A place to find about styles of vintage clothing from the 1940's to the ‘80's and ethnic and art-to-wear fashion. Enjoy the aura that dressing in vintage clothing and jewelry will create.

Monday, December 21, 2009

That wonderful LBD!!!

Oh! the Little black dress. It can be safe or sexy… formal or fun. It's appropriate at work, a funeral, or a party, depending on what else you are wearing with it.. It's been a staple in a well-dressed woman's wardrobe for more than eighty years.

The little black dress, so much a part of the fashion vocabulary that people today simply refer to it as an LBD. Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel gets most of the credit for "inventing" the little black dress in 1926.

Coco’s famous design debuted to the world of fashion in 1926. Vogue magazine has called it fashion's Model T by Vogue, debuted in 1926.

The LBD reigned during the 1930s and '40s, but the version that perhaps best known LBD was the simple sheath Hubert de Givenchy created for Audrey Hepburn to wear in 1961's Breakfast at Tiffany's. Hepburn wore it in several scenes in the movie and looked chic and charming throughout. The ides behind the LBD is that it can be worn for a variety of occasions from one season to the next. It is the uniform that goes everywhere with a touch of demure sophistication."


The general appeal of black is that the clothes can be changed depending on whether you are having a wallflower day or a “Here I am” day. When you invest in a LBD is will be versatile enough to go from day to night, with a change of accessories such as:

- Swap the oversized handbag for a simple clutch.
- Replace the casual jacket or cardigan with a cropped tuxedo jacket.
- Take the wide scarf wrapped around your neck during the day and drop it down around your shoulders to use it as a wrap at night.
- Replace your daytime suede heels or flats with metallic, patent or colorful heels.
- Add embellished headbands and hair clips.
- Wear a faux fur wrap or scarf for a more dramatic look.
- Accessorize with chunky multi-colored beads for a BOHO look
- Try another jewelry change by ditching the gold jewelry and changing to stick to silver.
- Remember to follow the one-accessory rule at all times so not to look overdone. If you are wearing chunky jewelry, keep the footwear and clutch subtle.



Wednesday, December 9, 2009

It's snowing


Thursday, November 19, 2009

Restyled BIba from the 60's & 70's



House of Fraser will introduce Biba to 30 department stores and online for autumn 2010 in Great Britian. The collection will also include accessories, jewelry, footwear, house wares and fragrances. Their design team will find inspiration from Biba’s archives but will update the products. The House of Fraser said “We will be making it a lot more appropriate for today and picking up an essence of Biba with flamboyant, sexy prints in silks, knits and dark denims with soft washes.” Wonder how this will turn out with the creator of Biba--: Barbara Hulanicki

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Ladylike



As a child many of us heard the word, ladylike and our teeth started to grind. Times have changed and it is important not to look like a party girl. Today’s style of dressing is with quiet elegance. Being ladylike is a sign of respect and responsibility in these difficult times.


How do you pull off the look? Dressing in clothes that have timeless appeal with a secret sensuality in fabrics and textures— with the feel of silk, fur and tweed will convey the ladylike feel. Use vintage fashions that are timeless — the classic pump, a pencil skirt, and a classic silk blouse. Certain materials will whisper elegant exotic skins like crocodile (vintage real or faux), fabric like brocade, velvet, and silk with things that sparkle.


How to look to the manor born without mortgaging the manor? First you need to know a classic design when you see one. Study the photos of Jackie O, Audrey Hepburn, Katherine Hepburn, and Grace Kelly. They are icons of ladylike fashions. Remember you do not have to spend a fortune on your clothes...shop for vintage on-line at Etsy, Ebay or at any of the members of the VFG (Vintage Fashion Guild). To keep your look from being boring add some zing with an awesome necklace or a great handbag.


Remember a lady never reveals what she paid for something no matter how great of deal it was.






Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Flappers in the 1920's




Art Deco was the look of the 1920’s jazz age woman. She smoked and drank like one of the boys, danced the night away to big jazz bands, and voted. Liberated and headstrong, the new woman emerged and exercised all her newfound freedoms. Fashion transitioned from the Gibson girl’s defined feminine silhouette to the more boyish flapper look of dropped waistlines, loose shapes, and knee-length skirts and dresses. To achieve the popular boyish figure, some women bandaged their breasts while others wore long corsets all in the name of fashion.


She even had her own slang…..


A Miniature Guide to Flapper Slang
An alibi- a box of flowers
Baby Vamp- an attractive woman
Baloney- nonsense
Bearcat- a hot-blooded or fiery girl
Cash or check? – Do we kiss now or later?
Corn-shredder- young man who dances on lady’s feet
Dapper- a flapper’s feather
Dolled up- dressed up
Handcuff- engagement ring
Kisser- mouth
Urban set- a new gown
Whangdoodle- Jazz band

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

So: will you buy new vintage this winter or buying the real thing actual vintage?





Yves Saint Laurent unveiled "New Vintage," an eco-friendly capsule collection using recycled remnant fabric from past YSL collections in June 2009.
Sometimes, you just have to stick with what works. Yves Saint Laurent recut some of its iconic pieces for Barneys New York in June.. The New Vintage" collection started with dip-dyed bustier dresses, embroidered trench coats, and separates in plasticized cotton—all strictly limited edition, numbered, and unique. Using (using leftover cotton drill fabric), and the collection promptly sold out in days.Does that mean safari jackets made from Yves’ original left over fabrics or a reconstructed le smoking jacket made from pieces he actually sewed?

Now Pilati is now doing new vintage, the remix, in larger quantities for holiday shopping season. The YSL Edition New Vintage range will include styles from the archive and will be made from a several fabrics from company inventory, according to WWD. Styles will go out to flagship stores in Paris, London, Milan, New York and Hong Kong in early December. If you are worried about the environment, you can take heart that the new-vintage styles will continue to reuse YSL leftovers.
What do you think about "new" vintage? I don't just mean the Yves Saint Laurent collection but the concept as a whole. Would you rather buy something that is really actually vintage, or a new item that is just dubbed as vintage? Recycling old materials into new pieces is a great move for the luxury brand. I applaud Yves Saint Laurent for recycling but I do love the hunt for true
vintage items.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Twiggy in this Decade


In 2001, Twiggy was honoured by Cosmetic Executive Women UK. She is pictured at the event's reception posing with two photographs of herself. Left: A photo by Barry Lategan. Right: An image by Brian Aris. Shown in 8/20/2009 on www.Telegraph.co.uk

Friday, August 14, 2009

DO YOU UNDERSTAND VINTAGE SHOPPING?

If you deck yourself out in head to toe in any era does not mean you understand vintage shopping. A vintage mistake is just as bad as any other fashion mistake. You need to do research on the eras that you like before buying. Vintage fashion will be around for a long time because it offers unique clothing with the kind of quality that only top end designers provide today. Vintage tends to be a lot cheaper.

So what exactly is vintage? Well it’s certainly not an item of clothing made in the last 15 years, despite what all those 80’s and 90’s groupies might think. But it’s still a fairly broad category, covering everything under 100 years old. Years ago vintage clothing was either old clothing or simply second hand. It was looked down upon by the fashion conscious folks.. Vintage is now so popular that it has become a mini-industry in itself. There are numerous vintage fashion boutiques around the country and even in Europe and Asia. The top end designers are resurrecting earlier creations of their design salons.

Now you can go to regular vintage fashion events like Manhattan Vintage Show in New York or Vintage Fashion Expo in San Francisco. These types of events that are worth writing on your calendar so you will remember to go to them. These shows have so much vintage available and the shows are so big that it is easy to become overwhelmed and you end up buying nothing.

The real advantage of buying vintage is not the price, or even the much vaunted uniqueness of the pieces, but the cut and the fabrics. Vintage clothing was built to last, and limited budgets plus expensive manufacturing processes meant that good quality clothes were treasured. Vintage clothing is cut to fit so forget skinny actresses that you see in Vogue and Elle. The ideal vintage buyer is a curvier woman. Remember that vintage sizes may be smaller than today’s sizing guidelines that manufacturer follow. Clothing from earlier eras does fit a woman that has hips, bums and busts. You just need to try the clothes on.

