Psychedelic Florals, 1966

When taking requests for this week's blog posts, Sarah asked for some psychedelic florals.  Here you go, Sarah!  These are all from 1966 and early 1967.  Which is your favorite?

Emilio Pucci

Bill Blass for Maurice Rentner

Pauline Trigere

Bill Blass for Maurice Rentner

Emilio Pucci

Metlon Metallic Yarns

Aren't these golden cocktail ensembles from 1958 lovely? Adele Simpson made the brocade suit on the left and Hannah Troy did the lurex knit dress on the right. The fabrics used for both garments were woven with metallic thread made by Metlon, a Rhode Island company still in business today. Metlon began in business in 1947 by designing and building special machinery to slit fine gauge metallic fabrics into thin continuous strips of yarn or thread.

Later in the same 1958 magazine, this ad appears for an evening suit in turquoise and gold brocade by Bill Blass for Maurice Rentner. The brocade fabric was made with Metlon threads. Gorgeous, isn't it? And if you were lucky enough to find this suit today, I'll bet those gold threads would still be shimmering just as brightly as they did over 50 years ago.

Weekend Eye Candy - Bill Blass, 1970

Bill Blass made some pretty fabulous coats in the 1960s and 70s, but none more fabulous that this one from the fall of 1970. ♥♥♥ The exact coat, without the snakeskin belt is available from The Way We Wore on 1stdibs.com.

The Look for Parties - 1965

What's the news in party looks for 1965? Beads, beads, and more beads. Metallics and pink. Big, big hair. Heavy eye make-up and pale lips. Bold jewelry.

Sophie of Saks white lace cocktail dress with beaded lace jacket. Necklaces by Star of Siam.

Mollie Parnis cocktail dress in beaded net that floats over a nude crepe lining. Huge pearl ring by Schreiner.

Bill Blass for Maurice Rentner pink mohair suit completely covered in pink sequins. Suit came with the pink silk blouse. Necklace by K.J.L.

At left: Sarmi red silk satin gown with a bow on one shoulder. Earrings by Mimi di N, rings by Schreiner.
At right: Sarmi golden jacquard silk one shoulder dress. Bracelet by Hattie Carnegie, earrings by Apex Art.

Larry Aldrich red and gold brocade cocktail dress edged in beaded embroidery. Sold for $225 in 1965 (about $1560 in today's dollar.) White mink bubble hat by Halston.

A 70s Look to Inspire You

I need to preface this by telling you I had to scan this look in three separate images and merge them, so the above photo is not perfect, but you get the idea.

In the early 70's, looks of the 1940's were a big influence on fashion. Here, from 1973, a lightweight wool shetland sweater is tucked in to a straight wool pencil skirt, both by Blassport. These basic pieces are accessorized with a chunky bangle bracelet, a menswear style watch, a leather belt, opaque tights, and Charles Jourdan shoess with a 1/2" platform and chunky heels.

Why not try tucking in a sweater this fall for a different look? Hint - choose a very lightweight knit so as not to add bulk to your hips.

Weekend Eye Candy - 1961 Bill Blass Suit

Bill Blass for Maurice Rentner paisley cotton dress and jacket sold for $185.00 (about $1350.00 in today's dollar). Worn with a Lilly Daché hat, Kislav gloves, and an Eisenberg pin. The lap dog - priceless.

Soft 70's Hand-Painted Prints

As fashion trended away from the structured lines of 1960's Mod, we find a move toward softer, more feminine lines with lots of loose, flowing fabrics, ruffles, and draping. Many women were either going bra-less or wearing a soft knit "barely there" bra with these fashions. Shown here - gorgeous hand-painted prints from 1975. As always, click the photos for a larger view.

Halston's 3 piece evening pyjama in silk chiffon. The tunic, pants, and cape are hand-painted with yellow flowers. Sold for $950.00 (about $3,856.00 in today's dollar)

Bill Blass uses a hand-painted design on a silk crepe tunic and matches it with silk crepe de Chine pyjama pants. Sold for $620.00 (about $2,517.00 in today's dollar).

Zandra Rhodes was famous for her use of her own hand-painted prints. Here a peach design on cream silk chiffon floats over a layer of cream jersey. The one-shoulder dress has a handkerchief hem. Sold for $895.00 (about $3,630.00 in today's dollar).

Holly's Harp creates a tiered silk chiffon evening coat to wear over a pistachio matte jersey camisole and long skirt. Sold for $645.00 (about $2,620.00 in today's dollar).

Oscar de la Renta offered this one-shoulder dress in bias cut silk chiffon with a hand-painted draped shawl wrap that tied at the shoulder. Sold for $615.00 (about $2,500.00 in today's dollar).

