BY GINA DVORAK AND NICOLE WHITE
SPRING FEVER IS A FUNNY THING.
It can undo the best-laid plans for an organized morning the first time an unseasonably warm day hits.
Clear skies and sunshine, and suddenly that sweater doesn’t have much appeal — despite the frigid tundra awaiting you at your air-conditioned workplace. You need sandals! Skirts! Short-sleeved shirts! And, of course, accessories.
So you rethink that outfit on the fly, forcing yourself to be resourceful once you realize that you don’t have time to stop for coffee, much less make a quick run to the mall to pick up something more palatable to your fashion desires. This is the perfect environment for fashion creativity, even if it’s simply resurrecting that pin you bought at a flea market two years ago.
Fashion inspiration can come from anywhere, as we saw at the San Bernardino County Museum’s current display, "All That Glitters." But more than fashion, the exhibit shows that what we wear is linked closely to who we are — and who we were throughout history.
In a few of the pieces, life and death were literally intertwined — with human hair, even. A locket from the Victorian era features a lock of hair neatly encased in gold and glass.
These memorials were common ways to remember deceased loved ones, since photography was not yet common and portraits were costly.
That’s some pretty heavy symbolism for a couple of gals who only pair tears with jewelry when closing the Tiffany’s catalogue in favor of paying the cell phone bill — again.
"Death was really a part of life back then," said Michelle Nielsen, curator of history for the Redlands museum.
And it doesn’t get any dead-er than King Tut, whose tomb’s discovery in the early 1920s set off Tutmania— a craze evident in the markings, materials and symbols of that time period’s tre fab jewelry. Pretty hard to picture an Egyptian craze accessorizing a dance floor full of folks doing the Charleston.
From pieces that were cleverly modified in lean war times, to jewelry made to show mourning, to perfume buttons and even King Tut, tastes have varied greatly.
But one thing is timeless.
"Adornment is a big deal," Nielsen said.
The ’60s brought the space race and some plastic jewelry that would be at home around whatever alien neck Captain Kirk was kissing that week. And, it paired nicely with a very un- ironable paper dress you could self-hem with a pair of scissors. Apparently, trash really can be a treasure and anything goes, it seems.
But good advice never goes out of style, and we like what ancient Greek philosopher Epitectus said on the matter: "Know, first, who you are and then adorn yourself accordingly."
All That Glitters: A Century of Razzle-Dazzle
San Bernardino County Museum, 2024 Orange Tree Lane, Redlands Continues through June 15 $6 adults, $5 students or seniors, $4 children ages 5-12 (909) 307-2669
