Love the Retro look but not sure about shopping vintage?
Lily & Cie – Los Angeles
Locating the best pre-loved pieces can be tricky but definitely worthwhile for those who love that extra attention to detail. The stores mentioned here fail to capture the true essence of what they really are. They offer so much more. They are run by truly obsessive people – scholars, men and women who can spot a 1966 vs. a 1968 YSLwomen’s tuxedo on the street, who can call out a fake Chanel jacket from a sample of thread. This is not your typical thrift shop deal although people have been known to occasionally spot a great find from one or even a rummage, garage or sidewalk sale.
Lily et Cie in Beverly Hills may just be the original fashion archive, the store that made vintage acceptable, wearable and cool. Owner Rita Watkin, known to be notoriously picky, is a true character with an encyclopaedic knowledge of fashion. Her story: before founding Lily et Cie, she worked at Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, Valentino and YSL. One day, she inherited a prestigious collection of 20th Century fashion (that today rivals that of the Met and the Louvre) from a close family friend. She stored it for years until word spread and she finally opened up shop in the 80’s. On a visit years ago, we spotted John Galliano and his entourage (circa the Christian Dior years) taking notes and seeking inspiration. Ahhhh.
Renée Zellwegger & Penélope Cruz – both in Lily & Cie dresses.
Picked up from Lily et Cie – the iconic yellow Jean Desses worn by Renée Zellwegger to the Oscars. Gorgeous on her! And of course, Penélope Cruz looks great in anything but check out this Balmain princess frock also worn to the Oscars -where she won for Vicky Christina Barcelona.
Then…there’s:
Decades on Melrose, known as Hollywood’s destination for the finest vintage couture and modern luxury consignment.
Decades
Cameron Silver and Christos Garkinos, aka The Dukes of Melrose, run a vintage store so revered in Hollywood that it had its own TV show on Bravo. In fact, Cameron has literally written the book on fashion. It’s name? Decades. Hand-picked items are displayed in their deluxe boutique in such a way that customers can truly see each piece for what it is – vintage couture. Cameron says it best, “When Decades opened in 1997, vintage was still rather socially unacceptable and people were turned off by wearing something ‘used.’ However, Decades educated the savvy fashionista that vintage is a modern way to differentiate your style and the edit has always been about ‘vintage that looks modern.'”
“There isn’t a season that goes by that a designer doesn’t reference the iconic Norman Norell mermaid gowns of the 1960’s. Marc Jacobs recently showed several variations. Whether fully covered like a second skin or a more bare halter style, the flat paillettes look magically applied to the body in a very sensual manner that remains timeless nearly 60 years after this dress was designed. This is pure glamour.”
70’s Courreges
“One of the big trends this fall is the introduction of the oversized bold pattern coat. Stella McCartney and Phoebe Philo have both proposed this fresh silhouette in recent collections. This is a late 70’s Courreges check coat that has the spirit of the current runway looks.”\
Early 80’s Kenzo
“Everyone’s mad for plaid this season, and the grunge-redux look can easily be luxe’d up with a vintage Kenzo shirt. I love this worn casually with jeans or a leather legging. Don’t be afraid to wear it tied around your waist with a tank top for a rocker-chic vibe.”
Ruth Myers, a true vintage fiend and the costume designer for movies like L.A. Confidential, Emma and The Addams Family, gives us her top list of vintage dealers in the two cities she calls home, L.A. and London.
Kim Basinger – L.A. Confidential
“In London, I love the stalls in Alfie’s Market. Tintin is incredibly classy, and the owner Leslie has a ton of knowledge and has wonderful treasures, as does June Victor on the top floor. I also love the basement at Gray’s Antique Market off Bond Street, Portobello market on Saturday mornings and Annie’s, Cloud Cuckoo Land and Dreamtime in Camden Passage, Islington, and it’s always worth a trail through Camden Market.”
content for Decades & Lily & Cie taken goop.com mag #11
Consulting this book is a good idea before hitting your local pre-loved boutique.
Since good quality vintage can be pricey and the sizes confusing, we asked the UK’s leading vintage stylist, personal shopper (and author of new book Style Me Vintage) Naomi Thompson to create a guide on finding the best items. Read on..
1. Be prepared
Arm yourself with garments that are easy to get out of; something you can slip on and off without fuss – my favourite uniform for vintage shopping is a button-down dress. Wear minimal make-up. Many vintage garments do up at the side and have to go over your head, rather than over your hips, so whilst it’s tempting to don a red lippy to get into the spirit of things, it’s best not to smear it all over the neck of a yellow 50s frock. You won’t be judged in a shop for not looking the part.
