1970s Halston: Sweet and Glamorous!

This is an amazing gown from Halston!  It is sweet and glamorous at the same time.  It has a definite feel of old Hollywood glamour.  There is a slight train that flutters and trails behind in a very languid way.  The dress is in dotted Swiss cotton and has a black organza lining. 

Halston was very much about easy elegance.   You just need a shower, pull your hair in a pony tail, some red lips, lots of mascara, just wrap on the dress and you are more then good to go in five minutes!  Just think how your boyfriend or husband will say, "Thank you Halston!" It might even take him longer to get ready!  

 Demure.

 Sexy.

 Classic.

 Beautiful!

1970s Halston black dotted Swiss cotton wrap dress with an elastic waist.  

Comes with its original sash.   Size 4/6

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Follow the Leader: Pierre Cardin!

Pierre Cardin was known for his very, well, let's say thorough fashion shows.  They were very long.  In fact, they were so long one journalist said after a show, "I loved the first three hundred!".  At RARE we like to edit from that three hundred, not every design is brilliant and not every look is necessarily a good one.  Particularly with suits. 

I love suits but I don't love them all equally.  I don't love every Pierre Cardin suit but, of course,  for our clients, I have found some amazing and iconic Pierre Cardin pieces.  I love this late 1970s suit.  It is all in the details.  Futuristic scalloping with circular leather detail.  The jacket is cut close to the body and the skirt has a small seamed pleat that lines up with the jacket. There is a small slit in the skirt in the front.   It is sophisticated but young at the same time. 

Late 1970s black crepe Pierre Cardin suit with  leather detail.  Size 4/6.
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Purses with Pursenalities: Barry Kieselstein-Cord

Barry Kieselstein-Cord's whimsical bags are in the collections of the Louvre and the Metropolitan Museum of Art and have been worn by Madonna and Oprah.  Today he is being honored by the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club for their 5th Annual Purses and Personalities Luncheon sponsored by 1stdibs.  So today, I will be a lady who lunches and the pressure is on to wear a bag with 'personality' - though truthfully, I am really only drawn to whimsical bags so this is not so much a challenge for me.  Just have to decide which one...

But if you are looking for a little beauty with personality and a whimsical one at that, this cerise silk  with a matte gold tortoise shell and frog is just the piece!  Pristine condition!

 

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The Mirror of the Soul: Emi's Comma by Tina Chow

Malachite reflects the feelings of its owner, negative or positive it reaches within and shows us as we are.  Feeling negative?  Don't wear malachite!  Feeling positive  and wanting to release yourself from past traumas?  Wear malachite.  And even if you do not believe in the healing properties of crystals, its essence is there and who knows what good things it can zap you or those around you with!  Tina Chow who designed this malachite pendant, Emi's Comma,  wanted her pieces to "zap people" with good energy.   I love the idea of the grumpy amongst us being subliminally zapped with positive thoughts.  

I also love the divine simplicity of this pendant.  All sensuous shape and organic beauty, it celebrates the pattern of the stone.  It is high design, fashion mingling with meaning and promotes inner peace and hope.  How many pieces of jewelry can that be said of?   How we miss Tina Chow and wonder what she would have gone on to create!

 Tina Chow malachite Emi's Comma Pendant.

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Une Passion Marocaine: The Caftan

"Une Passion Marocaine" was the name of a show at the Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent in 2008 that celebrated the history of the caftan. 

The exotic home of Saint Laurent and Bergé in Morocco was a source of inspiration for his fashion and a place of peace for Yves Saint Laurent.  And it is an endless source of inspiration for fashion designers ever since.  Everyone wants to capture a bit of that Yves or Talitha in Marrakesch or Lee Radziwill in her exotic Mongiardino apartment.

In the tradition of the luxe bohemian look is this apricot colored Oscar de la Renta caftan.

(sorry this first photo is a little blurry and the color is stronger then the true apricot color)

 late 1970s Oscar de la Renta apricot colored caftan.  Size 6.

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Discovering the Cosmos: Pierre Cardin

In his quest for the future, Pierre Cardin has become an iconic part of our fashion history.  We have a wonderful group of late 1980s/early 1990s Cardin pieces that we will be adding to the rarevintage blog this week.  The collection has been very carefully chosen for its iconic Cardin architectural heritage.  There is futurist tailoring, tunics and circular cut-outs.

 

Our first piece is an incredible and modern cape/top with a subtle futuristic detail in the front.  It is elegant, young and cool.  Perfect with a pair of jeans or those wonderful Celine minimalist pants  (LOVE them!) and a great boot (and isn't that what we all love to live in?!)

 

 

 

 

Circa 1990 navy Pierre Cardin cape/top will fit a variety of sizes due to the cut.

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Baby Blue: GIANNI VERSACE

A beautiful shade of pale blue was one of Gianni Versace's favorite colors.  He was a great colorist and, a little like Halston, some of the histrionics around Versace have to a certain degree eclipsed the talent and artistry of the designer.  He had his oeuvre which is something many, many designers never achieve.  They may have a moment but do they have a vision?  Do they having staying power?  Do they have more then one or two collections in them?  Gianni Versace showed a metal mesh dress in every collection after 1982. 

So what did Gianni do with a somewhat aggressive material like metal mesh Oroton?  He made it in an Easter egg shade of baby blue and overlaid it with a fine delicate lace.  

