How I Would Dress the Oscar Nominees - Kate Winslet

Let's have some fun this week! The Academy Awards takes place this coming Sunday, February 22. I'd love to see more vintage evening gowns worn on the red carpet, so let's choose a dress for the Best Actress nominees.

Kate Winslet is nominated for her role in The Reader.

Winslet at the 2006 Oscars

Winslet at the 2007 Oscars

I think Kate would look great wearing the designs of Madeleine Vionnet from the 1930's.

Would you rather see Kate in this 1938 gold lamé sheath with a net overskirt embroidered in graduated gold lamé circles or....

...this 1936 white bias cut satin gown with its asymmetric one-shoulder design and line of rhinestone bows all the way down the side?

Which would you choose?

Vintage Roadshow - Links of the Week and Look What I Won!

I never win anything....except I can't say that anymore! Jamie of Simply Me Art makes the most delicious jewelry out of bits and pieces of vintage treasures. I've long admired her work for its whimsical juxtapositions of the sparkly and unusual. A couple of weeks ago, Jamie offered a Give Away on her blog and I was one of three very lucky winners. My earrings arrived this week and I simply love them. Thank you, Jamie!

Please enjoy these links from my colleagues at the Vintage Roadshow:

Debutante Clothing is thrilled with her new vintage Roger Van S bag.

Freudian Slips Vintagelooks at how to get the look of Anna Friel as Chuck in Pushing Daisies.

The Vintage Travelertalks basketball, clothes, that is.

Glamoursplash pays tribute to Lucille Ball.

Here's Looking Like You, Kid helps you plan a classic Hollywood Oscars party -- complete with vintage party games!

Weekend Eye Candy - 1949 Bride

Valentine's Day doesn't fall on a Saturday all that often, so I'm sure there will be lots of romantic weddings today. In honor of today's brides, this 1949 photo was taken at the White and Gold Suite at New York City's Plaza Hotel in 1949. All gowns from Saks Fifth Avenue.

1940s Lingerie for your Valentine

Here are three ways to enjoy Valentine's Day 1940's style!

Be enticing in sheer chiffon and lace that covers but doesn't. This gown from 1948 is by Lady Duff.

Go sweet and innocent with pretty ruffles and opaque nylon. This gown, from 1949, is by Tewi.

My favorite - satin loungewear. Who wouldn't feel great by a romantic fire in luxurious rayon satin from the 1940s? Ladies, if you've never felt rayon satin, believe me, you've never felt satin. These pieces were made by Tommies, who offered the pajama top, short pants, long pants, bra top, and menswear style jacket as mix and match pieces. All from 1948.

Dress Up a Vintage Suit

I really, really like this idea. Shown here is a basic suit from 1960. Probably in navy or black, it has a waist-length jacket with 3/4 sleeves and a straight skirt. Rather ho-hum if worn on its own. Look what happens, though, when you add a bit of femininity with a printed blouse! Take a blouse that has a bow tie at the neck and fuller long sleeves. Pull the bow out on top of the jacket and puff the blouse sleeves below the jacket cuff. Su-weet!

Dior Evening Dress - 1949

Oh, how I wish this photo was in color! The year: 1949. The designer: Christian Dior. The dress: Simply magnificent.

Dior covers a strapless ballerina length dress with masses of flowers for his Spring line. Sprinkled among the pastel blossoms are notes of blue-violet. Dior accessorizes the dress with a violet leather belt and a violet Juliet cap. Perfection.

Want to see a larger view? Click on the photo.

1930s Factory and Farm Workwear

In marked contrast to the genteel ladies shown yesterday, here is a series of photos taken in the factories and on the farms of the Alabama countryside in 1931. Denim is worn by all the men and boys, and this makes sense as denim is long-lasting and would stand up to hard work and rough treatment. Women and girls wear dresses, period. Pants were just not proper for women at this time. Dresses were often covered with aprons as added protection from stains.

School children visit the book wagon. Notice the teacher is in black.

Two women work in a sock factory. The socks are steamed into shape over hot foot shaped irons. Can you imagine how miserable it must have been to endure the summer months in this factory without air conditioning?

A young girl studies poultry raising at Alabama Polytechnic Institute.