2. Always hold garments up to the light
Have you noticed how dark vintage shops can be? Well, it’s not always intentional (they can just be cluttered places), but it sure does make it harder to spot flaws. By holding it up to the light you can instantly see any holes or repairs. The light will also shine through any patches where the fabric has become too thin and delicate. With woolen garments, check the elbows to make sure there is not excessive wear.
3. Always check the armpits
As far as I am concerned, this is Number One in terms of importance; I don’t know why it took me so long to do this automatically! Before the days of deodorant, sweat had a habit of damaging fabric due to the acidic qualities of perspiration.
4. Look at the fastenings
Double-check that none of the buttons are missing and the zips are working properly. This may seem like a no-brainer, but all too often I’ve gotten home only to discover that a crucial covered button has fallen off or a zip is faulty. Key areas to check fastenings are around the neck line where small buttons may be hidden under a collar, and also around the cuffs. Whilst you are there, make sure the belt is still attached. If there are belt loops and no belt, it’s OK to ask for a small discount because the garment is no longer complete.
5. Talk to the sales assistants
Don’t be too proud to ask for advice in a shop, especially if you are looking for era-specific garments. This will speed up the learning process and before long you will be having a friendly debate on the age of a frock. Good shopkeepers should know their stock inside out and quite often they will keep special pieces behind for the right customer. It’s also good to develop a relationship with the vendor, as they will start to look out for garments in your size and style. Most vintage sellers are passionate about what they do and are happy to talk to customers about stock, sizes and fair pricing.
6. Go for the best you can afford
Resist the temptation to buy in bulk. Despite years of collecting for the sake of it, I now wish I had stuck to buying garments that were 100% wearable and in my size. My repairs bag is huge and you can’t ‘rescue’ everything. The less you buy, the more you can spend on those show-stopping items!
7. Don’t pay any attention to sizes on labels
Sizing is completely different nowadays, and if there is a size label I’m afraid the best option is to ignore it. To give you an example, I am an 8 but fit an 80s 10, a 60s/70s 12 and a 50s 14. Now, is this because women were smaller or are current brands changing sizes to make us feel better about ourselves? This has not yet been answered, and if you are interested in finding out more read up on Vanity Sizing. Gemma Seager, who writes the Retro Chick blog, is considered to be the industry expert.
8. Always check the bottom of shoes
More often than not, a heel tip will be missing. Check the leather around the buckle and strap for signs of wear and tear. If a leather strap looks cracked, it may break off easily. Make sure the shoe is not too bendy and will hold your weight – this can be achieved only by trying it on. In some cases the shoe’s sole can be reinforced, but this can be costly. Avoid shoes where the leather has stiffened, as they will be uncomfortable to wear.
9. Don’t buy anything that needs a lot of repairs
Don’t be tempted by garments that need altering above and beyond a simple strap shortening or a dropped hem. Scant few alteration shops will do it justice and if the fabric is raw, frayed or thin, it may not last even one cold wash!
10. Don’t be scared to try anything on
If you like it on the hanger, then chances are you will like it on you, but you also shouldn’t shy away from the bizarre; sometimes a hanger can’t convey an item’s true potential, so get it on your body – what’s the worst that could happen? As a vintage personal shopper, this has been the most rewarding element of what I do. If I got a pound every time a customer reluctantly tried on a garment which turned out to be amazing, then I could probably retire!
And finally…here’s a Vintage Shopping Kit List
A tape measure. With this and a good knowledge of your own measurements, you will save yourself a lot of stress finding changing rooms and squeezing into and out of too small items.
A waisted belt to try things on with – dresses can look completely different once they are cinched in.
A handbag with a strap to help free up your hands and avoid having to put things down. (I’ve put things down before, not realized and then seen them sporting a price tag on my next visit!)
A smile – it helps with discounts
Have fun, expect the unexpected and shop with an open mind, as you never know what may turn up.
Falling for feather & fringe on the fall/winter runways.
Do you dare? A little bit of feathered clothing and fringe boots can be fun but it’s not for everyday or everyone.
A feathered skirt beneath a knit top can strike the right note, but these richly embellished garments have plenty of glam on their own so hold the bling. Adapting a little goes a long way.