One other note - you can see clearly in these photos a make-up trend from the mid 70's. Dark bronzer or blush was used to sculpt a dramatic cheekbone. Blush was applied from the hairline down under the cheekbone and right to the apple of the cheek.

From the same time period, Couture Allure offers this gorgeous hand-painted silk evening dress by American designer Pauline Trigere.

Weekend Eye Candy - Bill Blass Cocktail Dress

More Bill Blass. This cocktail dress from the late 1980's - early 90's is fashioned of metallic gold embroidery on lace layered over black silk.

Saying Goodbye to the Bill Blass Label

NexCen, owner of Bill Blass, Ltd, has decided to close the business and shut the label down after failure to sell the company. It's a sad end to one of the most famous of American design houses.

Bill Blass was born in 1922 in Fort Wayne, IN. He began sketching fashion ideas at a young age, and at 19, left Indiana for New York. After service in the Army, Blass worked for Anne Klein and then at Anna Miller, where he became the head designer. When Miller retired in 1959, Blass remained with the business as it merged with her brother's company, Maurice Rentner. By 1960, the name Bill Blass was on the Rentner labels. In 1970, Blass bought Rentner's company and renamed it Bill Blass, Ltd.

Early 60's

Well known for his suits and evening wear, Blass prefered to work with natural fibers: silk, wool, linen, and cotton. He loved bold patterns and bright colors.

1966

Following his farewell collection in September 1999, Blass sold his company due to his continuing fight with throat cancer. He died in 2002.

1978

Bill Blass, Ltd. limped along for nearly 10 years with two owners and several designers, but sales plummeted and the line never again had Mr. Blass's caché. It is a sad end to a great American design house.

Hiro Fashion Photographs 1966

I was all set to write a post about glitzy party looks from the 60's Mod era when I came across these photos in the December 1966 issue of Harper's Bazaar magazine. They look great in the magazine, but the artistic quality of the photos didn't strike me until I had scanned the images and was able to view them on my computer screen. Looking for a photography credit, I found the word "Hiro" in tiny letters.

Yasuhiro Wakabayashi, professionally known as Hiro, was born in Shanghai in 1930 to Japanese parents. He came to the US in 1954, and by the end of 1956 was an apprentice to fashion photographer Richard Avedon. He worked for Avedon for 1 year, then started his own career. He made significant contributions as a staff photographer for Harper's Bazaar from 1956 to 1975. His surreal and unique images are noted for the use of uncommon lighting, the juxtaposition of unexpected elements, and his signature use of color.

You can see those qualities in these images from the fashion spread "The Far Side of the Moon" in Bazaar, December 1966. Taken in the desert at sunset, these photos show Hiro's brilliant use of light. I can just imagine the frenzy behind the scenes as Hiro rushed to capture the different qualities of light as the sun set.

The photo above was taken when the sun had slipped behind the mountain in the background. The camera's flash catches the sparkle and shimmer of the outfit in a uniquely vivid manner. The dress by Bill Blass for Maurice Rentner is covered in silver paillette sequins. The silver streamers necklace is by Paco Rabanne and the rhinestone earrings are by Kenneth Lane.

This image was taken while the sun was just above the horizon. With a different use of lighting, the bottom portion of the dress disappears into darkness with just one glint to suggest that it is full length. The dress is by Pat Sandler. The silver sequinned snood is by Mr. John.

In a different use of the sunlight, Hiro captures a ray of light in front of the model with his camera. It appears as if the sun is still high in the sky and behind the model. The ray of light was probably caused by the use of a mirror. The silver knit sweater by Anne Rubin is covered with silver paillettes. The sculpted silver jersey helmet is by Mr. John.

Want to learn more about Hiro? A restropective of his career "Hiro: Photographs" was published in 1999. You can find it through my Amazon recommendations at the right.

1964 Bill Blass Evening Gown with Hat

Yes, the answer to Saturday's quiz is Bill Blass.

"A new incandescence of sharp-contrast colors, Bill Blass couples vivid Moroccan rose with saffron in cool-touch textured silk. Shapes them into a new look for after-dark drama, inspired by the mystery of Morocco and the native Caftan."

At this point, in 1964, Blass was the vice-president of Maurice Rentner and his name was on the label. He bought the company in 1967. It is interesting to see that as early as 3 years before buying Maurice Rentner, he was promoting himself and his name by joining with Cover Girl for their advertisements. There is no mention of Maurice Rentner in the ad.

Vivid colors such as these are just starting to show up in fashion, and will become all the rage in a couple of years time. It is interesting that Blass uses them for evening.