The Incredible Lightness of Beene

Geoffrey Beene was training to become a doctor in Hainsville La, when he was caught sketching a dress in an anatomy book.  He went on to study fashion in New York and Paris and became the designer for Teal Traina before opening his own house in 1963.  

Mr Beene recalled that one of his earliest memories was seeing a piece of fabric and wanting to turn it into a pair of beach pajamas.  "To see something totally flat and without form, suddenly transformed into something else - well that's what it's all about."

In 1994 the Fashion Institute of Technology exhibited 30 years of Mr Beene's fashion design in the exhibition, Beene Unbound.  The fashion writer for the New York Times Bernadine Morris said that the majority of the pieces in the show were from the 1980s and 1990s "when the designer's work gathered a certain force".  I too believe that Geoffrey Beene worked from season to season building on ideas and his craft and that the 1980s and 1990s were the prime of his work.

The idea of weightlessness was an important part of the Beene vocabulary.  He wanted women to feel a sense of freedom in his clothes.  He wanted the clothes to be to the body but never to be vulgar.

This strapless dress from circa 1990 is in deep shade of midnight blue.  It is in avery light jersey with a modern and slightly contrasting black fabric with a subtle sheen at the waist and a fluttering chiffon skirt.  Would be beautiful with a small tailored jacket over it or just as it is delicate and suggestive.

Circa 1990 strapless Geoffrey Beene gown.  Size 4/6.

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Getting Ready: The Met Gala: Part Two: The Dermatologist: Dr Dennis Gross

Okay.  I know what you are thinking: fillers and botox.  But no.  That is not my aesthetic.  I am not judging anyone here - and never say never but for the time being I am all about maintenance.  Due diligence.  (this is what Demi Moore told me.  Diligence.  Bloody hell. (sorry, I have been vicariously in London all day - but bloody hell - if Demi Moore tells you she looks the way she does because of diligence, you bloody well do due diligence!)  Though I confess to occasionally going to bed with my make up on.  Horrible I know.  I am deeply ashamed.  What would Demi say??

Don't even bring up all those summers of topless sunbathing in Sardinia with Clairins spray sun tan oil 15 SPF...  (if I knew now what I knew then...  Please pass the SPF  90...)

But back to Doctor Gross.  I see him for the V Beam.  It smoothes and reduces redness.  It is not inexpensive but it is wonderful and the results are immediate and there is no downtime.  There are so many products and procedures that promise smoother, plumper, line free skin but this actually works.  A little uncomfortable but it does not last long.  

Dr Gross also recommends: Joy.  Beauty on the inside refelects beauty on the outside.

I also recommend from Dr Gross:

the Extra Strength Alpha Beta Peel - not too invasive, no redness and renewed looking skin.  I have been using this for ages.  Great on hands and elbows too.

Powerful Sun Protection 45 - I admit to having had a real block about using a suntan lotion that could be used on the face AND on the body.  I have actually had separate suntan lotions for my eyes, my face, my decollete and my body.  It is exhausting.  But once you release your fear that one product could do it all - you discover that it can.  And it is liberating!  Just one lotion and you are done!  (Think how happy your boyfriend or husband will be to have some counter space when you go on holiday!)

and the Hydra-Pure Vitamin C Serum.  I love this specifically for my neck and sometimes under the eyes.  (You see I just can't give up on the idea of devoting a cream to each body part...)


And a whole lotta joy and happiness!

Doctor Dennis Gross.  105 East 37th Street.  212.725.0946

And as Mrs. Archer Remarked When the Van der Luyens Chose, They Knew How to Give a Lesson

And as Mrs. Archer remarked when the Windsors (oops I mean the Van der Luyens) chose, they knew how to give a lesson. Edith Wharton.  The Age of Innocence.

Indeed they do.    

The Dress!

Sarah Burton it is!!  Catherine Middleton, about to become Duchess of Cambridge.  Lucky girl!!  I mean the dress of course!

