Vionnet Reborn

1930's Vionnet Bias Cut Gown

Madeleine Vionnet was arguably one of the most important fashion designers of all time. She was a master at draping and the inventor of the use of the bias cut. Her ingenious details and intricate seaming have fascinated designers and vintage clothing lovers for decades. For a detailed look at Vionnet's designs, we highly recommend
Betty Kirk's book.

Late 20's Vionnet Dress

Madeleine Vionnet closed her company in 1939, on the eve of WWII, but interest in her designs has never died. In 1988, Guy de Lummen, head of the ready-to-wear department at Balmain, bought the rights to Vionnet's name and spent two decades exploring ways to re-establish the brand, experimenting with perfume, scarves, and bags. Now, de Lummen's son Arnaud has announced the rebirth of the Vionnet clothing line. He has hired Greek designer, Sophia Kokosalaki, as creative director, and a line of high-end ready to wear will be offered in January 2007 through Barney's, New York and the Vionnet studio in Paris.

Fall 2006 Kokosalaki Dress

Kokosalaki was chosen "because her interest in technical innovations, combined with her romantic, feminine clothes, fit nicely with Vionnet’s legacy." Like Vionnet, Sophia drapes her designs, rather than using a flat pattern. Since bursting on to the fashion scene in 1999, she has consistently won praise for her artfully draped but thoroughly modern designs.

The first runway show of the new Vionnet line will debut in Spring 2007. It remains to be seen whether Kokosalaki can pay proper homage to the genious that was Madeleine Vionnet. We'll keep you posted!

Height of Fancy

In the late 1930's, new heights were reached in millinery designs, and I mean that literally! Perhaps influenced by the fanciful designs of Elsa Schiaparelli, daring women wore hats with extended tall crowns. This hat is by American designer Marion Valle. The cream wool hat is accented with a magenta velvet band and large velvet roses.

The style of this hat brings to mind the 1939 movie "Ninotchka" in which Greta Garbo is enthralled with a hat in a store window. She eventually succumbs to her desire and wears it with great panache.

See this hat and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Manipulating Stripes

When is a stripe not a stripe? When it is manipulated into other patterns by the use of cutting and sewing. Designers can use seams to great effect in changing the directions of stripes. Seams can be used to form angles, zig-zags, diamonds, and a myriad of other designs, all with a simple striped fabric.

This vintage 1950's full skirted sundress makes great use of this technique. The designer has used a simple blue and white cotton stripe, and by cutting the fabric in to rectangles and sewing those rectangles back together with the stripes facing in different directions, he has formed a bulls-eye design in the skirt.

The skirt of this dress is formed from 24 rectangles, all seamed together so the stripes line up perfectly. That's alot of work for one dress, and is just another example of why I love vintage so much more than modern clothing!

See this dress and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Fall Fashion Trend - Brocade

Beautiful brocades are bountiful for cocktail and evening dresses this fall as seen on the runway by Oscar de le Renta and Dries van Notten. These gorgeous fabrics have lots of texture and shimmer and are a perfect antidote to those little black dresses from seasons past. Stand out from the crowd during the holiday season!

If you're adding a touch of brocade to your wardrobe this fall, why not make yours vintage? Here are a few example available at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

A 1950's brocade dress & jacket

A 1950's draped brocade dress

A 1960's tone on tone brocade dress

Fall Fashion Trend - Capes

Drama is coming your way this fall, and what better way is there to show off your style than to sweep into a room wearing a sensational cape, such as those shown above by Derek Lam, Ralph Lauren, and Marc Jacobs.

Of course, capes are not new. From dramatic velvet evening capes in the 30's, to caped dinner suits in the 40's, to structured Mod styles in the 60's, and hippie ponchos in the 70's, we've seen capes return again and again. If you're adding a cape to your wardrobe this fall, why not make it vintage? Here are a few examples available at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

A 60's Mod era camel wool cape

A 70's wool herringbone cape with matching fedora

An 80's flowing black wool cape with faux leopard fur trim

See these capes and more great vintage coats at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Fall Fashion Trend - Fur Trim

It's time to start looking ahead to our Fall and Winter wardrobes! Even though I sell vintage fashion, I feel its important to study current designer runway trends so I can help you stay stylish while adding unique vintage pieces to your closet.

