Every Boy's Fancy Dress-Up Book Part 4

Every Boy's Fancy Dress-Up Book by Violet Elisabeth Bott Part 4 - The Dancing Class

Our series of petticoat discipline costumes, beautifully rendered by Violet Elisabeth Bott, is proving to be very popular with readers. Here are links to the first three parts:

Part 1 - The Nursery

Part 2 - The Kindergarten

Part 3 - The Uniform Parade

The first of two pages in the 2003 Christmas Annual is 'The Dance Class':

Here are Violet Elisabeth Bott's notes on the above illustrations:

1. Cheerleader outfit: Yellow sleeveless mini-tunic with choker collar, and flared skirt with blue inset pleats, worn with blue basketball briefs; yellow slip-on gauntlets and white cowboy boots with gold trim and tassels.

2. "Shirley Temple" costume: Short 'little girl' frock in red voile with white polka dots, high-waisted with flared skirt and puff sleeves; worn with white voile frilly petticoat and loose-fitting voile knickers in white with red polka dots and lace-trimmed leg openings; frilly white ankle sockswith red trim, and red patent-leather Mary Jane tap shoes.

3. Ballet dress: Pale lavender dress with short tutu, all-in-one with the frilly panties; worn with white tights and lavender ballet slippers with satin ribbons.

The red shoes in the middle picture are very sweet. Who has not seen, and loved, that beautiful film 'The Red Shoes', with Moira Shearer and Robert Helpmann? When I was a girl it was de rigeur for all ballet-mad little girls. Why the heroine committed suicide at the end of it, I do not know. I still think it was a mistake. Why give such an inspiring film such a rottenly unhappy ending?
Susan

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