From the official Royal Wedding website:
Miss Catherine Middleton's Wedding Dress has been designed by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen.

Miss Middleton chose British brand Alexander McQueen for the beauty of its craftsmanship and its respect for traditional workmanship and the technical construction of clothing. Miss Middleton wished for her dress to combine tradition and modernity with the artistic vision that characterises Alexander McQueen's work. Miss Middleton worked closely with Sarah Burton in formulating the design of her dress.


From the Telegraph.co.uk by Hilary Alexander:
Ms Middleton stepped out of the vintage Rolls Royce Phantom VI and into the pages of royal and fashion history.

Fabulous, fashionable and fairytale, it featured a high-necked, sculpted long-sleeved bodice in lace which contoured the waist and hips. The long, medieval-style sleeves and ultra-long train enhanced Ms Middleton's regal bearing as she made her way, on the arm of her father, to the Abbey's Great West Door.The design of the long-awaited wedding-dress combined majesty and modernity, royal heritage and romantic history, passion and pageantry.

Underneath the long lace-trimmed veil, Ms. Middleton wore a small pearl and diamond tiara.

And from WWD:

The dress featured a lace appliquéd bodice and skirt, along with long lace sleeves and a high lace collar. The lace was hand-made at London’s Royal School of Needlework based at Hampton Court Palace.

The design was appliquéd with individual flowers that were hand cut from lace, and then hand engineered onto ivory silk tulle. The bodice and skirt were made from hand-cut English lace and French Chantilly lace, while ivory and white satin gazar was also used in the body of the dress and its skirts. The ivory satin bodice, narrowed at the waist and padded at the hips, drew on the tradition of Victorian corsetry. The train measured eight feet long.

Middleton also wore a full veil, made from layers of soft ivory silk tulle with a trim of hand-embroidered flowers. The veil was held in place with a Cartier halo tiara, lent to Middleton by Queen Elizabeth. The tiara was made by Cartier in 1936, and was presented to the Queen on her 18th birthday, when she was still Princess Elizabeth.

It was presented to her by her mother, who originally owned the tiara. Middleton wore earrings in the design of diamond-set oak leaves, designed by Robinson Pelham, a gift to Middleton from her parents.

Her shoes were hand-made by the team at Alexander McQueen, in ivory duchesse satin with hand embroidered lace. Middleton’s bouquet, meanwhile, was made up of myrtle, lily of the valley, sweet William and hyacinth.

Getting Ready: The Met Gala: Part One: Yoga or my Yoga Teacher is Evil

On Monday night, I will be attending 'The Party of the Year'.  The Met Gala, which is a fund raiser for The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is an incredible opportunity to support an institution which houses and protects one of the finest and most comprehensive collections of costume and textiles in the world.  Yes, it is all fabulous, the shows are amazing - last year the section devoted to Rita Lydig was an immense treat on its own.  But what must be remembered is what the goal of the evening is: to support The Costume Institute.

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty.  

The Metropolitan Museum of Art. May 4, 2011 - July 31, 2011

Fashion is art and fashion as an art form is an important covenant to what I have always believed as a devoted supporter of fashion and fashion as an art form.  Sometimes we collect, just to collect, sometimes we collect to wear, but we also collect to protect a part of our history.  Fashion is as much a part of our shared history as the houses we live in, the furniture we sit on, the porcelain we use, the paintings and photographs we hang on our walls.  Fashion represents us as an individual and as a society.  Fashion says who we are and who we are not.  Fashion is not frivolous but complicated and transformative: a bit of cloth and thread can become something dreams are made of.  The craft and experience of a dwindling number of artisans is devoted to the creation of something unimagined.

This year the delicate and defiant genius of Alexander McQueen is being celebrated.  Alexander McQueen was a rare talent who in his fashion shows and fashions was able to take us places we had never dreamed of but after seeing his work desperately wanted to go to.

The Met Gala is also the 'Oscars of the East Coast' and the exhilaration and intimidation of walking up the steps of the Museum is also enough to force a mere girl into a frenzy of preparation.  It takes a village.  This is my village.  

