paved over with asphalt except a three foot wide section at the start/finish line to preserve a small part of the history of the racetrack. In 1987, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was designated a National Historic Landmark.

The Hall of Fame Museum

Located on at the grounds of Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the Hall of Fame Museum featuring exhibits explaining the automotive history of the racetrack and filled with numerous cars used in the Indianapolis 500 race. The original Hall of Fame Museum was built in 1956 where the current Speedway Administration Building is located but the museum’s collection of race memorabilia and vintage cars soon became too large and another facility was required.

A larger Hall of Fame Museum was built and opened in 1976. The building was 96,000 square feet which had 30,000 square feet of museum display space that includes a gift shop. Be sure to check out the 20 minute film which includes rare historic footage of the Indianapolis 500 race shown in the Tony Hulman Theater. Located adjacent to the museum are a small snack shop and nearby is the departure point for the bus tours of the 2.5 mile oval racetrack.

Listed below are some of the interesting items which are displayed at the museum –

Over 75 vehicles are on display including the Marmon “Wasp” which was used by Ray Harroun to win the first Indianapolis 500 race in 1911.
Several cars driven by A.J. Foyt Jr. including his 1977 car used to win his fourth Indianapolis 500 record-setting win.
The Duesenberg #12 Murphy Special, the only car used to win both the French Grand Prix at Le Mans in 1921 and the Indianapolis 500 in 1922.
The #8 Cummins Diesel Special used by Dale Evans in 1931, the only car to complete the Indianapolis 500 race without a pit stop.
The Borg-Warner Trophy, which honors the winner of each of the Indianapolis 500 race.

For more information regarding price and hours for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum please see their website, www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com.

Indianapolis 500 information and trivia

The Indianapolis Speedway is an oval 2.5 mile racetrack. The basic layout of the track has changed little since the Speedway opened in 1909. The track has four straight sections, the front and back longer straights are 5/8^th of a mile each and the shorter straights between Turns I & 2 and Turns 3 & 4 are an 1/8^th of a mile each. Each of the four turns on the oval track are 1/4^th of mile long and built at a 9 degree angle.
After winning the 1936 race, Louis Meyer celebrated his win on Victory Lane by drinking some buttermilk. The executive of the Milk Foundation was so happy see it that he took advantage of the moment and a photograph appeared in the sports section of the newspaper the next day. He thought it was such a great way to advertise that, except for the period between 1947-55, the tradition of the winner of the Indianapolis 500 race drinking milk in celebration has continued ever since then.
Three drivers have the Indianapolis 200 races four times. They are: A.J. Foyt in 1961, 1964, 1977. Al Unser in 1970, 1971, 1987. Rick Mears in 1979, 1988 1991.
Five drivers have won the Indianapolis 500 race two consecutive times. They are: Wilbur Shaw in 1939 & 40, Mauri Rose in 1947 & 48, Bill Bukovich in 1953 & 54, Al Unser in 1970 & 71, Helio Castroneves in 2001 & 02.
The youngest winner of the Indianapolis 500 is Troy Ruttman who was 22 years old when he won on May 30, 1952. The oldest winner is Al Unser who was 47 years old when he won on May 24, 1987.
In the decades following the first Indianapolis 500, female participation was discouraged and essentially banned from competition and even female reporters were not allowed into the pit area until 1971. The female driver to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 race was Janet Guthrie in 1977. Sarah Fisher has the distinction of competing eight times. Danica Patrick led the 2005 race for 19 laps and again in 2011 for 10 laps. In 2009, Danica finished the race in third place, the best finish for a woman.
Racecar drivers can be very superstitious, it is considered bad luck to enter and exit from the same side of the car and green cars are also considered bad luck.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Birthday

Posted on May 22, 2014 by jeff0006

Hello, it’s Jeff again. I’m here to tell you something about the author of Sherlock Holmes. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born May 22, 1859 to Mary and Charles Doyle. His full name was Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle. The Doyles were a prosperous family, but Arthur’s father was an alcoholic and never amounted to much and his mother was the big influence in Doyle’s life and gave him a passion for story telling.

When Arthur was nine wealthy relatives offered to pay for his education and in 1868 he was sent to Jesuit boarding school in England. He hated the harsh punishment and bulling that he suffered in school. While at school, he started writing his mother regularly, a habit he kept up until her death. At school he found he had inherited his mother’s gift for storytelling and frequently told stories to the younger students. In addition to his storytelling he also excelled in sports, particularly Cricket.

