There Are Places I Remember...

Here's my mom and me when I was thirteen. I don’t remember the occasion, but we were visiting my great aunt Cille and I’m sure that there was a scrumptuous homemade meal involved--perhaps even a coconut custard pie, my mom’s favorite.

Mom is wearing an emerald and sapphire blue suit that she made, and I’m decked out in a cute navy blue double-knit shift with a low-slung belt designed to accent the hips. I had no hips or waist at the time, but the fabric was kind to the under-developed teen figure. There was no drape or cling to call attention to my lack of curves. It was one of my favorite dresses!

Vintage Beauty - Bill and Betty

Bill and Betty

Here we are in the late 1940s digging on my ultra-glamorous mom and her favorite cousin Bill.  From the many stories she told me during her lifetime, Mom and Bill were childhood best friends.  They spent countless Saturday afternoons at the movies rooting for the guys in the white hats, roller skated all over Winston-Salem together, and routinely risked their young lives hiking along train tracks. 

Check out my mom in her belted velvet coat.  Have you ever seen such a gorgeous topper?  I wish I'd been there to touch it--I bet it felt like corn silk.  I’ve looked at this photo millions of times and wondered what color the coat was.  What do you think--sapphire blue or forest green?  And the shoes--burgundy or coffee brown?

A Leaf from the Family Tree--Lucille!

Aunt Cille in the 1940s

Meet Lucille Faison, my great aunt, my grandmother’s sister and best friend.  Aunt Cille was a woman of constant style and good taste.  She was born in Winston-Salem NC, and settled in Washington DC as a young woman. 

I loved sleeping over at her apartment when I was a kid.  She always had a tin of barbeque Fritos waiting for me; her apartment was cozy and immaculate; she had a box stuffed with office supplies that I could use to explore my creativity--staplers, colored paper, pens and pencils, notebooks, and rulers.  Santa even visited me at Aunt Cille‘s!  One Christmas Eve when I was a very sleepy six-year old I thought I saw Santa leaving gifts under her pink artificial tree!  Probably one of her boyfriends wearing a red suit.

My auntie was tall (5’10”) and slim, and would have been a runway sensation in today’s world.  She was an elegant party girl who loved beautiful clothes, but couldn’t find any that fit well.  In the 1930s African-Americans weren’t permitted to try on clothing in DC department stores, so she created the wardrobe that she wanted.  She window-shopped exclusive shops, studied the structure and detail of garments she admired then went home and made them.  Her closets and armoire were stuffed with tasteful day dresses, gorgeous evening dresses, and Sunday-perfect suits. 

In her heyday she was the “hostess with the most-ess,” a popular dinner companion and dancing partner.  Her dance card was always filled, and her house parties featured riotous laughter over the card table, lots of trash talk and tales, and rockin’ good music. 

She worked as a housekeeper for decades for a wealthy family and raised their three children, but never lost her dignity and style.  Every day she dressed for work as if she was going to a high-paying office job.  Her prowess with a sewing machine inspired my Mom to get better acquainted with our Sears Kenmore sewing machine.  

Here's my favorite quote from her, “Good times don’t owe me a thing.”  I’ll drink to that!  She had the time of her life during her lifetime with no regrets.  Thanks, Aunt Cille, for modeling the graceful life.

Enjoy these pics of sassy, sensational Cille.

Aunt Cille (L) and her sister (R) and their beaus

Sunday Stylin'!