Rare Vintage

5 Years 5 Gifts Vintage Contest

2012-02-02T12:22:00.000-05:00

Contest update! So sorry! I know we are a few days behind. Here are the gifts for days 2 and 3. Both YSL. Both wonderful!

Day 2: A black silk sequin tuxedo scarf from Yves Saint Laurent. Circa 1980s. Day 3: A black sequin Yves Saint Laurent clutch with a black velvet bow.

If you have not yet seen the contest rules, see here. Please note that the bag and the scarf although pictured together are two separate gifts.

Thank you for all of the wonderful stories and photos so far! I am completely charmed and totally in love with all of them!

love,

Juliana and RARE vintage

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What to Wear for Super Bowl Sunday

2012-02-02T07:01:00.001-05:00

The Giants’ defense has improved since the last matchup. They’ve gone to a big nickel base, meaning safety Antrel Rolle starts at outside linebacker and the backup safety Deon Grant starts in place of Rolle in the defensive backfield. Don’t be surprised if these two cover the tight ends.

WTF?? I have no idea. I didn't even write that - some Dude from the NYT did. Big nickel base? Antrel Rolle? Is that a name or is it a play?? But as a New Yorker I am actually kind of excited about the Super Bowl. I may even go to a Super Bowl party, drink beer and eat chicken wings. So naturally that got me thinking what to wear if I do go to a Super Bowl party? I was pondering this

champagne colored silk gown from Bill Blass. It has blonde sable cuffs. Drapes sensuously to the body. What do you think? Would I be a tad over dressed? Should one drink beer in something like this? I feel like some dazzling mad cap girl like Carole Lombard would wear this to a Super Bowl party and then go duck hunting the next day in red thermals with hubby Clark Gable.

Can't wait see Madonna's halftime show and the ads! Still trying to decide what to wear. Oh yes. And the game... Go Giants!

This is a part of our 1970s Bill Blass collection from a single owner. These pieces are so beautiful and so beautifully made. Not your usual vintage store Blass (of course ; ) Size 4/6.

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Who What Wear Wednesday!

2012-02-01T15:38:00.000-05:00

Who, What, Wear Wednesday is here!

Stylish inspiration from stylish girls for our RARE vintage blog readers.

The ideal bag. In red. By Chanel. Forever and ever. For every day. The perfect pop of color. Are you as obsessed as I am?

Monsieur Givenchy and Miss Hepburn

2012-02-01T15:25:00.000-05:00

Daisy and Elsa. Mona and Cristobal. C.Z. and Main. Nan and Yves. Famous client/designer couples. The designer met their match in those women who made their clothes look even better. Did I forget any famous designer/client couples? Millicent and Charles?

And then there was Hubert de Givenchy and Audrey Hepburn. Sabrina, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Charade, Love in the Afternoon, Funny Face, Paris When It Sizzles, How To Steal A Million, and Love Among Thieves. All the films Givenchy dressed Audrey Hepburn for.

Givenchy and Audrey Hepburn at a fitting.

I adore Monsieur Givenchy. I especially adore the early pieces so I was thrilled to find this fitted black velvet coat from the 1960s with high armholes, narrow sleeves and beaded buttons.

Can't you just see Audrey Hepburn in it? Perhaps with this hat?

I love the beaded dome shaped buttons.

1960s Givenchy Couture fitted black velvet jacket. Size 4.

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YSL's Rorschach Test

2012-01-31T07:03:00.001-05:00

What do you see?

I see another great silk dress by Yves Saint Laurent rive gauche.

Ruched and gathered at the waist for definition. Plunging neckline.

YSL silk dress in a 'Rorschach' Print. Size 6.
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5 Years 5 Gifts Vintage Contest

2012-01-30T17:07:00.002-05:00

I want to share the love this week. One of my favorite things about having vintage store are the stories that people share with me. They are stories from the closet and from the heart.

So I thought the perfect way to celebrate 5 years of RARE vintage would be to have a 5 Years 5 Gifts contest and for the next five days we will post a vintage gift a day. To enter send a photo of you in a favorite vintage piece or just a photo of your favorite piece and a little note why you love it, why you would never part with it, maybe why it would never part with you (I wrote awhile back about my nerd glasses from the 1980s. I can't lose them. No matter how hard I try and trust me I try!) You can share something your grandmother gave you, something you found in a thrift store for a steal, something you bought in Paris, (nothing from RARE vintage - no unfair advantages ; ) You can share a photo of something you covet but have not yet found... anyway I think you get the idea. On Saturday I will choose my top five favorite vintage stories and photos.

Please note that some of the photos and stories may be shared on our RARE vintage blog and/or on Facebook. Email your stories to win@rarevintage.com

Have fun! I look forward to seeing your photos and reading your stories! Share the love!

Contest info is below the photo.

Gift 1: Circa 1980s Hermes fringed black lambskin gloves.

Submissions must be sent to win@rarevintage.com

Please put "5 Years 5 Gifts Contest" in the subject line.

The top 5 submissions may be posted on the blog and or on our Facebook page

The contest is open from now until midnight Friday February the 3rd

Gift prizes are in no particular order and will be chosen randomly for the five winners.

Please include your full name and address so we can send the gift.

Love,

Juliana and RARE vintage

RARE vintage Turns 5 Years Old!!

2012-01-30T12:07:00.000-05:00

I can't believe that it has been five years since RARE vintage first opened its doors at 24 West 57th Street in the New York Gallery Building stocked with vintage pieces from Alaia, Balmain, Chanel, Dior, Geoffrey Beene, Halston, Issey Miyake, Gres, Karl Lagerfeld (for Chloe and for Chanel), Missoni and so on and so on to Yves Saint Laurent and Zandra Rhodes! Vintage from A to Z.

New York is a fashion capital and I wanted to open an extraordinary shop dedicated to the best in vintage fashion. Haute Couture and ready to wear as well as the occasional anonymous fun vintage piece.

It is amazing to realize that my little store in just five years has been featured in Harper's Bazaar, Vogue.com, Elle, Avenue, WWD, the Wall Street Journal, In Style, People and many more publications. It is also amazing to realize that we have dressed some of the most brilliant, talented and beautiful actresses and musicians: Angelina Jolie, Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon, Anne Hathaway, Rachel Weisz, Lady Gaga...

It has been a labor of love and I have loved almost every day of it. I have found some incredible beauties for the store and I have met some really wonderful and amazing people. Thank you everyone for five amazing years! And counting...

Kisses in Green Silk

2012-01-30T11:27:00.000-05:00

For being so well known for his pant suits, Saint Laurent did an amazing dress: he wrapped them , ruffled them, did them in chiffon, lace, velvet and silk, some were transparent, some were feathered, some were printed with hearts, some with bunnies, some with kisses, some were flocked with flowers.

Saint Laurent had a thing for the Forties Film Noir Babe. Dangerous, sexy, beautiful. A woman in a man's world and the man better beware. That kind of woman was the YSL woman.

Photo by Guy Bourdin for Yves Saint Laurent rive gauche

Some things never change. Vintage YSL forever. From our single owner Yves Saint Laurent rive gauche collection for all of you film noir babes...

Kisses in green silk (look closely there are little kisses on the dress). Fitted waist. Gently defined shoulders. Total gorgeousness.

Yves Saint Laurent rive gauche lisses in green silk dress. Size 6

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Bon Mots from New York on the Paris Couture Spring 2012 Shows

2012-01-28T22:57:00.003-05:00

So the couture shows have come and gone. I adored Giambattista Valli: transparent black lace, black alligator peplumed vests and Oscar worthy gowns, there is no doubt who is ordering these fabulously modern clothes (Charlotte Casiraghi of Monaco for one fabulously fine young girl) - I know I placed my order on Valli's first couture collection and I plan on ordering a second dress...

Valentino was wonderfully gorgeous and youthful - so pretty. Who does not want to feel "giddily romantic" as Hamish Bowles said about those light as air, frothy confections? I don't know if you follow Little Augury - but you should- she compared the Valentino collection to William Paxton's painting Tea Leaves. 1,000 hours of handwork went into the elaborately smocked shamrock printed organza dress that opened the show. So beautiful.

I confess to be a little disappointed in Givenchy - the nose ring thing was distracting and unnecessary so too Alexis Mabille with the overblown flowers. I think the clothes are finally starting to become more important then 'the show'.

Isn't it refreshing that the beautiful Celine store which just opened in New York did it without the paid attendance of a celebrity and a DJ - it just opened and it is crowded and busy with girls and women who covet Phoebe Philo's real girl amazing chic.

Great couture does not come just from Paris but from New York too - just take a look at the crazy gorgeous Bill Blass dress we posted this morning. This is truly Bill Blass at his most amazing and most beautiful from the 1970s! And it is from the garde robe of a woman who was given 1st dibs on the best of Blass from his studio post show. Super couture, super amazing and there is more to come from New York! You can follow us on twitter at @RareVintageNYC! for the latest and the greatest. Like more Blass, more vintage YSL and my upcoming trip to Paris - to see a private collection (and not one from the auction house Drouot - which is an amazing resource for vintage couture in Paris).

Bonne Nuit et bon mots!!

Got The Moves Like Bianca Jagger

2012-01-28T09:32:00.002-05:00

This Bill Blass dress has got the moves like Bianca Jagger. Bianca Jagger at Studio 54 hanging out with Liza, Halston, Michael and Andy.

It is my favorite new dress

and I am OBSESSED with the detached hood that is cut on the bias and is just so crazy gorgeous. I would wear it with red lips and lots of mascara kind of like

but if you like you can wear it without the hood.

What do you think? I definitely think Bill Blass has got moves like Bianca Jagger!

1970s crazy beautiful Bill Blass dress with separate hood. Size 4/6.

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Yves Saint Laurent. A Collection.

2012-01-25T12:39:00.001-05:00

RARE vintage feels like the Yves Saint Laurent rive gauche boutique on 21, rue de Tournon. We have so much YSL rive gauche and even YSL hangers that I definitely have the feeling: Honey, we're not in New York anymore but Paris. Paris in the 1970s and the 1980s.

Interior photo of RARE vintage. Oops I mean interior photo of YSL rive gauche 21, rue de Tournon:

Photo of me* at work in front of the Eduardo Arroya portrait of Saint Laurent. Don't you just love my pantsuit:

We literally have about this many belts:

Mr B (as he is affectionately known amongst the employees) and I* at work:

Photos courtesy of Fondation Pierre Bergé Yves saint Laurent

*Okay. Well, none of those photos are of me but you know what I mean...

You can see some of our previously posted YSL collection here and here and here.

