Royalty and The Red Carpet

3.08.2010

I had a fun "star-filled" weekend, starting with my visit to the Atlanta Civic Center to see the Diana: A Celebration Exhibit.  Bloggers were offered free admission and I was thrilled to be able to attend and invite a friend!


Like many of you, I grew up fascinated with Diana from the moment her engagement to Prince Charles was announced.  The Exhibit was a chronological display of Diana's life....from young school girl, through her teen years, to her engagement and marriage to Prince Charles (when she was only 20!), to her days as Princess Diana, and then to her untimely death and beyond.

It was breath-taking to walk into the room displaying her wedding gown.   
Of course photos never do the real thing justice, but the gown was spectacular.  
Some interesting facts supplied by the exhibit sponsors:

*  Elizabeth and David Emanuel (London) were the dressmakers and they had previously made the gown Diana wore for her first public appearance after she became engaged to Prince Charles.   

*  The dress took 5 months to make (March - July 1981) and Diana endured numerous fittings, including those where she practiced wallking with the long train.

*  Its cost in US$ in 1981:  $1900.

*  Their shop was guarded by security during this time and all windows covered by blinds.

* Details of the gown were released in sealed envelopes, to be opened at the moment Diana stepped into the glass coach on her way to the wedding at St. Paul's Cathedral.

*  The gown is ivory silk taffeta and lace, embroidered with more than 10,000 tiny mother-of-pearl sequins and pearls. 

*  The 25-foot silk train is the longest in Royal history. 

*  Diana observed tradition by wearing old antique lace, new silk, a borrowed tiara from the Spencer family collection, and a small blue bow, sewn into the waistband of her dress for luck.  I wonder if she thought it worked!  ha!

I also loved the gallery showcasing dresses and suits... from her early days as Princess of Wales to the dress she wore at her last public appearance on August 1, 1997 - her 36th birthday. 

If you are interested in attending, click on the discounted admission ticket below (then print) to save $3 off admission. You won't be disappointed. What a wonderful chance to see an amazing piece of history.

*******************
My husband and I had been anxiously awaiting Sunday's Academy Awards, specifically because of the movie Crazy Heart.


My husband's long-time friend, Scott Cooper, wrote and directed it.  And it was his first shot at directing to boot!  Can you imagine how exciting it must have been for him and his wife to be getting ready for the Oscars?   Truly a dream come true!

image courtesy of Minnesota Public Radio

The movie won for Best Original Song
And for Best Actor - Jeff Bridges
Who has been married to the same woman, by the way, for 33 years.  Just had to throw that in.
The red carpet fashions and the entertainment value of The Oscars seem to take front seat for rating the show the day after it's all over.  There are good dresses and bad.  Good speeches and bad.  Good interlude performances and bad.  Good hosts and bad.  But what we seem to have lost in recent years is the delight in the true meaning and purpose of the Oscars.  

Behind every movie are people and dreams.
Artists and their crafts.
Those who never thought they could... suddenly handed a golden statue on a stage.
Those who knew they could but were told they couldn't...suddenly winning an Oscar.

 Golden moments, for sure.

11 comments:

North of 25A :

Great post on the Diana exhibit - wish I could get to Atlanta to see it. And my husband & I went to see "Crazy Heart" on Sat. night, but it was sold out - looking forward to seeing it - must have been exciting for you!

Erin J-K :

I had Princess Diana paper dolls when I was little. I remember my grandma taking me to Drug Town (in Ames!) to buy them for me after donuts at Hy-Vee.

Suburban Princess :

I would love to see the Diana exhibit! I wonder if it will be coming here!

Michelle :

My dd and I plan to see this before it leaves town! I can't wait.

*carrie* :

I confess I hadn't even heard of CH until yesterday (or most of the Oscar contenders, for that matter--yikes!), but I'm suddenly reading about it all over the place. That is so cool that it was written and directed by your husband's friend!

Unknown :

I would love to see that exhibit! Wish it was closer! Great post about the Oscars! I haven't seen a lot of the movies that were nominated yet, but I really want to see lots of them now! I was so glad to see Jeff Bridges win - and didn't know he had been married to the same lady for 33 years until his speech!

Mrs. Fabulous :

Oh, I would have LOVED to go to the exhibit! What interesting facts that you posted.

Nadine :

I remember Princess Diana's wedding because it happened a couple weeks after mine. Her dress must have been beautiful to see up close.

Congratulations to your friend and I didn't know Jeff Bridges was married 33 years - that's a beautiful thing.

Pink in a sea of blue :

I saw the same Diana exhibit in Orlando last September. I was so excited to see it all! Wasn't it great? I was obsessed with Diana growing up. Glad you got to see it. Loved Crazy Heart. So neat you have a connection to the film. Very glad JB won best actor. So deserved.

sparrowsandsparkles :

I saw an exhibit of her dresses in Seattle years ago... so memorable for me was the one that had fingerprints on the fabric (velvet I think) from her sons holding on to the skirt of the dress. Just lovely. :)

teresa-bug :

Oh how I love Princess Di. I would love to see that exhibit!!!!

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