Sunday, February 27, 2011

The Hot Young Director: Victoria Mahoney

Tonight I hope you will be watching the 2011 Academy Awards in your pajamas like me.  There is nothing better then watching the spectacle of everyone bedecked, bejeweled and slightly bewildered by the questions of Ryan Seacrest then in your pajamas with a very luxe buffet and champagne.

RARE vintage has been thrilled to have dressed tonight's host Anne Hathaway numerous times and other beautiful and stylish actresses for award shows but this was our first time dressing a hot and upcoming young director, Victoria Mahoney for the Berlin Film Festival.  And when we say hot we mean hot!  Just take a look at the photos.  

Victoria wrote, directed and produced 'Yelling to the Sky' which is her debut feature film.  She was selected by Filmmaker Magazine for its 2010 '25 New Faces of Independent Film' and by Elle Magazine in its annual Women in Hollywood Power List Issue (which I and RARE vintage were listed in too!)

'Yelling to the Sky' stars Zoe Kravitz (whom is lovely and has also worn pieces by RARE vintage - it is a small world!), Jason Clarke (Public Enemies), Antonique Smith (Notorious), Tim Blake Nelson (Syriana) and Gabourey Sidibe (Precious).

So let's give a special shout out to Victoria and look forward to seeing her at next year's Academy Awards!

Victoria Mahoney in a 1980s Gianni Versace leather and lace Gianni Versace couture dress she found at RARE vintage:

Gabourey Sidibe, Victoria Mahoney, Zoe Kravitz and Yolanda Ross

Victoria and Zoe Kravitz at the premiere in Berlin:

Weekend Reading 3: Loulou de la Falaise, Yves Saint Laurent and a little Opium

Weekend reading for you from RARE vintage.  Read on...  (click on the images to enlarge)


Harper's Bazaar UK March 2011

Jerry Hall in the 1978 Opium ad campaign.  The clothes look so familiar don't they?!


Night of a thousand red lanterns:


Marina Schiano, Loulou de la Falaise and Yves Saint Laurent:


Loulou de la Falaise in the black velvet dress embroidered with a red poppy that Yves Saint Laurent made for Loulou.  It was short in the front, with a train in the back and lined in gold fabric:


Two greats: Yves Saint Laurent and Diana Vreeland:


Yves Saint Laurent and models:



Gossip Folks: John Galliano and Christian Dior

John Galliano's alleged anti-Semitic comments during an argument at a Cafe in the Marais became a world wide Twitter phenomenon.  And before you could say "jump to a conclusion", Sidney Toledano, the chief executive of Christian Dior, suspended the designer from Dior.  Now, Galliano has filed a defamation suit against the couple who claim he insulted them and according to an article on The Huffington Post, it seems  there were witnesses who never heard the anti-Semitic remarks at all.  I tend to believe that John Galliano is no Mel Gibson (he may have said something about the woman having "low end boots" but the man makes haute couture so his standards may be a tad high).

I thought we would ignore all of the gossip and post a great early John Galliano for Christian Dior dress.  It is what Galliano does best as a provocateur and conjurer of dreams.  He can steal a moment from time and create a flight of fancy that will have us visiting the Russian circus, a René Gruau illustration, the costumes of Theda Bara to a wicked tango.  And he does it all in a dress.

UPDATED: The gossip turns out to be true.  It is a tragic ending to a brilliant career.





No gossip here folks.  Just a little Gossip Folks from Missy Elliot:



PURCHASE





Wednesday, February 23, 2011

1968 Valentino Haute Couture

Here is an image of our incredible coat from 1968:


V is for enVy

I know one should never be envious but when it is 22 degrees and the snow has hardened into a dull, grey, frozen mass, I feel envious of anyone who is here:

Six Senses Resort and Spa in the Maldives

When I am at RARE vintage and the store is being changed over from winter to spring and there are clothes and accessories everywhere (and I mean everywhere!)  and I have a stack of clothes that need to go to the dry cleaners AND it is 'awards season' so the phone is ringing constantly, my blackberry is  buzzing constantly and I am beginning to wonder just how many people have been invited to the Vanity Fair Oscar party anyway??  I am envious of anyone who is here:

Six Senses - oh yes!  already mentioned that didn't I?!

