Friday, January 30, 2009
Bollywood Betsy..Spring/Summer 09
Sign of the Times...Spring/Summer 09 Collections
I have been reading and listening to my women friends, family and clients to understand how they are feeling about themselves during these difficult economic times. What I found is that as always, women rise to the occasion, we get creative and resourceful.
History has many examples of this.
RESOURCEFUL-Women Rise to the Occasion
During World War II the percentage of American women who worked outside the home at paying work increased from 25% to 36%. More married women, more mothers, and more minority women found jobs than had before the war.
Because of the absence of many men who either joined the military or took jobs in war production industries, some women moved outside their traditional roles and took positions in jobs usually reserved for men. Propaganda posters with images like "Rosie the Riveter" promoted the idea that it was patriotic -- and not unfeminine -- for women to work in non-traditional jobs. "If you've used an electric mixer in your kitchen, you can learn to run a drill press," urged an American War Manpower Campaign. As one example in the American shipbuilding industry, where women had been excluded from almost all jobs except a few office jobs before the war, women's presence went to over 9% of the workforce during the war.
Thousands of women moved to Washington, DC, to take government office and support jobs. There were many jobs for women at Los Alamos and Oak Ridge, as the US explored nuclear weapons. Minority women benefited from the June, 1941, Executive Order 8802, issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, after A. Philip Randolph threatened a march on Washington to protest racial discrimination.
The shortage of male workers led to opportunities for women in other non-traditional fields. The All-American Girls Baseball League was created during this period, and reflected the shortage of male baseball players in the major league.
The large increase in the presence of women in the workforce also meant that those who were mothers had to deal with issues like childcare -- finding quality childcare, and dealing with getting the children to and from the "day nursery" before and after work -- and were often still primary or solo homemakers, dealing with the same rationing and other issues other women at home faced.
In cities like London, these changes at home were in addition to dealing with bombing raids and other wartime threats. When combat came to areas where civilians lived, it often largely fell to women to protect their families -- children, the elderly -- or to take them to safety, and to continue to provide food and shelter during the emergency.
NYLON STOCKINGS-We just love that special feeling...
In 1942, nylon went to war in the form of parachutes and tents. Nylon stockings were the favorite gift of American soldiers to impress British women. Nylon stockings were scarce in America until the end of World War II, but then returned with a vengeance. Shoppers crowded stores, and one San Francisco store was forced to halt stocking sales when it was mobbed by 10,000 anxious shoppers
COSTUME JEWELRY-Fake it till you make it!!
Vintage costume jewelry has a long and fascinating history. It is prized not only for its style, but also for the reflection of the historical period it represents. The brightness of Deco rhinestones and the shine of Bakelite cheered up the depressed 1930s. The bold, lavish 1950s jewelry expressed the mood of postwar booming economies.
In the early 1900s, working class Americans wanted to feel elegant but lacked the money to purchase precious gems and found that the sparkle of rhinestones rivals that of any precious stone. Source About.com
The point is we adjust, we know it is critical to keep our sprits and appearance up, we choose each day to move forward.
My spring collection is very much influenced by our new President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama and Bollywood!
We need a bit of Bollywood in our lives, a moment to just sing, dance and smile, we have it in each of us and we deserve it!!
Enjoy the Bollywood Betsy Collection and wear it well.
Photo credit: Deborah Kolodkin, Alpharetta Georgia
www.mollye.net
I have been reading and listening to my women friends, family and clients to understand how they are feeling about themselves during these difficult economic times. What I found is that as always, women rise to the occasion, we get creative and resourceful.
History has many examples of this.
RESOURCEFUL-Women Rise to the Occasion
During World War II the percentage of American women who worked outside the home at paying work increased from 25% to 36%. More married women, more mothers, and more minority women found jobs than had before the war.
Because of the absence of many men who either joined the military or took jobs in war production industries, some women moved outside their traditional roles and took positions in jobs usually reserved for men. Propaganda posters with images like "Rosie the Riveter" promoted the idea that it was patriotic -- and not unfeminine -- for women to work in non-traditional jobs. "If you've used an electric mixer in your kitchen, you can learn to run a drill press," urged an American War Manpower Campaign. As one example in the American shipbuilding industry, where women had been excluded from almost all jobs except a few office jobs before the war, women's presence went to over 9% of the workforce during the war.
Thousands of women moved to Washington, DC, to take government office and support jobs. There were many jobs for women at Los Alamos and Oak Ridge, as the US explored nuclear weapons. Minority women benefited from the June, 1941, Executive Order 8802, issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, after A. Philip Randolph threatened a march on Washington to protest racial discrimination.
The shortage of male workers led to opportunities for women in other non-traditional fields. The All-American Girls Baseball League was created during this period, and reflected the shortage of male baseball players in the major league.
The large increase in the presence of women in the workforce also meant that those who were mothers had to deal with issues like childcare -- finding quality childcare, and dealing with getting the children to and from the "day nursery" before and after work -- and were often still primary or solo homemakers, dealing with the same rationing and other issues other women at home faced.
In cities like London, these changes at home were in addition to dealing with bombing raids and other wartime threats. When combat came to areas where civilians lived, it often largely fell to women to protect their families -- children, the elderly -- or to take them to safety, and to continue to provide food and shelter during the emergency.
NYLON STOCKINGS-We just love that special feeling...
In 1942, nylon went to war in the form of parachutes and tents. Nylon stockings were the favorite gift of American soldiers to impress British women. Nylon stockings were scarce in America until the end of World War II, but then returned with a vengeance. Shoppers crowded stores, and one San Francisco store was forced to halt stocking sales when it was mobbed by 10,000 anxious shoppers
COSTUME JEWELRY-Fake it till you make it!!
Vintage costume jewelry has a long and fascinating history. It is prized not only for its style, but also for the reflection of the historical period it represents. The brightness of Deco rhinestones and the shine of Bakelite cheered up the depressed 1930s. The bold, lavish 1950s jewelry expressed the mood of postwar booming economies.
In the early 1900s, working class Americans wanted to feel elegant but lacked the money to purchase precious gems and found that the sparkle of rhinestones rivals that of any precious stone. Source About.com
The point is we adjust, we know it is critical to keep our sprits and appearance up, we choose each day to move forward.
My spring collection is very much influenced by our new President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama and Bollywood!
We need a bit of Bollywood in our lives, a moment to just sing, dance and smile, we have it in each of us and we deserve it!!
Enjoy the Bollywood Betsy Collection and wear it well.
Photo credit: Deborah Kolodkin, Alpharetta Georgia
www.mollye.net
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