The Doyle family was in the art business, but Arthur decided he wanted to be a physician and in 1876 he went to the University of Edinburgh Medical School. While he was a student at the university he met many soon to be famous authors including James Barrie and Robert Louis Stevenson. He also met Dr. Joseph Bell who was “a master at observation, logic, deduction, and diagnosis”. During this time he also starting writing short stories. His first published work was “The Mystery of the Sasassa Valley” in 1879. Before he graduated he took a job as a ship surgeon on the whaler called the Hope. He greatly enjoyed that voyage and after he graduated he signed on as medical officer on the steamer Mayumba bound for Africa. He detested Africa and resigned as soon as the ship returned to England.

Arthur married his first wife, Mary Louise, in 1885 and they had two children, Mary Louise and Arthur Alleyne Kingsley. After the death of his first wife from tuberculosis in 1906, he married Jean Elizabeth Leckie and had three additional children: Denis Percy Stewart, Adrian Malcom and Jean Lena Annette.

After graduating from medical school Arthur became a partner in a medical practice in Plymouth, but the partnership was difficult and extremely challenging and he soon set up his own practice in Southsea. While waiting for his clientele to build he wrote more stories. Initially he struggled to find someone to publish his works, but in 1886 he was able to publish “A Study in Scarlet” which introduced the world to his most memorable characters, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Sherlock Holmes was patterned after his former professor, Dr. Bell. At the time, what we call forensic science was just starting to develop and the general public was amazed at Sherlock’s abilities and scientific process in solving crimes and Sherlock quickly became a world celebrity.

As the Sherlock Holmes stories became popular and Author’s medical practice started to take off he had trouble balancing being both a good doctor and satisfying his passion for writing. After a near death experience with influenza in 1891 he decided to give up his medical practice and focus on his writing full time.

Interestingly enough, Arthur considered the Sherlock Holmes stories “commercial” and felt they took too much time away from what he liked to write. This is why in the story “The Final Problem” he killed off the character of Sherlock. The public outcry over the death of Sherlock Holmes was so great that he eventually brought him back in 1901 in a flashback story called “The Hound of the Baskervilles” and finally permanently in 1903 in “The Return of Sherlock Holmes”. In 1902 King Edward VII knighted Arthur, for the contribution of his book “The Great Boor War”, but rumor has it that the King wanted to persuade Doyle to write more Sherlock Holmes stories. In the end he wrote 56 Sherlock Holmes stories and plays. Many movies and television series have been made about Holmes over the years, including the popular BBC series “Sherlock” staring Benedict Cumberbatch and the American television show “Elementary” with Lucy Lu.

Arthur was a staunch supporter of the criminal justice system and he personally investigated a number of cases which exonerated the accused and eventually led to the set up of the Court of Criminal Appeal in England which was formed in 1907. He also ran unsuccessfully for a house seat in Central Edinburgh.

Probably the most controversial aspect of Arthur was his belief in Spiritualism the started after the death of his wife, son and several other close relatives. He debated Joseph McCab on the claims of spiritualism at Queen’s Hall in London. He was friends with Harry Houdini until he tried to convince Arthur that his “powers” were only tricks and illusions and became an opponent of Spiritualism.

Over the last year I have written posts for this bog about several different authors that lived at the same time and I didn’t know much about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle other the fact that he had written some of my favorite books. After researching his life he appears to have been a truly good person who cared about his family and society in general. He died on July 7, 1930 surrounded by his family. If you are looking for a more in depth biography, please check out the following website: http://www.sherlockholmesonline.org/

Decor – Memorabilia Displays

Posted on May 15, 2014 by barbara

Shadowboxes are a great way to display memorabilia such as travel souvenirs, vintage items, or personal heirlooms. By having these items protected under glass you and your family, along with the visitors to your home, can enjoy looking at them while keeping these items protected from any damage. Over the years I have made several shadowboxes that are displayed throughout our home and in this post I will show these examples.

Travel souvenirs

As I mentioned previously in a July 2013 Décor Post, Displaying Travel Souvenirs, in the library of our home nestled among the books are several items that we have collected over the years during our travels across the United States and other distant places such as Europe and Asia. I have found that shadowboxes are an excellent way to display these travel souvenirs. One example, shown below, is the shark weapon that we purchased on a visit to the Polynesian Culture Center in Hawaii. This beautifully crafted piece is displayed in a shadowbox to be admired but the real purpose for having it behind glass is that the sharp edges of the shark teeth are enclosed to prevent anyone from handling this dangerous weapon. Several other smaller shadowboxes are also displayed on the bookshelves and the examples are shown below and they are: a framed piece of Edelweiss purchased in a small shop near Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, a small piece of brick from the home of Abraham Lincoln located in Springfield, IL and a piece of cable that we purchased at the San Francisco Cable Car Museum.