So, I confess to some feelings of enviousness for the girl who gets this nothing short of extraordinary Fall/Winter 1968 Valentino haute couture black coat covered with stitched V's.  I have a weakness for 1960s Valentino.  Okay, I have a weakness too for Valentino of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s...  I loved RARE vintage's Valentino haute couture moment at the 2008 Academy Awards:

Can anyone say Goddess??!! 
Calista Flockhart in 1970s Valentino haute couture at the 2008 Academy Awards.  
And her date was Harrison Ford...  

The Harrison Ford.  Working Girl, Indiana Jones, Witness, the Fugitive, American Graffiti...

Harrison Ford in Roman Polanaski's Frantic.  Just a naked man and his teddy bear.  
Makes a girl want to snuggle doesn't it?! 

Anyhoo!  How did we go from a rare Valentino haute couture coat to a nearly naked, teddy bear clad Harrison Ford?  How one's mind does wander!  You can put a girl in a Valentino haute couture coat but you can't take her mind off the man.  And by 'the man' I mean, the man, Valentino.  Mr. Valentino.  Mr. Valentino Garavani of Rome, New York, Gstaad, the Chateau de Wideville, Capri and the yacht, T.M. Blue One.  What was I saying about envy?

Mrs. John F Kennedy was an important client of Valentino's in the 1960s and she had a decided preference for his coats.  Valentino's coats were all about: the cut, proportion, shape and quality.  And this coat has all of that plus it is covered in his signature V's.  The coat has the pristine and sharp cut of the 1960s, fitted with high, narrow arm holes.  Simple.  Amazing.  Simply amazing.




The signature Valentino V's of the 1960s:


Collectible.  Wearable.  A dream come true.  1968 Fall/Winter Valentino haute couture black wool coat.

PURCHASE

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Weekend Reading 2: Harper's Bazaar 100 Years of the American Female

Today's weekend reading is Mademoiselle Chanel by Jean Cocteau from Harper's Bazaar 100 Years of the American Woman, 1967.  

In October 1963 Edith Piaf died and Cocteau, who was great friends with Piaf said, "the boat is going down".  Seven hours later Cocteau died.

Cocteau and Coco Chanel were friends and creative collaborators.  She supported "the secret splendor" of Cocteau (and others) and he drew illustrations of her fashion designs for magazines.  Here he writes about, "the head of a little black swan".

Weekend reading for you from RARE vintage.  Read on...

Harper Bazaar's 100 Years of the American Woman 1967

Harper Bazaar's 100 Years of the American Woman 1967.  Drawing by Cocteau.

Coco Chanel in the arms of Boy Capel.  The artist SEM portrayed Boy as a centaur.  Coco has one of her hat boxes swinging from her arm. 



Chanel and her friend, Vera Bate, in the Duke of Westminster's clothing.  Right down to his shoes.  Which he had his valet iron the shoelaces of.  I ask you, what else would one need a valet for but to iron one's shoelaces?  

The Countess Etienne de Beaumont, Chanel and Misia Sert on the Lido wearing her beach pajamas in 1923.  The women in shorts are Countess Moretti and Mme. Chiesa, the leading hostesses of Venice's beaux soirs. 



Chanel's "white lady" - a drawing of a white satin gown from Vogue in 1931.


A Jean Cocteau drawing of Chanel.  1932

Last images are from Chanel and Her World by Edmonde Charles-Roux

Saturday, February 19, 2011

M is for Missoni and Mmmmm...

It has been unseasonally beautiful and springlike here in New York and at sunset last night the sky was the exact shade of this late 1970s Missoni caftan: a shimmering shade of palest pink, sky blue and fluffy cloud. 



The Missonis are masters of knitware and think of themselves more as craftsman then fashion designers.  Ottavio painted watercolors that inspired the collections and Rosita designed the intricate knits.  This caftan which is really a rectangular shaped knit one fourth of which has been folded over and sewn which creates a sleeve - brilliantly simple!  is threaded with lurex which creates a gentle shimmer. Beautiful and bohemian and luxurious for day or night.