Designers have been showing lots of fur coats in the last two years. While fur is still hot, we're seeing alot more fur used just as trim this year. Coats, jackets, capes, and suits are adorned with exotic fur at the collar, sleeve cuffs, front openings, and hems.

Here are a few vintage pieces from my store that will keep you "in style" this fall.

A gorgeous late 1950's Lilli Ann coat in pink mohair with a silver fox fur collar. Did I mention it's PINK?

A striking late 1960's grey tweed coat with raccoon fur trim at the hem.

A glamourous 1970's black leather trench coat with fox fur collar.

A sophisticated 1950's salt 'n pepper tweed suit with black mouton fur collar and cuffs.

See these items and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

What a Beauty!

It's not often that I run into a dress like this - what I like to call "Over the Top". This dress dates to the early to mid 1950's, when tulle confections were all the rage. And what a beauty this is!

Pink tulle is layered over more pink tulle with a lining of pink taffeta. Adorned with silver embroidery, silver beads, and silver sequins, this dress literally sparkles. Add to that the white ribbons that are woven over and under the silver beading, and you've got a real attention grabber! Notice how the skirt side panels are even more elaborate than the front and back.

And all of that embroidery and beadwork? Completely done by hand!

See this dress and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

70's Bohemian Brilliance

In the late 1960's, as hippies influenced fashion with their use of antique, folkloric, and ethnic clothing, mainstream designers began to incorporate these styles into their runway fashions. This dress from the early 1970's is an example of the use of folk art in high fashion.

There are no labels, but the designer has used a tablecloth with intricate hand-worked cross stitch as the fabric for the dress. The resulting dress is suitable for evening or entertaining at home.

See this dress and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Day to Date

It's an age old problem...what do you wear when you've got to look professional at the office, but jazzed up for an evening out with no time to go home and change? This vintage 1950's outfit by Jerry Gilden solves the problem in a simple but effective manner. The strappy black fitted dress is perfect for a date. Add the matching overblouse for wearing during the day.

When it's time to transform your look, simply remove the overblouse, pop on some sparkly jewels and those fabulous heels you brought from home! Problem solved!!!

See this dress and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Slip Into Something

I am an admitted old movie addict. You know that line where the femme fatale says, "Let me slip into something a little more comfortable...". These pajama sets are what she was talking about. Ah, those were the days, when sweatpants and oversized t-shirts didn't exist!

Pale peach silk charmeuse pajamas from the 1930's.

Luxurious rayon satin pajamas from the 1940's.

Asian influence rayon pajamas, also from the 1940's.

See these pajamas and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Interesting Details

I don't think there is anything sexier than a vintage 1940's suit. Fitted through the waist, with flared hips and shoulder pads to balance the hip width, nothing is more flattering to the feminine figure. As an added bonus, these suits always feature unusual design details that make them totally unique and unlike anything you can buy today.

This particular beauty is fashioned from a black and brown boucle knit. The designer has decided to use a plain boucle for the A-line skirt and a co-ordinating plaid boucle for the jacket. The lines of the plaid are very subtle and are fashioned from an ombre yarn in the primary colors of the rainbow. If those lines in the plaid were any larger, it would be too much, but the single strand of yarn makes this suit go from good to gorgeous!

Note how perfectly the plaid is matched from the body of the jacket across to the sleeves. To get this right, the pieces of the jacket must be laid out on the fabric with great care when cutting. Then the seamstress has to get those lines matched up perfectly when sewing the garment. As a final touch, the collar and lapels have been finished with topstitching in the ombre yarn.