This evening gown is a classic from Saint Laurent. In a beautiful shade of teal with a draped neckline and what you can not really see in this photo is that the bodice and sleeves are sheer - which is so wonderful and typical of Saint Laurent. There is a separate belt in the same fabric for the waist. Classic. Timeless. YSL.

more to come!

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Who What Wear Wednesday!

2012-01-25T10:45:00.003-05:00

Who, What, Wear Wednesday is here!

Stylish inspiration from stylish girls for our RARE vintage blog readers.

Last January at the couture shows Victoria Traina wore Nicholas Ghesquiere's for Balenciaga leather and mongolian lamb biker jacket.

Victoria Traina in Balenciaga. Photo by Tommy Ton.

And I was obsessed! I love a truly amazing piece of fashion that makes your imagination soar and your heart palpitate with excitement. So the hunt was on. I immediately start calculating where I might be able to find the object of my obsession. Panic set in. I realized its January and the sales have already been for long enough that everything is thoroughly picked over. Forget the fur and that it is cold and January, gauzy Missoni caftans and Eres swimsuits are in store now.

More panic sets in. Because of the economy most stores ordered very conservatively and this coat definitely looks a tad on the expensive side which means probably no one ordered it. Relax. Relax. Dar! The Balenciaga store in no man's land on West 22nd Street. ALL the way over on West 22nd Street where there is no parking and there is always a cold wind blowing. Why are they there?? Pick up the phone and call. I don't know if you have ever tried calling the Balenciaga store in New York but no one ever answers you have to leave a voice mail. So I wait impatiently for the return call.

The phone rings. My heart sinks. The ship has sailed. Gone baby gone.

A year later and I am still obsessed. But you know I am not one to give up and I am just remembering that Balenciaga has an outlet in Westbury Commons...

My Heart Belongs to Valli

2012-01-24T07:09:00.002-05:00

Because a girl can't wear vintage all of the time...

A little Giambattista Valli Couture for the Spring 2012. A love story about a dress...

All photos from Style.com

Our love story had a very happy ending didn't it?! Of course, the best ending would be finding the dress hanging in our closet don't you think...

Happy Year of the Dragon from RARE vintage!!!

2012-01-23T22:15:00.000-05:00

Happy Year of the Dragon to everyone! 新年快乐

Here is just the thing to ring in the New Year: a Krizia Dragon sweater! The Dragon is the luckiest symbol of the lunar calendar and one lucky girl will get to ring in the New Year in a super fab, super lucky Krizia Dragon sweater!!

1980s Krizia Year of the Dragon Sweater

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Issey Miyake "The Dream"

2012-01-21T09:08:00.002-05:00

Issey Miyake was inspired by Henri Rousseau's The Dream:

to create "Rhythm Pleats".

In 1988 there was an exhibition, ISSEY MIYAKE A-UN, at the Musée des Arts Decoratifs in Paris which focused on Miyake's pursuit of cutting edge technology and traditional Japanese techniques in cloth and clothing.

After this exhibition Miyake experimented with pleating fabric by sandwiching it between two layers of washi paper and heating it. He continued experimenting and improving the pleats. He developed a technique called 'the twist'. Two or three people held the ends of the fabric, it was pulled tight and then twisted and then tied with a string and then heated. In 1993 the line PLEATS PLEASE ISSEY MIYAKE debuted. PLEATS PLEASE was a dream of Miyake to create an industrial product for everyday clothing.

What I think is really fascinating is how much creativity and handcraft went into the creation of an 'industrial product'.

I believe that this really fabulous Issey Miyake pleated coat dates from between 1989 and before the debut of Pleats Please in 1993. It fits like a cardigan with a softly draped shawl collar

but then on the back of this industrially made jacket is the work of a "couturier" (I know it is a title Miyake rebelled against in the 1960s after assisting at Guy Laroche and Givenchy) but it is the detail of slicing open the back and stitching it by hand leaving open space that makes it very couture - not to mention, A Dream.

Issey Miyake's Rhythm Pleats. The Dream.

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All That Glitters is Glamorous Or If I was Going To Studio 54 I would Wear This And Ride a White Horse

2012-01-20T07:05:00.002-05:00

I also wanted to add to the title: and If I Was in a Guy Bourdin Photograph I would Wear This. But that would have made the title kind of long even though if-I-was-in-a-Guy Bourdin-photo, I would definitely wear this.

The 1970s owned glamorous glitter. There were slinky silks by Halston, louche voluminous peasant dresses in vibrant jewel tones by YSL rive gauche, and uber glamorous silk jerseys, dripping with diamantee by Loris Azzaro. I was really thrilled to recently have been offered a small and wonderful collection of Bill Blass from the 1970s. The collection is also very uber glamorous and the pieces are beautifully made. Our client went to Bill Blass's studio after the shows and picked the pieces she liked the best (sounds like fun right?!).

So here is our: All That Glitters is Glamorous Or if I was Going to Studio 54 I Would Wear This and Ride a White Horse and If I Was in a Guy Bourdin Photograph I Would Wear This dress!

1970s berry colored sequin gown with a huge flower by Bill Blass.

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Who What Wear Wednesday!

2012-01-18T07:18:00.001-05:00

Who What Wear Wednesday is here! Stylish Inspiration From Stylish Girls for our RARE vintage blog readers.

I love love love this look.

For one thing a good military parka is hard to resist. A classic striped sweater is chic and effortless. The slightly cropped pant with a flair is a personal favorite of mine (I have two pairs of Celine trousers with the exact same cut). But what I don't have - so sad! are the piece de resistance: the white t-strap sandals. So you see there are no rules like never wear white in the winter. Wear what suits you and makes us all wonder: damn! why didn't I think of that?!

PS: The girl in the photo is the Milanese accessories designer Giorgia Tordini. Photo by Tamu Mcpherson.

If I Was a Boy

2012-01-17T13:44:00.004-05:00

If I was a boy, I would hopefully be as proud of my penis as Daniel Craig (you see we really are heading for: forget the vintage let's blog about Daniel Craig here at RARE vintage. Well. Almost. Not really. Previously posted Chester Weinberg jumpsuit made me forget ALL about what's his face...).

But back to Daniel and his penis - see here. And besides being very tongue-in-cheek (interesting choice of words!) if I was a boy, I would wear Prada come Fall 2012. What a cracking collection! And what inspired casting! Really fanciful and wonderful - and how many times can you say that about men's clothing (yawn). But this is really amazing. For the boys. Get your credit cards ready...

Gary Oldham:

Willem Dafoe:

Adrien Brody:

Eddie Klint:

Jamie Bell:

Gerrett Hedlund:

All images courtesy of Style.com Prada Fall 2012

And if I was dating one of these dandies I would wear a romantic Bill Blass from the 1970s (you know, to get some action!):

1970s Bill Blass tulle and jersey gown. Size 4.

For All of Our "Evil Glamour" Goddesses

2012-01-17T08:48:00.000-05:00

When Marianne Faithful met Anita Pallenberg backstage at a Rolling Stones concert she dubbed Pallenberg's look "evil glamour". I think this 1969 paisley gold lamé sleeveless jumpsuit is capable of evil glamour. The jumpsuit is quite sheer (the evil part) and the long sleeved jacket with a sprinkling of beading is very glamorous. I love a little evil glamour in my evening attire- how about you?

Here it is in 1969 Bazaar:

and here it is at RARE vintage for all of our evil glamour goddesses:

1969 Chester Weinberg gold paisley lamé jumpsuit and matching beaded jacket. Size 4.

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Bond is Back!

2012-01-14T15:00:00.002-05:00

First photos of Daniel Craig in the new James Bond movie, Skyfall, have just been released:

Why so overdressed Mr. Bond? ; )

An Epic Vintage Quest. Part Two

2012-01-14T14:03:00.001-05:00

Whew! I am back from my epic vintage quest*. You won't believe the things I saw, the places I went and the things I had to do. But by sheer grit and determination I found The Dress.

1973 Loris Azzaro crepe jersey dress, slit (very) high on the leg with a heart-shaped strapless décolleté. False sleeves slip on like gloves. Dangling rhinestone fringe.

*yes, you are right - I had it all along. But I am always up for an Epic Vintage Quest! Anytime, anywhere, anyplace!

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An Epic Vintage Quest

2012-01-13T16:52:00.001-05:00

I am loading up the car, getting ready to hop on the next train, packing up my rucksack, hailing the next rickshaw, putting air in my bicycle tires, saddling up the horse, stealing my children's Razor (which makes sparks! Whew Hoo!), booking the next flight, putting on my Manolos (what? You want that I take an Epic Vintage Quest in something like hiking boots?? Please. Be sensible!) and getting ready to set sail on an epic vintage quest to seek out this Loris Azzaro silk jersey dress with detached sleeves dripping with fringed diamantee which I saw in the new little Assouline book, Loris Azzaro - and decided I just have to have that dress for RARE vintage.

Wish me luck. It may be awhile before you hear from me again...

And PS: don't those two ladies look so glamorous?! Love the crocheted beanie with an evening gown - and all those feathers! (and don't you think they are dishing some good dirt?!)

Friday Favorites!

2012-01-13T07:51:00.007-05:00

A good manicure, like a good man, can be hard to find. But I am now involved in a monogamous relationship with one amazing manicurist, Gaby. Gaby was kind enough to let us do a quick, fun little movie on one of her signature manicures - which I call her Over the Moon Manicure - Chanel Vamp nail polish (a vintage classic) with the moon of the nail left exposed (a vintage style manicure in itself). I also did a little interview with Gaby which is below the video. Enjoy!

Nail polish: Chanel Vamp. Manicure by Gaby at the John D'Orazio Salon.

872 Madison Avenue. 212.772.1111

I may stray from time to time but I always return to my BFF: Vamp. The color of dried blood. Originated in 1994 (was it really that long ago??) Discontinued and then thankfully re-released in the 2000s.

About Gaby: Gaby has been working as a manicurist extraordinaire for thirty years on the upper East Side of Manhattan. She has worked with many well known socialites such as Audrey Gruss and Ivana Trump. Celebrities like Raquel Welch, Goldie Hawn and, drum roll please... Barbra Streisand. You remember the co stars of the film, Prince of Tides? Yes, that is right, Barbra's perfectly manicured nails. Done by Gaby. I don't think any more needs to be said but I thought a little interview might be fun.

Juliana Cairone: What is your speciality?
Gaby: Problem nails. My focus is on the health of the nails, followed by a glamorous manicure! I am passionate about my work and love what I do.

JC: What is your number 1 tip for a great manicure?
G: Healthy nails start with the correct filing. That is the main thing. And maintaining a healthy nail.

