What #facemask to wear after quarantine - #fashionmaskstyle
Since ‘the Rona’ (A period of time in 2020 where the Corona Virus (CV19) ravaged the world) has come to town, we have all had to adapt and adopt new ways. Life during quarantining was a big change for most of us, and now life-after-quarantining poses new challenges.
#FashionMaskstyle all the rage!
With America’s top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci encouraging the use face coverings to reduce the risks of COVID-19 and to reduce the spread of the disease (bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53167780) face masks have become the talk-of the-town. The good news is University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation have found that if America used face coverings it could reduce transmission of the virus by 50% (nytimes.com/reuters/2020/06/24/us/24reuters-health-coronavirus-usa-forecast.html). It’s a simple public service we can all do to help save lives: put on your mask! No excuses of inconvenience, there are many hacks and innovations to make masks more accessible and easier to use. Even Apple are making it feasible to use face coverings (Iphone unlocking easier Spiderman did not complain, and yours will be a much more comfortable face covering than his!
Safety, with a sense of style - The Fashion Face Masks
Naturally surgical masks should be saved for frontline workers, so the considerate solution is to use cloth face-covers which offer the next-best protective solution. Designers everywhere have stepped up to the task of keeping us fashionably covered. The shape, shades, prices, look may vary but they all serve the one goal, keeping those Covid-19 droplets from spreading!
Face covers are now available in various styles and materials - and we will sample some below - the fashion industry has really responded to our current needs in creative and resourceful ways! In this age of pandemic, fashion masks can give protection as well as a sense of individuality. Safety is offered in a variety of trendy options, from luxurious velvet, to hot pink snazzy terry cloth, to the artsy custom-made pièce de résistance, such as those hand-made from vintage fabrics - the diversity of style is endless.
Cloth face masks should be embraced as a fashion phenomenon!
Face Mask - Washable and reusable
Consideration for the environment is no less important than being fashionable and aesthetically pleasing. Cloth masks are eco-friendly, reducing the waste of disposable masks. Cloth face masks can be washed and reused, helping with sustainability. Since they are small items, even the Bohemian fabric and glitter-studded materials talked about below are easy to keep clean. Hygiene is the word on the streets! PS. Don’t forget to wash your hands!
Comfortable and practical: adjustable face mask neck straps
Nonessential but useful, face mask neck straps are now available so that you can hang your face masks on your neck and keep that face covering close-by at all times. The straps are sometimes sewn on to the mask in a way they can be adjusted. Also, on the market are removable straps that can be transferred from mask to mask: the beaded ones invoke a tribal trend while cloth ones offer comfort and practicality. With the face mask hanging around your neck, you can put it on and take it off as you need and adjust the tightness of the earloops. When you are jogging alone along a path you might not need to have the mask on but when you pass others it’s super accessible to just slip on your protective gear. By using the face mask neck strap, almost like a necklace or the strap to hold your reading glasses, you can always have the mask on your person. Make the strap long or short, secured-tightly, or loosely fitting, as you prefer.
How fashion masks are looking in 2020
Below we will see some varieties on offer in 2020, and no doubt onto 2021 there will be more choices and an assortment of innovations to make the face covering more convenient and inherent in our daily lives.
So, what is the best way to choose our face mask? Should we follow the trends of IG fashionistas and celebrities? Or keep it simple with comfortable face masks that have soft lining? Do we want to have unique, one of a kind face mask? How about supporting charities through our purchase? Face mask with filter, or no? Do the best masks have a nose-bridge? Adjustable strap or ear loops? Well, you CAN have all the above. After all, how many face masks will you need? How about one for every occasion?
FASHION FACE MASKS - HAVE A FEW OF THEM LIKE YOU WOULD PANTIES
Silk face masks can be light and soft on the skin, velvet will give you the chic look and when it’s time to party how about a sassy sequin-splattered alternative? An unbleached organic material might be suitable for some, a transparent plastic face cover may be suitable for others. Mix and match for the occasion or the day. For a scorching hot summer weather lean towards breathable, cotton masks and on those cool nights you can be armed with soft-lined, exotic, embroidered masks. Have a mask to go with your Boho dress yet? And what about a pastel color one for your flowery dress? Let’s have fun and dress ourselves with a different fashion face mask for every occasion! The face mask strap holder can be transferred to your current mask, unless you want to have a variety of those too! The colorful, beaded mask strap holders can match many styles.
Celebrities undercover
So many big names are rocking face masks from Bella Hadid to Priyanka Chopra, and Billie Eilish to Cindy Crawford. Of course, Kourtney Kardashian looks fabulous in hers (see foxbusiness.com) and Gwyneth Paltrow keeps incognito in her own way. Check out celebs’ covert style at <https://www.esquireme.com/content/44263-celebrities-wear-masks-to-stop-the-coronavirus-gallery.
