Lady Gaga In RARE vintage!!!

Happy Thanksgiving from me and RARE vintage to all of our clients, RARE vintage blog readers and Lady Gaga's little artpop monsters!  

I have a full day planned of revisiting my old Martha Stewart issues, with evidence of Thanksgiving pasts on their pages, and look forward to a delicious dinner by candlelight with a beautiful turkey (yes, Martha's recipe does indeed make for a delicious turkey with a beautiful deep amber color) and family and friends, a few dogs and our new bunny. 

I am also looking forward to turning on the television tonight at 9:30PM to watch Lady Gaga and The Muppets' Holiday Spectacular  and seeing Lady Gaga wearing RARE vintage!  Again!!  If you read our blog, you will remember Lady Gaga in her 2011 Thanksgiving special wearing Givenchy and Valentino haute couture form RARE vintage and if you don't read the blog faithfully, you can see photos from that special here.

Doesn't she look beautiful?  And Kermit makes a handsome accessory to our vintage Franka, Baroness Stael von Holstein, dress don't you think?!  This dress actually belonged to the beautiful Ava Gardner!  I can't wait to tonight's special and of course, Lady Gaga wearing RARE vintage!

And speaking of Lady Gaga wearing RARE vintage, she has been wearing quite a bit of RARE vintage this past week...

On the Ellen Degeneres show, Lady Gaga wore a hot pink Halston chiffon dress from RARE vintage:

and in Tokyo, Lady Gaga wore a 1970's Norma Kamali military style ensemble with suspenders from RARE vintage:

I owe a special thanks to Gaga Fashionland because I have been so busy writing essays and doing applications for my twins, who are applying to middle school, to really even be aware of what is going on in my own RARE vintage Fashionland.  So a huge thank you to Gaga Fashionland, Lady Gaga and the uber talented stylist Brandon Maxwell!  I have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving and I hope you do too!

Carine Roitfeld at Cannes in RARE vintage!

Looking like the style icon that she is, Carine Roitfeld looked dazzling in her 1977 Norma Kamali sequin dress from RARE vintage at the de Grisogono party during the Cannes film festival!

I love this dress and we had literally just gotten it in when it swept out the door to its new fabulous future with Carine!

I think its original owner will be thrilled to know that the dress still has a good party in it!

Who, What, Wear Wednesday!

Who, What, Wear Wednesday is here!  Stylish inspiration from stylish girls for our RARE vintage blog readers!

We have had so many wonderfully stylish women who shop at RARE vintage and in honor of celebrating our 5th year anniversary, I thought it would be fun to have a look back at what really stylish women have worn from RARE vintage.

Gaga.  Lady Gaga.  A dream of fantasy, music, culture and massive talent.  An Icon.  Lady Gaga in Norma Kamali.  Lady Gaga in Valentino Couture.  Lady Gaga in Givenchy Couture.  All from RARE vintage.  

A look back at Lady Gaga dressed by RARE vintage...

Lady Gaga in Givenchy Couture from RARE vintage with Tony Bennet:

Lady Gaga in Valentino Couture from RARE vintage cooking up a turkey:

Lady Gaga in Norma Kamali from RARE vintage accepting the Best Single, Best Album, Best Pop/Rock Artist and Best Selling Artist for the 2010 Music Awards:

Lady Gaga.  RARE vintage.  What inspires you?

The Tide is HIGH!

Before Norma Kamali OMO (On My Own) and before the 56th Street store (which is right down the street from RARE vintage.  We have an entrance on 56th and 57th Streets) there was Norma Kamali in a second floor store on Madison Avenue with a sewing machine creating clothes crafted from unexpected materials: parachute silk (with rip cords still intact), sweatshirt material and her famous sleeping-bag coat. 

We women are practical sorts (despite what some boyfriends and husbands may think.  Case in point: I need the Angelina Jolie Lorraine Schwartz emerald $2,500,000 earrings because it is a very practical purchase.  They will go with everything!  You see, I am not being extravagant, I am being practical!)

Women designers tend to be practical as well.  The idea for the sleeping-bag coat came about after Norma was on a camping trip and had to get up in the middle of a chilly night to go to the bathroom.  She threw on her sleeping bag and ran for the bushes and as she was running, she thought, "I need to put some sleeves in this thing."  And after the rest stop, the rest is fashion history.  

So it is 1976, the legs are long, the tan is bronze-y and the tide is high.  And so is the cut on this original Norma Kamali diaper swimsuit!  I should add a photograph of the swimsuit before it is all tied onto our mannequin because it is quite incredible.  Two long panels simply sewn together.  So be glamorous, be original in an original and glamorous Norma Kamali diaper swimsuit!

Norma Kamali Diaper Swimsuit

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The Color of the Evening: Green

THE color of the evening at the 2011 Golden Globes was green...

I am still seeing green after Angelina Jolie's first green moment...

Really.  Those Lorraine Schwartz are the only earrings one needs to own.  They would go with everything.  Absolutely everything.

Okay!  Back to reality.  After all, Angelina probably did not buy them either.  Which means they may still be available!  But as I said, back to reality... but, they really would go with everything!

This is a wonderful early 1970s Norma Kamali emerald green velvet ensemble.  Norma was still on Madison Avenue when she designed this.  It is uber glamorous and the draped skirt's silhouette is slightly 1910s in feeling.

The cropped top has kimono sleeves and the skirt draped at the hips narrows towards the hem.  There is a slit in the back.

1970s Norma Kamali Velvet Ensemble.  Size 4/6.

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You Can Leave Your Socks On!