JC: What would be your number 1 no no?
G: Filing your nails at home. (JC: Gulp. Guilty!)

JC: If you can't make it to the nail salon what do you recommend?
G: Putting a little cuticle cream on while in the shower and pushing back the cuticle with a wet wash cloth. I like Orly cuticle cream.

JC: Your favorite nail color?
G: Naked Nude by Essie, Wicked by Essie and doing a personalized color based on skin tone.

JC: Whose manicure do you most admire?
G: Barbra Streisand. I went to Madame Trussaud's wax museum and they had Barbra Streisand and I was very upset because the nails were not perfect. The lengths were all different, one was jagged. Those were not the nails of Barbara! And I spoke to them and they had me teach the artist how to do the nails right.

Gaby believes that a manicure completes an outfit.

A note from Juliana: A bad manicure drives me bonkers. Because I can do a so so manicure myself I don't want to go out for a so so manicure, I want to go out for a great manicure. Gaby... is simply amazing. Clean beautiful perfect nails. And the pedicure... you will just have to make an appointment and see for yourself...

Gaby. My Friday Favorite!

Loris Azzaro Via Carnaby Street Via Rome

2012-01-11T11:55:00.001-05:00

Designers are sometimes influenced by each other. The writer and director John Houston said that there are no new stories, it is just how you retell them and I think the same could be said of fashion. Now this dress:

The great Marisa Berenson in Loris Azzaro

certainly inspired this dress:

The label reads, Carnaby Street, Roma. Carnaby Street was famous in the 1960s as THE place for hipsters. So some design house in Rome was doing an early 'fast fashion' version of the Azzaro dress and it must have been a store that catered to eager young stylish clients who wanted Azzaro's ultra glamorous, ultra sexy chic with a bit of rock-n-roll Stones/Marianne Faithfull vibe at more affordable prices. Whew! That was a mouthful! What I mean to say is simply that the dress is super cool and affordable - no matter who designed it and where it was from!

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YSL Safari

2012-01-10T13:43:00.001-05:00

Fun Fact: The first safari jacket (saharienne) was not made at first for a collection but for a safari-themed photo spread by Franco Rubartelli for Vogue Paris in 1968.

The iconic photo that started it all:

Photo by Franco Rubartelli for French Vogue

If you look at the photo of Saint Laurent, Betty Catroux and Loulou de la Falasie, you will see that Loulou is wearing a safari jacket similar to the one we have at RARE vintage. A classic closet-must-have for every lover of vintage and Yves Saint Laurent!

Yves Saint Laurent safari jacket. Size 38.

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Real Girl, Real Vintage

2012-01-10T07:35:00.000-05:00

and speaking of vintage YSL...

Giovanna Battaglia in a vintage YSL safari tunic with the ever so dapper George Cortina

Addicted to LOVE

2012-01-09T16:11:00.002-05:00

I LOVE this Saint Laurent dress on Carine Roitfeld (dress from RARE vintage :) AND don't you just love it with the boots - so perfect!

Since I have opened RARE vintage, I have come to realize that there were a lot of women in love with Yves Saint Laurent and how hard it is for them to part with their YSL.

I could feel the love when I went to see a collection of YSL in New York recently. After all, only a woman who really loved Saint Laurent would take an extra bedroom and turn it into a walk in closet for her collection of Yves Saint Laurent. (a woman after my own heart!) And I mean Saint Laurent. Period. Nobody but YSL. I have already posted two gowns from her collection. Here are two more that are hard not to LOVE...

Like the lime and the plum gowns I recently posted, I guess she could not decide which one she loved more - so she bought them both!

1970s Yves Saint Laurent rive gauche crushed velvet wrap gowns available in black and red.

Size 6.

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Sunday Style: PLAY Converse Lo-Top by Comme des Garcons

2012-01-08T13:37:00.001-05:00

Because woman can not live by vintage alone... or in heels 24/7... or in Ugg slippers ; )

It is usually a shoe like this I fall head over heels in love with:

Oscar de la Renta Spring 2012

But today is Sunday. A day for catching up on reading - the pressure is on! February magazines are about to come out and I am still on January. Doing a little hand wash, thinking about the Golden Globes - I can't ignore it any longer: Awards Season is here! So that means thinking about dresses and I always feel like we either have too many evening dresses at RARE vintage - or not enough... And walking my big behind over to Organic Avenue because all of New York seems to be doing a post holiday January cleanse - and my behind does feel rather large...

So since I won't be walking over to Organic Avenue in Oscar's gorgeous-gotta-have-em spectator pumps in pink leather and PVC, I will wear my Comme des Garcons Converse sneakers. Which I love and are a really fun update of a vintage classic! (and just $100!)

If Elizabeth Taylor Can Caftan Her Way through the 70s, Damn It! So Can We!!

2012-01-07T10:00:00.003-05:00

Elizabeth Taylor caftaned her way through the 1970s in a variety of caftans some by Thea Porter. I love a gorgeous flowy caftan-esque dress as much as any Dame. Really if I could caftan my way through every day I would...

Richard Burton when he saw Vicky Tiel (yes that Vicky Tiel) in a transparent, white lace, thigh high mini caftan (how fab sounding is that?!) said, "What do we have here? A nightgown? We must have one for the missus." So Vicky made Elizabeth's first mini white caftan encrusted with pearls.

Now Elizabeth and I are not alone in our love of a good caftan: Talitha Getty, Lee Radziwill, Daphne Guinness, Rachel Zoe and countless other uber stylish women have embraced the comfy cool of caftan chic. As did Yves Saint Laurent.

Aren't these gowns the ultimate in caftan gorgeousness?!

1970s Yves Saint Laurent Caftan Gowns in Lime and Plum

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Friday Favorites!

2012-01-06T13:00:00.000-05:00

You know when you see something and you just immediately fall madly, passionately in love and know that it has to be yours? Please. Were you thinking men??! No, loves, I'm talking about clothes and jewelry! This is a fashion blog after all. 'Madly, passionately in love with Daniel Craig and have to have him' is another blog ; ) I'll be starting that one any day now...

Well, when I saw these Tina Chow rock crystal amfora shaped earrings, I knew they were perfect and that I had to have them. I wear them all of the time and live in fear that my scarf will push one out and I will lose it.

Here are My Friday Favorites! My babies:

Tina Chow rock crystal amfora earrings. Private collection.

Fashion Will You Still Need Me, Will You Still Love Me When I'm 62? Part 3: Myth Busters

2012-01-05T13:24:00.004-05:00

I really love this series on women over the average age of the models you see in the fashion magazines on our RARE vintage blog. Because it gives us hope that: no, you do not have to forsake fashion or that fashion will not forsake you when you are over 30. And that one day when we are a 'woman of a certain age' we can still look at magazines, go into the stores and get as obsessed and as excited as we are now by fashion. You would think by looking at 99% of all magazines that women over 50 should not even get out of bed and bother dressing themselves at all - much less in something fashionable.

So this, the third in our series Fashion Will You Still Need Me, Will You Still Love Me When I'm 62? (Or 72) is:

The Myth Busters edition!

Myth Buster 1: You have to cut your hair. No sane woman over the age of, what 29? should have long hair.

Myth Busted!

Myth 2: A woman of a certain age should not bear her arms.

Myth busted!

You should not wear black.

Myth busted!

Women of a certain age should not wear anything too trendy.

Myth busted!

It is all about being true to your self and what works for you.

Franca Sozzani. Editor in chief Vogue Italia

Baby, It's #%@$ Cold Outside!

2012-01-04T15:27:00.000-05:00

It's not just cold here in New York, it's #%@! cold here in New York! Like it is too cold to shop the sales, to cold to go see a client with a collection of Madame Gres dresses from the 1950s and 1960s - ha! it could never be that cold!! Got Gres at the North Pole? I'm there! Next flight!

But because we can't just stay home and snuggle with someone we love: husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends, dogs, cats - I don't know are cats snuggly? We have to go and face the cold and we want to do it looking fabulous! So today we have our RARE vintage boyfriend to cuddle up to: Jean Paul Gaultier. A Jean Paul Gaultier circa early 1990s sweater with a rolled and padded collar and cuffs and scattered sequin embroidery throughout. Cozy Chic!

1990s Jean Paul Gaultier sequin embroidered sweater. Size 4-6
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Happy New Year from RARE vintage!!!

2012-01-01T11:24:00.000-05:00

My New Year's Resolution is to find these five dresses for myself - oh, ooops! I mean for RARE vintage...

1. Vionnet

1936 Vionnet evening coat

2. Yves Saint Laurent

1988 Yves Saint Laurent 'Dove' dress

3. Schiaparelli

1938 Schiaparelli 'Skeleton' dress

4. Christian Dior

1954 Christian Dior 'Venus' ball gown

5. Charles James

1956 Charles James 'Balloon' Gown

a vintage store owner can dream : )

Sweet dreams to everyone in 2012!!

RARE Vintage Looks Back at 2011 in Fashion

2011-12-31T16:09:00.001-05:00

1. Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Congratulations to Andrew Bolton for such a beautiful, poetic and crazy sad but crazy gorgeous tribute to a true artistic visionary, Alexander McQueen. It was like a walk through the visual landscape of McQueen's mind: sometimes eerie, sometimes morbid, sometimes strange but always beautiful.

2. John Galliano. So many names have been mentioned as possible successors to John Galliano's position at Dior after he was fired for making drunken anti-Semitic remarks at a cafe in Paris but I don't think anyone can really replace him. There are few designer's today with his colossal talent and imagination. Maybe I am a hopeless romantic but I am hoping that he has faced his demons - which may be partly blamed on the hungry beast that fashion has become: endless collections, bigger shows, accessories, accessories, accessories and that he will return to fashion design.

3. The Rise of Street-Style Photography. Just ask my husband, I love and buy as many fashion magazines as possible. But I am always a bit frustrated by a magazine's commitment to its advertisers. Sometimes the editorials look just like the ad campaigns. In real life, no one (or no one should) dress head to toe in one designer or one season. And that is the reason we have all gone loco for street-style photography and personal style blogs: fashion inspiration. How real people, wearing clothes they actually paid for, mixing designers, mixing seasons and wearing vintage really dress.

4. Kate Middleton's wedding dress. And it did not disappoint! We had a funeral and then a wedding and the house of Alexander McQueen will go forward with the brilliant and loyal Sarah Burton quietly and beautifully taking the brand forward. What a debut for Sarah Burton as Kate Middleton became the new Duchess of Cambridge with the world watching. She married her prince in a true fairy tale Alexander McQueen gown.

