Isn't this an interesting image? It's from the National Archives of Canada, and it's "Mrs. Ritchie, who here portrays Chess in a black costume with red and white checkered inserts, and a necklace and coronet made of chess pieces."
This dress comes to you because I was driving home from the airport late last night, and the iPod served up Travis Morrison's "Checkers and Chess", which has the lyrics:
Checkers and chess
I like your dress
Your dress likes me
It's all workin' out
At least, that's what *I* think the lyrics are. I could be mondegreening.
I think a Black Queen Chess Dress costume would be great for Halloween. Long black dress, pointy hat, forbidding expression, rapid yet stealthy movement at all times — you're done! And you can be warm, instead of freezing to death in something like this:
I mean, sure, if you want to be the queen of the jungle, hey, knock yourself out — just carry a sweater or something, okay? Do you have money for a cab? You know I worry about you.
A Dress A Day 
Love that chess dress!The Mondegreen page is delicious.
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Oh, how do I love Halloween? :-))
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How about dressing AS a mondegreen for Halloween? There are books for inspiration:http://www.rulefortytwo.com/books.htm
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The second one reminds me of Raquel Welch in that movie about prehistoric times. What was the name? Something like “One Million Years, B.C”
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OK, it’s a dress, but Erin, are you having an off day?
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Yes, thank you so much for noticing. 🙂
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Erin, the New York Times has published two articles/opinion pieces on the skimpy-ness of women’s commercial halloween costumes. (I’m going to be the old skool Miller Beer girl in the moon: she wears warm tights and a jacket!)
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I pledge a lesion (to the flag)……mmmmmm, lesions. I pledge an oozing headwound too. Ang
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I wondered what Pebbles Flintstone had been up to. Evidently she’s a clothing(?) designer.
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The education on “mondegreen” is my favorite. I wonder if one could make a dress as an ode to the mondegreen? I’d also rather dress as a warm, well covered queen than a hooker… er, queen of the jungle anyday.And, I like burpin’ in a glass.
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Nice dress.
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I don’t know how you would dress as mondegreen, but I have a friend who went to a party and saw a bunch of girls drinking 40s and dressed as cholos – baggy khakis, flannel shirts buttoned at the top, that sort of thing – except in all green. What were they supposed to be? “Gangrene,” of course.I’m so glad to have the term mondegreen now; it will surely vie with “earworm” for usefulness.
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That doesn’t look like “Mrs. Ritchie”. That looks like MR. Ritchie.
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I have heard of mis-heard lyrics but I was unaware they had a moniker of their own. I learn something new every day! But I’m surprised the Wikipedia article didn’t mention Manfred Mann’s Blinded by the Light, odd lyrics that no one seems to know.
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Julia! I forgot about that one. You made me laugh… that song always made me a little uncomfortable as a child.
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Good heavens, what a stunner. (…the black dress, that is, not the cavewoman.)
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I will admit that my halloween costume this year is partially inspired by this blog. I have decided to dress 50s style. Primarily because in sewing a circle skirt and crinoline I am trying to remember how to sew so I can make a dress (or two). Maybe next year I will be able to make a checkerboard dress!
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I *hate* how women’s costumes just seem to a be a ‘sexy’ variation on some theme: maid, pirate, whatever. I’m going as Red Riding Hood (making my own cape, but not the dress, alas) and my knees and tas will not be showing.
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