1991
Whew! We made it through the first year of business………not to say that it was easy or profitable, but make it we did.
And the world….
U.S. and allied missiles and planes bomb targets in Iraq and Kuwait beginning January 17. Congress has voted January 12 to approve legislation permitting President Bush to make war on Iraq if she does not withdraw from Kuwait by January 15 in accordance with UN resolutions. Pilots fly more than 1,000 missions per day in the first weeks of the Persian Gulf War, dropping thousands of pounds of TNT with computer-guided accuracy in history’s heaviest bombing, and meeting little resistance. U.S. and allied casualties are minimal. Antiwar demonstrations (“No blood for oil”) increase beginning the night of January 16 (they have been staged in U.S. cities for months) when news of the outbreak of hostilities reaches America. European
cities also have peace demonstrations, but polls suggest most Americans united behind President Bush, who has the highest approval rating of any U.S. president since that enjoyed by Franklin D. Roosevelt in December 1941.
January and February, historically the busiest months for bridal gown shopping, were filled with war news. Business died as the American public watched the TV coverage of the Gulf War.
Operation Desert Storm begins February 24 and ends in 100 hours with Iraqi forces defeated.
Inflation moderates in the United States, but rents are 35 percent above the 1982-1984 average, electricity 28 percent higher, medical care 56 percent higher, food 34 percent higher, entertainment 28 percent higher, apparel nearly 9 percent higher.
Wall Street’s Dow Jones Industrial Average closes at 3004.46
L.A. Lakers superstar Earvin “Magic” Johnson stuns the world November 7 by announcing that he has the AIDS virus and is retiring from basketball to devote his efforts to ending the spread of the disease.
Martha Stewart Living magazine begins publication in July; circulation will reach 2.3 million by 1997.
The Chicago Bulls defeat the Los Angeles Lakers June 12 in the fifth game of a series to win their first National Basketball Association championship. Led by guard Michael Jordan, they prevail over Lakers star Magic Johnson.
Jane Fonda is married on her 54th birthday December 21 to Atlanta media tycoon Ted Turner, now 53, at his ranch outside Tallahassee, FL.
The Perfect Storm that roils the North Atlantic from Puerto Rico to Nova Scotia in late October is the worst in a century. Even before it turns into a nameless hurricane it has killed 12 people (including six swordfishermen out of Gloucester and a Coast Guard helicopter rescue worker) and caused more than $2 billion in property damage, destroying houses, beaches, and wetlands. Someday a film would be made about this storm starring George Clooney.
Academy Award, Best Picture: Dances With Wolves, Jim Wilson and Kevin Costner, producers (Orion)
Grammys awarded in 1991
Record of the Year: “Another Day in Paradise,” Phil Collins
Album of the Year: Back on the Block, Quincy Jones (Qwest/Warner Bros.)
Song of the Year: “From a Distance,” Julie Gold, songwriter
Economics
US GDP (1998 dollars): $5,916.70 billion
Federal spending: $1323.63 billion
Federal debt: $3598.5 billion
Median Household Income
(current dollars): $30,126
Consumer Price Index: 136.2
Unemployment: 6.8%
Cost of a first-class stamp: $0.25 ($0.29 as of 2/3/91)
Princess Diana and Prince Charles split. It is announced from Buckingham Palace that, with regret, the Prince and Princess of Wales have decided to separate. They have no intention to divorce and will both continue to have an active role in their boys’ lives.
The Word Wide Web Is Available
On August 6th, 1991, Tim Berners-Lee releases files describing his idea for the “World Wide Web”
Celebrity Weddings
Jane Fonda and Ted Turner
Cindy Crawford and Richard Gere
Clint Black and Lisa Hartman
John Travolta and Kelly Preston
A little tidbit about the “Perfect Storm”. During the storm the A L’Amour buyers were in New York for New York Bridal Market, shopping for dresses for the store. It is a buying trip they remember to this day.
Tags: 1991, 21, 21st birthday, alamour, Anniversary, barrington, Birthday, Bridal, bridal gowns, bride, Bridesmaids, European designs, event, hair jewelry, headpieces, jewelry, party, planning, Prom Dresses, Pronovias, Tony Bowls, wedding, wedding gowns, weddings
Wha-la….an Automotive Paint Store…a stand alone solid brick building with good parking and visibility, good interior space and within close proximity to the Foundry so that we would be easily found by current customers.
Walls coming down and walls being built. All work needing to be completed in a matter of weeks.
(A life-long athlete who has competed in international skating competitions, Vera Wang continues to design costumes for Olympic skaters such as Michelle Kwan.)
To compliment a gown which took 1,000 hours to complete, the bride donned a seven pound tiara composed of 2,000 Austrian crystals, to which a cathedral-length veil was attached.
As recently as the early to the mid-1990s, modest wedding gowns with long sleeves, exaggerated shoulders, high necklines and full skirts reigned supreme.
