Couture Allure Giveaway #8

Today's giveaway is for a copy of the book "House & Garden's Complete Guide to Interior Decoration" from 1960. This is a large coffee-table size book with 320 pages of incredible home decorating ideas filled with mid-century modern furniture. The dust jacket has some tears and curling at the edges, but otherwise, the book is in excellent condition.

I know, I know - it's not clothes. But if you love vintage fashion, I have an inkling that you'll love this book too. I mean, a leopard rug? Come on - you know you love it.

How do you enter to win? Simple! Visit my website, www.coutureallure.com and pick your favorite item for sale. Leave a comment here with a link to that item and you're entered! OR become a new fan of Couture Allure on Facebook, come back here and leave a comment that you've done so. Do both, and you're entered twice! The winner will be drawn on Friday, February 19th. Please note: If your Blogger profile does not include your email address, please leave it in your comment so I have a way to contact you. The book will be shipped via Media Mail in the U.S. and Global Priority Mail outside the U.S. It is important to note - if you live outside the U.S., I will need to ask you to pay the postage costs, which could be as much as $47.00 depending upon where in the world you live.

Giveaway #7 Winner!

The winner of the book "1000 Hats" is Sunshine! Congratulations, Sunshine. I'll be in touch via e-mail so I can ship your book.

Cute Capelet - 1954

Isn't this adorable? I'm a sucker for great details, and I think this capelet from 1954 has a lot of character. It was featured in an ad for Wiss Pinking Shears, and for 25¢, they would send you the pattern. The pieces are cut with pinking shears so the edges don't ravel, and the seams are accented with buttons. It looks like there are short darts at the neckline to help shape the pieces.

If I was a better pattern maker, this would probably be pretty easy to figure out, but you could also adapt a sewing pattern by just removing the seam allowances at the front and overlapping the seam allowances at the sides. I'd make it in 100% wool felt, not the cheap polyester craft felt you find in most fabric stores.

And, hey! If I've inspired you today, I want to see a picture of your finished project!

Awful 80s Fashion #3

Another installment in our public service posts about how not to dress - I bring you more awful 80s fashion.

Please don't wear sheer teal green pantyhose with teal green shoes. And please don't think your teal green legs look so hot that you need to expose more of them with a shirttail hemmed dress. Please.

UPDATED to add - If you want to see teal tights done right, take at look at Sal's outfit from yesterday at Already Pretty. She contrasts her opaque tights with a slim black skirt and black shoes. Not awful at all!

There's a way to do stripes right. This ain't it.

Better watch out if you live near the water and it's duck hunting season.

Grandma's doilies don't belong on your dress - especially as cuffs on your sleeves.

Plaid pants? Never. I said never! And please get a haircut.

Little embroidered whales on pants? Never. I SAID NEVER!

Only 2 more days to sign up for our latest giveaway - 1000 Hats! The book, not the hats.

Chiffon for Evening - 1963

It's 1963, and silk chiffon is just the thing for evening wear. Silk chiffon is such a romantic fabric. Lighter-than-air, it floats and drifts in subtle waves as you move, catching the eye in an alluring manner.

Frank Starr offered this evening gown in pale tints of coral, blue, or mint green silk chiffon. Sold in 1963 for $160 (about $1122 in today's dollar).

A Saks Fifth Avenue exclusive, this ensemble consisted of a silk shantung shell and jacket over layers of silk chiffon in the skirt. Sold for $225 in 1963 (about $1577 in today's dollar).

We've got drifts of silk chiffon available at Couture Allure. Yards upon yards of green silk chiffon make up this gorgeous evening gown from the early 1960s.

This 1960s evening gown is fashioned of silk chiffon in blue and white. We've attributed this dress to Sarmi.

The Proliferation of Unrealistic Digitally Enhanced Images in Advertising

Back in December, Procter and Gamble was slapped by the British Advertising Standards Authority for misleading the public when they "digitally re-touched" a photograph of Twiggy used in an ad for an Olay product.