Designer brand names
Going for haute couture face masks? You can sport the Louis Vuitton leather monogram mask like IG favorites Gabrieljunkart and Tair Marassulov. Or opt for a silky Fendi one. Over your budget? How about one of eco-friendly Sylven New York’s designer dust bag masks? The innovative brand has teamed up with Masks for Humanity to make facemasks that sport the Chanel logo, for example, and the Balenciaga one, by upcycling the fashion houses’ dust bags.
Streetwear brands
Bathing Ape and Supreme New York have their own funky selection, as do Off-White, whose Arrow face mask became controversial with its off the chart prices. And check out Instagram’s Anastasia E.G. @anydeath or Marine-Serre ready-to-wear collection at Vogue.com for some serious street style.
By the way most sportwear brands such as Adidas and Nike have designed face coverings for their fans, says newsweek.com, and for British soccer fans the football clubs in the UK have also issued masks stamped with their logos (see: thesun.co.uk).
Home sewn masks
The Centre for Disease Control have a YouTube video showing how you can make your own cloth face covering with items around the house (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPx1yqvJgf4). It’s actually pretty cute to see the US surgeon general talk about DIY sewing – have a look!
For the more sophisticated sewing pros you can find plenty of tutorials and patterns on Pinterest. Choose what will work best for you: with or without pleats, how to build filters into your mask, and how to get complete coverage with the Aplat Mask. There are even instructions for the no-sew mask, ones just like the CDC recommends!
On the other popular craft site, Etsy, there are lots of masks created for your selection. Search for the reversable face mask by BTouchCreation, a choice of children size masks at FabricExpert and LifebytheYard. Fun Cat face masks by Bakernauts are so popular they are currently out of stock. Maybe you will be inspired to create your own: elephant or hedgehog could make fun kids’ masks, if you can create them! IG’s @zhijunwang crafted his mask out of an IKEA bag, so give your imagination free reign, we look forward to seeing your ingenuity.
Glitter and Gold
Also available are glittery face masks will keep you safe at any disco dance. Be different, be unique, be the sparkle of any event – whether the black tie gala that raises funds for COVID-relief as suggested by networkforgood.com or a socially-distancing block party: we would be able to resume out-door gatherings if we stay safe and alert. We are doing it for our own safety after all! Until we are free to mingle, we can at least keep up the party spirit in our fashion choices.
Bohemian Wrapsody
Take a break from belting out the Queen favorite and wrap yourself up with some ethnic style. Unique and exotic, these bright, hand sewn face masks on Momonewyork.com can be washed and reused. So even though we need to have a break from crooning ‘Kodachrome’ in public but we can still have the ‘nice bright colors’ and ‘think all the world’s a sunny day’ (oh yeah) with these multicolored Bohemian face masks. Each one is different so you will be exceptional in your one-of-a-kind handmade individualized mask. People will be humming “isn’t they lovely” under their masks when they see you!
Non-medical masks to save lives!
No excuses now but to put on your face cover! You can call for freedom of choice, but we believe your choice will be the one considerate to others and society. You can claim face masks are politicized but we believe they can equalize. Isn’t it fairer to everyone if we can all be in a safe environment? You can claim discomfort and inconvenience but look at the way humanity is innovating and adapting to make it work for you: the fashionable selections, the different straps available, the breathable lining…there are over 32,000 choices on Ebay, so let’s wear some type of face covering and head towards a beautiful future!
EMBROIDERED VELVET FACE MASK LOU PAISLEY PATTERN DESIGN
Regular price $24.00- Embroidered Velvet in Paisley Pattern Design
- purchase the Face Mask separately or with boots
- Hand Made
Source: PAISLEY.ORG.UK
ABOUT THE PAISLEY PATTERN DESIGN
The Roots Of Paisley Design
The roots of the instantly recognisable Paisley pattern design may surprise a lot of people, who do not realise that its heritage goes back not only many hundreds of years, but many thousands of miles too. It’s an interesting and varied tale which shows that multi-culturalism is by no means a new phenomenon. It may have experienced its ups and downs in popularity, but it’s always been assured a place in the heart of the local population of Paisley itself, as well as reaching new audiences of fashionistas and design buffs who strive to present their own take on this most traditional and beautiful of patterns.
A design that is many hundreds of years old
The design itself can trace its origins back to Persia and the Sassanid Dynasty, a period of time that stretches back to around 221AD. Its distinctive shape, likened variously to a tear drop, a kidney or even that most exotic of fruit the Mango was originally called “boteh jegheh” and was created as a motif for a religious movement known as Zoroastrianists. The design was supposed to represent the Cypress Tree which was their symbol of everlasting life.
In Tamil culture, another region famed for it’s love of the pattern, the paisley design is known as Mankolam, as it resembles a Mango. Mango fruit is incredibly highly prized amongst the Tamil, it being a symbol of health, peace and prosperity.
