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Dress - The Art of Wearing Vintage
Vintage fashion photographs that inspire me
"I believe that the camera is a medium of light, that one actually paints with light. In using the spotlights with reflecting lights, I could control the quality of the forms revealed to build a composition."
— Louise Dahl-Wolf, 1984
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The orange dress dilemma? My search for the elusive tangerine tango!
Do you know about the color board? Yes, the color board, and not the kind of color boards people create for their design projects. I'm talking about a group of people appointed to an executive board who decide every year what colors will be "IN" for fashion, home interiors etc.. They not only decide what shade of blue or red we'll wear and what color fabric we'll use to recover our sofas, they market their decisions so brilliantly that we actually start to believe it was our idea to suddenly want to paint our living rooms sweet lilac, margarita or driftwood. Kind of scary right? I like to believe I'm buying a color because I love it and not because a group of people in a room decided that I was going to like it!
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Vintage wedding for my modern girl part III - It's all in the details
My goal was to re-use as many things as possible and bring out the bride and groom's personalities without compromising sophistication..If you are planning a wedding with enough time in advance, you can spend the year before gathering special things at thrift stores and estate sales that can add so much character! << MORE >>
Vintage wedding for my modern girl part II; Loving cup Journey
The Loving Cup Journey
When it was time to decide on decor for my daughter's wedding, I wanted to recognize the passion that she and her fiance shared for inspiring others and making a difference in the world. They met working in the corps for Teach for America so I decided to find a way to honor their mutual commitment to excellence! I decided to use silver trophies called Loving Cups, perfect, right? The flower fairies at Geranium Lakes Florist then filled them with beautiful wild arrangements. These became a huge part of the wedding ambiance and great conversation starters!<< MORE >>
When it was time to decide on decor for my daughter's wedding, I wanted to recognize the passion that she and her fiance shared for inspiring others and making a difference in the world. They met working in the corps for Teach for America so I decided to find a way to honor their mutual commitment to excellence! I decided to use silver trophies called Loving Cups, perfect, right? The flower fairies at Geranium Lakes Florist then filled them with beautiful wild arrangements. These became a huge part of the wedding ambiance and great conversation starters!<< MORE >>
The gift of a vintage wedding for my modern girl Part I
My oldest daughter's high school rebellion was very dramatic, yet oddly unique. She expressed her teen angst by going down that all too familiar teenage road of shopping at J Crew and The Gap. Heartbreaking, right? I had tried to convince her for years that vintage clothing was the ultimate in originality and style and that if she wore it with confidence, she'd be the envy of everyone - Hence her dramatic decline into the tempting, sparkling aisles of Banana Republic.
So when she and her fiance decided on a wedding date, I was sure she would want something sleek and ultra modern to define her special day. I was very surprised when she asked me to be her wedding planner, knowing that she knew that if I was involved, it would somehow turn out to be a vintage style wedding! Needless to say, I was honored to be able to create a magical day for my little girl. She (and her fiance) had definite ideas about a few things though..and they were non negotiable.
#1 The dress.
Being 5'11", she knew that my mostly tiny vintage wedding gowns would be more difficult to make work, so she wanted a new dress. She chose a silk chiffon Vera Wang gown that was nothing I'd imagined her wearing! But when she put it on, we all had that "this is the ONE" moment we had previously joked was just a silly marketing ploy or an ad teaser for "say yes to the dress."
#2 The Shoes
She bought the Vera Wang Lavender silver shoes to go with the dress.
Who Cares about Whitney Houston? (I do)
"Why is everyone gushing over that woman when she was such a train wreck?"
"Yeah, and why do people sing the praises of a crazy drug addict when there are so many people doing good in the world who have died and actually deserve that kind of praise?"
"The real question is why does the media give her death so much attention? Who really cares about Whitney Houston?"etc.. etc..
Yikes.. I was going to be in for a rough night. I guess I have to add Whitney Houston to topics "off limits" in public along with politics and religion. But, I couldn't just sit there quietly, I had to admit, albeit a little sheepishly to that pack of determined wolves, that I did. I cared about Whitney Houston.