A bit much, isn't it? I am of the opinion that the use of Photoshop and other programs to "digitally enhance" or airbrush advertising images to give the impression of perfection is way out of hand and far too prevalent.

Linda Evangelista in a L'Oreal ad and in a live appearance.

Andie MacDowell in a L'Oreal ad and on the Red Carpet.

When did it become unacceptable to show that women have lived rich and fulfilling lives - lives that naturally give us smile lines, larger pores, saggy eyelids, and crow's feet? When will advertisers stop making us feel bad about ourselves by presenting us with impossible to obtain results? I, for one, would prefer to buy products from a company that has the guts to show me natural results without digitally enhancing it's advertising images. And I'm sure I'm not alone.

Take a look at these images of Cheryl Tiegs from 1975. These photos appeared in an issue of Harper's Bazaar magazine as part of a spread about new make-up products. (Pardon the ripples in the paper. The magazine got wet sometime over the years.)

Click to enlarge this photo, and you'll clearly see Chery's pores and tiny lines under her eyes - "faults" which would have been Photoshopped away in a 2010 image.

Click to enlarge and look at those wonderful lines around Chery's eyes - lines that show true joy and laughter.

Click to enlarge and you'll see that, even on the cover, you can see faint lines to the sides of Cheryl's mouth and under her eyes.

Chery's age in these photos? 28. A true and natural 28, not a digitally-enhanced one.

New at Couture Allure - Vintage Dresses and Accessories

New this week at Couture Allure are several vintage party dresses and lots of new vintage accessories including hats, scarves, and sterling silver jewelry from Mexico. Check out all the new goodies in our What's New section on the site! And if you want up-to-the-minute reports when new items are listed on the site, become a fan of Couture Allure on Facebook.

1950s Sheared Beaver fur hat and muff stenciled with a leopard print.

1940s wide brim straw hat.

1940s Glentex scarf with Carnivale theme.

1960s gold and black full skirted party dress in a large size!

1960s Jonny Herbert magenta satin party dress.

1950s Suzy Perette full skirted party dress.

Weekend Eye Candy - Paco Rabanne 1967

Bare midriff top and hip-hugger mini skirt made of aluminum disks linked with wire by Paco Rabanne, 1967.

Couture Allure Giveaway #7

Today's giveaway is for a copy of the book "1000 Hats" by Norma Shephard. The book is in brand new condition and lists for $39.95. I bought it for my research bookshelf, but I've never used it.

Before you get all excited, I must tell you that as a research tool, this book is one of the worst I've ever purchased. The dating provided for the hats shown is often very inaccurate and way off the mark. Shephard identifies several 1960s cloche hats as 1920s flapper hats, and there are some 1950s hats identified as Edwardian. For a supposed expert, her research is very poor. In addition, the prices given as values are extremely overblown.

However, if you like to look at pretty hats, there are pictures of over 1200 of them in the 254 pages of this book. There is an extensive glossary with hat styles and terms, and there is a short history of hat making.

How do you enter to win? Simple! Visit my website, www.coutureallure.com and pick your favorite item for sale. Leave a comment here with a link to that item and you're entered! OR become a new fan of Couture Allure on Facebook, come back here and leave a comment that you've done so. Do both, and you're entered twice! The winner will be drawn on Friday, February 12th. Please note: If your Blogger profile does not include your email address, please leave it in your comment so I have a way to contact you. The book will be shipped via Media Mail in the U.S. and First Class International Mail outside the U.S. It is important to note - if you live outside the U.S. or Canada, I will need to ask you to pay the postage costs, which could be as much as $35.00 depending upon where in the world you live.

Giveaway #6 Winner!

The winner of the 4 Dover Publications books is Angela! Congratulations, Angela. I'll be in touch via email so I can ship your books.

Pretty Shoes - 1960

It's the last day to sign up for our latest giveaway! Don't miss out!

Dear Shoe Designers,

Can we go back to pretty shoes that a woman like me can actually wear?

Please?

Tina Leser Sundress - 1945

Tina Leser was well known for her use of exotic fabrics and style influences from around the world. During the WWII years, however, her travels were limited and so were her fabric choices. Leser was still able to find inspiration at home, though, and this dress is one example. Here, she uses a traditional American fabric - chambray stripe and fashions it into a sweet sundress with a sarong influenced one shoulder design.

Chambray is a lightweight cotton fabric with a denim look, which combines a colored yarn with an undyed yarn in a plain weave. Chambray was originally used for workingmen's blue shirts, from which comes the term blue-collar worker.

The add states this is "Aphrodite - Tina Leser's Grecian Goddess sun dress in No-Fade Chambray, striped and plain. White stripes on blue, chartreuse or rose." This dress also gives us an example of working within the fabric restrictions of the war years. The skirt is shorter, and by making the bodice with just one strap, Leser is able to use the extra fabric for a ruffle on the skirt front. Ingenious! Sold for $19.95 exclusively at Bonwit Teller in 1945 (about $238.00 in today's dollar). That $19.95 would have been out of reach to most women during the war, but I'll bet many women took inspiration from Leser's use of chambray and made their own versions with inexpensive yard goods.

By the way, notice the long beaded necklace wrapped around and around the wrist to made a statement bracelet. Just another example of war-time ingenuity!

1953 Pin Curl Hairdo with Variations

This basic hairdo was all the rage in 1953, and it is easy to do with pin curls! I'm going to assume that those of you interested in creating this look already know how to do a basic pin curl set with your fingers and bobby pins or hair clips. If not, here are basic instructions for that technique.

For this style, the hair is cut about 4" long overall and set as follows:

1. Part the hair on the side. Set the front section of hair in two rows of pin curls, three to each row and wound away from the part.

2. Set each side section of hair in four curls wound toward the face.

3. Set the back of the hair in two rows of 6 curls. Curls should be wound away from the center toward the front.
4. Allow the hair to dry under a hair dryer or overnight. Remove the pin curls, gently style the hair into waves, and use hairspray to set.

Here are several variations to suit different face shapes. All variations except the last use the same set shown above:

Round face and short neck? Cut hair a bit shorter overall, comb hair flatter at the sides and use an off-center lift to break up the roundness.

Long face and neck? Cut hair slightly longer overall. Part farther to the side and build out the style at the sides for width.

Long nose? Cut the front section approximately 2" long and brush it into a fluffy upstanding bang. Hair in the back should hug the head.

Receding chin? Cut the front section shorter and form a small soft bang that extends only slightly beyond the hairline. Keep the hair in back close to the head with flipped-up ends.

Irregular hairline? Use 4 pin curls per row in the front instead of 3. Use a center part and form symmetrical dips on each side.

Halston's Skimp - 1974

Halston was a genius at making headlines. In November of 1974, at his fashion show that introduced his line for spring of '75, Halston once again rocked the fashion world by introducing what he called "The Skimp". At a time when all the important designers were covering women in longer skirts and pants, Halston chose to re-invent the mini skirt. Newspaper and magazines headlines blared, "Halston Breaks Ranks" and "Halston's Skimp Skips onto the Fashion Scene".

Reportedly, it was Halston employee Stephen Sprouse who convinced the designer to cut off the bottoms of the "old lady" dresses two days before the fashion show. And, in a party atmosphere, cut the dresses they did, while Halston cried, "Skimp it, skimp it!"

A sleeveless red wool jersey chemise with a matching full cape. Sold in 1975 for $260 (about $1,037 in today's dollar). Belt by Elsa Peretti.

Chamois-colored Ultrasuede skirt with a matching shirt-coat. Sold for $678 in 1975 (about $2,704 in today's dollar).

Blue crepe evening "skimp" worn with matching sash belt.

Much as Halston loved the Skimp, many of the skirt lengths in his line for Spring of 1975 stayed at mid-calf. And most of the shorter skirts were paired with longer coats, capes, and wraps. "I see a mingling of soft and more precise outlines, as well as contrasting lengths." he told reporters at his spring preview.