Time to pull out my mohair/ostrich feather wrap bought from a trip to S. Africa. I’ll pair it with something simple and tall heeled boots.
There must be a reason that ‘almost’ every single designer on earth is gay!Where does this connection between style and homosexuality come from?
Initially the desire to create beautiful things may have been born in reaction to dealing with a homophobic society (which has changed to become much more accepting). Thank goodness because what kind of clothing would we be wearing otherwise? And let’s face it, who can teach us all about accessorizing more than a gay man? Who gets noticed more, likes to celebrate more and really knows how to strut their stuff? All in fun it’s hard to keep a straight face!““A Queer History of Fashion – From the Closet to the Catwalk” is a new exhibition at the FIT Museum in New York. The fascinating show curated by Fred Dennis and the museum’s director, Valerie Steele, spans more than three centuries of gayness. It includes 100 looks that chronicle the community’s experiments in hiding and flaunting and outdoing itself in all sorts of aesthetic ways. The show also explores the flip-side of gay fashion: masculine women.Teaser – a little bit of history:
Drag queens, often the leaders of the gay pride parade, will, fittingly, also kick off the show. Similar to the 18th-century mollies, who dressed up to go out to private parties and taverns (called molly houses), running the risk of arrest.
In the oppressive 50’s, most gay men tried to blend in and be invisible, unless at a club at night. But what a difference a decade makes. The 60’s seemed to make everyone bold and flamboyant. The gays embraced the mod, hippie, disco and punk movements. And then of course, there was Liberace. The exhibition includes one of the performer’s pink sequined capes trimmed with marabou feathers – you know, just a little something to dazzle the crowds with. And nobody knew he was gay??
There is a section of the exhibition devoted to the work of designers who died of AIDS, like Halston and PerryEllis, plus a sampling of AIDS-activism T-shirts bedecked with clever slogans and graphics.
For the really daring, the curators have included a Jean-Paul-Gaultier skirt-pant look from his 1984 menswear collection. The lender said he always felt very masculine wearing it. It would not be complete without the cone-bra corset dress like the one famously worn by Madonna.
The show ends on an elegant note, with his-and-his and hers-and-hers wedding ensembles.
The book “A queer history of fashion” accompanies the show.Worth seeing!
What You Might Not Know: People often focus on the bag’s quilted leather material, but what was really revolutionary about the 2.55 was the chain strap. Back when Coco Chanel invented it, women used to carry their bags in their hands all the time. What a hassle!
The Bag: Hermès Birkin
Kris Jenner with her Birkin – Getty Images
What You Might Not Know: Lots of people refer to the bags as coming in two different hardware options: gold and silver. But that’s not silver! It’s actually palladium, a metal Hermès uses expressly because it never tarnishes. Good thing, considering what an investment one of these bags is.
The Bag: Fendi Baguette
Sarah Jessica Parker – Celebrity Street Style
What You Might Not Know: Released in the late 1990s, the Baguette’s the brainchild of the brand’s creative director Karl Lagerfeld (of Chanel fame). How can we forget SJP’s many baguettes on several episodes of Sex & the City. Remember when a guy stole her bag & she yelled after him correcting him that “it’s not a bag…..it’s a baguette!”
The Bag: Louis Vuitton Speedy
What You Might Not Know: It’s easy to associate the Speedy with in-your-face logos, but some of the most timeless, elegantly cool women have loved it through the decades, like Audrey Hepburn. She was a huge fan. This is just a timeless piece that reminds me a bit of a doctors bag.
The Bag: Longchamp
Longchamp carryall – Paris
What You Might Not Know: If you’re not a French speaker, you may not have connected that “pliage” is the French word for fold. (Makes sense, because the most celebrated aspect of the bag is that it folds up, making it beyond ideal for traveling.) A fashionable friend of mine told me it helped her with bringing back extra outfits from Paris & so on an Air France flight I bought the same bag right on the plane (since it was in their duty free magazine & saved me a trip to the store) and I’ve been using it ever since. So light & convenient plus you can fold it tiny & store it in your suitcase (in case you need it). You will!
The Bag: Balenciaga City
Nicole Ritchie – Balenciaga. Getty Images
What You Might Not Know: Originally, Balenciaga executives didn’t like the City bag all that much, and decided not to produce it—crazy, right?—until the designer, Nicolas Ghesquière, pleaded with them to make a few of the City bags as a trial. One just needs to look at the Fashionistas carrying it to know it was indeed the right decision, although personally it was never my favorite.
The Bag: Mulberry Bayswater
Kate Moss with her Mulberry. Getty Images
What You Might Not Know: Mulberry may be all about naming their recent bags after pop culture icons—the Del Rey for Lana Del Rey, the Alexa for Alexa Chung— the King for me but the Bayswater has a different genesis. True to the brand’s British roots, Bayswater’s the name of a West London neighborhood known for leafy streets and Georgian houses.
The anti-Bag: Anya Hindmarch “I’m Not a Plastic Bag” Tote
What You Might Not Know: while people were lining up to buy the cheeky, eco-friendly tote at a New York Whole Foods in 2007, the bag was massively popular everywhere around the globe. Especially in Taiwan, where the $7.50 tote created a riot (a legitimate riot!) upon its release.
*Every person in the country was using an average of 167 plastic bags each year, totalling around 10 billion bags. The company wanted to do something that repositioned bringing your own bag to the supermarket as something a little more stylish. Back in 2007, the general public, let alone the fashion elite, wouldn’t be seen dead pulling out a pocket full of old carrier bags at the till.
Confession: I paid about $20 for an eco-friendly grocery bag at Dean & Deluca in Napa because I liked the interesting foodie quotes scribbled all over which made carrying around my groceries more fun & fashionable. A sampling of….What You Might Not Know:
Cacao, means “food of the gods” and “cacao” is a Mayan word meaning ‘God Food’.
Honey is believed to be the only food that does not spoil. It was found in the tombs of the Egyptian pharaohs, tasted by archaeologists and found to still be edible.
The term ‘barista‘ is thrown around very lightly nowadays. In definition, you are not classed as a barista until you have made coffee on a full time basis for 5 years.
Now can the Louis Vuitton’s & the Chanel’s compete with that?
Ahhh the cardigan – the perfect light cover up! I can never have enough cardigans.
Best Looks: From left to right, Michael Kors, No. 21, Alexander Wang, Pringle ofScotland and Burberry. Photo: Garance Doré
A great part of any womans wardrobe. The practicality and convenience a cardigan provides is endless. Long or short, buttoned or unbuttoned, belted or not, without a doubt, classic cardigans are always in style….but some of the newer collections feature large knits with decorative fur & unusual asymmetry – some have no buttons or zippers.
You can choose to belt them or close them with a large safety pin (some would) or large broach.
They’re work appropriate but cardigans can also look sexy on top of light layers and soft fabrics.
There’s a style for every body type. Which is your favorite?
Fashion week may be over in Paris, but one of its highlights carries on through January 26, 2014. The Palais Galliera—a.k.a. the Museum of Fashion—re-opened its doors last Tuesday, after four years of dusty renovation. In between shows, crowds have been rushing to admire its successful facelift and the city’s first retrospective of the legendary couturier Azzedine Alaïa.
Azzedine Alaïa’s body-con designs defined the aesthetic of Paris in the 80’s
Olivier Saillard, the museum’s director and curator of the exhibit describes Alaïa as one of the last living designers who actually knows how to draw, sew, and model. He is a true artisan of over 30 years. The famous Azzedine technique, which is to sculpt the dresses directly on the models, aims to celebrate women’s bodies, accentuating their assets and hiding their flaws.
photo – Garance Doré
Alaïa, Palais Galliéra, 10 Avenue Pierre ler de Serbie, 75116, September 28, 2013 – January 26, 2014
I’ve been feeling kind of blue lately – Cobalt to be specific. The shade creeps up from time to time and last year we started seeing more of this bright color.
Crazy for Cobalt: his season the intense blue made a statement on everything from cozy sweaters to swingy dresses. It seems to have edged out olive and rust as this fall’s most prominent hue.
How many shades of blue are there exactly? I don’t know but some editors seem to have a handle on it:
Meryl Streep to Anne Hathaway in “The Devil WearsPrada” – “You go to your closet and you select that lumpy blue sweater, for instance, because you’re trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back. But what you don’t know is that that sweater is not just blue, it’s not turquoise, it’s not lapis. It’s actually cerulean. And you’re also blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002, Oscar de la Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns. And then I think it was Yves Saint Laurent wasn’t it, who showed cerulean military jackets? And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of eight different designers.” …………………on and on she goes
With its cool undertones, cobalt complements everycomplexion from porcelain to dark chocolate.
Derek Lam
Best colors to pair cobalt with: neutrals like grey, black, white or a combo of either.
I DON’T UNDERSTAND why some women pay good money to look like she gave herself a BAD HAIRCUT!
Eva Herzigova in Prada Ad from last Spring.
I don’t know about everyone else but I’m thinking that when you go to the hairdresser you should leave feeling better than when you first walked in. For me that means taking off an inch or two to help tidy up split ends, some layers that fall nicely around the face and a blow dry that lasts for a minimum of three days. A good haircut should make you feel sexier don’t you agree? Well as it so happens not everyone’s idea of sexy is the same….
THE BAD BANG THEORY:
Herzigova is beautiful but maybe she wants to distract people with bangs that look like they were cut with safety scissors in the dark.
Weirdly enough, there seems to be a lot of deliberately bad hair around these days. Uneven bangs, lopsided looks, scissor marks & seemingly haphazard haircuts. Case in point: a stylist who created a cut for a story in W magazine of a model wearing a Dior Haute Couture dress. She may have been wearing haute couture but the effect the hair stylist (Malcolm Edwards) was going for with his zigzag coif was that of a kid who cut her hair with the kitchen scissors. But of course for that shoot, the model wore a wig. However the idea is for the reader to deliberately witness a crazy cut. As if Dior needs something to distract you from a beautiful dress?
Lena Durham in Girls – season finale
Also, in the dramatic season finale of Girls, Lena Dunham hacks away recklessly at her tresses but in the end miraculously ends up with a sassy, cute little pixie cut – which suits her quirky style.
Lena Durham’s cute pixie cut.
No longer is cutting your own hair considered a desperate cry for help (Britney??)
Erin Anderson has handled the hair of Mila Jovovich and Chloë Sevigny. She works out of Woodley & Bunny in the Williamsburg neighbourhood of Brooklyn (a part of town where the girls who look like they cut their hair themselves probably live). “The DIY haircut has been around for some time,” insists Anderson. She recalls a time when a client of hers went so far as to ask her to cut his hair with her eyes closed. Anderson’s strict rule: Never cut your own hair while under the influence of alcohol or marijuana. “Everything tends to look good if you’re drunk or stoned,” she says.
A hairdresser who goes by the name of Duffy (he’s also a classically trained stylist from the Vidal Sassoon school) has a request for a bad haircut…..he understands exactly what the customer is asking for. “We have a painting at home by an artist called Alistair Frost – a canvas with a squiggle in it,” he says. “The kid was 26 and had the confidence to make this gesture and turn around and say, ‘This is my work.’ That’s what this haircut is about. The uninfluenced gesture.” Still, it’s a hell of a lot easier said than done. “For me to forget all I’ve learned and cut your hair like a kid did it is 10 times harder than if I were just to simply give you a graduated bob,” Duffy says. He tells this customer that if she had fine blonde hair, he could make her hair look like it was chewed by a rat in six minutes but with her curly hair even if he hacked the crap out of it, it would be hard to see the damage. So the good & bad news for this customer is that it would be difficult to give her a bad haircut.
As seen in W Magazine
Lesson – a GOOD STYLIST trying to give you a bad haircut is different from a BAD STYLIST trying to give you a good haircut.
What do you think? Is the Hatchet Haircut for you?
What can we say about the Motorcycle jacket that’s new?
Hardly a trend but the Fall runway introduced fresh colors and feminine touches. This season’s versions haven’t lost an ounce of coolness with their intricate network of zippers, still keeping the bad-ass vibe.
Even though, the look is more deliberate than in the past. You can toss one over a silky dress, casual denim or even pair them with coordinating bottoms (often made of leather) for a dressier feel. Jackets were also worn zipped, functioning more as a top.
Olivia Wilde
A big trend this Fall is contrasting sleeves and to mix it with luxurious fabrics like brocade or velvet for a different take.
Some of the new selections offer easy volume, nipped-in waists and are covered in things we all love to receive…..flowers + baubles!
haute coutureJenny Packham
The dresses may be feminine and fanciful but the footwear is surprisingly utilitarian. If Mary Janes or Ballet Flats are not your thing, opt for wearing heels or ankle booties.
Kate Spade
To enhance the glamour, try wearing your hair off the face or pulled back into a chignon. Hopefully these dresses will sweep you off your feet!
Gwyneth Paltrow wears Isabel Marant – look at the shoes!
Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION. 
You must be logged in to post a comment.