Fishermen all in denim.
A former slave in denim and wearing a chore jacket. Notice the large patches on the leg of his jeans.

Farming is hard work. You can see it in her face.

A farmer in denim and a chore jacket.

An itinerant grocer goes from farm to farm selling his wares. And yes, his wares include a possum. It looks like the mother and daughter are wearing men's work boots.

Vote for Penny Rae Vintage

Faithful reader Melissa Rae Brown, owner of Penny Rae Vintage, takes vintage pieces and reconstructs them into something new and wonderful. Melissa is currently competing in a contest called Project: Design!. Project:Design! was created to find the best new fashion design talent and provide a high-profile launching pad for their careers. Project:Design! supports the creativity, innovation and artistry of new designers by giving them the exposure, experience and tools they need to take their collections from runway to retail.

Melissa is asking for votes from the vintage community. The 6 designers with the most votes receive a runway show at St. Louis Fashion Week. If you like what you see, vote for Melissa here! Good luck, Melissa!

A Challenge From Mom

I asked my mom to keep an eye out for old magazines for me, as she loves to shop at thrift stores and yard sales. She sent me a copy of National Geographic from December 1931, but she said I probably wouldn't find anything of use in it. Nothing like a good challenge to put me to work!

In late 1931, America was heading into the worst two years of the Great Depression. The GNP had fallen 17.9% since the stock market crash in October 1929, and unemployment had reached 15.9%. In the midst of this economic climate, National Geographic sent photographer Edwin Wisherd to illustrate an article about the State of Alabama. In these four photos, Wisherd posed lovely ladies in the midst of garden shots.

One has to assume that when asked to pose for a national magazine, a gal is going to wear her Sunday best. So, here is a look at what the fashionable Alabamian girl is wearing in 1931.

Skirts have fallen to 2-3" below the knee and jackets hit below the hip. Stockings are a must, of course, even in the heat of the Deep South.

Ruffles, ruffles everywhere. Here you can see the 3/4 sleeves of these dresses flare out into flowing drapes of rayon or silk.

This blue dress is a bit out of date, with the dropped waist and tiered skirt that were more popular in 1928-29. It actually looks like a flapper era dress that has been taken in at the waist to appear more modern.

Here we can see another juxtaposition of the change in style over 3 years. The yellow dress dates to about 1928, while the blue one is probably brand new in 1931.

Did you notice the bright, light colors? Not a black dress in the bunch!

More tomorrow.....and thanks, mom!

1939 Ad

From the April, 1939 issue of Town and Country magazine:


Fastidious: Excessively particular, demanding, or fussy about details; Overly concerned about tidiness and cleanliness; Difficult to please; quick to find fault

Lily was obviously a high-end custom dressmaker for Chicago's upper crust. I want to see the clothes!!!!!!!!

Weekend Eye Candy - 1940s Plaid Coat

Actress Marsha Hunt poses for a movie still in the early 40s. Plaid coat, straw hat, big clutch purse with matching peep toe shoes. What's not to love?

Links à la Mode: February 7

Time for this week's links from my colleagues at IFB. Enjoy!

39thandbroadway.com - We are fierce, fabulous, fashionable women; now show us our freakin money!

A Few Goody GumDrops - A Few Goody Gumdrops scoops an interview with famed fashion editor, Lien Ta about Oscar Style and Fashion!

Calgary Fashion - Calgarian Up and Coming Designer raises the bar for Project Runway Canada contestants.

Couture Allure - An open letter to Blumarine about body image in their advertising.

fashion in my eyes - Tour de Paris

féte à féte - Givenchy spring beauty colors!

Independent Fashion Bloggers - IFB wants you to DRESS UP for a global soirée

Iwanttowearit. - Karl and Katsyua Kamo rock the paper and scissors for the Chanel couture show. Arts and crafts never looked so glam!

LeCityKitty - An even edgier option of blacl polish, Flatte Black by Knock Out. Oui Si Chic

Little Black Book - Exploring the fusion of fashion and music through singer songwriter Lady GaGa

Mademoiselle Robot - Worshiping John Waters & getting inspired by his films

Modelizing - bergdorf goodman 5f window display

Or False Glitter - Pondering negative male perceptions of my style!

reLYME - Smashbox’s new spring live brings out your inner muse.