Getting Ready: The Met Gala: Part One or My Yoga Teacher is Evil

And it all starts with my yoga teacher Jodi Stuart.  I found Jodi by a happy chance after looking at a Town and Country magazine.  I had had a shoulder accident which physical therapy had not helped.  Jodi helped.  She has made me more aware of my body and she is always trying to make me even more aware of it.  She makes me do strange breathing things which drives my dogs crazy.  (But I admit makes me feel better.  A little.  Panting?  I mean really.  No matter what she calls it.  Pranha-something or other.  It's still panting like a pooch)   She make me twist and stretch and detox.  She loves twisting and detoxing the kidney because I do like a glass of wine or two... I didn't know you could ring out the kidney but that's Jodi.  She thinks of everything!)  

So I made the mistake of mentioning the gala and that I needed to do a little extra toning.  BIG MISTAKE!  This is where The Evil Yoga Teacher part begins...  I can barely type this... I am so exhausted!  She's evil!  (But I feel fabulous!  Stronger, more toned, more flexible, more peaceful - and that is my favorite thing about yoga.  It really does make you feel good and more at peace.  Just don't tell Jodi any of this!  Might make her feel very smug!)

Here are Jodi's tips for getting ready in a week:

Jodi Stuart:

When Juliana told me she wanted to get in shape for the ball next Monday night, I asked her what she was to wearing: a gorgeous vintage Alaia gown..... Sleeveless!!!

Here is the yoga plan for the week:

Arms- Strengthen the arms so they have a nice natural form (this means hours spent in down dog and plank...ugh...)

Legs- (Even though they will be covered) Need to be energized for dancing. Strong vinyasa class with non-stop movement.  (Ugh!  I am panting already and we have not even started the Pranayama...)

Core- From plank variations to crunches.... stomach in chest out. Chin up and keep your eyes on the ceiling.  (How many crunches was that??  I lost count at a thousand...)

Posture- Lengthening the spine from grounding down to lift up... balancing poses.

Breath- Pranayama  practices for smooth breathing  opening the heart, to reveal the beauty inside.  (Woof!)

This is a win win combination for Juliana to shine and gracefully enjoy the Costume Ball.

Jodi Stuart can be contacted at bliss4jodi@aol.com.  And she really is amazing.  Especially if you have had an injury, are dealing with a lot of stress or getting ready for tennis or bikini season.  I'm more the bikini and margarita type myself...

Beene in Black and Blue

I am normally not a fan of mixing black and blue but Geoffrey Beene, of course, being brilliant mixed an azure blue silk with a slight sheen with a pleated and fluttering black silk chiffon.  

Mr. Beene was also brilliant at knowing just where to add a little slash like at the top of the bodice in this dress to make the whole look light, beautiful and modern.

  There is more to come in our collection of Geoffrey Beene...
Geoffrey Beene in black and blue silk dress. Size 6.
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Easter in New York

On Fifth Avenue today.  Oh and did I mention, winter has left, spring never arrived, summer is here... and everyone was in full bloom.

The Perennial: Bill Cunningham

Isabella Blow??  Calling all casting directors, this is your girl...

Weekend Reading 9: The Actress: Lantelme and the Couturier

"I had contrived to get a photograph of Lantelme; it adorned my dressing table and I made desperate efforts to look like her, dress my hair in the same way, wear the same clothes." Misia Sert

Lantelme and the couturier Madeleine Vionnet.  

Easter Weekend reading for you from RARE vintage.  Part Two in our series on Lantelme.  Read on...

In 1906 Madeleine Vionnet accepted an offer from Jacques Doucet.  He agreed to let her design her own models.  Her first act was to create dresses to be 'worn against the skin' by the mannequins.  She eliminated a high necked, long sleeved sheath over which the dresses were presented.  It was considered improper to show too much skin.  

Her models were worn primarily by actresses who were clients of Doucet: Cécile Sorel, Eve Lavalliere, Réjane and Lantelme.  

Photograph of Lantelme inscribed to Madeleine Vionnet.

 

And Because Spring is Never Coming to New York

A cozy, sexy, body conscious dress from Azzedine Alaia.  Just goes to show you do not have to be bare to be sexy.  

This is a very early Alaia piece from circa 1981.

'Alaia's first collection was presented in his apartment on Rue de Bellechasse - he made no concessions, with no invitations and no music.  People fought over kitchen stools; the bathroom doubled as the make up room.  All of fashionable Paris wanted to be there.' from Francois Baudot's Alaia

Alaia is a well known collector of vintage haute couture and perhaps he was inspired by Schiaparelli who used brightly colored zippers as a design element.

Dress is in a wool jersey.  So many times, the dresses we have at RARE vintage tend to be on the smaller side but I am happy to say that is not teeny tiny but a size 6/8.

Amazing piece for a collector too!

Circa 1981 Alaia wool jersey zipper dress.  Size 6/8.

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Page Six

Too good not to share and easy to imagine:

"Lagerfeld, who arrived on his private plane from Paris late Wednesday, bumping into his friend and fellow icon Valentino on the tarmac at Teterboro amid a flurry of luxury suitcases and handsome entourages."  -Page Six in the NY Post.

Emilio Schuberth and the Wicked Décolleté

Emilio Schuberth was an Italian designer known for his wicked décolletés.  His clients included women with famously wicked décolletés: Gina Lollobrigida, Sophia Loren,  Brigitte Bardot and Ava Garnder.  

His clothes were molded to the body and ultra feminine.   Schuberth too was quite the dandy driving a Cadillac with a lace interior and full of fresh flowers.  He could be just as extravagant in his fashion designs: the tulle!  the lace!  the embroidery!  But his work could also be tailored and simple and architectural.

But tailored and simple the Italian way which was all about the Bella Figura and La Dolce Vita.  And the wicked décolleté.

I am very excited to be able to offer this extremely rare and beautiful 1950s Emilio Schuberth black jersey tailored to the body, with a weighted hem and black silk ribbon trim dress.  

1950s Emilio Schuberth cocktail dress.

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Summertime Means

A warm sandy beach.  A stack of Vogue magazines: American Vogue, Vogue Italia, French Vogue, Vogue Japan and I could go on and on... A good book.  (Why are most fashion books so enormous?  None make for good beach books).   Perfect hair after a swim in the sea.  A bikini and a tan.  And a sunblock of 30 or is it 60 or even 90.  Musn't forget the hat and the umbrella.  It was so much easier in the 1970s - just some baby oil and you were good to fry.  Did you see the photos of Nigella Lawson in a birkini?  Is this what suntanning has come to??  Summer means Sardinia and Missoni.  A boys tank top and a long Missoni skirt and flat sandals.  Gold bangles.  Summertime.

Missoni skirt.  Will fit a 4/6

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The 1960s Gucci Bag

I don't know about you but I change my bags often.  I kind of have a dream that I can buy one bag and it will go with everything but it never happens.  It is either too big, not big enough, the wrong color, the wrong shape... this is one of the reasons why I can find myself without my wallet or a favorite lipstick - it gets left in an old bag.  My heroine is a woman I know who keeps everything inside her purse in small colorful Prada nylon bags.  So when she changes her bag it is very tidy and she has everything.  That is another dream.  Someday I will be super organized...

This 1960s Gucci is not an everyday bag.  It requires a certain ensemble.  It doesn't have to be an elegant dress though it is obviously perfect for that too.  It is also perfect with what I like to call the 'Elle Macpherson taking her children to school in Notting Hill look' (bummer for all of the other Mums don't you think?)

Anyway, as I was writing, this 1960s Gucci bag is also perfect with a pair of skinny jeans, ballet flats and a tailored jacket.  Crisp and lady-like but not too lady-like.  

1960s shiny brown faux crocodile leather Gucci bag with golden hardware.

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Like Moths Among the Whisperings and the Champagne and the Stars

"My house looks well, doesn't it?" he demanded.  "See how the whole front of it catches the light?"  I agreed that it was splendid.

Daisy came out of the house and two rows of brass buttons on her dress gleamed in the sunlight.

"That huge place THERE?" she cried pointing.

"Do you like it?"

"I love it, but I don't see how you live there all alone."

"I keep it always full of interesting people, night and day.  People who do interesting things.  Celebrated people." -The Great Gatsby

Land's End.  Sands Point Long Island.  Thought to be the inspiration for the home of Tom and Daisy Buchanan in F.Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.  Demolished today.

Photo from Old Long Island

The Feather in Her Cap

I love a good plume and as a card carrying member of the fashion flock, I am always ready to wear a feathered something or other.  Someday I will take a photo of all of my feathered pieces and show you...

So when I saw this beautifully feathered head piece which is bohemian, avant garde and pretty, I knew I had to have it.  Had to have it for RARE that is... really truly, I was not thinking of myself... but I do have so many things that it would go with...  I must be a sadist or else why would I have a vintage couture store where I actually have to sell the things??   It's insanity!  It's for sale really...

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Chanel and the Little Black Dress

The little black dress was one of the defining looks of Coco Chanel.  They were simple and wildly feminine.    Coco Chanel said, "I am neither in the past nor avant-garde.  My style follows life."

Karl Lagerfeld's designs for Chanel are also not mired in the past.  He plays with the vocabulary of the House of Chanel and seduces us with its history and its future.  Sometimes we are La Garconne, sometimes The Coquette in chiffon and ribbons, sometimes we are poverty de luxe (just a rebellious child in a provincial orphanage dreaming of a tiara), sometimes we are the woman who can make an Empire by just being herself.

This early Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel dress is strapless with ribbon detailing at the bust and hem of the dress. 

It is flirty and feminine and pretty.  

Early 1980s Chanel black ribbon dress.  Size 6.

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When I am 70

I want my hair to be a mesmerizing shade of red, wear black silk, have my nails painted a deep red, have my birthday party at Indochine and look as amazing as Grace Coddington.  I mean really.  70 isn't what it use to be!

Happy Birthday Grace!!

Photo from Vogue.com

Read all about it here on Vogue.com 

Bianca Jagger

Did you know Bianca Jagger was in the Cannonball Run??  

Weekend Reading 8: The Actress: Lantelme and the Bottier

I love Hilary Rodham Clinton's expression 'It takes a village'.  Like getting ready for the Met gala, it takes a village but more on that later...

A fashionable woman needs a village: the clothes, the shoes, the lover...  This is Part One in a series on the French actress Lantelme who was the daughter of a janitor and was said to be the most beautiful woman in the world.  Weekend reading for you from RARE vintage.  Read on...

There is a photo of the French actress Lantelme and it is inscribed "to the dearest and best shoe maker in the world".

Lantelme

Yantorny: Bottier

Paolo Yantorny, the artist bootmaker, who clothes the feet of Princesses, Grand Dukes and men of wealth. If you happen to be one of these he will receive you in his white apron and somewhat rough clothing, and with the same absence of any sort of deference.  

The Hautest of the Haute Hippies

The name Missoni is well known and loved for its vivid striped and zigzagged knitware.  

I love Missoni because it is always charming and eclectic.  They are also real clothes for everyday life.  Like this 1970s Missoni dress with its gently draped collar.  The line is long and lean - which is perfectly on trend for this season.  You just need a great flat sandal - something you had made in Capri by Les Rondini perhaps and a -well, I am torn, is it a studded Alexander Wang Lia Crossbody Bag, Proenza Schouler PS11 bag or a vintage Chanel... hmmm...  vintage Chanel of course I think!

You can also wear it with this incredible sort of kimono - it is a Missoni fantasy - just a rectangular panel, folded over to create sleeves which creates a wonderful soft kimono shape.  Or you can wear this as a beach cover up or you can wear it with a tank and jeans for a little shopping at the Maibu Country Mart.

1970s Missoni caftan and dress.  Sold separately.

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Say No to the Big Schlep: Bottega Veneta

The title of this post could also be:  you can do it!  You do not need to take everything you own with you all of the time.  No, you do not need that kitchen sink just bring a little bottle of hand sanitizer.  I mean really - if men can carry just a wallet (what are they thinking??  Where is all their stuff?  That is taking it too far. Imagine!  Just a wallet. Pfff!)  That is why we women are the stronger sex: it is because we carry incredibly heavy bags and totes and all sorts of things.  I can just imagine what would happen if a woman swapped her bag for a man's wallet: the man would be crying, Mercy! in a mere matter of moments.

But there are times ladies when it is nice to lighten our load and this buttery soft little distinctive woven leather Bottega Veneta bag is perfect.  The color is a deep chocolate and the adjustable strap can be worn doubled or its full length.  There is an interior zipper pocket.   Lovely and light!! 

Bottega Veneta woven leather chocolate bag.  

6 3/4" wide, height is nearly 5" and 2 1/2" at its widest.

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Weekend Reading 7: The Life Aquatic on the T.M. Blue

Any day now we will (hopefully) be able to wear some of the new Spring clothes we bought when there was still snow on the ground, the Met Gala is almost here, school will be over soon and summer holiday will begin.  How times does fly!  So one's thoughts turn to swimsuits, reading a book in the sun, self tanners (I am experimenting and will let you know if I find a good one) and some place wonderful by the sea.  

Valentino is very Italian in that quality of life is very important.  The pleasure of being around friends, in a beautiful location with delicious food is a very simple concept and one of the greatest luxuries.  Weekend reading for you from RARE vintage.  Read on...

Every Friday night of the summer, at 7:30 exactly, Valentino, his favorite pug, Oliver, and a few friends pile into a limousine and drive to a yacht basin an hour north of Rome.  There they climb aboard the designer's eighty-five-foot yacht, have dinner and sail away.  "The boat means peace," sighs Valentino. 

T.M. Blue One anchored in the port of St. Tropez 2006.

To give an idea just how perfect Valentino, the Roman designer, is, two people, both Americans who don't wish their names to be used, tell a similar story involving a hair dryer. Evidently, when Valentino and his business partner, Giancarlo Giammetti, were moored off Capri last summer in Valentino's 152-foot yacht, T. M. Blue One, there was a lot of coifing going on.

''One of them would jump in the water for a swim, come back out, and suddenly you'd hear a blow-dryer going, 'Bzzzzzzz,' '' said one of the observers, who was on a boat nearby. ''In Capri, you're either wet from the water or from the heat. It's impossible to look your best all the time. But all day long, you'd hear the sound of a blow-dryer coming from their boat. 'Bzzzzzzz.' Ten times a day.''

Tonight's the Night

Rod Stewart is crooning, 

"Kick off your shoes and sit right down
Loosen up that pretty French gown
Let me pour you a good long drink
Ooh baby don't you hesitate cause

Tonights the night
It's gonna be alright
Cause I love you girl
Ain't nobody gonna stop us now"

and all the girls look like Jerry Hall, Patti Hansen and Britt Ekland.

Sorry that photo was just too good to pass up :)  I almost like his bikini better then hers...  very Prada this season don't you think?

Anyway, as I was writing - all the girls look like Jerry Hall: long hair, glossy lips and a sun kissed glow.  The photographer is Guy Bourdin.  The vinyl is Rod Stewart's 'Tonight's the Night'.  The dress is a slinky jersey Gianni Versace for Callaghan.

The slinky dress has a fringed detail at the top of the slightly blouson bodice and braided spaghetti straps.

So have fun dancing the night away and don't be surprised if by the end of the night, you have your long dressed hitched and tied up at the waist.  It's what Jerry would have done with those long legs...

1970s Gianni Versace for Callaghan black jersey dress with fringed detail.

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