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Two dresses from The Girl Who Lived in the Tree

The Girl Who Lived in the Tree is the 32nd collection by British fashion designer Alexander McQueen, made for the Autumn/Winter 2008 season. The primary inspirations were British culture and national symbols, particularly the British monarchy, as well as the clothing of India during the British Raj. It was presented through the narrative of a fairy tale about a feral girl who lived in a tree before falling in love with a prince and descending to become a princess. The collection's runway show was staged on 29 February 2008 at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in Paris. Forty-two looks were featured in two phases: during the first the ensembles were all in black and white, with most having a slim, tailored silhouette; those from the second were richly coloured, with luxurious materials and embellishments (examples pictured). Critical response was positive, and in retrospect it is regarded as one of McQueen's best collections. Garments from the collection are held by various museums. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Premna microphylla leaves and flowers

... that the leaves of Premna microphylla (pictured) are used to make a green jelly called Guanyin tofu?
... that the ideas of Albert Schädler became the founding ideas of the Progressive Citizens' Party, though he himself was opposed to the formation of political parties?
... that Queen Anne Pool opened to the public one day late, after a thermostat glitch accidentally heated the pool to 100 °F (38 °C)?
... that Hyakuman-kai no "I Love You" is a popular confession song in Japan?
... that upon winning a civil war in Portuguese Timor, the political party Fretilin repeatedly requested that Portuguese authorities return?
... that around the age of four, Jacob von Eggers was deported to Arkhangelsk in Russia together with the entire German-speaking population of Tartu?
... that an annex to the A. I. Namm & Son Department Store included artifacts from a church?
... that the Military-First Girls, a Japanese all-women fan club of the Moranbong Band, have compared their interest in North Korean music to other women's interests in K-pop and Taylor Swift?
... that one of the last photographs ever taken of Sitting Bull shows him side by side with Buffalo Bill?

In the news

Alberto Fujimori in 1991

At least 12 people are killed and more than 2,750 others injured after pagers used by Hezbollah members explode in Lebanon and Syria.
Amid widespread protests, Mexico ratifies constitutional changes that will see the federal judiciary chosen by popular vote.
Former president of Peru Alberto Fujimori (pictured) dies at the age of 86.
Flooding following a dam collapse in Borno State, Nigeria, leaves at least 30 people dead.

On this day

September 18

Interior of the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden

AD 96 – Nerva, the first of the "Five Good Emperors" of ancient Rome, came to power following the assassination of his predecessor Domitian.
1809 – The second Theatre Royal, Covent Garden (interior pictured), opened in London after the original was destroyed by fire.
1875 – The Indianola hurricane dissipated over Mississippi after killing around eight hundred people in Texas.
1961 – An aircraft crashed near Ndola in Northern Rhodesia, resulting in the deaths of 16 people, including United Nations secretary-general Dag Hammarskjöld.
1981 – While posing as an aristocrat, Belgian serial killer Nestor Pirotte murdered an antiques dealer in Brussels, for which crime he was sentenced to death.

Trajan (b. AD 53)
Liu Sheng (d. 958)
Betty Cantor-Jackson (b. 1948)
Jimi Hendrix (d. 1970)

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Today's featured picture

The cinnamon quail-thrush (Cinclosoma cinnamomeum) is a species of bird in the family Cinclosomatidae. Endemic to Australia, it is typically found in arid and semi-arid regions of the central part of the continent, spanning southwest Queensland, northwest New South Wales, northeastern South Australia, and the southeast of the Northern Territory. It is most commonly found among dry stony areas, especially around dry creek lines, although it is also sometimes encountered in grass and shrublands. The cinnamon quail-thrush has a body length of 20 centimetres (7.9 in) and a mass of up to 50 grams (1.8 oz) when fully grown. Male birds are characterised by a white eyebrow, black face and a broad white streak down the sides of a black throat. The upperparts of their body are plain cinnamon-rufous with buff-white patches on the upper breast and a broad black band below. The outer tail feathers are black with white tips. The female has similar features but duller with a buff-white throat and eyebrow. This cinnamon quail-thrush was photographed by the Stuart Highway near Hugh, Northern Territory, about 88 kilometres (55 mi) southwest of Alice Springs.

Photograph credit: John Harrison

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