Discussed in the May 2013 Décor Post, Framing Small Items, during our family road trips, I always purchase pins as inexpensive souvenirs and over the years I have collected hundreds. These pins, shown below, are displayed in special walnut cases with black liners. Also shown below are additional cases, one case displays my collection of Hard Rock Café guitar pins purchased during over visits to the restaurants throughout our travels and in another case is a very small part of my collection of over two hundred Disney pins.

Another memorabilia display featuring travel souvenirs can be found in our basement displayed above my Disney bookshelves. It is a vintage Disneyland pendant in a black shadowbox and is shown in the photo below. As I mentioned previously in the April 2013 Decor Post, Disney Memorabilia Collection, I go into details about my Disney obsession and the items that I have collected over the years.

So, instead of storing your travel souvenirs in boxes which are hidden away from view, try displaying them in shadowboxes or special display cases which allow you to look at these items while the items are protected from dust or damage and you will be able enjoy the memories of your travels!

Vintage items

As many of you know from reading previous posts, I enjoy browsing and shopping in antique stores and on EBay. Over the years I have purchased many vintage items and scattered around our home are several small and unusual framed items which add personality and interest to our home decorations. In the May 2013 Décor Post, Framing Small Items, I featured a shadowbox that is on display in my home office that contains commemorative medals of the British Kings and Queens that I had purchased inexpensively on EBay. The pins, shown below, range from Queen Victoria to the present Queen Elizabeth II and it is a wonderful way to have a little piece of interesting history.

In another Décor Post, Framed Jewelry, posted previously in February 2014 features several vintage jewelry items that I also purchased while shopping in antique stores and on EBay. These vintage jewelry pieces look wonderful displayed in small frames and add an elegant touch to our home décor. Shown below is a beautiful crystal fur clip which is attached to a piece of white velvet and displayed in a small gold frame.

Recently, one of my Spring cleaning projects was organizing the closet in our master bedroom. The room is a rather large walk-in closet with a counter positioned in the center and has a wonderful and convenient chute to the laundry room downstairs. The room also has useful built-in shelving where I have displayed two shadowboxes, which are shown below. One shadowbox has a set of antique lace collars and cuffs while the other one has a pair of antique men’s spats. Using these antique items displayed in the closet seemed perfect and I think they look great!

So, next time you are shopping in antique stores or on EBay think about how you can decorate with vintage items displayed in shadowboxes in your home.

Personal heirlooms

Showcasing family memorabilia or heirlooms is a wonderful way to add a personal touch to any home. In a May 2013 Décor Post, Framing Small Items, I featured quite a unique item displayed in a shadowbox. The items, shown in the photo below, are a personal letter and a religious medal from Pope John Paul II and included in the shadowbox is a photo taken on the day of our daughter’s baptism. This is an example of how these very personal items can be displayed to commemorate a blessed event. For more information about this shadowbox and to read the story of how we came to receive these special items, please click on the link above.

The next item of family memorabilia is an old rusty beach shovel shadowbox display, shown in the photo above. When I was a child living in California, our family used to enjoy the occasional day at the beach. This old metal beach shovel, found in my parent’s garage. The trick to making this type of shadowbox is finding one that has enough depth to accommodate the shovel and then using a piece of sandpaper for the background of the shadowbox because it would look like the sand on the beach, finally the shovel was attached to the paper with hot glue. Seeing the beach shovel shadowbox hanging in our downstairs bathroom brings back wonderful memories of Paradise Cove.

The next two examples of family memorabilia are framed items of clothing which are shown below. The first is one of our daughter’s baby outfits and I also included a baby photo of her in a small gold frame, these items are simply displayed in a white shadowbox. The second shadowbox which contains our daughter’s 5^th grade graduation t-shirt and it is hung in her bedroom, she likes looking at the names and remembering her classmates.

The final example of a family memorabilia shadowbox was used a few years ago when my husband’s Grandmother passed away. She was an artist and for her funeral/memorial services and we displayed several of her paintings and other pieces of artwork and her art ribbons won at local fairs and competitions was arranged in the shadowbox and also put on display at the funeral home. Sadly, if you are ever put in the position of making funeral arrangements or planning a funeral service, it is always a thoughtful idea to add some items that were of personal interest to the deceased. When these items are displayed among photos of the deceased, along with the floral arrangements, it helps to “tell the story” of the person’s life.

