Stopping to smell the roses

Today, as anyone living in Southern California knows, is the Rose Bowl and attendant parade. I am quite happy to be impacted only insofar as I heard the fighter jets doing their blue angel thing this morning. But I do have a new year's day treat for everyone...a gallery of Rose Queens

This year's Queen Ashley Moreno and court:




While not embarrassing in that "sleeves as big as your head" kind of way (see 1993 below), Ashley and company are pretty bland compared to some of the lovely ladies of years gone by.

Take 1923 Queen May McAvoy, for example:




Or 1951 Queen Eleanor Payne and court with their stylish shoes and handbags dyed to match:




1967's Queen Barbara Hewitt and court are clearly hoping for future careers as flight stewards:




1977 was a notable year not so much for Queen Diane Ramaker's attire as her court's dresses, which seem to be designed to make these poor women look like they ate the wrong side of some Alice in Wonderland cake:




Things aren't looking much better in 1993, when Queen Liana Yamasake and court determine to show their kinship with the linebackers by eschewing sleeves in favor of giant cabbages:




And my personal favorite, 1972's superfly Queen Margolyn Johnson and court.
Yeah baby.