Ferre Blouse - 1990

This gorgeous image was taken by Italian photographer Giampaolo Barbieri in 1990 for Gianfranco Ferre.  I love the image, but I also love the blouse made of sheer silk organza with huge sleeves.

Want the look?  I recently listed this vintage 1990s silk organza blouse by Celia Tejada at Couture Allure.  Layer it over a camisole and wear it with jeans, a black leather mini skirt, or a long white satin evening skirt. 

Weekend Eye Candy - Christian LaCroix, 1990

Christian LaCroix Pret-a-Porter, Fall 1990.  Do I like the floral encrusted bodice or the jewelry more?  I can't choose.

My Sister the Stylist

A year ago this past weekend I lost my dear sister, Barbara. It's hard to believe a year has gone by since that tragic and traumatic time in my family. My sister loved fashion and made it her career. She worked in New York City for a time before moving to San Francisco in the late 1980s. There, she worked hard and became a fashion stylist for a few years before becoming a full time mom. She worked her way up in the industry and styled photo shoots for Levis, The Gap, and others, as well as many shoots for San Francisco Magazine.

While cleaning out Barb's personal effects, I came upon her portfolio from her stylist years. I took it out to look through it over the weekend and I want to share a couple of the shoots that Barb worked on for San Francisco Magazine. This editorial feature, called Little Luxuries, is from 1990 and was photographed by Ann Rhoney. The clothes are now considered vintage.

Celia Tehada silk organza blouse with black and gold lace skirt.

Giorgio di Sant'Angelo stretch netting gown.

Left: Bill Blass dress with illusion sequined bodice.
Right: Yves St. Laurent chiffon dress over black lace slip.

Carolyne Roehm velvet gown with fishtail hem and organza bodice.

Mr. Beene black and silver point d'esprit cocktail dress. Last year, I was sitting at Barb's dining room table flipping the pages of her portfolio when I came upon this image. I immediately burst into tears as I had the almost identical dress for sale on my website at the time. It has since sold and I had a hard time letting it go. It touched my heart to find this thread of connection between Barbara and I. Life is full of serendipity.

1990 Mr. Beene by Geoffrey Beene cocktail dress.

Weekend Eye Candy - Versace, 1991

From Gianni Versace's Spring/Summer 1991 collection. Crepe georgette jumpsuit completely covered with hand stitched glass beads and rhinestones.

Photo by Irving Penn.

Bare Midriffs - 1990

Yes, 1990. To me, this looks like it could have been designed by an American sportswear designer like Joset Walker or Carolyn Schnurer in the 1940s, but this midriff baring ensemble from 1990 is by Gianfranco Ferre. The top is in stretch jersey with the matching pants in silk crepe de chine. Bare midriffs were a hot trend in the early 90s. In the coming years, waistlines of pants and skirts will drop to reveal even more, but for now they remain at the natural or high waist. Check out this post of mine from 2009 about bare midriffs from 1945 for a comparison. And here are more looks from 1990 and 1991.

Louis Feraud, 1991

Krizia, 1991

Louis Feraud, 1990

Claude Montana, 1990

Givenchy, 1991