Inspired by Delft-blue

Remember when after passing my Dutch exam I felt I deserved this dress to commemorate such a momentous occasion? Well, I found the perfect alternative!

I seem to find sheer blouses everywhere and I kind of love the trend. So when I saw this cream and royal blue blouse (at an accesible price nonetheless) I knew I had to get it. After all, few things are more typical Dutch than Delft pottery.

 "Delftware is a type of pottery in which a white glaze is applied, usually decorated with metal oxides. During the Dutch Golden Age, the Dutch East India Company had a lively trade with the East and imported millions of pieces of Chinese porcelain in the early 17th century. The Chinese workmanship and attention to detail impressed many. Only the richest could afford the early imports. Although Dutch potters did not immediately imitate Chinese porcelain, they began to after the death of the Wanli Emperor in 1620, when the supply to Europe was interrupted.Delftware inspired by Chinese originals persisted from about 1630 to the mid-18th century alongside European patterns.
By about 1700 several factories were using enamel colours and gilding over tin-glaze, requiring a third kiln firing at a lower temperature. The earliest tin-glazed pottery in the Netherlands was made in Antwerp by Guido da Savino in 1512. The manufacture of painted pottery may have spread from the south to the northern Netherlands in the 1560s. It was made in Middelburg and Haarlem in the 1570s and in Amsterdam in the 1580s. Much of the finer work was produced in Delft, but simple everyday tin-glazed pottery was made in places such as Gouda, Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Dordrecht. The main period of tin-glaze pottery in the Netherlands was 1640-1740. From about 1640 Delft potters began using personal monograms and distinctive factory marks." (Source)

If you ever visit Delft, don't forget to visit the Royal Delft ceramic factory, still at work, where you can watch the artists work live on their pieces. My mom absolutely loved it.