There’s a gold rush underway. Medals. Beer.�

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Most of us have watched Sean Connery reveal his famous penchant for “shaken, not stirred” martinis in the James Bond flick, Goldfinger, yet ever since Canada’s Women’s Hockey celebrated their Olympic victory with a beer party on ice, cocktail culture has been going through some equally intense moments.�

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Hence, when it comes to dressing for the apres-Game happy hour, the Hudson’s Bay Co. has been creating more than a stir in the mix. Indeed, Canada’s own design dynamo, Tu Ly, goes for gold with his resurrected hand-knit sweater featuring an elk and maple leaf. And he scores with the Canuck pedigree still intact.�

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But before you scream “Get thee to a brewery!” I urge you to scroll and read the ever-evolving history of golden cocktail moments.

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It all began in 1926 when Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel shook-up the fashion world with her “little black dress.” With its modernist austerity and streamlined silhouette, the versatile dress soon became a key ingredient of a woman’s wardrobe, turning Coco and her LBD into cocktail icons.�

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But, alas, the depression managed to dampen the era’s spirit. As cocktail parties drifted from the public realm and became private affairs, day-into-evening dresses were introduced by American designers. This new cocktail trend was quickly picked up and made popular by Hollywood screen stars like Greta Garbo and Mae West.�

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The cocktail hour during the ’40s witnessed an influx of body-revealing styles as hemlines shot up and necklines inched down. Art Deco was at its height and women, it seemed, could barely get their fill of sequins and rhinestones. Christian Dior was the first designer to give his lavish party frock a beverage label. Dior’s “cocktail” dress remains ubiquitous, being the only apparel to be named after a drink.�

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By the early ’50s, cocktail attire had saturated mainstream culture. Full skirts and plunging necklines were the order of the day. Three-piece suits and dress and coat ensembles in muted cocktail hues with dyed-to-match shoes and bag began to surface, and mixed drinks with names like “Shady Lady” and “Fallen Angel” quickly became a part of the mix. Music also played a major role in the cocktail hour. The Cha-cha-cha was always more elegant with a martini in a matching gloved hand.

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The early ’60s was the era of the classic cocktail dress, personified by Audrey Hepburn in the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s. By the mid-’60s, other trends were entering the mix. Carnaby Street and Op Art fashions made a significant splash in the Western world. A surge of micro-mini skirts and dresses redefined fashion in the cocktail world. Psychedelic patterns gave cocktail dressing a spirited twist.

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Cocktail attire continued to evolve dramatically during the ’70s. Undertones of “active wear,” which first appeared in the April 1977 issue of Vogue (featuring Farrah Fawcett wearing her favourite NIKE sneakers), began to trickle into the cocktail hour. (And who could forget the sight of Diane Keaton, as Annie Hall, sporting an oversized cardigan and toting a briefcase everywhere she went?)�

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By the end of the ’70s, discos such as Studio 54 in New York City had become the new meccas of cocktail culture. Andy Warhol elevated cocktail attire by turning cocktail-sipping fashion mavens and models into veritable superstars.�

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The rise of punk bands like the Talking Heads and Blondie in the early ’80s bubbled-up some of the most bizarre sartorial mixes – the little black dress combined with Doc Martens boots. Coupled with the fitness craze, our simple little black dress suddenly looked ready for a sports bar.�

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Which sends me speeding back to our Olympian beer bash and style star Tu Ly’s� signature sweater. Like boutique beer, the trendy knit shows no sign of slowing down. Oh… did I mention it retails for $300?�

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Victory is never cheap.

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Voice is a recent acquisition in terms of human evolution – a penetrating, symphonic wonder. Our voice reveals not only our skills as communicators but also our background, character traits and emotions. “Speech is a mirror of the soul,” said Syrus in the first century B.C. But as every Zoomer knows: Voice can be intimate. Voice can be sex off the leash. And no one knows the seductive power of the voice and the tonal nuances better that those who are trying to impress a potential partner. Women routinely modulate their voices up an octave to embrace soft, purring tones, and men lower their voices an octave in order to create husky, seductive tones.

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When we form our mouths into a “cupid’s bow” we are playing a symphony of strings. How empty our kisses would be without the accompanying sounds of our lips, tongue, teeth, and saliva. From an onomatopoetic perspective, a kiss makes a lip-smacking noise. The very sound of the word “smack” captivates us. Indeed, it makes us smack our lips together just to say it!

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According to The Perfumed Garden: “A kiss should be sonorous. Its sound – light and prolonged – takes its rise between the tongue and the moist edge of the palate. It is produced by a movement of the tongue in the mouth and a displacement of the saliva provoked by suction.”� Of course today’s virtual world – without touch – was far beyond the early 16th-century poet Nefwazi’s understanding. But the importance he placed on the role of sound� in the erotic experience is far more-prescient than he could have possibly imagined.

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We press our lips together and emulate a sweet smacking sound into the hard moulded plastic receiver. When we kiss over the phone, we translate touch into sound. The phone kiss jump-starts us back into our body. In the case of a dual phone kiss, two people kiss as symmetrical partners: ear to mouth, mouth to voice. The stimulation we feel, however, is a response to a concept rather then a tactile sensation. We imagine our phone kisses as they zoom through wires and air into our beloved’s ear. In another sense, the phone itself “kisses” the ear of its listener. Digital signals become the wings of our desire.