 Early 1990s Gianni Versace pale blue with lace overlay metal mesh Oroton Dress. Size 4/6

 Price available upon request.

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Heavy Metal: GIANNI VERSACE

We're not talkin' about AC/DC, Twisted Sister or Metallica.  We're talkin' about a gloriously heavy but looks as light as a feather gold tone metal mesh Gianni Versace shirt style wrap dress.  "Yo, Mr. Versace, Dude!  This dress is AWESOME!" is what our erudite head banger friends would say about it.

I was torn between a reference to heavy metal and Rod Stewart's lycra clad derriere in his "if you want my body, if you think I'm sexy" days for the title of this post because this is a dress for a woman certain of her sexuality.  Certain of ability to beguile.  Certain of wanting to wear the best dress that no one else will have. 

There are only three certainties in life: death, taxes and that Gianni Versace knew how to make a woman look and feel more then fabulous.  He made her feel and look like a Goddess. 

Here is a group of similarly gold metal mesh clad Supermodels:

The dresses are going fast so don't miss out!

Circa 1990 Gianni Versace metal mesh gold tone Oroton dress.  Size 4/6. 

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Limelight!

There are moments when the LBD does not cut it.  There are moments when you don't want to blend in, you want to standout.  There are moments when you want to rebel against the classic and the proper.  There are moments when instead of a string of pearls you want to adorn yourself with a string of buttons featuring the snake-entwined head of Medusa.  There are moments when only the most glamorous, the most sexy, the most amazing lime colored dress is just what you are looking for.  There are also moments when buying vintage you want not only a great wearable piece but also an important collector's piece.  This is that moment...

Lime green Gianni Versace metal mesh dress with interior bodysuit and iconic Medusa head buttons.
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It all started one day in 1982...

Gianni Versace created Woman as warrior.  Woman as Goddess.  Woman as Siren.  He dressed her in a cloth of gold spun as if by magic from a liquid metal.  

1982 Gianni Versace metal mesh 'Oroton' dress from the first collection using the patented material Oroton.

 

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An Important Collection of Gianni Versace Metal Mesh Oroton Pieces

I am very focused on the unique and the special with the pieces I buy for RARE vintage.  I rarely buy from auction for the store because I prefer to find the things that people can not find themselves and I like the history of each piece.  I also like to have pieces that are hard to find and rarely available.

Every designer has something they do uniquely and spectacularly well.  Well, this is not exactly true as there are very few designers who actually have a unique vision.  We all know the greats: Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Madeleine Vionnet, Madame Gres, John Galliano, Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen - there are others but the number of designers who will change our vision of how we dress, what we buy, what we covet and leave a mark on the history of fashion is limited to a very small elite group. 

Gianni Versace is one of the elite few.  He made bad taste, good taste.  He celebrated rock and roll, flashiness and the nouveaux riches.  He was also a giant of creative talent and the world is a sadder place without him.  

Versace showed his first patented material 'Oroton' metal mesh dress in 1982 and every season after that. He wanted a material that would be like the armor of a medieval warrior but to drape as a fluidly and softly as a Madame Gres gown. 

I will be adding detailed photos and descriptions of the dresses over the next few days.  In addition to the metal mesh dresses we have a collection of chiffon gowns and accessories.  Please feel free to email or call the store with any questions.

 

 

  

 

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Coming Tomorrow: Versace!

Stay tuned!

Breaking Fashion News: A Bunch of Crock!

Crockery couture?  Uh, call me crazy, maybe a tad uncomfortable..?  Conceptual versus comfort...  The Li Xiaofeng Collection:

 

I always coveted a Julian Schnabel broken-plate painting since I first saw one when I was at Bard College.  The 'physical rambunctiousness' (Roberta Smith of The New York Times) of Julian Schnabel's broken-plate paintings is what Bard was like in those days.   Though I never thought about wearing 'my physical rambunctiousness'...though is this any less comfortable then a Hussein Chalayan convertible dress/coffee table?  Hmmm...  

Valentino Forever!

A red Valentino gown is for forever.  Timeless, classic, beautiful, glamorous and elegant.  (Did I leave anything out?!)  Our Valentino is red chiffon with a draped waist with flowing panels in the front.

 

"I'm not trendy.  You have to put these two things in two different boxes.  Trendy is for extremely young people and also for people who are maybe a little bit fashion victim.  Then there is what I do.  What I try to do is young collection-glamorous, sexy, extremely feminine- but not clothes that only last for a short, short season." Valentino

 Valentino chiffon gown.  Size 6.

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It's a new dawn, its a new day, its a new life for me

Birds flyin' high you know how I feel
Sun in the sky you know how I feel
Breeze driftin' on by you know how I feel
Its a new dawn, its a new day, its a new life for me
and I'm feeling good
-Nina Simone 

That is how I feel about the pieces I buy for  RARE.  They were loved by someone and when they come to RARE, its a new day, they are off to a new life and that makes me feel good.  

Hermes also makes me feel good.  Here are three spectacular and whimsical gloves in leather that  is "like buttah".

Hermes Kelly gloves.  Ahhh, so adorable!

Hermes fringe gloves.  Ride 'em cowgirl!

Hermes chain detail gloves.  Just need an Hermes whip!

 

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