Sunday, December 18, 2011

His Royal Highness PRINCE



Tomorrow evening I will be in the presence of our own American royalty.

Thanks to my beautiful son who surprised me with an early Christmas present.

I keep looking at the ticket, pinching myself. Floor 2nd row!

It has always been a dream of mine to see Prince live. Bucket list is getting smaller. Sometimes it takes years for our dreams to be realized. I am a patient person. 2011 was a good year.

Happy Holidays to all! May all your dreams come true in the company of those who are near and dear to your hearts.xo

My review can be found here.

Friday, December 16, 2011

Top Fashion News of 2011

It was not Louboutin losing out to YSL in court for the use of the red soles associated with his brand. The court ruled the color red on the soles could not be granted trademark protection. According to an Associated Press report, Yves Saint Laurent has manufactured red-soled shoes since the 1970s.

I suppose I should remember that since I worked in NYC's YSL offices for a time during my college years. Still have a few pieces of their creamy stationary.

No, the best fashion news of 2011 was not the Missoni for Target frenzy.

Missoni's colorful zig-zags are known world wide, along with it's steep price tags. When shoppers learned the 400 piece collection would be selling at Target's bargain prices they camped at the stores Black Friday fashion, they crashed the Target website & emptied out store racks like locusts. Stories I heard from friends who tried to get one piece, any piece! Was that it was impossible. The craziest thing they had ever seen.





My friends and I were hard core NYC shoppers, in the trenches in our combat boots spotting, snatching 18.00 Halston raincoats - mine had a matching envelope bag..., Betsey Johnsons from the middle of 5 foot high piles, elbows out, watching out for the little old ladies frothing at the mouth nearby ripping at each other for a pair of Charles Jourdans at Lord & Taylor.

When It comes to fashion and women and you insert the word 'sale' in the middle of the two, specially when it concerns a desired label, blood will be spilled. Retailers should know this.

I no longer have the patience for the pushing and shoving. Considered going but glad I didnt.

Despite the fact Target tried to make it up to their customers who were furious I dont believe they were able to. Demand exceeded supply. To make things worse- not for the buyer but for those that missed out, I saw pieces going for thousands on ebay.

Later this fall Versace corraborated with H&M and seemed to show Missoni how it should be done.





MY Best Fashion moment of 2011 Was Kate Middleton's wedding at Westminster Abbey. The dress was designed for the Duchess of Cambridge by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen the British designer who sadly passed away last year.



I recall gossip flying for weeks about who Kate's designer would be. Every movement to and from the palace was followed, scrutinized very closely by the media and reported.

Speculation and rumors flew. Bets were placed. People were shuttled in vans, cars in cloak and dagger fashion. When questioned, the McQueen people denied any involvement. Most probably sworn to secrecy.

Then finally, amidst so much sadness, hardship, earthquakes, tornadoes...We exhaled and watched with wonder as two young lovers took their vows.

Thousands stood on the streets, sidewalks, windows, rooftops...cheering. Millions more tuned in via satellite, cable, televisions, ipods, computers around the world. The British Monarchy was on the ball, streaming the event and reporting every detail on twitter and facebook without as much as a glitch. Made my Brit blood proud.

After the couple kissed on the balcony and left for the reception...we discussed it in blogs, facebook, message boards. Special shows on CNN, Style, E had panels reviewing every single moment of the wedding for days!

Every magazine stand had issues with Kate's photo on the cover.

In the summer Kate's dress was displayed at Buckingham Palace, record breaking crowds of over 600,000 people showed up.



In NYC 650,000 people stood in long lines to see the McQueen retrospective at the Met from May 4–August 7, 2011.



For all of these reasons nothing else can top the wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William in 2011.

Still today, months later, my blog from that occasion has visitors almost every day.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Tangerine Love!

We've been featured in an etsy treasury!





Thanks to etsy's ReverieMerchants.

Tangerine is the new black for 2012.

A warm color for a cold gloomy fall day.

As my friend Kathleen describes our beautiful Seattle today:

"Soft misty rain that shows the holiday lights and garlands sheeny in the reflections...On the ferry, there is a darker line separating the slightly brighter horizon from the pewter sea, with one buoy visible where the sand bar is."

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Goldfinger

My vintage Holy Grail is not lingerie but if I were to ever find something this special I think I would faint.



ebay listing for Vanity Fair gold set

How lucky we were in those days that someone could slip into such luxuries. Wear 24 carat gold against the skin without stepping foot in a jewelry store.

So sexy!

From the seller's description it feels as soft as it looks. Im hoping the seller does really well with the listing, it is a true treasure. At the time of my posting, there are still two days left to bid.

update 12.16.11 - An excellent ending.



The holiday season inspired me to lift the tissue from my lovely vintage fashion pieces.

Gold Brocade Wiggle Bombshell Halter Dress & Jacket



SOLD! - Vintage 60s Metallic Gold Evening Swing Trapeze Coat



I imagine a very special someone wearing them with the "Cloth of Gold" Vanity Fair under garments.

Now Im in the mood for Shirley Bassey singing Goldfinger...

There are many Goldfinger youtubes in existense some from back in the 60s ...till now. All fabulous. I chose this one because I can hear the needle on the vinyl.



Sunday, December 4, 2011

Bravo's Fashion Hunters Great for Vintage Research



Ambria Miscia, Tara Muscarella, Karina Lepiner and Wilson Payamps are consigners at Second Time Around in NYC.

Fashion Hunters is the show that follows their purchase and sales adventures. Helpful if you are a buyer, collector, in the business of selling designer vintage fashion.

If you'd like to learn how to spot copies, not if you wish to learn how to price. Some items may be overpriced, like the Louboutin black flats in the last episode.



Some under priced.

The green pair were in excellent condition but the black were too worn to price at 350.



Bravo even went as far as to guesstimate a retail price of $600. ^^ huh?





I noticed that pricing on some of these shows sometimes get a little crazy. The auction buyers attempting to over-compensate for what they spend on storage units is one such example.

Who, in their right mind, shells out over a grand at a thrift store for a worn dusty sofa - when most, specially those outdoor units, are mice...vermin infested...*shudder*.

I dont have a clue who they think they are trying to fool.

Of course, Im not suggesting the pieces in FH come from these types of places..although one could never predict where treasures may be hidden...recalling the lady who dropped by STA with the Chanel bags found at a yard sale in a previous episode. I think I was hyperventilating during that one. Can you imagine?

Sometimes I may answer a call at a posh neighborhood with great anticipation only to leave disappointed versus having found granny's closet brimming with breath taking beauties.

If there are several things Ive learned from years in the vintage biz; the hunt is highly unpredictable - that's what makes it fun and interesting. Good quality vintage is usually one of a kind. You might hit the jackpot and find a similar one in a different size years later, but the reason desirable vintage is coveted and priced accordingly is that quality, well cared for, restored, curated vintage is rare.

The value of Fashion Hunters is how they teach to examine a garment for authenticity. How to turn it inside out to look for finished seams, straight edges, stitching, label, how the logos are positioned, the quality of the fabric/leather.

If an investment piece is your interest Fashion Hunters is for you.

I would like to end this blog entry with a final note.

Please don't forget that most purchases are often negotiable. Price tags are not always written in stone, specially when the item has glaring flaws.

Happy vintage shopping!

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Vintage Weight Gain Ads Discourage Twiggy Look

With the making of the latest Marilyn Monroe movie starring Michele Williams gracing the cover of my Vogue magazine.



Marilyn's voluptuous sexy look no doubt celebrates curves!

Michelle attempted to gain weight but as she tells in the article instead it all went to her face. She padded her figure.

"But I do remember one moment of being all suited up as Marilyn and walking from my dressing room onto the soundstage practicing my wiggle," Williams tells the magazine. "There were three or four men gathered around a truck, and I remember seeing that they were watching me come and feeling that they were watching me go--and for the very first time I glimpsed some idea of the pleasure I could take in that kind of attention; not their pleasure but my pleasure. And I thought, Oh, maybe Marilyn felt that when she walked down the beach."



Huffpo's article about Vintage Weight Gain Ads

Love anything Marilyn Monroe. A huge MM poster decorates my vintage room.

I was given James Spada's book as a birthday present by dearest friends in the 80s. It is one of the many books on her that sit on my shelves.

It will be interesting to see if vintage fashions will continue to inspire the runways and maybe even encourage more designers to use normal sized models.

Its all about the healthy look.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Bergdorf Goodman opens a Vintage Restored Line

I wonder what the consensus is in the Vintage Fashion Community.

I see pros and cons.

The obvious ones; keeps Vintage Fashion in the forefront, in the eyes & minds of the consumer. That it restores badly damaged quality vintage instead of shipping to China as rags or dumping in a landfill.

Cons; that perfectly good vintage, slightly soiled, in need of delicate care will be chopped up with the excuse of 'restoring' simply only for the sake of adding the BG label.

I wrote an article recently about such a sad situation where perfectly good vintage pieces may have been cut up for the sake of a one night red carpet gala.

2011 Oscars Red Carpet

Not being one who believes everything I see on the internet I took extra steps to find out if good vintage pieces had been indeed compromised for such an affair.

What are your thoughts?

Bergdorf Goodman’s Linda Fargo Talks Vintage, Tom Ford Beauty, and Leopard Pajamas

From Vintage to Modern

I was relieved to read the word 'restored' mentioned by Linda Fargo in the article.

These are some of the comments from my vintage clothing group when I posted a link to the article:

'Off the top of my head, they probably saw Anthropologie selling dye vintage party dresses and thought they could do better. Maybe so too; Bergdorf is a wonderful store!'

'My fear, with the upcycled vintage, is that there may be a stain that could be removed with some effort, but just ends up being a good excuse to cut the bottom off and tie dye. I worry.'

'Bergdorf is so terribly designer friendly I would think they'd be like the MOMA of vintage stores. They really have been known for giving some wonderful young designers a venue even if a couple dresses on a rack... seems they love clothes too. I'd think nothing less of them.'

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