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Add to this some good vibrations – such as your favourite love songs and chances are your stress levels will significantly decrease. Music increases endorphin levels (the body’s feel-good hormones). The right beat can induce a natural high. Euphonious sounds also affect our heartbeat, pulse rate, and blood pressure. According to anaesthesiologists, music can significantly decrease the level of stress hormones, the more relaxed and luxurious we feel. (Calm and heightened conscious produces alpha waves of nine to 14 cycles per second whereas stronger emotions produce 15 to 40 cycles per second.) Because the auditory nerve connects the inner ear with all the muscles in the body (vibro-accoustic memory), music improves body movement, thus reducing body tension. A slower and deeper respiration enables us to reach easier and deeper orgasms while making love. In addition, a flourish of musical notes can promote endurance (increasing performance time up to 25 percent).

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Practising a little “lip dancing” – by varying kissing tempo – is the signature move of a principal smoocher. The intimate tango of lips and tongues stimulates the brain and transports is us into an oasis of harmonious delights.

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It was roses, roses, all the way.

-Robert Browning

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The Greek poet Sappho called it “the Queen of Flowers”.� And whether presented as a single, long-stemmed bloom or an armful of luxurious blossoms, the Rose (from the Latin rosa), more than any other flower, has been the symbol of romantic love.

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The rose has a long and plush history. Almost every civilization has tended and cherished this heroine of flowers. Roses have been found in Egyptian tombs. Garlands of roses can be seen tumbling down from frescoes painted during the golden age of the Minoan culture on Crete. It was with the intoxicating perfume of roses that Cleopatra had her sails drenched; fragrantly announcing her arrival at ports of call along the Nile. Prized for their opulent fragrance, the Crusaders, in 1254, carted Damask roses back to Europe (from Damascus – hence the name). And, there is nothing like the wild scent of Damasks to set the mood for romance.�

Beds of roses
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Greeks and Romans adored the rose and they recounted many romantic tales about this heartfelt flower. In one Greek myth, Cupid charged off to Mount Olympus carrying a vessel of nectar for the council of the gods to drink. Before reaching his destination, however, he stumbled, and the spilled nectar transformed into a valley of breathtaking roses. Cleopatra is noted for commissioning a plush carpet of rose petals (eighteen inches deep, to be exact) to help make the arrival of her Roman paramour Mark Anthony more rapturous. In addition, her couches were lushly strewn with rose petals. We can only imagine the romantic interludes that arose from this tantalizing sea of petals.�

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And the allure of roses didn’t stop there. Apparently, the early Romans ate, drank, and gossiped while engulfed in roses. Anything said under a rose garland or chaplet (worn on the head) was sub rosa – A Latin expression meaning “under the rose,” to be kept secret. The Roman Emperor Nero had thousands of rose petals scattered in his palace in lieu of carpets. For an added effect, showers of rose water jetted down from his picturesque ceilings (that had been rigged to open up and rain petals upon his guests) and the heady aroma of roses was blown into bed chambers though hidden silver tubes. Even a rose holiday was created - Rosalia – in early May, to celebrate the flower of passion.

Floral languages
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After the fall of the Roman Empire, rose cultivation was continued by Benedictine monks, and the once fervent flower gradually became a chaste symbol. A rosary was made using 165 dried rose petals. Then, in the early seventeenth century, a lyrical language of flowers blossomed in Constantinople. This Persian floral poetry was introduced to Europe by Charles II, while a Turkish variaton was presented to England by a certain� Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1716). The floral language flourished and it soon spread to France where it was translated into a lovers’ handbook of 800 flower passages known as Le Language des Fleurs.�Lovers typically exchanged the fragrant verses along with a flower or bouquet.�According to the manual, a red rose signified beauty, while red and white roses together meant unity. White roses cautioned innocence. Yellow roses revealed a jealous heart. Over time, the symbolism grew in intricacy with combinations. For example, a rose in full bloom draped over two buds implied a secret laision. By removing the thorns from a rosebud stalk you were saying: ” I encourage this courtship.” Upon deleafing a rose you signified, “There’s no future to hope for.” Should you desire to express love and fascination with a love interest today, a red rose is said to symbolize eternal love and passion; a pink rose devotion; a white rose innocence,� and the yellow rose loyalty and friendship.

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Cultivating love
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In the nineteenth century, the rose as a symbol of romance was sealed when the French Empress Josephine (Napoleon’s wife) cultivated an extensive collection of roses at her estate in Marseilles. Renowned for its exquisite blooms, the garden became the stage for illustrator Pierre Joseph Redoute’s botanical designs. And, in 1824, one of the finest records of botanical illustrations was rendered in his water color entitled Les Rose. Around this same time Victorian suitors were busy revealing their passions via gifts of roses – different hues, varieties, and arrangements were used to express numerous love messages. �

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Small wonder this heroine of flowers has thrived as the traditional flower of St. Valentine’s Day. (It is estimated that over 200 million roses are exchanged worldwide on this one day alone.) And, even after its colorful, heart-throbbing history, the red rose reigns as the quintessential flower of love. �

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