To stay a step ahead of the crowd, shop outside of the season. Right now is the best time to hunt for some winter clothing. A good vintage fur coat is great for the winter in New York and works equally well if you are lucky to travel in Europe. A brand new fur coat is extremely politically incorrect. A vintage fur is a bit more ethical. But, if your conscience demands something a more ethical but you still want the fur look, you can try a vintage faux fur.

Now is the time that you should look for vintage cocktail dresses that can be shortened to bring them up to date for the holidays. 1940’s fashion is great for a slightly gentler take on the big shoulder that has dominated the 2009 Designer catwalks. The more unpopular something has been in recent years, the easier it is to find a vintage steal. Velvet is about to have a massive comeback having appeared on the Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Lanvin and Chloe catwalks and is great for injecting a bit of feel good glamour to your winter wardrobe. Look out for rich, dark colors and a fine pile to the fabric.

So where do you find the best vintage for the dollar?

Serious devotees buy at auctions and estate sales. This will are more likely to find a real treasure but these tend to take place during working office hours making them fairly inaccessible to most shoppers. The next best places are the websites of the members of the www.VintageFashionGuild.

Other things to remember when shopping vintage stores:

Don’t worry too much if there are buttons missing, these can always be replaced by your drycleaner, tailor or yourself if you are handy with a needle and thread.

Rips and tears are harder to deal with, especially if they’re not on the seam or the fabric is very delicate, so check carefully before you buy.

Avoid anything with stains under the arms – this cannot be fixed and is very hard to cover up.

Check carefully for moth holes as there is nothing worse than bringing home a lovely dress that ends up not being wearable.

Don’t be afraid to bargain, it doesn’t hurt to ask and vintage sellers are usually in the business because they truly love the clothes, so if they think it’s going to a good home they may be willing to chop the price.

Other things to remember when shopping vintage on web sites:


Read the descriptions carefully. Descriptions will tell you if there are any rips, tears or stains.

If you have any questions about the vintage garment you like then email the online vintage seller.

Remember Internet vintage seller measures the garments flat. So measure a garment that you own flat that is similar to the garment that you plan on buying.

Remember the online seller’s terms and condition for the sale and return policy.

Be sure that you want to buy the garment before ordering.

If you have to return the garment make sure that you can return the garment in the same condition as you received it. Also email the seller within 24 hours of receipts if you need to return it.


Don’t be afraid to wear your vintage buy! There’s no point in buying a gorgeous embroidered 50’s ball gown if it’s just going to sit at the back of your wardrobe. As long as you don’t treat them badly, your vintage clothes are more resilient than they seem. Take care of your vintage as you would any fine garment. Enjoy!

Friday, July 24, 2009

Take a tour of vintage jewelry designers. Chanel, Carnegie, Boucher, KJ Lane, Haskell, Florenza, Hobe, Vendome, Trifari, Josef, Eisenberg, Weiss, Schiaparelli, Mazer, Hagler, Regency, Renoir,…

Monday, June 8, 2009

The must have—A Vintage Handbag



Chanel Quilted Lambskin Leather Shoulder Bag - Navy Blue With Certificate Of Authenticity - French Designer Signed AccessoriesIn addition to the beautiful CHANEL vintage costume jewelry I have listed I also have two CHANEL leather bags to list too from the late 1980's from Sweetie’s Memorable Gemz at Rubylane.com


Handbags are practical jewelry - an accessory that you can use. If a woman wants to have a dramatic flare, there's only one way for her to go…..that is a Vintage bag! Vintage bags have been a fashion treasure for decades. Women loved these bags way back when and today, we are searching for them even more. They are the must-have trend of today , they are seen on the fashion catwalks and fashion magazines, side by side with vintage clothing and accessories, with "vintage" meaning dating anywhere from the 1920s to 1980s.