M is not just for Missoni but for Mmmm too.  Rosiata Missoni is also famously a well known cook. There is no depressing talk of diets or carbs just making good food, drinking good wine and enjoying life.  So here is Rosita's recipe for  Missoni style braised veal shank.  I am going to try making it this weekend and will let you know how it turns out.  And I will be wearing a similar caftan that I kept for myself After all, one must wear Missoni making a Missoni recipe!



Stinco di vitello alla Missoni (Braised veal shank Missoni-style) 
2 shins of veal, each 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 pounds, 
prepared as described in Step No. 1 
Salt  and Freshly ground black pepper 
Sprinkling of fresh or dried rosemary 
1/2cup olive oil 
 1 cup dry white wine as needed
Hot water, as needed.
1.  The shin, or shank, of veal is the piece used for osso buco, but for that dish it is sliced all the way through. In the original stinco, or braised shin, it is cooked whole and, after being braised, it is sliced with the grain of the meat. This is a combination of the two methods. Have the butcher saw through the bone, cutting slices about one-and-one-half-inches thick. There should be four or five pieces to each shin. But the meat should not be cut all the way through the bottom. Have the butcher tie the shin together snugly so slices are close together and the marrow will not slip out. 
2.   Let the meat warm to room temperature before beginning to cook. Rub all sides with salt and pepper. If you use fresh rosemary, tuck five or six small sprigs under the string at various intervals. If using dried rosemary, sprinkle a little on the surface of the meat. 
3.   Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 

4.   Pour olive oil into a heavy casserole into which the two shanks will fit closely but not too tightly. Enameled cast iron, copper or flameproof earthenware can be used. There should be a film of oil covering the bottom of the casserole. 
5.   Heat on the range. When the oil is hot and begins to shimmer, add one shank and brown on all sides, using the cord to turn the meat. Do not poke holes into it with a fork. When golden brown on all sides, remove and reserve. Brown the second piece of veal. 

6.   Place both pieces of browned veal in the casserole with the wide end of one next to the thin end of the other, as when packing shoes (love that!  Cooking as seen through fashion!). Pour in white wine and let boil until half evaporated. Pan juices should be thick and shiny. 
7.   Cover and place in preheated oven for about two hours, or until meat is thoroughly tender and loosens from the center bone. Do not overcook until bone slips out or meat is too crumbly to cut into slices. Every 25 minutes, turn meat and, if pan juices are evaporating too rapidly, add a little hot water - just enough to make a sort of thick, soupy liquid at the bottom of the casserole. 
8 .  Let veal stand for 15 minutes in the casserole in a warm place, out of the oven, before carving. 
9.   To serve, remove strings and cut through the bottom of each slice. If gravy is too thin, reduce it over a high flame. If there is not enough of it, add a little hot water and let simmer for a minute or two, stirring in coagulated pan juices. There should be just a little golden-brown, almost clear, gravy to spoon over each slice of meat. Marrow spoons are not needed as any sharp pointed knife will extract the marrow from the bones. 
Yield: Six to eight servings. 


Update:  The Stinco Missoni style was delicious!  And not difficult to make.  Though the veal was a tad expensive. Rosita Missoni must have a professional butcher grade meat saw at home to slice through the bone before serving so I would recommend buying regular Osso Buco and then tie them together very well and do it that way.  Makes life a lot easier and everyone can get some of the yummy marrow.  

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

She's Like a Parfum...

I have been thinking a lot about inspiration this week at RARE vintage.  Our clients often have their own personal inspiration boards.  Only it is not an actual board but a state of being or a thought or an idea.  And this idea will make them want to track down a Balenciaga from the 1960s, a Saint Laurent from the 1970s, an Alaia from the 1980s or a Stephen Sprouse from the 1990s.   And when we vintage people are on the scent, we don't let go!  We are relentless!  It takes one to know one.  And I am one.