I also like the fact that the back darts have been placed in such a way that the vertical lines of the plaid form a gentle curve, serving to visually make the waist smaller.

See this suit and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Individuality Takes Over

In the late 1960's, we begin to see the influence of "streetwear" on fashion designers. By 1968, young fashionistas had begun to wear clothing found in antique stores, army-navy outlets, and shops selling ethnic imports. It became important for young people to have their own individual and unique look. Designers soon caught on, and in 1968-69, peasant, gypsy, and ethnic looks were prevalent in body skimming styles.

This exotic dress in a high quality cotton is printed with a Far East Indian block print. The gentle A-line shape and bell sleeves are typical of the era.

See this dress and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Inspiration Part 2

Designer Vera Neumann was greatly talented with colorful graphic designs for her textiles. Whenever I encounter a bright, splashy print in a simple dress or scarf, I can almost always be assured of finding the Vera signature in the lower right corner. Such is the case with this simple 60's cotton shift dress. Vera has taken inspiration from the colorful handcrafted tie dyes of the hippies, and made a more sophisticated version for the "Ladies Who Lunch" set.

A bright print like this is sure to cure those "End of Winter" blues! See this dress and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Inspiration Comes from Anywhere

In the March 2006 issue of Bazaar, there is an interview with designer Marc Jacobs on the occasion of the opening of the latest Louis Vuitton store in Hong Kong. Marc speaks about design inspiration when he states, "Everything I see and do gets digested and comes out (in my designs) someway, somehow." Designers have a distinct way of looking at the world around them and translating what they see into something new and beautiful.

Take beadweaver and designer Susan Mandel as an example. Sue just bought this lovely Victorian era reticule from me. Sue states, "I find a lot of inspiration for my beadwork from past styles and designs - some designs are timeless."

We can't wait to see how Sue translates this Victorian design into something that works for today! Take a look at Sue's Beadweaver Blog. Or, if you're feeling inspired, purchase her beadweaving patterns.

Just Tip me Over!

We've talked before about how a designer sometimes uses the design of the fabric for inspiration. Such is the case with this sweet late 1950's dress. The fabric is a cotton pique with a large scale black and white plaid. Line drawn daisies fill the white squares of the plaid.

But the designer of this dress decided to make things more interesting by cutting the pattern on the crosswise grain, thereby tipping the daisies on their sides! What a great idea to add a bit of whimsey and visual interest to a simple summer sundress!

See this dress and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Mom Said "No!"

I must admit that I am old enough to have been able to wear this jumpsuit during the Disco era 1970's. But there is no way my mother would have let me out of the house in this ultra-sexy jumpsuit by Mr. Boots.

The designer plays a trick by making the back of the jumpsuit look especially demure and plain. But turn around, and you'll have all the guys panting! The bare midriff is accented with criss-cross corset lacing that holds the front upper bodice in place over the breasts.

See this jumpsuit and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Details Make the Difference

Details can make such a difference! This cute red, white, and blue stripe dress dates to the early 1940's. This is not a "designer" garment. It is an everyday dress that was probably purchased at a small town dress shop. But, even though it wasn't an expensive dress, take a look at the attention to detail in the construction.

The patch pockets are made from 3 separate pieces for visual interest by varying the direction of the stripes. The red, white, and blue circles of the buttons complement the stripes.

Also notice the attention given in matching the stripes at the center front and back seams of the skirt. If you sew, you know this is not easy to do. The pattern pieces must be cut and then sewn with great care to get the match exactly right. This type of matching is only found in the most expensive garments today, but was considered the norm back in the 40's!

See this dress and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Letting the Fabric Define the Design

Sometimes the print of the fabric will dictate the design of the garment. Such is the case with this simple sheath dress by Krizia. This dress was designed in the 1980's and the straight silhouette with the boat neckline and kimono sleeves serves to set off the splashy print of the cotton fabric.

The clean straight lines of the dress with minimal seaming allows the textile to become the main focus here.

See this dress and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .