RARE vintage's New Year Resolution

Happy New Year! Thank you to everyone who has shopped at RARE vintage and to everyone who has enjoyed reading the blog. We had a wonderful 2008 and look forward to a stylish New Year in 2009!

RARE vintage is extremely pleased to announce that we will be launching accessories in February 2009! We have had so many requests for bags, belts and jewelry that we have been out hunting and gathering for you! We will have a wide range of accessories to compliment our vintage couture collection: from Hermes bags and belts to costume jewelry to vintage Cartier pieces. As always, we try to have something in every price range so everyone can satisfy their vintage fix.

We will start the New Year off with a sneak peek of a RARE temptation: a Yves Saint Laurent snake necklace and belt from the 1960s in its original box.

See you soon!

Playgirl

RARE vintage loves a classic LBD with a little sparkle like our previously posted Yves Saint Laurent cocktail dress but we also love a classic Goddess style gown made fresh and giddy in neon pink.

This 1980s Louis Feraud with a ruched bodice has a single strap over one shoulder - another one of our favorite looks. The airy organza skirt opens when you walk revealing a knee length skirt underneath. The sweetness of the bows is made more punk glamour by the neon color. This dress reminds of us a little bit of Sofia Coppola's film Marie Antoinette - a little bit princess, a little bit 80s and a little bit of glam-pop rock.

Neon pink 1980s Louis Feraud Goddess gown. Size 6.

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

Color is the New Black!

Our friends, Jesse Garza and Joe Lupo, from Visual Therapy (you may have seen them on Oprah) have written a new book Life in Color about embracing color and wearing it well. RARE vintage's Juliana Cairone was very flattered to be included in the book along with Lisa Perry and Amy Fine Collins. The introduction is by Rita Wilson. So, when you feel like reaching for another LBD, have yourself a berry colored Cosmopolitan and reach past that black dress for a neon pink Louis Feraud from the 1980s.

Just think how good Marc Jacobs looked naked in December's Harpers Bazaar wearing only some neon pink graffiti on his body! Though we would recommend the Louis Feraud over the graffiti for going out.

A Yves Saint Laurent for Christian Dior Jacket 1959

RARE vintage blog readers know our passion for Yves Saint Laurent. We have found amazing haute couture and ready to wear pieces from the 1960s through the 1990s. And we have found pieces of YSL from one of his most stylish patrons, Nan Kempner, for our clients.

We also have a very exciting announcement to make on December 31st so make sure you check the blog on New Year's Eve!

This is our first find of Yves Saint Laurent for Christian Dior. It is a labeled and numbered haute couture jacket from the Fall-Winter 1959 collection. It is very RARE to find examples of Saint Laurent from this period. Nearly 50 years old, this little jacket still looks as youthful now as it did in 1959. Yves Saint Laurent's genius is taking away the clutter and complication in clothing. The jacket is the color of a classic Chanel pump, beige and black. The easy cut and pure lines is typical Yves Saint Laurent. The black passementerie trim is an early use of an embellishment that he used often in the opulent Russian Collection. Passementerie is also one of the hallmarks of Paris couture and the work of the petites mains. We are very selective at RARE vintage about our collection. Some pieces are great, fun wearables and some pieces are for building your own personal collection of museum quality vintage items. This jacket is extremely wearable and a truly great collectors' piece.

Yves Saint Laurent for Christian Dior haute couture jacket with passementerie trim from the Fall-Winter 1959 collection. Labeled and numbered.

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

Have Yourself A Christian Dior 1961 Holiday!

The Fall of 1961 marked the somewhat tumultuous end to Yves Saint Laurent's career at Dior and his beginning as one of the most well known and influential couturiers of the 20th century. It was also the beginning of Marc Bohan's nineteen year career designing for the house of Christian Dior.

The initial anticipation to the little known Marc Bohan's debut was not very high but the show was a triumphant, rousing success. Eugenia Sheppard said it best, " I felt like a cat before a bowl of cream".

We certainly felt like a cat before a bowl of cream when we saw this cocktail dress from Marc Bohan's first collection for Dior. It is simply one of the most beautiful and the most beautifully constructed dresses that we have seen at RARE vintage. Jacqueline Kennedy whose early style was youthful, chic and effortless, sent her sister, Lee Radziwell, to see the Fall/Winter 1961 show.

From Marc Bohan's debut collection, the Slim Line, this is a beautiful crepe and matte silk satin black cocktail dress with a slightly flared skirt. This flare actually became known as the Bohan Flare. The empire waist slims and emphasizes a womans body, in the tradition and work of Christian Dior. The unique craft of couture and Marc Bohan's technical mastery is clearly evident in the fit and design of the dress. We promise you that no woman, ourselves included, can be zipped into this dress and not feel like the most elegant and desirable creature in New York, Paris, London or whatever city she may be in.

If your dream closet is the closet of RARE vintage's dreams: Jacqueline Kennedy or Romy Schneider, then this is the ultimate piece of wearable fashion history for you.

Marc Bohan for Christian Dior Fall-Winter 1961 haute couture dress. Labeled and numbered. Size 4.

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

A La Plage Avec Yves Saint Laurent

If you are going away this holiday season and would like to have a top that can multi task then this sheer Yves Saint Laurent top with swirling embroidery in teal, deep blue and a lipstick red is the perfect choice. It has a Yves Saint Laurent Plage label which we have not seen before but love the idea of something glamorous and fun for the beach. We can definitely see it with a black bikini underneath and a simple pair of K Jacques sandals. But we can also see it with leggings or a simple black tank dress underneath if you choose to wear it as a mini dress.

Early 1980s Yves Saint Laurent Plage top with cotton trim. Size 40.
Fits a modern size 6/8.

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

A RARE Delight

RARE vintage is so full of delights we hardly know where to start. Our posting may be a bit slow through the Christmas and New Year holiday but we have many amazing pieces from Loris Azzaro, Balenciaga, Valentino, Yves Saint Laurent, Chloe, Pucci and more to add to the RARE vintage blog.

One of the things that we love about vintage is the fun of finding the amazing and the unexpected. The euphoria when you discover a black and white Yves Saint Laurent skirt (coming soon to the RARE vintage blog) is the same euphoria that we feel in acquiring it.

A great top is one of fashions most elusive finds. An utterly gorgeous top that sets your head spinning with the endless possibilities of what it will look good with, is even rarer. Here is a sheer chiffon Yves Saint Laurent top with khaki velvet spots, ruffled sleeves and a black ribbon tie. This top can easily go from day to night and also could be a year round piece as it would look good with a long sleeved black Wolford top underneath it when it is a bit chilly.

Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche early 1980s khaki chiffon top with velvet spots. Size 6.

Our second Yves Saint Laurent top is a classic blouse with ribbon ties. We personally love these blouses with a wide leg jean and high heeled boots or a strappy sandal. This blouse in a romantic rust color with a slightly crinkled silk will be a perfect go to piece in your closet.

1970s rust colored crinkled silk Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche silk blouse.
Size 6/8.

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

Pinkalicious

What is pink and delicious? What can suddenly make you desire a pink macaroon from Ladurée? What makes you remember Diana Vreeland's famous quote that pink is the navy blue of India?

It could not be anything but a delightfully delicious hothouse flower pink Yves Saint Laurent crepe dress with a plunging neckline. Saint Laurent was a master colorist. He liked bright colors, often in unlikely combinations. This bright pink dress with its plunging neckline anchored by a gold coral embellishment with pink stones is all Parisian Chic. The Saint Laurent woman is the one with the throaty laugh in the room, the one when she enters a restaurant everyone looks at. The woman that other women wonder how she always look so effortlessly stylish and sexy. She is the RARE vintage client in vintage Yves Saint Laurent.

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

A Fine Silk Faille Balenciaga Evening Coat

Purity of form, economy of line, sobriety and luxury are the trademarks of Balenciaga. When we think of Balenciaga, we think especially of his grand evening gowns or of his coats. We think of his carefully crafted and controlled volume. Remember the photo of Mona Bismarck in a dishabille looking over her shoulder with the curved collar dipping away from the nape of her neck? It is the ideal combination of elegance and sensuality.

RARE vintage recently acquired a fine silk faille evening coat from Cristobal Balenciaga. Our apologies as these are not the best photos of this coat. A similar coat was featured in the recent Balenciaga exhibit in Texas that was curated by Myra Walker. The coat can be seen on page 61 plate 37.

1960 silk faille Balenciaga evening coat with large front pockets.

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

Eva Mendes in RARE vintage

It has been for quite some time that RARE vintage has admired Eva Mendes' outstanding style and mix of sexy, sweet and glamorous. Last night at the premiere "The Spirit" in Paris she looked chic and flirty in a 1960s Lancetti dress from RARE vintage.

Glitterati

The LBD goes glitterati! This is another in the RARE vintage series of 'The Perfect Little Black Dress'.

It is a great black cocktail dress with a flared hemmed of embroidered sequins edged in velvet. It is also slinky and would be accessorized brilliantly with red lips and a glass of champagne. Or it could be worn with a big, bodacious piece of costume jewelry for a more colorful look. It would look great here in Manhattan with fishnets or tights, it would look great there (a Resort destination warm or cold), it would look great anywhere! (Yes, instead of Green Eggs and Ham , RARE vintage has Yves Saint Laurent - tomorrow's post will be Pinkalicious - both books will be very familiar to parents with young girls)  It is also a wonderful, classically Parisian cocktail dress by Yves Saint Laurent.

1980s Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche ruched silk cocktail dress. Size 4/6.

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

Tough Love

We have loved leather ever since we saw Diana Rigg as Emma Peel in "The Avengers". Whether it is haute branché like the 1960 Yves Saint Laurent alligator motorcycle jacket or Marlon Brando in The Wild One, a leather jacket is the mark of a bad-boy or bad-girl.

Never one to shy away from the unexpected, Karl Lagerfeld showed quilted motorcycle jackets with big silk and tulle skirts. Tough and tender has always been a good Chanel combination. This amazing motorcycle jacket has familiar Chanelisms: quilting and gold chains. Even the iconic quilted Chanel bag which has been transformed into pockets with detachable gold chain straps. This jacket sold before we even had a chance to put it out but we thought that you would enjoy seeing it.

Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel 1990/1991 quilted motorcycle jacket.

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

Dream A Little Dream

One of our clients shared this video with us yesterday and we thought that it was hysterical and adorable and that you might enjoy seeing it. Fashion is, after all, about dreaming...

La Dolce Vita

There is something about seeing a light, colorful frock when it is freezing cold (as it is here in New York) that can suddenly make the day seem a little longer and warmer. You feel the sidewalks turn to sand and that large cup of Starbucks in your hand becomes a margarita. If you are off to Palm Beach or Mustique this December or January or just dreaming of being someplace warm then these two dresses perfectly capture that sea-and-sun mood.

Our first dress is an early 1990s Gianni Versace for Versus in a vivid purple. It shows lots of leg and though the cut is a simple sheath, it has sexy cut-outs in the front and especially on the back. There is also a bit of gold detail in the buttons - we always want at least a little splash of gold on a Versace!

Early 1990s Gianni Versace for Versus silk dress. Size 6.

Our second Resort piece is a 1960s Italian haute couture dress by Botti. Botti is not well known and even in Italy is largely forgotten. But we were very excited when we were shown this beautifully made, easy dress. There is a small inner corset so the fit is amazing. The fabric in its optimistic shades of lime and pink is a little shorter in the front and would look great with jeweled flats or a strappy sandal for evening.

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

Always Classic: Yves Saint Laurent

We will be posting some great options for all of your resort needs shortly but in the meantime we were thinking about what to wear as the weather turns a little cooler. We were wondering, what would a style icon like Nan Kempner wear for serving spaghetti at home on a fall Sunday night or for skiing in Gstaad? And then we knew! A crocheted vest from Yves Saint Laurent of course!

From Nan Kempner's personal collection is this wonderful 1970s crocheted vest from Yves Saint Laurent. It is an amazing wearable piece of fashion history from a great couturier and his great patron.

1970s Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche crocheted vest. Provenance: Nan Kempner

Our second piece of cozy elegance is also from Yves Saint Laurent. From the 1960s this cardigan trimmed with wool fringe and narrow sleeves is a great basic. Just the thing when you are looking for something simple but gorgeous (and a bit of Saint Laurent from the 1960s which is becoming increasingly rare to find).

1960s Yves Saint Laurent cardigan. Size 4/6.

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273