Designers too always have an inspiration board.  This week American Designers have been inspired by the dusty prairie's of North Dakota (Corn Cob Palace anyone?  Or is that in South Dakota??) (Rodarte), the American West (Proenza Schouler), a Robert Polidori book on the restoration of the Palace of Versailles (Jason Wu) and the faded Mrs. Haversham who hermited herself away in her decaying mansion in Great Expectations (Prabal Gurung).  

But the inspiration that I think is most like mine, which is most close to my philosophy for RARE vintage is what John Galliano said in the Spring Fashion 2011 issue of New York Magazine:  

NYMagazine: So who is the muse this time?
John Galliano: She is always elusive.  I'm always chasing her.  She's an essence, a spirit.  Like a parfum.

The RARE vintage muse is also like a parfum.

Who is the woman who inspired this 1980s Valentino haute couture cocktail dress?  





Maybe it was not a woman but a place.  Maybe in the way Degas, Monet, Van Gogh and Bonnard were inspired by Japonisme,

William Merrit Chase.  Peonies.  1897

Valentino was inspired to create this exotic scene from the "floating world".  The "floating world" or Ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese woodblock prints and paintings from the 17th to the 20th centuries that were inspired by the landscape, historic tales and beautiful courtesans.


Ando Hiroshige (one of the most famous Ukiyo-e artists)

The bodice of this leopard printed silk gazar cocktail dress is surely inspired by a painting of Japanese cherry blossoms and a temple at the foot of perhaps the Kamiji mountains.  

Valentino has said,  "Art is an inexhaustible source of wealth and joy."

Or maybe Valentino was inspired by the art of handcraft.  He has also said that to do embroidery like this now, "you would have to sell an Italian bank."



It is really something fantastic.  It is like a painting in silk, thread and sequins.  A work of art done by a master embroiderer of haute couture.  Now the question is do you wear it or gaze at it?  Perhaps both?  Green tea anyone?  Or perhaps a snow cold sake?  Decisions, decisions...

1980s Valentino haute couture finely embroidered cocktail dress.  Size 6/8.


PURCHASE

Monday, February 14, 2011

The Oscar Dress

If I went to the Academy Awards and won an Oscar, I would not yell, You like me, you really like me.  I would not send a Native American in my place to read a speech I wrote, I would not leap over chairs to get to the stage, I would not wear a swan (though I loved the swan on Bjork!) and I would not walk the red carpet after too many cocktails or too much of something else and try and kiss Jennifer Garner.

But what would I do is wear this tangerine Italian haute couture dress from the 1950s.  It is the ultimate red carpet dress!  Iconic, timeless, beautiful, flattering, it is in an amazing shade of tangerine and it is GLAMOROUS!



It even has its original little clutch!


The dress is fitted and has a beautifully draped back




I'd like to thank the Academy... (oh a girl can dream!!)
1950s Italian haute couture gown.. Size 4.
PURCHASE



The Secret Garden: Thea Porter

In the secret garden there is a beautiful girl in a moss colored silk blouse with purple pansies in her hair.



For her garden party, Mother Earth obliges with a perfect evening.  She reads Fireflies in the Garden by Robert Frost.

Here come real stars to fill the upper skies,
And here on earth come emulating flies,
That though they never equal stars in size,
(And they were never really stars at heart)
Achieve at times a very star-like start.
Only, of course, they can't sustain the part.


Dusk settles in the garden and the butterflies that fluttered over her head settle onto her sleeves wanting to stay with the girl forever.  A little Bunny sleeps at her feet.  (really, what is a secret garden without a little downy bunny!)


1970s Thea Porter Silk Wrap Blouse with Butterflies.  Size 4/6.
PURCHASE


Sunday, February 13, 2011

OMG!

Oh My Gosh!  

Usher!  At the Grammys!  OMGosh!  Love this song!

Motown! Bruno Mars!

So Coooool............

Bruno Mars in Black and White at the 2011 Grammys.....  Motown...


Grenade:








Smokin'!

Lady Gaga.  Hussein Chalayan.  Love.  Fashion.  Art.







Lady Gaga arriving at the Grammy's:


Lady Gaga in a vintage Norma Kamali swimsuit she purchased at RARE vintage:



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