5. The Hat. And its return. And here I think thanks go to the 29 year old Duchess of Cambridge for looking so pretty in all of her various fascinators. Also to so many of the great hats worn at the Royal Wedding including the much mocked Princess Beatrice's Phillip Treacy Bow hat that went on to sale for over $130,000 for charity!

6. Best Dressed of the Year: Giovanna Battaglia of course! And you don't have to just take my word for it, ask Cathy Horyn!

7. Designer of the Year: Coco Chanel - because at least 7 books have been published in the past 18 months on the woman who grew up in poverty, in an orphanage and went on to make a name for herself and to create an empire.

8. Book of the Year (or not). 100 Dresses. Three books came out on 100 iconic dresses - well, one was actually published in 2010. Maybe someone should do 101 iconic dresses...

9. Mayhem of the Year: Missoni mayhem at Target!

10. Most likely to become future vintage: Anything Alaia. Phoebe Philo for Celine, Rodarte's wheat and prairie collection, Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton S & M collection - especially the accessories, Prada's whimsical bananas collection. And what vintage Prada do you have lurking in your closet for the 2012 Met Gala: Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations???

Loving This!

2011-12-31T08:40:00.000-05:00

Nowness posted an animated video of Kate Moss from the set of the fall 2011 Balmain ad campaign. The photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin secretly installed four surveillance-style cameras to capture Moss's performance on set and then layered over the video, animation by the artist Jo Ratcliffe. The result is "half horror film, half Disney".

I love it. Enjoy!

Spying On Kate Moss on Nowness.com.

Friday Favorites!

2011-12-30T15:56:00.003-05:00

For the girl who has everything (not me) or almost everything (still not me) or just wants a little something (me) a glossy black Chanel eye lash curler. Why? Why you might ask would anyone need a Chanel eye lash curler?? I dunno really - I have a perfectly wonderful Shu Umeura eye lash curler which is perfectly amazing but one day when I was in the Chanel store on 57th Street and I saw this crazy little 'precision eyelash curler', I could not resist. It is purely totally ridiculous - as all frivolous things in our lives should be. My Friday Favorite!!

For more Friday Favorites, stay tuned until, well, next Friday!

Chanel eye lash curler available at Chanel.

Cathy Horyn Recounts the Year in Fashion and RARE vintage is Number 4!!

2011-12-30T08:45:00.001-05:00

Well, actually it is the super lovely Giovanna Battaglia in her Stephen Sprouse gown that she bought at RARE vintage that is number 4 on Cathy Horyn's Year in Fashion list. Now this even trumps a best dressed list don't you think?! It is the year in fashion. The year!! In fashion! In other words "a major fashion moment"!!! Thank you so much to Giovanna Battaglia for rocking that dress, Stephen Sprouse for designing the dress and Cathy Horyn for mentioning the dress! (I'll take a little credit too for finding the dress : )

Chanel Couture: Fit For A Queen

2011-12-29T16:26:00.001-05:00

Queen Elizabeth I of England loved a good pearl. It seems that in all of the plentiful portraits of her - she was the first Queen to understand controlling her image and all of its PR advantages, she is almost never without a huge pearl or pearls in her hair. Pearls represented not only wealth but purity and virginity.

The Virgin Queen as portrayed by the great Cate Blanchett festooned with pearls:

Fit for a fabulous Queen are these freaking amazing fantastic faux pearl hairpins by the fanciful Karl Lagerfeld for the famous and fantastic house of Chanel. (And did I forget to mention that they are couture?!) Fashionably speaking, they are feminine, festive and fittingly flirtatious. Fancy a flagrantly fun and faux pearl hair pin by the flawless Karl Lagerfeld? F*%k Yes!! Did I leave any other "f" words out to describe these fabulous and faux large scale hair pins by Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel couture?

Kingdom not included - but totally optional!

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Party Like It Is 1977 For New Year's Eve 2012!

2011-12-28T13:51:00.000-05:00

Loris Azzaro said that the ideal dress is one that a man wants to take off. Natch! Ladies, we may all say we dress for ourselves but secretly no one really wants to be a man repeller. Okay! I love harem pants - speaking of man repeller territory! I bought Isabel Marant's tie waist pants in the fall which my husband hates and I, very Miss (or Mrs.) Independent, will wear whatever-I damn-well-want, has gotten a little psyched out of wearing them : (

So in 1977 when the hair was long, the lips were glossy and designers made dresses to be worn to be taken off as soon as possible, Loris Azzaro designed a buttercup yellow taffeta gown with a pleated bustier (and the interior has a built in bra and boning - so much less to take off later ; ) The waist is defined by a black velvet band. This gown is very Sexy 70s Princess. This is the original Sexy 70s Princess in a 1977 issue of French Vogue:

Here is the same gown - expertly restored by our neighborhood dry cleaners, The French Hand Laundry in Pasadena California.

1977 Loris Azzaro Yellow Silk Taffeta Gown. Size 2.

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Real Girl, Real Vintage

2011-12-28T08:04:00.003-05:00

If you don't have a Celine bag, you most likely probably want one. Phoebe Philo created the must have bag the classic flap box bag from the archive. I love the new and I love the vintage Celine bags equally - after all, a girl can't have just one bag - can we? What a silly question! Dar! Sometimes we want something brand spanking new and sometimes we want a very coveted vintage piece. Here is a real girl, in real vintage. 1970s Celine flap box bag available at RARE vintage.

Ursina Gysi with a 1970s Celine bag. Photos by Tommy Ton.

And here is the same bag available at RARE vintage:

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What Were You Wearing Christmas Morning?

2011-12-26T13:55:00.002-05:00

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and received exactly what was on your wish list (I know I did and I did not even know I was wishing for it. Thank you to my most wonderful husband!). I hope you looked like this Christmas morning:

Lee Radziwill photographed by Mark Shaw from Habitually Chic

I, unfortunately, looked more like this:

But in my head, I looked like this:

And why shouldn't a girl wear a red gown and white gloves for Christmas morning with incredibly coifed hair? Hmmm?? Another beautiful photo by Mark Shaw from Habitually Chic

Okay, well so what if I had bed head and my children awoke when it was still dark and I had to stagger out in my pjs to see what Santa had left under our tree?! Charlize Theron out and about in pjs still does not look so bad - even in Uggs. (Here I have a confession: I am ashamed to admit but I own a pair of Uggs slippers. They are pale pink and fuzzy and incredibly soft. Above mentioned husband when he saw them said, Oh those are sexy. Well, we girls can't be in high heeled marabou feathered slippers all of the time can we?) I may not look like Charlize Theron but one thing for sure Miss Theron, I have never been out of the house in my pjs! The photo of C.T. is actually from the film, Young Adult, and I am sure Charlize has never been out of the house in pjs and she probably wakes up looking like this:

I am off to see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. This is what I am wearing:

At least in my head ; ) See you tomorrow on the blog with LOTS AND LOTS of new things for RARE vintage!!

Merry Christmas from RARE vintage Bazaar Dec 1968

2011-12-25T18:45:00.003-05:00

A very Merry Christmas from RARE vintage and from the pages of the December 1968 Harper's Bazaar!!

I have been a lucky man. To feel the intimacy of brothers is a marvelous thing. To feel the love of people whom we love is a fire that feeds our life. But to feel the affection that comes across from those whom we do not know, who are watching over our dream and solitude, over our dangers and weaknesses - that is something still greater and more beautiful because it widens our boundaries of our being, and unites all living things. PABLO NERUDA

detail from a figure of Christ in Mexico

Snow White

Lean swept mink overcoat. Luxuriously sportif in cut. By Fernando Sanchez for Revillon.

On a photograph of Mrs. Martin Luther King at the Funeral:

Keep, keep your harsh under control. We fear

that if you wept, we would lose all,

as if not only a tear,

but the hovering sky would fall. PAUL ENGLE

Evening

pajamas undulant

as sea birds.

Strega's blowy, broad bands of white ostrich feathers that encircle - enchantingly - a loose limpid organza overblouse and wide-legged pants.

Resorting:

White

Geometrics

Short thigh high alligator printed vinyl dress and all-in-one alligator printed vinyl with great geometric side cut-outs, separated by a bold center strap, reveal a sun-bronzed midriff. Both dresses by Ginori.

Italy: Buon Natale

Federico Forquet's white feathers, rampant on a short jacket shimmering with amethyst and topaz sequins and beads- the feathers gaily cascading forth.

Paris: Bon Noel

Saint Laurent's smoky late-hour dress. Vapors of taupe-greychiffon falling over from a narrow neckband, its fullness caught at the waist with a grey satin ribbon tied in a bow. Transparent sleeves, gathered into narrow cuffs. Another of Saint Laurent's inspired use of silhouette- defined but mysteriously caught in the billowing smoke of the chiffon.

BAZAAR AWARDS:

Woman of the Year:

Mrs Robinson

Tidbit of the Year:

Marijuana Brownies

Baby of the Year:

Rosemary's

Loss of the Year:

Balenciaga

Evening

transparencies: softly

seductive

Bill Blass' seductive at-home see-through organdy.

ÉLAN IS

Marlene Dietrich and Chanel. They were the first well known women to wear trousers. Marlene's were well tailored and slightly masculine. Chanel's were extremely feminine and she made them even more so by her élanic way with necklaces. Because although a necklace is only a necklace, it has never been so for Chanel. For this remarkable woman, necklaces in the plural were the thing, and nobody, but nobody, has ever been able to mix them and wear them with such élan. GLORIA GUINESS

Ears on wings

of diamonds... legs in smocked white velvet...

a Christmas mystique.

Dangling against the face, the supreme jewel to covet: a single,perfect, seven-carat pear-shaped diamond from Harry Winston.

At sunset, at dawning,

at the edge of the mind's eye,

there is a silence and the

trafficking of wings soar-

ing upward in the winter sky. All is quiet

- restless with the impatience

of that greater glory that now descends

upon us. Angels, birds

in flight, we are one in Christmas.

Who and What:

All photos and text from Harper's Bazaar. December 1968. Editor in Chief: Nancy White. Fashion Editor: China Machado. Fashion Feature Editor: Nan Kempner

Round Hill, Montego Bay

2011-12-22T09:33:00.000-05:00

A week ago, I was in the midst of purchasing a huge collection of YSL rive gauche for RARE vintage, Christmas shopping, doing a ton of work for the store and in a panic because I was leaving for Round Hill in Jamaica and thinking that it was complete folly to have decided to go away for a week right before Christmas. I sat on the plane nervously thinking, I won't be able to relax...

but then we arrived in Montego Bay, the sun was shining. Our driver took us to Cottage 9 at Round Hill. There was rum punch waiting. And you know what? All my anxiety left. I am not even certain when it left - maybe it was the first swim in our private pool (you get very spoiled at Cottage 9), maybe it was the swim down by the sea, maybe it was the second rum punch ; ) or maybe it was when we woke up to Blue Mountain coffee, warm milk and a platter full of mini papayas, sweet limes, bananas and pineapple (I ate more papayas on this trip then I have ever eaten in my entire lifetime they were so delicious).

But all I know is that when I looked for my anxiety it was gone. Completely gone.

Cottage 9 at Round Hill (and a vintage Pucci caftan!)

Real Girl, Real Vintage

2011-12-20T10:52:00.002-05:00

We had a few of these adorable Chanel bow cashmere sweaters awhile back and it is always fun to see vintage on real girls in real life.

Daphné Javitch in vintage Chanel. Photo by Garance Doré

RARE vintage in Vogue India!

2011-12-20T10:33:00.002-05:00

Vogue India asked the beautiful Prerna Balani, marketing and public relations manager for Chopard, what she will be wearing for the December holiday party season and she chose a Valentino Couture red gown from yours truly! RARE vintage is always chic, appropriate and exclusively unique!!

Prerna Balani in Vogue India

Michelle Harper in Vogue Japan!

2011-12-19T18:51:00.002-05:00

In fashion there is an exclusive club of a dwindling number: women with a rarefied personal sense of style. Women who are fearless about wearing what they want, the way they want. Michelle Harper is a street-style super star, sought after by street style photographers for her inventive and personal way of dressing.

And what do we I Spy in the grade robe of Michelle in Vogue Japan? A beautiful (okay, we I Spied A LOT of beautiful things ; ) Valentino Couture dress with Japonisme beaded embroidery by Lesage from RARE vintage: a go to source for a girl with style.

Thinking About Peplum Jackets

2011-12-17T12:19:00.003-05:00

So as I was on the plane yesterday on the way to Jamaica and looking at the January issue of Vogue, I came across an article on peplum jackets called Dare to Flare. I adore a peplum - really just about anything with any kind of flounce. I loved the peplum that Miuccia Prada did a few seasons back. It was sold on its own - just a lace peplum and you could add it to any outfit you fancied pepluming. (Spell check is not loving that word!)

So the peplum is back. Ricardo Tisci for Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent, Cristopher Kane and of course Raf Simon's technocolor peplum last season for Jil Sander - which is probably what really had everyone chasing the peplum hem this season.

Pretty in peplum. Raf Simons for Jil Sander Spring 2011.

Photo from Style.com

But one of the original masters of nip, tuck and peplum was Thierry Mugler. His futurarama power babes suits were the thing to wear in the 80s. So I was thrilled when I found these two really wonderful examples for RARE vintage. They are both very couture - not the usual Thierry Mugler suit you see in your usual vintage store. The first is in a thin lightweight wool with a wave detail in silk on the jacket and on the skirt. The jacket has a very fitted waist, sharp shoulders and a slight peplum.

Our second Thierry Mugler ensemble also has a wave detail edged with teeny tiny black sequins along the collar, the bell sleeve, and on the seriously amazing peplum.

Crazy gorgeous right?! Okay, now, I am in Jamaica. Time to head down to the beach, lie in the sun (covered in sunblock, vintage scarf for my highlighted hair from Babe Paley at Round Hill era, hat - hopefully I will go back to New York with at least a glow!) and to day dream about peplums...

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Fashion, Will You Still Need Me, Will You Still Love Me, When I'm 62? Part Two.

2011-12-15T15:47:00.003-05:00

Fashion, will you still love me when I'm 62? Hell yes! Just take a look at the January issue of Vogue. Meryl Streep. Master thespian. Can have an affair with her ex husband who left her for a hot bodied twenty something in "It's Complicated'. Can speak with innumerable foreign accents. And has been nominated, I lost count, for how many Academy Awards. Meryl Streep. 62. Major actress. Major still working in starring roles actress. And Vogue cover girl.

The Midnight Princess

2011-12-14T10:53:00.000-05:00

Almost every girl (and some boys) has an inner Fairy-Tale Princess. Often your inner Fairy-Tale Princess lies dormant like a Sleeping Beauty locked in Rapunzel's tower somewhere deep inside you. But then along comes a Cinderella gown that awakens your inner Fairy-Tale Princess and like some lush red shiny apple, you are unable to resist the temptation of wearing something that makes you feel like, well, a Princess.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who will be the fairest of them all?"

You will be when you wear this wildly romantic and beautifully pretty, fluttering silk organza gown by Nina Ricci from the 1970s. And wouldn't it be gorgeous with red strappy sandals?!

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My Journey With Tina Chow

2011-12-12T16:39:00.000-05:00

My journey with Tina Chow began from afar. It began with an admiration of her unique sense of style. And then an admiration for the jewelry she created and a desperate and very frustrating desire to have a piece made by Tina and finding nothing available. Slowly I began finding pieces for my own personal collection and for the store.

It has been an incredible journey discovering these pieces and incredibly exciting discovering the scope of her work. This piece, a black jade pendant, signed by Tina Chow, is modern, minimal and sensual and beautifully made.

Tina Chow Black Jade Pendant

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Santa Baby!

2011-12-09T12:33:00.000-05:00

Have you been a good girl? I think I have been a good girl, so maybe someone will slip a little Chanel under the tree for me. I might even be my very own Mrs. Santa Claus and slip myself a little something by Chanel. I do have my eye on something at RARE vintage... but don't worry there are three of them so there will still be two available ; ) I will show you tomorrow. Very Marie Antoinette via Chanel.

I LOVE these Chanel bracelets from the late 1980s. I love the classic leather woven chain bracelets and I especially love the colors - so perfect for resort. So perfect with jeans and a tank top. So perfect for a bit of glamorous edge to just about any outfit. That is also what I love about the Chanel chain pieces: a nice little Catholic girl like Coco Chanel put a touch of S & M naughtiness into her jewelry and bags. Always a lady but never a boring lady.

Now let me tell you about the large chain cuffs woven with silk velvet ribbon. The ribbon is an antique ribbon and these were only made for the runway show. So they are very rare and special. And very RARE vintage don't you think?! Makes me think of The Pretenders, Brass in Pocket.

Cause I'm going to make you see - there's nobody else here
No one like me.
I'm special, so special. The Pretenders

So enjoy a little music while you ponder these Chanel beauties and remember Chanel sells very quickly so don't ponder too long.

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Virtual Valentino or Reality Valentino?

2011-12-08T10:58:00.003-05:00

"Everyone can reach the dresses with a simple click." Valentino

I don't know about you but as excited I am to look through the Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum, I am a greedy girl and still desire the real thing to the virtual thing. Like this for example:

"This iconic crepe dress in that pure, clear red that became Valentino's signature was modeled for the designer by the socialite Princess Luciana Pignatelli, and Henry Clark photographed it for Vogue. It is such a significant piece that when Valentino held his 2007 retrospective at the Ara Pacis, is was isolated in its own glass cube on the concourse leading into the museum." Hamish Bowles

It was isolated people in its own cube. Now, you can see it in the virtual museum.

Or you can look at the image in Vogue of Veruschka wearing the same red dress (with the to die for feathered coat...)

Or you can buy a very similar version from the 1970s at RARE vintage. Valentino Couture by the way. And you can purchase it virtually online or buy it at our store on 57th Street. Ain't nothing like the real thing babies and you can start your own mini Valentino museum!

Iconic 1970s pure red silk Valentino Couture gown. Size 4.

You can see Hamish Bowles' top picks from the Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum here.

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What Would Elizabeth Taylor Wear?

2011-12-06T11:07:00.000-05:00

Elizabeth Taylor would wear something gutsy and glamorous and something that would set off those lavender eyes. After a private walk through this morning of Elizabeth Taylor's collection of couture and jewelry I confess to being slightly surprised by the collection. I absolutely thought of her as a jewelry person and her collection is just incredible. And you know it is also a really joyful collection - you just sense Elizabeth Taylor's happiness and delight in her jewelry. The big Taylor Burton cut cornered rectangular cut diamond, weighing approximately 33.19 carats and flanked on either side by a tapered baguette cut diamond, mounted in platinum ring (sounds delicious doesn't it?!) was blinding. I really wanted a better look but whatever angle I tried to view it from, it just shined brightly back at me.

But I did not necessarily think of Elizabeth Taylor as a fashion icon. Of course, she was stunning in the slip and fur coat in Butterfield 8 and in the bathing suit in Suddenly, Last Summer. But there are some really great pieces there. So when I was walking through I thought Elizabeth Taylor would look amazing in our spectacular Bob Mackie domino. The woman knew how to make an entrance. And the woman who wears this will have to know how to make an entrance too. If you are the shy wallflower type this is not the piece for you but if you are star and a dame then, honey, this is exactly what you are looking for!

We actually had this same piece awhile back in black and Shalom Harlow had worn it to the Met Gala opening of The Model As Muse. Hamish Bowles declared Shalom the best dressed of the evening and I saw her that night too and she was best dressed.

Please note that the color looks slightly harsh in this photo and it is actually a much softer lavender.

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Kisses from Larry LeGaspi and RARE vintage!

2011-12-05T17:09:00.000-05:00

Okay. So that is not something I ever thought I would be putting on the RARE vintage blog. But there it is: Gene Simmons from Kiss and his famous tongue. Why? Why you might ask? Why would I subject our poor readers to such a thing?

Because my little monsters (we are still feeling very Gaga here at RARE vintage; ) I have bought a few pieces by Larry LeGaspi. Who? Larry LeGaspi darlings. Larry Le Gaspi who had the ultimate in future-arama chic on Madison Avenue in his store, Moonstone which was all silver, with a floor textured like the surface of the moon and a twinkling sky overhead.

Larry LeGaspi went on to design costumes for Funkadelic, Patty LaBelle and Kiss. This is one of the great things I love about vintage: the unexpected. If someone told me, you are going to open a vintage store and you will carry pieces by a designer who designed costumes for Kiss, I would not have believed it. But I absolutely love this gown with a cape with gold cording. It is sexy, outrageous and fun. Happy clothes for happy people. I know that the woman who had this dress had a very good time in it. In fact, she had such a great time, she had them in every color!

Boys and girls, Larry LeGaspi:

See how amazing the dress is?!

