Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Ruby Reticule




RUBY TUESDAY
http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com
 
RUBY RETICULE

Darby Street in Newcastle is a street of little shops,
Lots of window-shopping and little starts and stops.
And it was there I spied this bag, a lovely ruby red,
And suddenly 'It's a reticule' popped into my head.
'Reticule' is not a word I'd used a lot before
And so I quickly 'Googled' it, and learned a great deal more.
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When women's clothes were voluminous, they made great use of pockets
To carry little bits and  bobs, such as handkerchiefs and lockets.
They'd sew the pockets in their skirts and safely tuck away
Quite a multitude of things that came to hand each day.
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1750
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The Directoire period came along and dresses were more fitting,
Pockets would have bulged a lot, especially when sitting.
So ladies carried reticules to store the things they needed.
Often these were decorated, finely stitched and beaded.
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1820
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Bags had been used before, for tools, but now they were high fashion,
And ladies showed them to their friends with lots of pride and passion.
Think of the handbags of today! Watch how your girlfriends drool!
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So there, my friends, is the history of my 
Ruby Reticule!
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A handbag in jeopardy here:

6 comments:

Gemma Wiseman said...

O so clever and entertaining! I have a feeling that the last time I read a book with the word "reticule" in it, may have been a Jane Austen novel! And that was many years ago!

LV said...

Loved seeing all the older fashions and colors. You did a great job on this post.

EG CameraGirl said...

I just learned a new word today! I enjoyed your clever rhyme.

SandyCarlson said...

That was lots and lots of fun! Oh, those bags sure do make statements.

Snooze said...

as always reds stands out ... ... happy ruby tuesday.

My Ruby Post

Jinksy said...

Thank goodness blue jeans always come with pockets. Me and reticules or even handbags have never been on good terms!