Shopping and Info - Shopping and Info found Angelina Jolie’s Hippie Chic black dress for Spring 2009.

Solo Lisa y Nada Mas - Menswear-inspired looks for the ladies

Style Symmetry - Eyeliah sits for 10 artists to paint her portrait… not naked!

Style With Anna - Valentine’s Day Contest - Win This Fabulous Necklace!

Technology Starlet - Journey of a Pro Fashion Techie and her HP Mini Vivienne Tam Edition

THE COVETED - Packing light for the compulsive over packer.

the musings of ondo lady - Meet Chanel Ward, the fabulous blogger who brings us Hip Candy as well as six other blogs including Michele O. Style.

More "Grown-Up" Mod 1967

Here's another look at Mod styling for women who wanted wearable, flattering clothes without appearing too young. These dresses were designed by Herbert Kasper who was the designer for Joan Leslie, a division of Leslie Fay.

Both dresses are of tomato red linen with bands of white in the basic shift style which had replaced the waisted sheath as the shape of the mid to late 1960s. The white bands against the vibrant red lend a very Mod geometric note to both dresses. The armholes are squared off at the bottom which gives another more subtle geometric element.

"I'm constantly refining, improving, interpreting…trying to capture the essence of the times without being trendy. But from whatever source my ideas come from, I always keep in mind that lively, energetic, smart looking woman who is my customer. She's my motivation and my ultimate inspiration." -Herbert Kasper

Chester Weinberg Dress 1967

Iconic Mod era design for the grown-up set - that's Chester Weinberg. Not as well known as Oscar de la Renta or Geoffrey Beene, Weinberg was an influential American designer in the late 1960's and early 70's whose clothing has become highly collectible today. He built his reputation on simple elegance, and his designs were always worked in beautiful fabrics. "Fabrics set the whole mood of my collection. I cannot design a dress until I know what the fabric will be."

May 1967, in an ad for Bergdorf Goodman - What else but the costume-in-the-round, beeping out the summer dress/jacket news this way: short, bouncy top, short, bouncy skirt, belted waist between. Medium for the message is honeycomb cotton, and Chester Weinberg is the sender of same. Are you listening world? In butter with black or nutmeg with white trim. $185 ($1210.00 in today's dollar).

An Award and Vintage Roadshow - Links of the Week

The lovely Tara, at Nothing Elegant has been kind enough to bestow the first award ever to Couture Allure! I read Tara's blog everyday, and so should you. Thank you, Tara!


Please enjoy these links from my colleagues at Vintage Roadshow:

Glamoursplash covers Marilyns modeling career.

Here's Looking Like You, Kid explores the retro Parisian street chic of Irma La Douce.

iKonic Vintage shoos away the cold with Pantone's Spring 2009 Colors.

Freudian Slips Vintage has her home photographed for The Independent.

Couture Allure shows the changing shape of suits from the 1940's to the 1970's.

Dear Blumarine

Dear Blumarine,
I get it. I really do. The inspiration for your Spring/Summer 2009 collection came from the past. The graceful pleats of Madame Grès....

Madame Grès evening gown, 1954

Madame Grès evening gown, 1954

...and the draping skills of Vionnet.

Vionnet gown, 1938

And your designs are beautiful, they really are. But can you tell me, please, when did this become the type of woman you design for? When did this become your feminine ideal? Because it seems to me that this gal can't stand up straight due to malnutrition. She looks like a ghost, a ghoul, the walking dead. Her lack of flesh makes her body form odd angles instead of gentle curves.

Blumarine ad, February 2009

Dear Blumarine, I have to be frank. Though your dresses may be lovely, I can't get past my horror at the apparent anorexic state of the model to enjoy them. I can't move beyond my sympathy for her choosing a profession that demands that she abuse her body this way.

Dear Blumarine, is this really the example you want to set for our young women? Do you mean to communicate that a girl needs to starve herself to wear your clothes? Do you mean to say that normal body weight is not beautiful? Is that wise?



Dear Blumarine, take a look at these ads from years past. Aren't these women beautiful? Don't they look alive and healthy? Isn't your attention drawn to the garments because the models wear the dresses so well?

1937

1949

1955

1967

Dear Blumarine, please reconsider your choice of models for your runway and your advertising. Please set a better example for women. And please buy your model a meal....or two.