Julia Roberts, Kate Moss, and Sienna Miller are among the celebrities who have helped spread vintage fever. Now this fever has the old fashion houses scrambling to reproduce their own vintage collections, including handbags, while new designers are launching their vintage-inspired lines.



Vintage bags are everlasting and unique. They fit and look beautiful when you carry them, whatever the occasion. Vintage bags are not just mere items to be worn, but are more like family heirlooms, which can be passed on from one generation to another. Remember when you buy a vintage bag you don't simply buy a handbag: You buy a work of art. Handbags of the 1920s to 1940s were covered with beads and sparkles, embroidery, combined with fine fabrics such as satin, silk, fur and lace. Other popular handbags during the 1940s were made from wood and plastic because metal was saved for the World War II artillery supplies.




In the 1950s, the trend was leather handbags. Popular handbag designers from fashion houses such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Gucci, Prada, Gianni Versace, Judith Leiber, and Balenciaga created designs that are described today as "classic". An example of a classic handbag is the popular Hermes Kelly Bag that was named after actress and Monaco princess Grace Kelly. It was given the limelight in 1956, and has been an iconic handbag ever since.



During the 1960s and 1970s - bags were bright neon colors and patterns like bubbles. In the 1980s, there was a craze for clutch handbags because of the compact design that was great for carrying the essential women stuff for the fancy evening party and the elegant dinner party. The clutch of those days came in various colors worn to match the shoes. The popularity of the vintage handbag is because of their original designs and high quality, plus their potential as a collectible item. Vintage and classic designer handbags are forever, they never go out of fashion. Most vintage handbags are made from fine materials, such as high-quality fabrics that are no longer manufactured, or too expensive. Their details such as the buttons, beads or other ornaments are rare and lovely. No wonder collectors are hunting down these vintage handbags, whether for investment or because of their appreciation of history, especially for the roles and skills of previous generations, including respected designers. And being a part of this "generation-to-generation" history is what you get when you own and wear. Vintage handbags have higher or relatively more stable prices than contemporary ones. This means it's more profitable if you want to sell those vintage bags again. So the vintage bag is a marvelous green item for your wardrobe.






1980s Judith Leiber Alligator Clutchavailable at Decades Inc.





Tuesday, May 26, 2009

The Fall Season Jewelry Trend

Costume jewelry is the easiest way to add charm, style and elegance. It is also the most economic fashion investment available in tough times.

The Fall "bling bling" trends are vintage styles mixed with a touch of romantic rock 'n' roll spirit.

Look for statement sizes and gold plate tones like antique gold and burnished gold. And don't be afraid to put layers upon layers, and enjoy the mix-and-match fun.

Vintage glamour is evoked in the multiple-strand tassel necklace featured above with rich texture in its mixed golden metal finishes and intricate braidings. The fringe treatments help add fluidity.

Big, bold romantic rock 'n' roll pieces, are must-have fashion pieces throughout 2009.

So rock on this fall

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Incorporating vintage pieces into your modern wardrobe

Now that you have found the greatest piece of vintage clothing, so how do you wear it?

You might think of your vintage clothing as the focal-point in your outfit. The rest of the outfit should compliment it, by shape and color. You pretty much follow the rules as modern fashion goes, but throw in some unique elements of vintage to replace some major parts. Vintage dresses are the are the easiest to incorporate but some ways to modernize them are by simply wearing tights, a modern cardigan, shoes(such as ballet flats) or even just by the way you do your hair. It's up to the wearer to decide how "modern" she(or he!) wants to look, so by adding just a few or all of these things can determine if you look like you are even from this decade!

Friday, May 1, 2009

Buying Future Vintage

Buying vintage needs a discerning eye is required to ensure maximum returns. Buy a good designer at their peak if the label says Dior, you want it to be by Christian himself rather than by Marc Bohan, who took over in 1962. If the piece of clothing is by Yves Saint Laurent, it's haute couture that will accrue the most value in years to come, not Rive Gauche (from the Seventies and Eighties), or Variations (from the Nineties) – both are still too recent to hold the same cache. And even if those criteria are fulfilled, avoid anything that has serious staining or alterations, which seriously decrease the value. Store the pieces out of sunlight (fading is a no-no), and start to get paranoid about moths, damp and mildew.