So, memorabilia shadowboxes can be used to decorate and add personality to the home. These items can be travel souvenirs, vintage pieces and family heirlooms. For another idea using shadowboxes, please be sure to check out next week’s Craft Post, Childhood Shadowboxes, for an easy and simple craft project to use as a display in your home.

Craft – “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” frame

Posted on May 4, 2014 by barbara

In honor of Audrey Hepburn (born: Audrey Kathleen Ruston May 4, 1929 died: January 20, 1993) I was inspired to create this picture frame using a simple silver frame that I decorated with “Tiffany” blue Swarovski pearls. Audrey Hepburn was the famous actress that starred in the classic 1960 romantic comedy film, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”. (Please see the end of this post for more information about the movie)

“Breakfast at Tiffany’s” frame supplies

A simple silver frame (select one that has a space between the frame’s interior and exterior edges)
Several dozen “Tiffany” blue Swarovski pearls, the color has been associated with the famous jewelry store and is used for their sales boxes and bags. (Craft Tip: the trick to this project is to measure the frame and calculate the amount of pearls needed to avoid running out and coming up short!)
Glue stick
Pliers

“Breakfast at Tiffany’s” frame instructions –

Pick up each individual pearl with the pliers, be sure the prongs are placed over the pearls holes. Then put a small amount of glue on the bottom of the pearl.
While the pearl is still within the grasp of the pliers, place the pearl onto the frame in the space between the frame’s interior and exterior edges. (Craft Tip: Be sure to position the pearl so that the holes are lined up and hidden by each of the other pearls when placed on the frame)
In keeping with the “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” theme, to finish the project I used a photo from the movie of Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly.

“Breakfast at Tiffany’s” movie information and trivia

The classic 1961 Paramount movie which stars Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard and also features a supporting cast of Patricia Neal, Buddy Ebsen and Mickey Rooney, the movie is based on the novel written by Truman Capote. “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” was nominated for several Academy Awards and won for Best Original Score and Best Original Song, “Moon River” with music by Henry Mancini and lyrics by Johnny Mercer.

The character of Holly Golightly was one of Audrey Hepburn’s most memorable roles. Hepburn’s portrayal of the naive but eccentric society girl living in New York City was regarded by her to be one of her most challenging roles because she was a normally quiet and introverted person and she needed to play the character in the film as a delightfully extroverted woman.

Movie Trivia –

“Breakfast at Tiffany’s” premiered at Radio City Music Hall on October 5, 1961 and received wonderful reviews and became an instant hit. Despite the movie’s success, Truman Capote was uphappy with the director, the casting and his altered storyline; he thought Marilyn Monroe should have played the lead role. Others actresses considered for the part were Shirley MacLaine, Kim Novak and a very young Jane Fonda
The film was set in New York City but very little of the movie was actually filmed on location, the production company only filmed for 8 days in Manhattan. Most of the movie was shot on the Paramount soundstages in Hollywood.
The world famous Tiffany & Co. store at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 57^th Street located in the heart of Manhattan made an unprecedented decision to open their flagship store on a Sunday for the filming of the movie, at the time the store was normally closed on that day of the week. On the day of filming there were over 40 armed guards and several Tiffany sales clerks in the store to prevent any thief of the expensive jewelry.
In regards to the famous opening scene of the movie, when the character of Holly emerges from a taxi in the early morning hours to stand in front of the Tiffany store windows while eating her breakfast Danish, people always question how the iconic scene seem to be have been filmed on a deserted Fifth Avenue. In reality, not visible on camera, were several hundreds of onlookers watching the filming and according to Blake Edwards, the director of the film, the scene was shot in one take.
The film established Hepburn as a fashion icon and she looked amazingly svelte especially given that fact that at the time of filming it had been only three months since the birth of her son. Hepburn worked closely with the designer Hubert de Givenchy to create the wardrobe for the film. The version of the “little black dress” Hepburn wore in the film became one of the most influential fashion choices ever in movie history. The concept of the “little black dress” proved so popular because of the movie that since that time most modern women have a similar one in their closets!
In 2006, Christie’s auctioned the original “little black dress” that Hepburn wore in the film and it sold for $923.000.

The Enchanted Manor

a lifestyle blog by Barbara Jones

Tag Archives: Barbara Jones

Celebration – British Royal Weddings (Part 1)

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Travel – Indianapolis Motor Speedway

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Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Birthday

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Decor – Memorabilia Displays

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Craft – “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” frame

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