In Training

Another piece that figures into the December story is Chlora's training bra. She received this detested item of apparel in her Christmas stocking and promptly threw it and its package into the fireplace. The lacy little stretch number, size 28AA, was quickly made from rolling the porcelain into an old lace hankie, forming two flat cups, and adding on all those elastic straps.


Deciding on the images from art history was harder.

Three booby paintings auditioned for this role. This contrasting pair from the Louvre got to be the cover girls. Left, Franz Hals "Gypsy Girl", the provoceur of 1628-30, on the right, Rubens' s Susanna Fourment of 1622-25, the sweet gamine. Both of them could use some poetic uplift.

!On the back of the package is a mashup of verbiage from training bras of the 1960's...what odd research that is!-- with the Song of Solomon 8:8 : "We have a little sister and she has no breasts. What shall we do for our sister on the day she is spoken for?...

After her bra burning, Chlora figures she will agree to grow breasts only if they look like the blonde bearing her breasts by Manet, below, in the Musee d'Orsay. Wow.