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

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.

Vintage Rockabilly & Pinup for your Halloween Costume

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

Vintage Expo in Calfornia

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.

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