The symbol was not only used as a design to go into fabric, but something that would also be used in jewellery designs too, particularly modelled in high carat gold earrings or pendants.
The spread of the influential pattern
Another popular design of the time and of the Persian region was something called the “buteh” which was similar in appearance to the design we’re familiar with but took on more of a floral appearance. This was used to decorate anything to do with the royal line of the time, including crowns and court garments. It was typically woven from gold or silver threads and put onto clothing or apparel that was constructed out of silk.
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The fashion for using the pattern spread to many other Asian and Indian countries over the following centuries and it was in the Moghul period between the years 1526-1764 that it became the most popular, appearing on everything from stone carvings to the accoutrements and regalia of Princes and Holy Men.
It was during the 1600s that the pattern began to appear on shawls that were specifically designed for men. Historians have dated the earliest discovered piece of textile work with the design on to around 1680.
Princes of this era wore expensive pashmina shawls with the design that were incredibly labour intensive to make as they included a mixture of tapestry and weaving to produce them. Estimates guess that each shawl could have taken as long as eighteen months to make, such was the level of detail that went into them. The garments were being produced in Kashmir, which incidentally, is the region that gives us the name Cashmere in relation to the goat’s hair that the shawls were woven out of at the time.
Later development
During the late eighteenth century, when trade and industrialisation were beginning to take hold, men who were working for the British East India Company imported these shawls into the UK. As greatly loved as they were by the people who were importing them, it was recognised that they were going to be incredibly expensive and time consuming to produce so these entrepreneurs wanted to try and find ways of mass producing them much more cheaply.
It was during the closing stages of this century that we first see records for Paisley Patterned shawls being made in Norwich in East Anglia and for the first time in Scotland, though it was initially in Edinburgh.
Napoleon Bonaparte
If you want to know why Paisley became the epicentre of the design and gave it its name, then we need to look no further than the Napoleonic wars, which occurred at the end of the eighteenth century and spread into the early nineteenth.
These wars presented major problems with trading and exporting of goods, meaning that many luxury items simply couldn’t be brought across to the UK, one of these were the intricate shawls.A side effect of trade being interrupted meant that there were many workers in this country who were out of work. At the time, Paisley was a major producer of silk, it therefore had many skilled workers who were unemployed.
A story that’s passed into lore tells of a mill in Edinburgh called Patersons who were having trouble completing an order for shawls that they had been sent. The order was sent to some unemployed silk workers in Paisley who did an exceptional job. They realised how much potential money there was for making such garments and from then on, the industry thrived in Paisley and the various mills in the town. The mill workers here were known not only for their immense skill, but for being very well read and educated too.
Victorian era onwards
By the mid 1840s, the fashion for these shawls and the designs being produced in Paisley were the envy of all of France too and there became something of a problem with the French trying to counterfeit and copy them. Thus, the British Government decided to introduce a patent to the pattern. Whilst the silk workers here were doing an exemplary job, the Industrial Revolution brought into play newfangled machinery such as Jacquard Looms.
These pieces of equipment meant that a wider variety of Paisley patterns could be produced in a much quicker and efficient fashion in a wider variety of colours too. By the year 1860 it’s estimated that the weavers in Paisley could produce shawls that had as many as fifteen different colours in them, a marked increase on the number of colours that the same shawls being imported from Kashmir could produce.
During the latter stages of the Victorian era, more technological developments meant that as well as the pattern being weaved into shawls it could also be printed onto cloth and garments. Once this happened, its popularity spread further, as it suddenly became much cheaper for the weavers of Paisley to produce and meant that people who couldn’t afford to buy the shawls had a way of incorporating the fashion into their clothes. However, as with many popular trends, it soon fell out of favour.
Paisley pattern in fashion
The trend for Paisley pattern did sadly wane somewhat into the early stages of the twentieth century; however, it did experience many revivals over the years. During the 1960s it became an essential part of menswear again with everything from paisley patterned shirts and ties being worn and loved by discerning gentlemen keen to get in on a fashion trend.
It once again saw a resurgence during the early years of the twenty first century, becoming associated with sporting competitions, when during the Winter Olympics of 2010, the Azerbaijan team wore Paisley patterned trousers as part of their uniform. It made them an instantly recognisable part of the winter sports event, putting the pattern back on the fashion map once again. They were also made famous by the exuberant US golfing star John Daly who took to the fairway of the 2009 PGA Championships in a pair of brightly coloured purple paisley patterned golfing trousers. A character who is never one to shy away from publicity, the trousers certainly got him noticed. John Daly was able to place well in the tournament with a miraculous drive using a Titleist Driver.
It’s clear that while the pattern has experienced ups and downs over the years and tastes have changed, it will never truly disappear and will always have a place somewhere in the fashion lover’s wardrobe. To think of how far it has travelled and how it developed in such a small area of Scotland is truly amazing.
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