As far as jeweler goes, wisdom is that signature pieces are key: whereas clothing requires a famous label, stylistically strong pieces from the 1920s and 1930s don't have to be Cartier to be of value. "Rather than the value of the stones, it's the dynamism of the design is the key. Remember that jewelry is very much part of high fashion.

If your investment potential doesn't stretch to haute couture, there is still much to be said for starting small. This theory of demand for exclusivity filters down on to the regular department stores, too, if your budget is a little more limited in this economy. So if you pick up some of-the-moment high-demand fashions – such as the collaborations that some named stores do with big-name designers such as Stella McCartney or Vera Wang for instance – you are almost guaranteed a return for your money.

As the outlay is not as great as that in high fashion, it makes sense that the profit margins won't be as high, but it also makes sense to start somewhere, accruing capital that you can then put into more expensive wares. A sharp eye for detail, the knowledge of what name counts on a label, and a great deal of patience are required if you want to start making fashion work for your bank balance. Shopping to make money necessitates something of a mental shift, it's true, but if you can bear to buy fashion that you will never wear, a potential goldmine awaits.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Vogue Fashion Fantasies

Try Vintage for the working women trying to live out their Vogue fashion fantasies on Target budgets, vintage clothing offers may possibilities.

THE NECESSARY ACCESSORIES
Scarves have been the number one accessory to update your look. For spring, wear a lightweight scarf tied in a traditional knot or wrapped casually around your neck. For summer, wrap one around your head like a headband for a retro look. Look on the vintage clothing sites for vintage scarves.
Try a brooch. Wear brooches in clusters with a black dress or cardigan in place of a necklace for an elegant look during the day. Bringing out the rhinestone brooches in the evening up jazz up the office dress for a wonderful evening out. Attach a brooch to a ribbon to create a necklace. A matching set of brooches can serve as shoe clips.
Then there is a statement necklace that can stand on its own. Wear one for daytime with a T-shirt and jacket. For evening, pair it with a little black dress. Create your own statement necklace by layering two or three necklaces for a multi-strand look.


VINTAGE SHOPPING TIPS
•Have fun. Take photos. (Hey, when are you going to be caught in a black pillbox hat with a mini veil again?) Don't be discouraged by the chaos you'll likely encounter – digging for that polyester jumpsuit is half the fun!
•Think before you buy. Some clothing may be difficult to alter. Ask yourself, "Is the price worth the wear?"
•Be flexible on your size. Clothing sizes were different 30 or 40 years ago.
•Be brave and occasionally try on styles that might seem downright odd or take some brainpower to figure out on the hanger. It could be your next favorite outfit.

Thursday, February 26, 2009


AnitaColby

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Recession aware Fashion Week spotlights the Power '80s or Classic looks

For fall 2009, the 1980’s are back and so is vintage dressing. Women can look forward to wearing shoulder pads, bright colors and grays for the serious minded plus power suits. This runway season have designers bringing us the empowered female silhouette of the 1980s in classic designs to New York Fashion Week.
Hitting the right look at the right price will be important to today’s fashion conscious woman who will be either going with the classic or something really special and unique looks.
Some of this years looks are shorter lengths, bold colors, wide shoulders, practical wool plaid, wrap dresses and draped collars. This season, dressing has abandoned frills in favor of textured surfaces with firm, slim architectural lines, that is focused on the waist. There are like pine green, slate gray and copper. There was also there is a reminder of earlier era of hard times: small jackets, skirts over the knees and even cocktail hats, reminiscent of women in the 1930s Depression years in some designer’s collections.
There are many vintage clothing sites that the cost conscious woman can draw from for the look from the runways without that runway price. Now is the time to let your fingers do the browsing through the vintage clothing folks at VFG and Babylon Mall.
Runway looks from the Ralph Lauren fall 2009 show. (Chris Moore/Karl Prouse)