One of the sexiest stripteases in the movies is Kim Basinger taking it all off to Joe Cocker's You can leave your hat on in '9 1/2 Weeks'.  Now, I figure if Joe or Mickey had seen Kim Basinger in this Norma Kamali swimsuit ensemble, they would have said, you can leave your socks on.   Hmmm, isn't that what our former Govenor, Elliot Spitzer, did?  

This is a pin up girl's dream outfit.   A forties inspired leopard print bikini with a high waisted bottom that is gathered in the front and tight across the derriere.  And most, how shall I say, curious?  intriguing?  amusing? of all it comes with socks.  Yes, you read that right, socks!  Whether you leave your socks on, is all up to you!

1970s Norma Kamali leopard print forties inspired bikini and socks! 

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Video Killed the Radio Star

A 1970s Norma Kamali cropped, form fitting jumpsuit with sharp shoulders and gigot sleeves calls out to the girl with big dreams and a lot of ambition.  

She takes dance classes during the day and writes songs at night.  She already knows that she is going to be a star.   She knows that video is a metaphor for outrageous glamour.  

Here is The Buggles 1979 Video killed the Radio Star (Too funny!  I had to include it! Love the sunglasses!)

1970s black and white striped Norma Kamali jumpsuit.  $650
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Gone Gaga!

I was very fortunate to see and dance to Lady Gaga performing at the Met gala earlier this month and then a week later saw her again at Trudie Styler's Rainforest Benefit.   Which by the way was an incredible concert at Carnegie Hall, with Sting of course, Elton John, Debbie Harry, Dame Shirley Bassey and Bruce Springsteen.  The entire night was amazing but I did especially love Elton John singing Madonna's song Like a Virgin with nearly naked boys leaping around him.  

Lady Gaga was introduced by Elton John and the crowd basically went crazy.  Elton John's introduction for her was wonderful.  He said that she is an incredible performer and can really do it all.  She can play the piano, she can sing, she can dance and she can write.  

Here is Lady Gaga at the World Music Awards wininng multiple times in a Norma Kamali studded swimsuit that she found at RARE vintage!

1970s Hot Kamali

We have had a few great early dresses and swimsuits by Norma Kamali at RARE vintage and we are excited to add this leopard print lycra dress to our collection. There has always been an easy connection between sportswear and glamour in Norma Kamali's designs. Parachute ball gown anyone? This is a perfect day to evening dress and would look great with ballet slippers or flat sandals.

We are not the only ones spotting leopard as a trend (really when isn't it?) Check out Rachel Weisz in February In Style in our 1980s Jean Louis Scherrer couture leopard print silk dress:

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

Norma Kamali in Vogue

In the August issue of Vogue and V magazine there are two pages devoted to vintage Norma Kamali swimsuits. I remember feeling very glamorous at The Beverly Hills Hotel in the exact same draped jersey swimsuit that is featured in Vogue. George Hamilton was poolside with a silvered metallic UV reflector to work on his tan.

RARE vintage has two iconic Norma Kamali swimsuits. Our one piece with silver studs is from Nan Kempner's personal collection. We don't recommend it for lying in the sun necessarily - although it is perfect for The Monte Carlo Beach Club - won't those studs get just a little hot? But it would be amazing as a top!

Our other Norma Kamali swimsuit is prrrfect for the beach and with its micro mini cover up, it is also prrrfect for a little shopping apres beach in town. The ideal ensemble when you want to be the cat's meow. (Sorry, we could not resist!)

1993 studded one piece Norma Kamali swimsuit from the personal collection of Nan Kempner. Size 4.

Early 1990s Norma Kamali leopard print bikini with micro mini cover up. Size 4.

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273. Please include name, state or country and telephone number on all email inquiries.

Crazy for Kamali

We have gone crazy for 1970's Norma Kamali! We have some amazing and unique pieces that we will continue to post. This gown was worn in 1976 to the Costume Institutes's Party of the Year by a girl about town and would be just as incredible at next years Super Hero themed party at the Met.

The label is Kamali from when she had her second floor space on Madison Avenue. It is very unusual and versatile as you can wear it as a dress and as a cape. We think that this dress with a pair of high strappy silver heels are all you need to be the best dressed at any party!
Size 4/6




For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

The Glam and the Glamorous from New York

New York Spring 2008 Fashion Week has begun. We started last night at Tom Ford's very elegant and refined men's store on Madison Avenue for a book party honoring Marilyn Minter's new monograph. We love how thorough Tom Ford is: the traffic cones outside the store were painted white (but, of course, no vulgar orange neon cones here!) and all of the waiters had slicked side parted hair - very 1930's slightly sinister movie actor.

Today we were at FIT's Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion honoring Alber Elbaz. We have long admired Mr. Elbaz's talents from the time he started at Guy Laroche, went on to YSL and now at Lanvin. He gave a very beautiful, thoughtful, funny and extremely kind speech. What he said about women, aging and the pursuit of perfection should be published in every magazine. I think everyone there wanted to give him a hug!

And can we just say how beautiful Demi Moore is in person?

Now down to what Fashion week is really all about: the fashion!


RARE vintage has two beautiful gowns from two New York designers.

The glam is a 1975 Norma Kamali jersey dress in dusty rose. The label is Kamali New York and predates her OMO Norma Kamali line. This is when she had a store on Madison Avenue. It is a very sexy one shoulder body revealing gown. The train can be worn down or there is a loop for your finger in case you want to dance like you were at Studio 54! Size 4. SOLD




The glamorous is a Scaasi Boutique from the 1980s. It is a strapless silk gown with voided velvet flowers that drapes very seductively around the body ending in a stiff tulle underskirt. But best of all are the enormous black silk bows running down the back. Size 4/6.


For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273