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Pilgrimage: Annie Leibovitz

2011-12-01T13:25:00.000-05:00

Last night I went to the opening of Pilgrimage by Annie Leibovitz at the Pace Gallery in Chelsea and if you have not yet ordered the book, I suggest you do so right away. The photographs are an absolutely beautiful and lyrical look at very overlooked subjects. Things we all know about but don't often think about. I need to go back to Pace for another quieter view but some of my favorites were a detail shot of Emily Dickinson' only surving dress at the Amherst Historical Society in Massachusetts, Annie Oakley's heart target with a bullethole through it from a private collection, Ansel Adams darkroom in Carmel California, a glorious 'quiet' moment at Niagra Falls, Georgia O'Keefe's bed in New Mexico and the gloves Lincoln wore the night he was assassinated. But really I loved all of the photographs.

The show is monumental and intimate at the same time. And very, very beautiful.

Pilgrimage by Annie Leibovitz at the Pace Gallery.

545 West 22nd Street 1 December - 3 December 2011 (so you better hurry!)

My Mother-In-Law, Azzedine Alaia

2011-11-29T09:44:00.000-05:00

Yes you read that right Azzedine Alaia is my mother-in-law. Didn't you know? He is also your mother-in-law. And not only your mother-in-law but fashion's mother-in-law too. Or so says the New York Times.

"Azzedine Alaia did much to shape the look of the 80's but his place in the fashion world was (and still is) that of mother-in-law." The New York Times

Hmm. Okay. Well, Stephanie Seymour and Naomi Campbell call Alaia 'Papa' and I know he makes a mean chicken and rice. He also makes the most perfect clothes and has an enviable collection of vintage couture. So Mr. Alaia is obviously the ideal mother-in-law. Now, come to Mamma!

An exhibit, Azzedine Alaia in the 21st Century, will be at the Groninger Museum from December 11th to May 2012 and is a follow up to the 1998 show which was later displayed at the Brant Foundation in New York.

Here at RARE vintage, we are having our own little mini Alaia sale with some classic pieces. Alaia designs for the ultimate sweater girl. Alaia does all of his own pattern making and fittings - usually working late into the night. His knits have been made at Silvia Bocchese's factory in Italy for over 30 years. There is that old expression, if it isn't broken, don't fix it. And I do not mean that Alaia has stayed the same but that he evolves at his own tempo, his own pace. Many designers feel the crushing need to reinvent the wheel (I'm on a cliche roll: ) every season. With Alaia you can build a wardrobe every year and you can mix a 1980s piece with a 2011 piece.

Let the mixing begin:

A classic black Alaia long sleeved knit dress with a slight flare and brilliant seaming. Size Medium (will fit a contemporary size 6/8)

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Wear it Now: An Ornate Choker by Chanel Couture

2011-11-27T10:20:00.002-05:00

Vogue.com just did an article on the return of the ornate choker. The writer, Chioma Nnadi, said it all started with the minimalist gilt metal version that Phoebe Philo did for Celine. The New York based jeweler, Randi Mates of Aesa, said that "wearing a piece that fits closely to the throat, draws up your spine and changes the way you hold yourself. It's almost regal."

Nnadi suggests wearing an ornate choker over a crisp white button shirt or as the crowning glory of a Grecian column dress."

Circa 1990 Chanel couture necklace only available at RARE vintage NYC.

This spectacular Mughal inspired bib necklace is of course made by the costume jeweler to the couture, Gripoix, for Chanel. It is from circa 1990, is a runway piece from the couture and is in the most beautiful shades of blue. Actually the colors remind me of the color of the sea in Sardinia.

As a woman business owner I love that sisters are doing it for themselves! Gripoix is the story of a family of women who have, for over four generations, been at the helm of the House of Gripoix and of another woman, Coco Chanel. Gripoix was founded by Augustine Gripoix in the 19th century who began making imitation pearls, pink quartz and rubies for Sarah Bernhardt and Charles Frederick Worth. Augustine's daughter Suzanne worked with Poiret, Molyneux and Lanvin creating extravagant fakes. But it was Suzanne Gripoix's relationship with Coco Chanel where the story of Gripoix really begins and continues to the present day.

Chanel had a mischievous streak and by creating jewelry made from faux pearls and poured glass and gilt instead of gold she was subtly mocking the symbols of wealth in the 1920s and 1930s, a string of pearls and a diamond and ruby necklace. Chanel also piled it on, mixing her real with her faux. So do as Mademoiselle did and as Vogue.com tells you and RARE vintage recommends: wear an ornate choker.

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New York Has Gone Gaga!

2011-11-26T08:14:00.002-05:00

New York has gone gaga for Lady Gaga. Barneys - okay, let me criticize and compliment here - I really dislike the recently remodeled main floor at Barneys. It feels cold and anonymous and like you are shopping at an airport duty free. I miss all of those beautiful antique display cases they had and while I agree a lot needed to change at Barneys I wish they had done a better job on the main floor. But what I think they did an amazing job with was the collaboration with Lady Gaga for their holiday shop on the 5th floor of the mens store. The web site is super fun with limited edition products (I bought one of the Gaga stiletto stockings and rock candy necklaces for my daughter) and even if you can not make it into Barneys to visit Gaga's wonderland you can still shop the collection. 25% of the proceeds from Gaga's Workshop go to her Born This Way Foundation. So shop, be Gaga and do good!

Lady Gaga's Thanksgiving Special proves what Elton John said about her last year's Rainforest Benefit: she can do it all: write, sing and play music. She also produced and directed the Thanksgiving Special. She wore a 1980s Givenchy couture gown from RARE vintage with long gloves and made it her own by wearing it with a Gaga appropriate hat singing "This chick is a tramp".

In the special Lady Gaga wore Valentino Couture while making a turkey. And did I mention the gorgeous Valentino couture coat was from RARE vintage?!

Photos courtesy of the site for all things Gaga and fashionable, Gaga Fashionland

Please note the Givenchy gown and the Valentino couture coat are no longer available.

And The Chick is a Tramp from the special. Enjoy!

Happy Gaga Thanksgiving!!

2011-11-24T22:07:00.002-05:00

Just the thing for post turkey - Lady Gaga's Thanksgiving Special on ABC and Lady Gaga singing the 'Lady is a tramp' with Tony Bennett in Givenchy couture from RARE vintage!! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

One For You, One For Me

2011-11-21T18:06:00.001-05:00

So if you shop at RARE vintage often enough and you get to know me, you know that sometimes, on the not so rare occasion:) some of the things I buy for the store never make it into the store because somehow they end up in my closet. It can be really weird. Like the time I found a 1970s YSL silk moon and stars blouse in my closet. I swear I did not put it there! But there it was and I said to this YSL blouse, "why my little amour fou, what are you doing here? You should be at RARE vintage waiting for someone fabulous to buy you and bring you home." So like the dutiful vintage store owner I brought my little amour fou, the YSL blouse, back to the store and hung it with care and do you know what happened? I went home and opened my closet to hang up my Alexander McQueen black Victorian jacket and change into a pair of Chinese pajamas but who do I see? The YSL blouse. But this is incroyable I say! "Little amour fou, you should not be here! How can I run a business if all of the beautiful babies I buy for RARE vintage end up in my closet?" But the little amour fou YSL blouse looked so happy, so comfortable in my closet, I had to say, "ca va. But just this one blouse. Just this one time."

Cut to four years later: Little amour fou, the YSL blouse, has been joined by countless others little birds who refuse to leave the nest. What is a vintage mother to do?!

One for you, one for me! On this happy occasion, a Christian Lacroix for Pucci silk purse with a woven leather and metal mesh handle, an incredible jeweled chain metal tassel, big enough to fit a comfortable assortment of things for the evening, and even with a little silk and leather change purse attached to the interior by a strap, found its way into my closet. And even while I was looking at it with regret thinking it really should go to the store, it said to me, Madame (you know Italian vintage is very polite) there are two of us: one for you and one for the store.

So this is the story of how two amazing Christian Lacroix bags from Lacroix's very short tenure at Pucci and thus very rare came to me and to RARE vintage.

A Cristian Lacroix for the house of Pucci silk purse. Circa 2003.

Only available at RARE vintage NYC.

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Santa Baby: RARE vintage's Christmas List 2

2011-11-19T10:24:00.000-05:00

One of my style icons is Coco Chanel. In fact, one of my women in business icons is Coco Chanel. The woman grew up with spinster aunts, in an orphanage, worked as a seamstress, opened a hat shop and created an empire. She borrowed money from a lover, repaid the loan and bought herself a Bentley. She cried when her lover didn't buy her jewels and when he bought her a tiara from Cartier, she cried some more because she thought it was a necklace and did not fit. Coco mixed her real jewelry with her brilliant costume jewelry and the rest is fashion history!

China Chow in RARE vintage again!

2011-11-19T10:18:00.001-05:00

I am sure you remember seeing China Chow on Bravo's Work of Art in a Pierre Cardin couture tunic from RARE vintage. On episode 6, China wore feathered fabulousness by the Italian designer Stefan Janson (who apprenticed with the master, Yves Saint Laurent by the way). The caption for the photo on Bravo's site asks, "Is this China's casual look?". The answer is: Dar! Yes!! This is every RARE vintage girl's casual look!

China Chow on Bravo's Work of Art in a Stefan Janson feathered jacket from RARE vintage

Vintage Trends: Big Bling is The Thing!

2011-11-18T14:16:00.001-05:00

The Spring 2012 runways were covered in dangling chandeliers. Mind you these are not the kind of chandeliers that hang from the ceiling but the ears. Big shoulder dusting chandeliers. And not only were ears accessorized with jumbo sized jewels but necks and wrists were also bejeweled with Flintstone sized rocks.

Claude Montana designed the haute couture for the house of Lanvin from 1990 to 1992. The hat designer, Stephen Jones, said that the passion for Claude Montana and Thierry Mugler in those days was such a frenzy that crazed fashion people wielding knives would actually slash the tents to get in to see the shows.

Here at RARE vintage, although we are mad for fashion, we do not carry knives, clubs or any other assorted criminal paraphernalia. It is an oasis of calm and vintage couture. An oasis where that gorgeous bit of arm candy you see is not a mirage but a big, bold and delicate Claude Montana bracelet for the haute couture for Lanvin. What I really love about this piece are the little flowers scatted amongst the rhinestones and that the bracelet is slightly deconstructed. We like our lady like jewelry a little less precious, a little more precocious here at Rv.

Just in time for the holidays and only available at RARE vintage New York...

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Bling and Baubles at RARE vintage

2011-11-16T11:03:00.000-05:00

Bring on the bling! Just in time for the holiday party and gift season, we are stocked and ready to bejewel our clients! Check our RARE vintage blog everyday for pieces from an extraordinary collection or better yet, come into see the collection at RARE vintage on 57th Street. The early bird catches the best baubles!