Wartime Effect on Fashion in 1940

This sweet little striped dress from 1940 is a perfect example of style for the American woman during the early years of WWII. Hemlines were much shorter than a few years earlier. Shoulders were widened with puffs or tucks, and the waist is emphasized with a waist seam and belt.

You can see the influence of wartime shortages on fashion here. The shorter length and the lack of fussy details points to the use of less fabric to make the dress. In the following year, the American government would impose restrictions on the amount and type of fabric that could be used for garments, and skirt widths would slim down from this look.

But a shortage of fabric doesn't mean a lack of style. The striped rayon fabric adds visual interest so that simple seaming and fewer pattern pieces can be used. The contrasting dark buttons and belt also add a design element. The white collar and sleeve cuffs are removeable for cleaning, but this can also change the look of the dress.

Even though the style is fairly simple and it was made of rayon, this was not an inexpensive dress. It sold for $19.95 in 1940. Using a CPI inflation calculator, $19.95 in 1940 equals $302.71 today - that's a hefty investment during a time of war. It's no wonder alterations are found so commonly in dresses from this era. Instead of throwing this dress away, the owner would have had the width of the skirt taken in and the large puffs at the shoulders slimmed down to stay in style as the decade progressed. And she would have saved the extra fabric to use for something else; perhaps a new hatband, or a fabric flower corsage. "Make Do and Mend" was the slogan of the day.

It will be interesting to see if the downturn in our current global economy will affect fashion as happened during WWII. Will designers use less fabric in their designs? Will we see shorter hem lengths? Fewer details? More synthetic? What do you predict?

1940 Evening Gown

I received three issues of vintage Vogue magazine in the mail on Friday and haven't had a chance to look at them yet (crazy weekend!). This morning I opened the cover of the April 15, 1940 issue, and this image on page 1 stopped me cold.

The ad is for a 1940 evening gown sold by Bergdorf Goodman. White crepe with lyre shaped embroidery at the bust and hip in silver and crystals. Incredibly gorgeous, isn't it? By the way, did you think huge shoulder pads were an invention of the 1980's? Think again!

This photograph was taken by George Hoyningen-Huene. Born in St. Petersberg in 1900, he fled the Russian Revolution, moving to London and then Paris. By 1925, he had become the chief fashion photographer for French Vogue. In 1935, he moved to New York, where he worked almost exclusively for Harper's Bazaar.

Even though it looks simple and spare, the composition of this photo is very detailed with the overall image divided vertically in thirds. Hoyningen-Huene mimics the lyre embroidery with the use of an ornate antique lyre that the model leans on at the left. The background is split, and the image of the model is overlaid on a closeup of the lyre in the center. The right third of the image is blank.


You probably will recognize some of the more famous of Hoyningen-Huene's photos shown at the Staley Wise Gallery website, including this image Divers, from 1930.

Auctions and Exhibits of Interest to Vintage Clothing Fiends

Los Angeles, CA: The Fowler Museum at UCLA presents "Silver Seduction: The Art of Mexican Modernist Antonio Pineda". Through March 15, 2009.


New York, NY: Christie's will auction Part II of the Constantiner Collection of photographs on February 12. On view beginning February 7.

Solana Beach, CA: The Ordover Gallery features black and white photographs by Leigh Wiener in it's exhibit "Icons of the 50s and 60s". Through April 12, 2009.

Cincinnati, OH: The Taft Museum of Art's "Fashion in Film: Period Costumes for the Screen" features 36 costumes made for historical movies, including Titanic, Evita, Sense and Sensibility, The Golden Bowl, and others. Shown above, a costume worn by Swoozie Kurtz in Dangerous Liaisons. Through April 26, 2009.

Allentown, PA: The Allentown Museum of Art has a display called "Hanky-Panky" which features printed hankies of the 1930's - 50's. Through February 28, 2009.

Colonial Williamsburg, VA: The DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum's "Quilted Fashions" exhibit showcases the use of quilting to decorate bed coverings, clothing, and accessories of the 17th and 18th centuries. Through September 6, 2010.

New York, NY: If you want to shop for vintage clothing, don't miss the Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show February 5-6 at the Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 W. 18th St.