In tribute to Alexander McQueen, I am going to post a retrospective of past collections, from a SwingFashionista perspective. The best of Alexander McQueen for retro-loving folk. May he rest in peace. To start, my top picks from the Fall 2001 ready-to-wear show. More to come…
I’m in Belgium right now, relaxing a little after Swingin’ in the Rain, and tomorrow I fly to Ye Old London Towne for three whole weeks! Those familiar with my travel schedule will know that this is an astonishingly long time for me to be in one city. Hoorah! My to-do list involves things like going swing dancing, seeing burlesque shows, eating Indian food, maybe see a show on the West End, visit V&A, and of course, SHOPPING! Friends have been sending suggestions (if you have any more, please post a comment!) and here are four reasons why I’m excited about London:
This is a monthly event, and there is indeed one on while I’m in London, but sadly it’s all sold out. Oh well maybe next time - unless anyone knows how to weedle me a ticket? *wink wink nudge nudge*
With the Wam Bam Belles! The lady in blue in the first photo is my drop-dead gorgeous friend Hayley, can’t wait to see her!
These two ladies have been giving 1920s Charleston a good name around London for years now, and I’ve been admiring their costumes from afar. Maybe I’ll get a chance to meet them or see them perform.
Really, need I say more?
My mother had one of these when she was growing up and I remember always wanting one. Yeah, I had a Power Wheels, but it just wasn’t the same!! Click picture to buy.
“She’s all pink and white and chrome and waiting for a princess to pedal off in her. Just like the originals, this American Retro Pedal car is made of heavy gauge steel and is ready for hours of play. Chip and rust resistant finish that is child safe and has da non-toxic powder coating. Fully Assembled. Ages 2 to 6 years. 36″ L x 15.5″ W”
Categories: Accessories
New York circa 1904. “City Hall subway station.” 8×10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Categories: Vintage PhotosI wasted a whole lot of time on this doll blog, so that you don’t have to! Check out these retro doll fashions, can you believe it? The downside is, you can’t buy any of these outfits… you know, unless you’re 6″ tall. I’d wear all of these outfits! If anyone out there is a wizz with a sewing machine and wants to recreate one of these for me, just let me know!!
Grey dress, red Remix shoes, red flower in the hair, love it Miss Ali Connell! Photos snapped of Ali dancing at Lindy Focus January 2010, in Asheville, North Carolina, by photographer Colin Butler. Look at that dress swirl too, swoon!
Often times when I’ve gone thrift store shopping, I can’t help but notice the particular smell that “old” clothing when I walk into the shop. It hasn’t stopped my from buying a piece I adore, but that funk is a tad off-putting. Has this happened to you?
As I was browsing through my RSS last week, I came upon this little gem from Valet Magazine. In their 31 Days of Tips & Tricks, tip no. 10 talked about how to get “the fix for that vintage funk” and it’s rather simple. According to Janie Bryant, the costume designer for the hit TV series Mad Men, “All you have to do is mix one part vodka with two parts water in a spray bottle.” The article doesn’t say you have to spray it on the clothes, but just to be clear, you will need to. Just mixing two liquids together doesn’t clean clothes, but it can make a nice drink. 
image from Valet Magazine
And there you have it! Simple and easy.
Have you found anything else that works better?
Categories: ClothingThis looks like a fantastic book! Do any of you own this book? Have you flipped through it? What is your personal review?
Here is a great review from Super Kawaii Mama!
Information provided by seller:
Love Vintage takes the reader on a charming visual and literary journey through the annals of 20th-century fashion design.
With beautiful photography and an elegant text, It effortlessly reveals both the recurring themes of fashion whilst also identifying the distinct features and innovations of each era.
Vintage clothing is much valued, not least because if its graceful and fluid appearance, but also on account of the wearability and durability of the garments. Unlike the mass-manufactured clothing of today, where garments are more-often-than-not two-sided grabs of fabric hastily stitched together, much of the clothing of the past was designed to be refashioned and reworn as time went by. They were shaped garments, structured in three dimensions, and designed to impose form upon the wearer.
Love Vintage covers both the glamorous and everyday garments of the past and, despite the apparent complexity of some, shows how each was perfectly designed to suit the occasion for which it was worn. They were ultimately so much more functional, wearable and sustainable than the clothing of today.
The book also contains a wealth of information about fashion design, of high value to both the experienced and novice collector, together with an inspirational collection of photography that helps describe each piece to its full. Also included are valuable notes on dress construction, vintage designers, and fabrics.
This book is the culmination of almost 30 years of studying, collecting and repairing vintage clothes, fuelled by a passion for the art of design and a humble respect for the dressmaking skills of a bygone era that brought such creative visions into reality.
Nicole Jenkins is a costume designer, vintage clothing afficionado, and owner of the highly respected vintage clothing store, CIRCA, in the heart of Melbourne’s vintage district in Gertrude Street, Fitzroy.
Categories: Books, Vintage PhotosWell, the 2nd Annual Seattle Vintage Fashion Runway Show and Lecture just happened on December 4th as part of the Killer Diller Weekend, and here are some snaps of the gorgeous vintage clothes, circa 1920-1950, that were on display. If you’re a swing dancer, you’ll recognize some familiar faces strutting their stuff on the runway, and some of you may also know the mastermind behind the event, Lorraine O’Neal. Photos are by Jared Luxenberg. Click on the photo to see it larger. Enjoy!
Some gorgeous black women of the 1930s and 40s, on Omega418’s Flickr stream…
I found these photos of gorgeous stacks of Bakelite bangles on Flickr, and just had to post them up. I love big chunky bracelets like these, but I can’t possibly justify them in my suitcase and it’s not a great idea to wear bangles when swing dancing, so I don’t own any at all. *sigh* Another “when-I-stop-travelling-and-settle-down-somewhere” daydream. Here’s Dita rocking some Bakelite:
Snapped on the street by photographer Nicole Trundle in Camden Markets, London.
Categories: On The Street
The Chap is a retro gentlemen’s magazine, and if the name doesn’t given you an idea of their style, then their manifesto will:
1. THOU SHALT ALWAYS WEAR TWEED. No other fabric says so defiantly: I am a man of panache, savoir-faire and devil-may-care, and I will not be served Continental lager beer under any circumstances.
2 THOU SHALT NEVER NOT SMOKE. Health and Safety “executives” and jobsworth medical practitioners keep trying to convince us that smoking is bad for the lungs/heart/skin/eyebrows, but we all know that smoking a bent apple billiard full of rich Cavendish tobacco raises one’s general sense of well-being to levels unimaginable by the aforementioned spoilsports.
3 THOU SHALT ALWAYS BE COURTEOUS TO THE LADIES. A gentleman is never truly seated on an omnibus or railway carriage: he is merely keeping the seat warm for when a lady might need it. Those who take offence at being offered a seat are not really Ladies.
4 THOU SHALT NEVER, EVER, WEAR PANTALOONS DE NIMES. When you have progressed beyond fondling girls in the back seats of cinemas, you can stop wearing jeans. Wear fabrics appropriate to your age, and, who knows, you might even get a quick fumble in your box at the opera.
5 THOU SHALT ALWAYS DOFF ONE’S HAT. Alright, so you own a couple of trilbies. Good for you - but it’s hardly going to change the world. Once you start actually lifting them off your head when greeting, departing or simply saluting passers-by, then the revolution will really begin.
6 THOU SHALT NEVER FASTEN THE LOWEST BUTTON ON THY WESKIT. Look, we don’t make the rules, we simply try to keep them going. This one dates back to Edward VII, sufficient reason in itself to observe it.
7 THOU SHALT ALWAYS SPEAK PROPERLY. It’s quite simple really. Instead of saying “Yo, wassup?”, say “How do you do?”
8 THOU SHALT NEVER WEAR PLIMSOLLS WHEN NOT DOING SPORT. Nor even when doing sport. Which you shouldn’t be doing anyway. Except cricket.
9 THOU SHALT ALWAYS WORSHIP AT THE TROUSER PRESS. At the end of each day, your trousers should be placed in one of Mr. Corby’s magical contraptions, and by the next morning your creases will be so sharp that they will start a riot on the high street.
10 THOU SHALT ALWAYS CULTIVATE INTERESTING FACIAL HAIR. By interesting we mean moustaches, not beards.
Hahaha, wonderful! The shop on the website is also full of wonderful ‘old boys’ things:
L’Wren Scott is one of my favorite labels. Lots of figure-hugging pencil skirts, autumn color palettes and vintage details. I also feel like this label is a little more down-to-earth. I don’t just lust after all these dresses, I really would wear them, and these are looks I could realistically create, unlike the looks that some fashion houses put on the catwalk. Here’s my top picks of the last three years, in my opinion getting better and better with each season…
Fall 2008:
Spring 2008:
Fall 2009:
Spring 2009:
Spring 2010:
Carlo Pieroni was born in Florence, Italy. His work is a combination of photography and digital manipulation where he “paints” each image to create a timeless vision of femininity, always on the borderline between reality and fantasy, where the woman is never an object but the driving subject of a highly calibrated seduction game.