Feeling very Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra? I know. Me too:) And this is just the thing:

A very rare 1960s gold woven leather Bottega Veneta snake bracelet. Beautifully detailed head and tail of the snake in sterling silver with a light golden finish. Wear it at the wrist or wrapped higher up on the arm. So in other words, arm candy!

1960s Bottega Veneta Gold Leather Snake bracelet. Only available at RARE vintage.

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Tina Chow in Her Wire Wrapped Earrings

2011-11-12T08:01:00.000-05:00

It is incredible for me to look at this photograph of Tina Chow in her own jewelry and realize that I have had nearly every piece in the photograph available for sale at (and only at I might add) RARE vintage. Well, truth be told, the temple ring has not been for sale at RV - it is comfortably ensconced in bubble wrap in its original parchment box with Tina's glossy inky black signature on the interior in my bedroom. (How chic is that?! The signature is not loudly branded on the outside but discreetly and beautifully placed on the interior. I tried on a great pair of Gucci cruise pants this week but the label! I felt like I had a billboard for Gucci on my ass and I am sorry but my behind is nobody's billboard. Thank you very much.)

The earrings that Tina is wearing are very similar to the wrapped rock crystal pair that we just received at RARE vintage. Beautiful and perfect no?

Santa Baby: RARE vintage's Christmas List

2011-11-10T21:39:00.001-05:00

The Boys are back as Girls: Duran Duran

2011-11-08T22:30:00.000-05:00

Brilliant! (And total Girl Crush on the drunken "drummer", Helena Cristensen!)

People Wear my Clothes to Make a Statement: Yohji Yamamoto

2011-11-08T11:04:00.000-05:00

Do you remember when Caroline Bessette became Mrs. Kennedy? Which designer did she choose to wear? Yohji Yamamoto. It was an unexpected choice. It set her apart. And the clothes looked amazing on her.

I have always loved Yamamoto and when I went to Tokyo for the first time, a visit to the Yamamoto store was on the top of my list of Things to Do and See. (And it was magical: jackets with wired peplums that floated around the body. And black. Lots of black. Though I wandered out with sand colors and blues somehow).

This is an incredible Yohji Yamamoto sweater dress from the 1980s. It is oversized with a hood in the back. Yohji's clothes always have a street chic vibe and a play on scale and this is a perfect example of Japanese urban chic.

Why don't you wear it with... Christian Louboutin studded slippers

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Weekend Reading 19: Loulou de la Falaise

2011-11-05T19:09:00.005-04:00

Loulou de la Falaise's death was announced today by the Pierre Bergé Yves Saint Laurent Fondation.

"My home is like a gypsy as it has a lot of color and generosity. I want to make people feel happy and surprised but at the same time it has to be beautiful." Loulou de la Falaise

Loulou de la Falaise's apartment in Paris

In 2007 Falaise created a line of jewelry and objects for the home called 'Loulou de la Falaise Fantasie'. "Each piece is a fantasy - but things shouldn't be serious, but fun and enhancing," said Falaise.

Loulou de la Falaise, Yves Saint Laurent and Bianca Jagger all looking so happy.

"Anything I've ever had a really good time in, I would never give away."

Loulou de la Falaise modeling for Vogue

"When I shop, I try things on and then look at the label."

Falaise's bangles

'Loulou de la Falaise's preferred beauty tonic comes in a bottle of Scotch.' From Francesco Scavullo's 1976 book, 'Scavullo on Beauty'.

Loulou de la Falaise in Yves Saint Laurent on her wedding day to Thadée Klossowski in 1977 with her mother, Maxime de la Falaise. Doesn't the mother of the bride, Maxime, look glamorous in her white dress with gold jewelry, red beads and red nails?!

'As a designer as well as a small business owner, Loulou del la Falaise has finally abandoned the last vestiges of her fabled role as Yves Saint Laurent's muse. "I'm looking for one myself" she said. The New York Times

Loulou de la Falaise, our RARE vintage Muse Forever. Creative and Createur.

The Girl with Immaculate Style Wears Vintage Romeo Gigli

2011-11-03T10:05:00.000-04:00

Camille Bidault Waddington is a girl after my own heart: she started reading Vogue, Marie Claire, 100 Idees and Jardin des Modes when she was just 10 years old. Though I was looking at Vogue way before I was 10 and I don't think I ever read Jardin des Modes.

She is a stylist, fashion consultant and a photographer. She has an enviable wardrobe and a very individual sense of style.

CBW in an asymmetric vintage Romeo Gigli top and an Emilio Pucci skirt. What was that?! Yes vintage Romeo Gigli. You see a cool, stylish girl RARE vintage loves! If you follow our blog, which of course you do:) you know I love Romeo Gigli. So I was thrilled to purchase a great collection of 1980s Gigli for myself - oh, wait, I forgot, it is not all about me and I must sell at least a few things I buy "for the store" actually at the store. I have to remind myself of this every day! So here we go. Our collection of Romeo Gigli.

The Tops:

So this first top is very interesting because you can wear it like this:

Or, ta-da! Like this:

Rather genius don't you think. The sleeve buttons inside the arm hole.

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RARE vintage in Gotham Magazine

2011-11-02T11:48:00.000-04:00

Here are a few party pics in Gotham magazine from the opening night of the preview of our vintage Valentino Couture sale and the uber glamorous photographs of Italian film stars from the 1960s by the photographer, John Phillips. The whole evening was molto chic!

Here I am with the oh so stylish Michelle Harper. I wore a gold flecked YSL from the 1970s (one of my favorite dresses and I basically wear it constantly) and Michelle is in Valentino red!

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Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T13:36:00.000-04:00

A modern day Snow White would rock the fairy tale world in Chanel sunglasses with chain wrapped arms and a jumbo Chanel 2.55 bag. And a modern day gypsy would carry a cross over Balenciaga bag and Christian Louboutin button up high black boots AND Miu Miu sparkly sunglasses. Wicked good! Happy Halloween everyone!

China Chow in RARE vintage!

2011-10-31T12:07:00.001-04:00

I am sure you know that we have had an unrivaled collection of Tina Chow's incredible, beautiful and meaningful jewelry here at RARE vintage so I was very excited to send her daughter, China Chow, some pieces for her show on Bravo, Work of Art.

China Chow in an early 1990s Pierre Cardin couture tunic from RARE vintage. Very wearable work of art. And don't our clients always look amazing in their RARE vintage?! Always super flattering and always the perfect piece on the perfect woman.

Weekend Reading 18: Style and Design Icon: Elsa Peretti

2011-10-30T10:10:00.003-04:00

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

'She is a woman of almost awesome chic. Looking as dazzling in a beat up men's fedora as she does in a ball gown." From the book, The Fashion Makers.

Photo by Jill Krementz

Are You Scared of Sweetness? Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2012

2011-10-30T09:16:00.000-04:00

Nice. Fragile. Vulnerable. Tender. Beautiful sheer fabrics. Guipere lace. Looked like little clouds. Kind colors. Floating. Magical. Lovely. Like the carousel in the Tuileries that happens when spring happens. Love is a possibility. Sweetness. Under currents of fetish. Sugary Sweet. The cherry on the cake.

Overheard at the Spring/Summer 2012 Louis Vuitton show.

Vintage Trends: The Long Gown and the Chiffon Cape

2011-10-28T17:01:00.001-04:00

Stavropoulos was born in Greece, the seventh child of an eventual nine and his father ran a tobacco processing plant. He opened his own custom salon in Athens in 1949 and moved to New York where he became known for his floating dresses: layers of chiffon that floated around the body while not being extremely revealing. His clients were comfortable in his dresses (imagine that! you could breathe, you could move and you could look glamorous - all at the same time!). His clients, like Princess Elizabeth of Yogoslavia and Elizabeth Taylor, were also attracted by a dress that could be worn more then one way. In fact, this gown has its two original scarves - one in all chiffon and one with thin strips of panne velvet. It also has its original and uber glamorous chiffon cape. It is in a beautiful shade of pomegranate red.

You might remember seeing Princess Charlotte Casiraghi (channeling her grandmother, Grace Kelly, in To Catch a Thief) in an ice-blue gown with a long chiffon cape from Giambattista Valli Couture that she wore to Prince Albert's wedding.

Pomegranate red chiffon and panne velvet gown with matching chiffon cape and two belts.

Size 6/8

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It's About Damn Time!

2011-10-27T22:39:00.001-04:00

Men as objects. Girls, just look at that body! Enjoy!!

East Meets West: Issey Miyake

2011-10-27T16:52:00.000-04:00

Thought you might enjoy seeing this extremely rare and very early Issey Miyake 'East Meets West' collection handkerchief hem dress from 1970 that we had, oh, for about a second.

"I Don't Make Gorgeous Clothes" - Issey Miyake

2011-10-27T16:06:00.001-04:00

The Japanese designer, Issey Miyake, introduced Ultra Suede to Halston. Say what?! Issey Miyake once worked as design assistant to Geoffrey Beene. Say what?! Who knew?! Obviously have some research to do here...

Mr. Miyake, who was interviewed by the New York Times in 1982, said that he does "not make gorgeous clothes". He wanted to make clothes "that float around the body. There should be space between the body and the fabric. The design interest should come only from the color and the fabric. This is not the time for fashion as we know it".

Whenever a piece of Issey Miyake comes into RARE vintage, for one thing it sells very quickly as this piece did, and it is also never like anything I have seen before. The material, the colors, the design are a new way of seeing what we have seen before.

Here is an exceptional, almost theatrical, pleated coat by Issey Miyake which sold in an instant.

Early 1990s Issey Miyake Coat

Water

2011-10-26T17:58:00.003-04:00

I know the posting has slowed to a trickle on our RARE vintage blog but I have been super busy acquiring new pieces for RARE vintage basically non stop (which I will start sharing with you tomorrow) and I have started a new workout regime. Okay, so let's explore the word 'regime'. I've started a new 'workout regime' which means I am kind of following a plan of action - otherwise known as an authoritarian mode of rule or government. Sounds kind of frightening doesn't it?? But much to my surprise I am loving my new regime. I started spinning at Soul Cycle. The music is awesome, the room is dark so you don't have to worry how you look or that if you pass out, hopefully, no one will notice. I saw a very famous actor there much to my horror - but thankfully the room is dark so above mentioned cute actor won't see the sweat dripping off my nose or if I do in fact pass out. The music is loud enough that I am pretty sure no one will hear the thud when I fall off the bike (of course, I have not yet mastered exactly how to take the spinning shoes out of the pedals which you are LOCKED into - so if I do in fact pass out and fall off the bike my feet will, pathetically, be stuck to the pedals).

