We'll Always Have Paris: Junya Watanabe Edition

Paging Monsieur Cardin, paging Monsieur Cardin... Junya Watanabe was obviously paging Pierre Cardin for his Spring 2015 collection.  It was not necessairly my bag baby but it was still wonderfully dotty and I am sure Anna dello Russo will haul out the whole look in the fall for fashion month...

Me, I would wear this:

or this one - I kind of love it over the striped tee:

and I do think the wig/head piece is a great and fun collector's item...

and Junya channels Pierre:

xo, Juliana

Favorite New Vintage Find: Pierre Cardin Monkeys Around

When I was shown this 1960s Pierre Cardin dress trimmed in monkey fur

do you think I

a. Shrieked with joy

b. Gasped

c. Jumped up and down with joy

d. Cried and hugged the client because it was so amazing

e. Immediately thought, hmm... think I will keep this one

f. Or all of the above

Well, if you chose 'f' you would be mostly right.  Except I resisted the urge to keep it for myself and our     little black Cardin dress from the 1960s, trimmed in monkey fur, has already left our RARE vintage nest.  Sometimes a vintage store owner has to set her vintage free.  Sometimes : )

So extraordinary isn't it?!

Please note this piece has sold.

Vintage to Wear and Collect Now: 1960s Pierre Cardin

I adore Pierre Cardin. I am very excited to have a few new pieces of 1960s Pierre Cardin just in at RARE vintage and I especially adore 1960s Pierre Cardin.  Well, truth be told, I do also adore the super  structural, geometric 1980s/1990s Pierre Cardin pieces.

If the saying, "the Devil is in the details" was applied to fashion, it would read: Pierre Cardin is in the details.  The precise stitching

Detail of a Cardin dress from RARE vintage

The leather details

Detail of a leather and crepe ensemble from RARE vintage

The circles

Collection Met Museum

Collection Met Museum

Collection Met Museum

The metal

Collection Met Museum

Cardin studied architecture before becoming an apprentice to Christian Dior and then opening his own fashion house and in the 1960s introduced the famous and iconic "Space Age" look.  There are many photos of 1960s Cardin, where you almost feel you are a very well dressed Fembot on the set of Star Trek

Photo from Tumblr

but if you take away the helmets, the goggles, the futurist team-hands-on-our-hips-about-to-face-Klingons-but-don't-we-look-fabulous you are left with  beautifully tailored dresses and tiny little suits that even the Duchess of Windsor adored.

And Audrey Hepburn

Audrey Hepburn on the beach in Pierre Cardin.  Photo from Tumblr.

Or the perfect little dress

 L'Officiel 1970.  Photographed by Guegan.

Pierre Cardin at RARE vintage.  Available now.  A sweet lavender hued and tartan print dress from the mid 1960s:

A cream dress also from the mid 1960s

It's all about the seam, the seam, the seam

I love the architectural detail on the armhole

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Mia Farrow in Pierre Cardin and at RARE vintage!

I recently bought an incredible Pierre Cardin: a fine accordion pleated silk dress with an Op Art print with a stiffened silk organdy hem and an attached neck scarf.  It was love at first sight when I bought the dress and it was love at first sight for our client who bought it.

And then I found images of Mia Farrow wearing a similar dress in the 1968 film, A Dandy in Aspic.

I have not seen the film yet but it looks like she has an amazing Cardin wardrobe so I have ordered it from Amazon.

Our Cardin (which I think is a bit nicer : )

Pierre Cardin dress from RARE vintage.  Sold.

#FF@RareVintageNYC

I've wanted to start a new section on our RARE vintage blog for awhile: my #FFs - but instead of meaning Follow Friday, it will mean my Friday Favorites.  There is a lot that I will be posting on our new column but I thought I would start with the fabulous and fabulously talented Stella Lee who is one of @RareVintageNYC 's favorite stylists.

Stella Lee recently styled a story for Fashion Gone Rogue and the wardrobe came exclusively from yours truly: RARE vintage.  As gorgeous as our Schleppi mannequin is, it is a real treat to see our vintage on a real live model styled brilliantly by Stella Lee and photographed by Angelo d'Agostino.

Thank you Stella!!

#FF @RareVintageNYC:

Marc Bohan for Christian Dior

Pierre Cardin Couture suit with leather detail

Galanos crepe and lace black gown

John Galliano polka dotted pajama Le Smoking ensemble

Marc Jacobs for Perry Ellis beaded ensemble

Oscar de la Renta silk dress

You can see the entire story here.  More #FF RareVintageNYC next Friday!!

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London Fog

New York has been feeling a little like London for the past two days so it makes one's fancy turn to tweed.  Of course, this is RARE vintage in New York so we're not talking about the Queen's Balmoral tweeds but tweed with a little leather thrown in by Pierre Cardin.  It is in a beautiful shade of forest green with accents of bright blue, orange, yellow and red.  Mr. Cardin could not resist adding on leather futuristic arrows on the snaps that close the jacket.

 

It has a bit of a cape like feel as the sleeves are open underneath the arm and flare out at end.  Pierre Cardin called them fantasy sleeves.  How beautiful would this look with a pencil skirt or even a pair of jeans.  Tea and crumpets anyone with their Pierre Cardin tweed?!

 1980s Pierre Cardin tweed jacket with leather detail.  Size 6.  $750

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Follow the Leader: Pierre Cardin!

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

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

Late 1970s black crepe Pierre Cardin suit with  leather detail.  Size 4/6.
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Discovering the Cosmos: Pierre Cardin

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

 

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

 

 

 

 

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

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