Giving Thanks to Martin Margiela

Thanksgiving was yesterday and RARE vintage was thankful for a great year of wonderful vintage finds.

We thought that it would be nice to share a 1996 dressmaker form vest from Martin Margiela. It is the complete opposite of the sequin YSL tank in our last post but Margiela is no less influential then Yves Saint Laurent. Mr. Margiela may not make clothes that are seen in the mainstream but his influence on designers who are inspired by his work and whose designs do make it to the street is tremendous.

This piece in thick linen, is printed with "semi-couture" on the lower front. It is fashion at its most simple and its most beautiful. It is seeing the ordinary and turning it into the extraordinary.

1996 Martin Margiela dressmaker form vest.

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Sparkle and Shine

If you are looking for something special and vintage to add to your holiday wardrobe then this sparkly little number by Yves Saint Laurent, the Master of The Just Right Piece, is the perfect choice. It is a simple but extremely glamorous black sequin tank top. It is also versatile and can be worn with leggings, a very short skirt, a long skirt, a great tuxedo jacket, or even with white gabardine sailor shorts from Celine's resort collection... we could go on and on... flats, heels... the options are endless!

Late 1970s Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche sequined tank top. Size 4/6.

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A Dress With A View

"Beauty, Trust, Joy," cried George Emerson from a tree in E.M. Forester's Room With A View. Now, why would a Halston cocktail dress from the 1970s make us think of George Emerson? It is because those are the exact emotions we felt when we saw this dress in the most gorgeous shade of blue. Women trust Halston to make them look good and feel good.

It is Beauty seeing a Halston and Joy putting on a Halston. Wear Halston and declare your creed! Enjoy!

1970s blue silk chiffon Halston. Sold with orginal sash. Size 4

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A Gres A Day Keeps The Doctor Away Part Two

This ensemble brilliantly and beautifully shows Madame Gres's unique vision and her draping skills.

The inky blue silk top that references a cape drapes over the shoulders and ties in the back. In yesterday's post we wrote about how Madame Gres's clothing sits close to the body and this little cape/top does that by exquisite seaming that curves around the shoulders so it sits perfectly on the shoulders. Underneath the top is a dress with a simple bodice and a very full silk skirt with arsenic green, navy and terracotta stripes. The skirt's fullness is softly anchored to the bodice by Madame Gres's classical pleating.

RARE vintage is an enormous admirer of Madame Gres's ability to really truly create innovative designs. There is a seductive quality to her clothing. The glimpse of the back under the silk sash is very erotic. And, most impressively, her creations were wearable, flattering and beautiful which, at the end of the day, is what we all want.

FYI: Gres today, Halston tomorrow!

1970s Madame Gres silk ensemble. Size 8.

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A Gres A Day Keeps The Doctor Away

Please note that we don't guarantee that it will keep the doctor away. In fact, you might get heart palpitations when you see these two incredible Madame Gres dresses that we recently acquired!

Madame Gres's classically inspired sculpted and pleated Grecian gowns are well known and very coveted. This heavy brown silk one-shouldered gown has a refined cut-out on the side of the body which is also characteristic of her work. The geometric pattern follows the body. Starting from the shoulder are three pieces that curve around the back. One piece is continuous from the shoulder becoming a belt that ties at the side.

This might sound a little complicated - geometry for a woman's body might make you wonder if you will be lost under squares and circles. But it is exactly the way that Madame Gres cut and draped the fabric that allows it to mold and sit close to the body. The cut-out on the side that reveals a bit of the waist and the lower back is erotic but not vulgar. Simply by putting on this gown you stand taller, feel a sexy elegance and if you suddenly imagine that you are on Mount Olympus under the watchful eye of Zeus surrounded by Muses and Nymphs we won't be the one to bring you back to earth!

Tomorrow we will post our second Madame Gres ensemble.

Late 1960s one-shoulder Madame Gres deep brown silk gown. Size 6.

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December Bazaar Personal Style Issue

The December issue of Bazaar celebrates personal style. Two great fashionable women, Anne Hathaway and Zoe Kravitz are featured wearing dresses from RARE vintage. Anne Hathaway is wearing a fantastic and fun Jean-Louis Scherrer couture cocktail dress from the 1980s and Zoe Kravitz is wearing a slinky Givenchy halterneck dress from the 1970s.

Vintage is always a personal choice. You are not bound by the trends of the season, you just find a piece that you love, that no one else will have and you know that everyone will desperately want!

RARE vintage in The Wall Street Journal

Please see this great article in todays Wall Street Journal for suggestions from RARE vintage and Christina Binkley for all of your dry cleaning concerns. And for the wonderful drawing!

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Holiday Cheer!

Ellen Barkin wore a dress similar to this Isaac Mizrahi dress in 1994. Fourteen years later, both Ellen Barkin and the dress still look amazing!

The dress is cut almost like you are slipping on your boyfriends shirt - easy, comfy, a little bit oversized so it might seductively dip off the shoulder. Of course, your boyfriends shirt is probably not a light mocha colored chiffon with big paillettes all over it.

It is perfect for parties here in New York with a pair of great nude colored shoes or for a warm weather getaway with high, strappy sandals. And, as always with vintage, you will be going green, get a seasonless dress and at a price much gentler to your credit card and it is a great collection piece too. That is a lot to be cheerful about!

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

Skort the Issue

Here is a sculpted skortsuit from the late 1960s by Mila Schon. No, that was not a spelling mistake in the first sentence. The adorable shrunken jacket is paired with a skort. Or you could also call them mini culottes. Either way, it is a great, wearable suit in a wool crepe that could take you from Fall to Spring.

Lee Radziwell was a fan of Mila Schon's neat suits and dresses and RARE vintage is a huge fan of Lee Radziwell style. If you have not seen her book Happy Times we definitely suggest it both for its reminiscences and photos. Much of the period that she writes about is the same era as this suit. So, if you like the idea of hanging out with the Agnellis in Italy, Truman Capote in New York and the Kennedys in Washington a little Mila Schon suit just might help you capture a bit of that feeling.

1960s Mila Schon skortsuit. Size 4.

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

RocknRolla Part Three

Here is our third Cordoba jacket from London. This first two jackets were suede but this one is leather with velvet cording and gold embroidery on the front and back of the jacket. The gold buttons are set with black stones in different sizes.

This jacket is a little bit rock and roll and a little bit bohemian luxury. If your fantasy closet is Mick and Bianca Jagger's then RARE vintage has just what will give you some Satisfaction.

1970s Cordoba leather jacket. Vintage Size 10. Modern Sze 4/6.

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Glorious Galanos

We live for a bejeweled, bedecked dress but a woman can not live by an evening gown alone. Really great day clothes are not easy to find. Designers seem to enjoy a good cocktail dress as much as we do. The challenge is to find something in between a soft James Perse top, a pair of jeans and a Halston gown.

This 1960s Galanos would be an amazing choice. Galanos' couture sensibilities are evident in the perfectly seamed and brilliantly cut dress. It is simple but far from plain. The curved brass belt is very flattering as is the slightly A-line cut of the dress. And with the bit of gold detailing you can very easily make this work for a cocktail party too. So, you can sneak a practical day dress into your evening wardrobe for a change!

1960 Galanos brown jersey dress with brass belt. Size 4.

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

RocknRolla Part Two

London's calling! A suede, black and tan 1970s Cordoba jacket is rock chick fabulous and worn with its original bootleg suede pants it is glam rock Goddess. The haute hippie look is very appealing to the girl that songs like Layla, Angie, Roxanne and Lola would have been written for. So, if you want to drink champagne and dance all night - or at least want a little of that feeling, this is exactly what you are looking for.

1970s Cordoba suede ensemble with brass hardware and original bootleg pants. Size 4.

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

The Lover

Marguerite Duras' autoboigraphical novel The Lover is a favorite book of RARE vintage. The 1992 film, L'Amant, is also a favorite film of RARE vintage.

When we found this late 1970s silk chiffon intricately embroidered runway sample top by Chanel haute couture we thought about a young French girl on the Mekong River wearing an old thin silk dress and a man's fedora. She may not have been wearing a Chanel runway sample but we like to imagine this top as part of a memory, a clandestine romance of passion and of desire.

The intricately beaded top on a fine thin chiffon is wonderfully intact - it is fragile but in pristine condition. The closer you look at the fine handwork, the more you see: delicate butterflys and tiny beads of the palest pink worked into the embroidery. The collar and cuffs are densely embroidered.

Late 1970s unlabeled Chanel haute couture finely beaded top. Size 4.

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