But you know what, even though I have sweated more then I ever have in MY ENTIRE LIFE and I have done things that I had no idea you could possibly do on a stationary bike, I feel great! I feel amazing! I feel like I must be burning at least 1,000,000 calories (minimum) each class that I take.

This is exactly what I feel like after 45 minutes at Soul Cycle:

Just a happy puddle of water. Though I still have not figured out how to get my spinning shoes out of the pedals, hopefully above mentioned famous actor won't notice my struggle and that I have to leave the cycling shoes behind in the peddles which is really embarrassing.

UPDATE: I managed to get one shoe free today!

Why You Should Wake Up at 3AM on November 19th

2011-10-22T09:54:00.001-04:00

To get in line for the Versace for H & M collection of course! I kind of love these capsule collections designers do for H & M or the recent Target for Missoni and have a nice collection packed away (Karl Lagerfeld's collection for H & M, Kate Moss' first collection for Topshop and so on) in archival boxes in acid free tissue paper for my daughter for when she is older. Think she is going to love it. I also love Gianni Versace and have been incredibly fortunate to have had and have some of the original iconic pieces that Donatella did a version of for the capsule collection. Now, I personally would pass on the metal mesh dress which looks like a sad version of the real thing which RARE vintage has had and you can see here and here.

This is what I think it is worth getting up for (and diving into the insane madness that it will surely be):

We had this at RARE vintage too! The original:

And what you should buy for the man in your life:

Versace for H & M. Available November 19th

Who's The Man?

2011-10-22T09:04:00.000-04:00

Tom Ford is The Man. Watch him this Sunday on Oprah's OWN network. While you are watching the preview, I am going to check my 10,000,000+ channels and see if I even have OWN...

Visionaries: Inside the Creative Mind with Tom Ford

Sunday, October 23rd on OWN at 8PM

Fashion, Will You Still Need Me, Will You Still Love Me, When I'm 64?

2011-10-18T21:20:00.001-04:00

And the answer is, Yes! Yes!! Yes!!!

My new Style Icon is Costanza Pascolato. She is 72 years old. She wears a leather Miu-Miu Spring 2011 rockabilly-style jacket. She wears Valentino's studded leather kitten heels. Her hair is done. She wears fabulous big black sunglasses. She does Pilates every day. She is fashionable. She is age appropriate. She is interesting. She embraces new fashion. But she knows who she is. She has worn Christian Dior, Cristobal Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent. She adores Miuccia Prada's irreverent luxury and kitsch sense of style.

I want to send her a Valentine,

birthday greetings,

a bottle of wine...

The Beatles - When I'm Sixty Four

Mr. Beene Has a Moment Via Stella McCartney

2011-10-18T11:42:00.001-04:00

So let me just show you how influential Mr. Beene still is:

Stella McCartney Fall/Winter 2011. Unless you have been hiding out in the wilderness without any access to the Internet you will certainly have seen Stella McCartneys illusion dress on:

Kate Winslet, Liv Tyler and even Jane Fonda. Then there was Doutzen Kroes (inexplicably with her ginormous Granny panties underneath)

Whoa! How old is Jane Fonda??!!

Almost forgot Doutzen with her super Spanx on (WTF?! I am certain she needs nothing on underneath this):

And if you are in that cabin without internet then you also missed Kate Winslet (again), La La Vasquez Anthony, Gloria Estefan (okay let me just say if you missed Goria Estefan in the dress be grateful. Very, very grateful. Hello?! Wooden mirrors in house of Estefan?!), Liv Tyler and Penelope Cruz in Stella McCartney's hourglass sheath:

Kate Winslet is rocking the sheath and looking gorgeous!! And good Lord, Gloria Estefan - if you don't have a strong stomach, avert your eyes:

I don't want to be mean but, what was she thinking??

But if you don't live in a cabin in the woods and you follow fashion and fashion's history, you will know, you will remember the fabulous Mr. Beene. Mr. Beene who could cut a dress like no one else. Mr. Beene who dressed a woman who was talented, creative, smart and sexy. His lines were sculptural and even made one fashion journalist compare them to Brancusi's Bird in Space.

The Original:

In 1991, Geoffrey Beene showed a languidly beautiful evening coat in oxblood red and black stripe, kimono sleeves and a spectacular carved out sheer guipere lace back reembroidered with red and gold thread. The dress he showed underneath was very short.

If you need something grand and regal and something that will have everyone's eyes on you, then this is the piece you were looking for.

1991 Geoffrey Beene evening coat with sheer guipere lace back.

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A Spectacular Philip Treacy Hat

2011-10-13T13:02:00.001-04:00

There was a time when a woman, or a man, would not have dreamt of going out of the house without a hat. Hats back in the day could be surrealistic (Elsa Schiaparelli's upside down shoe hat which was worn brilliantly by the ever so stylish, the Honorable Mrs. Reginald Fellowes), hats could elicit comments like, "look at the screwy hat on that dame!" (Myrna Loy in a, well, a screwy hat, in The Thin Man) or hats could be sexy masculine (Marlene Dietrich in a top hat).

October 10th would have been the birthday of the French born hatmaker Lily Daché who famously said, "Glamour is what makes a man ask for your phone but it is also what makes a woman ask for the name of your dressmaker." The glamorous Lily also believed that men loved to buy for their wives, girlfriends or mistresses, "floozy hats". (and don't we all have a little floozy in us:)

Hats are having a kind of a moment right now. There were all the girls and ladies at the recent royal wedding looking chic in fascinators (which is such a great word don't you think?!) and there is the current exhibit, Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones, at The Bard Graduate Center.

I recently met Philip Treacy and we spoke about an extravagant hat that he had made and that I have for RARE vintage. Philip said that it was an incredibly difficult hat to make. He used a vintage black brocade fabric and there is a crown of feathers atop the hat that are singed chicken feathers. The hat was so difficult to make that I believe that there is jut this one. And isn't that the way it should be? This hat is a beautiful objet as well as something perfect for the Kentucky Derby or any occasion you would to wear to a hat to and if you don't have an occasion, you will just have to make one!

Philip Treacy Feather Crown Brocade Hat

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The Little Things in Life

2011-10-11T21:46:00.005-04:00

A quilted leather Chanel bag from the 1970s is not going to solve world peace. It will not tell you why the sky is blue, exactly how to pronounce the planet Uranus, it will not explain why grown men love packing a car with suitcases and other assorted paraphenilia. It will not tell you which came first: the chicken or the egg. It will not explain the Bermuda Triangle or tell you if really there is a Loch Ness Monster. A quilted leather Chanel purse, even in red, will not tell you what really happened in Roswell...

But what will it do you is to offer what you what the little things in life do for us: a gift of happiness, a burst of Seratonin, something that will be timeless (which answers the eternal question, do you really need another bag? And the answer is, Dah! It's Chanel! From the 1970s! It's an investment for the future! Seriously?!)

This thing called love, it's a crazy little thing called love.

There goes my baby. She leaves me in a hot cold sweat.

Gotta be a cool. Gotta relax.

It's a crazy thing called love: Chanel...

Chanel bag love via Queen. Just a Crazy Little Thing Called Love.

Chanel Cherry red quilted leather bag

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It's the End of the World as We Know It: Vivienne Westwood's Pirate Collection

2011-10-08T13:23:00.002-04:00

The great split personalities in film and television are: Joanne Woodward in The Three Faces of Eve, Sally Field in Sybil and Toni Colette in The United States of Tara. I am not sure if psychiatrists have delved into the mind of the fashionista suffering from split personalities but I am proud to admit to suffering from a severe case of 'fashionista split personality-itis'. And just so you know the symptoms are:

a. Your Style Icons are: CZ Guest, Brigitte Bardot, Jerry Hall, Millicent Rogers, Bianca Jagger, Daisy Fellowes, Marisa Berenson, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Debbie Harry.

b. In your closet or you covet: 1950s Christian Dior, 1970s Yves Saint Laurent, Tina Chow's Fortunys, 1960s Balenciaga, early Helmut Lang, Stephen Sprouse, Romeo Gigli, early Gianni Versace, Alaia, 1970s Loris Azzaro, Valentino Couture, 1930s Schiaparelli, Early Prada (and the amazing Spring 2012 collection), Duchess of Windsor's Mainbochers and Vivienne Westwood.

c. Your fashion film icons are: Grace Kelly in To Catch a Thief, Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean, Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind, Madonna in Who's That Girl, Catherine Deneuve in Belle de Jour, Faye Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde, Diane Keaton in Annie Hall, Renee Russo in The Thomas Crown Affair and the documentary of Little and Big Edie in Albert and David Maysels' Grey Gardens.

So, are you suffering from 'fashionista split personality-itis? Well if you are, you will surely love this Vivienne Westwood for World's End 1981 Pirate collection top as much as I do.

Vivienne Westwood and Malcom McClaren rocked the world with their romantic and historically inspired Pirate Collection.

Vivienne has said that she wanted "that rakish look of clothes that didn't fit".

It was the end of the world as we know it and I am feeling fine after discovering this brilliant 1981 Pirate's Collection top for RARE vintage.

1981 Vivienne Westwood World's End pirate Collection Top. Size 4.

The next meeting of the self indulgent self help group 'Fashionista Split Personality-itis' will be held at RARE vintage next Wednesday evening. Please rsvp at info@rarevintage.com. Say it loud and say it proud!

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@RareVintageNYC: Friday Favorites

2011-10-07T15:40:00.008-04:00

I love the whimsical Krizia animal print sweaters I bought in Italy for RARE vintage and I confess that I kept one and it is my new #FF@RareVintageNYC Friday favorite. I have been impatiently waiting for the weather to get cool enough to put it on. And hallelujah, that day has arrived!

It is always fascinating to see how trendy vintage can be while not being trendy at all; the word is timeless. Nicolas Ghesquiere for Balenciaga and Ricardo Tisci for Givenchy may have gotten everyone in the mood for animal prints again but Krizia was the original wild child with animal instincts.

I am feeling very Gaga as you can see: no pants!

Panther sweater: 1980s Krizia Sunglasses: Tom Ford

Holy Deja Vu: The Hi-Top Fade Haircut

2011-10-05T18:34:00.002-04:00

What comes around, goes around - even in hair do's or don'ts (not sure which) but kind of loving it and wishing my hair could go that high...

The hi-top fade haircut as seen at Union Square today:

and as seen on Kid n Play circa late 1980s: