I'm still trying to figure out why her crown is backwards. Someone really has trouble with all that HTML stuff.

Well actually I looked at this thread awhile ago and just never got around to replying....until not too long ago. :)

Buster's just jealous, 'cause he's from Mississippi. :haha:

Quite right Buster. Thread drift is despicable and shouldn't be tolerated in IoTD.
Shurely not? BTW sorry for your 2-0 defeat...

"Mississippi Queen"--an awesome Gulf Coast queen thing, Buster! :thumbsup:
A radio sports show just now played 20-some seconds of the "Mississippi Queen" intro as bumper music :cool: coming back from a commercial break (but it wasn't the Mountain version :( ).
"I can name that tune in two cowbell strokes!" :drummer:

should of had more cowbell...

I'm not sorry :D (and they didn't notice)

about ur finger?

"Popish"--haaa! :f211:

http://www.laffnet.org/Queen%20Pictu...20Festival.jpg . http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/pix/pope050424_cp_7511577.jpg

Brianna, the pope seems a bit miffed that Amber Benoit, Miss Sulphur 2007, has a taller mitre than him! Her gown is as shiny as his, yet is tastefully understated. On the other hand, her sash is over the top, whereas he must have one in there somewhere, but it's so well blended into his ensemble that it's hard to tell.

The wrong headwear can make the humblest man or woman look too, too special, not unlike megalomaniac rulers who use special hats to project authority. Big, fancy hats make eye-catching props for more-garden-variety showbiz attention mongers, too, from Carmen Miranda to the creepy Slash and that guy in Jamiroquai. Stupid Elton.

The already towering Abraham Lincoln (almost 6'4", when the average American man was 5'6") may have been humble in significant ways, so what's up with the stovepipe hat? In October 1862 Lincoln went to post-battle Antietam to meet with the arrogant, procrastinating, and insubordinate Gen. George McClellan (average at 5'6"), commander of the Army of the Potomac and formerly general in chief of all U.S. armies (footnote: McClellan, who privately wrote that he should be acclaimed dictator, was the fragmented Democratic Party's candidate for president 2 years later, losing to Lincoln). Lincoln had to make clear who was commander in chief:

http://www.vw.vccs.edu/vwhansd/HIS12...iefLincoln.jpg

McClellan, sixth from left, and Lincoln at Antietam

In general, Lincoln wanted to be noticed, I suppose, but being readily recognized would also help him be more accessible to the people. The stovepipe hat furthermore had the practical function of being a handy place to keep letters and other papers, like a briefcase.

Back to the Vatican: For an amazing selection of ecclesiastical headwear and robes, starting with the simplest nun's habit, progressing through higher ranks and gaudier vestments and mitres, and culminating in pure, dazzling ostentation, check out this clip of the fashion parade in Fellini's Roma (1972). :3_eyes: (Go see this film projected at a theater when possible.)

Lincoln, the Vatican, and Fellini?

whoa. head rush!

Don’t forget the queens, Cloud! :) Going back to Louisiana:

http://www.laffnet.org/Queen%20Pictu...ille%20XII.jpg . http://www.laffnet.org/Queen%20Pictu...f%20Hearts.jpg

Left: Miss Andouille [sausage] XII [2006]
Ashley Kristine Wilking
Right: 2007 Miss Queen of Hearts [of the River Parishes Fall Festival]
Ashley Kristine Wilking

Hey, I thought she was from Georgia--Scarlett’s friend.

More importantly, what up with her batwings? A lot of the Louisiana queens wear ’em. I’m guessing it’s a regal mantle bestowed only upon the winner at the big moment, along with the tiara, sash, and bouquet. Personally, I prefer Miss BHF’s bare-shoulder look.

Still, there’s certainly something to be said for the batwing style. Further research shows that in a few short years in the early 1930s, in male scholarship competitions, the regal pageant mantle underwent a radical transformation from modest proportions to the exaggerated dimensions that persist today:

http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/i...__lugosi_l.jpg . http://blogs.nypost.com/movies/archi..._merciless.jpg

Left: Seward Sanitarium Blood Drive Festival King 1931
Bill “Count” Dracula
Right: Mr. Late-Moving Sinker 1934
Chien-ming “the Merciless” Wang

Bonus section: An SSBDF King gallery

http://www.ezthemes.com/previews/d/dracula.jpg

1, 2, 3: High-collared mantle, but modest by later standards
2: Lincolnesque winner's crown
4. Joy at hearing Abraham Van Helsing named first runner-up

Highlights of the winner's performance, a dramatic reading, in the talent portion of the competition