"Seriously, you do?But why?" They responded in a slightly condescending tone.
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Before The Royal Wedding - The pre-Kate fairy tale wedding dresses and the unknown brides that wore them
Kate Middleton
not the first fairy tale princess bride
Is Kate really that different from the millions of brides who walked down the aisles before her?
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not the first fairy tale princess bride
Is Kate really that different from the millions of brides who walked down the aisles before her?
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A woman's sacred place - How I learned about private spaces from baking a cake
A woman's sacred place - How I learned about private spaces from baking a cake
It's a crazy business, selling the material manifestations of someone's life, and I never want to lose perspective.<< MORE >>
It's a crazy business, selling the material manifestations of someone's life, and I never want to lose perspective.<< MORE >>
Broken Dreams - The Mad Women of Mad Men
Every Sunday night, I can now watch my childhood in living color and remember what it was like to live in a world of smoke and mirrors that appeared to be one thing but was in reality something quite different. It's called Mad Men.
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Always a bridesmaid, but never a boring one! Incorporating vintage into your bridal party
Incorporating vintage clothing into your wedding brings personality, style and uniqueness that can't be found in off the rack clothing. You really don't need to compromise when it comes to creating a beautiful bridal party that expresses the personalities fo the bride and groom!<< MORE >>
I Do .. Saying yes to the vintage dress and letting go of the ice bar
If you can't afford a club scene area or ice bar at your reception, what's the point of getting married?
Oxyclean is my Shalimar -True Confessions of a Vintage Clothing Dealer
Today, I was hanging a freshly hand washed vintage dress ( a beautiful butter yellow silk chiffon Ceil Chapman to be specific)
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Vintage Fashion countdown to the Academy Awards Part 8 2004-2009 - Having it all! The blonde, the Queens, and the 2 Roses
The actresses without mug shots who have become Hollywood rebels with grace
countdown to the Academy Awards Part 7 1994 to 2003 - A decade of transformations of Oscar winning actresses
Is it the result of media exposure, the increase in the popularity of celebrity stylists,
or the fact that we are easily bored these days? Why does it seem that today's actresses seem to
transform themselves on a regular basis? I think I've discovered the answer!
In part 7 of our countdown to the Academy Awards, we'll take a look at these
1990s Oscar winning actresses and their changing styles over the decade.<< MORE >>
countdown to the Academy Awards Part 6 1984 to 1994 Fava Beans and a box of chocolates
Ah...the 80's. Neon color blocking, spandex, acid washed jeans, and dirty dancing. Dirty Dancing may have not won an Academy award for best picture, but it was a classic 1980s cultural snapshot of what most of wish we could have experienced at the time! Who wouldn't want to have danced with Patrick Swayzee? << MORE >>
Countdown to the Academy Awards Part 5: 1972-1983 Come to The Cabaret!
The 1970s brought us gangsters, mental hospital patients, a lovable prize fighter, a terminally ill daughter, a personal view of the Vietnam War, and so many more memorable movie characters and powerful film memories. But doesn't Saturday Night Fever really own the decade?<< MORE >>
Countdown to the Academy Awards Part 4: 1960-1971 Film fashion icons From Elizabeth Taylor to Jane Fonda
Countdown to the Academy Awards with the fashion icons of the 1960s!Liz Taylor, Sophia Loren, Julie Christie, Jane Fonda and more!<< MORE >>
Countdown to the Academy Awards Fashion influences and Icons Part3: 1946-1959
From period epics to love stories, this decade had it all! << MORE >>
Countdown to the Academy Awards Fashion influences and Icons Part 2: 1937-1945
Academy Award Vintage Countdown - 8 decades of Hollywood Fashion icons! DAY 1: 1927 to1936
Movies..they influence our fashions, our dreams, our fears and our relationships. Countdown to the Academy Awards Part I<< MORE >>
What's the big deal about The Academy Awards ? They're just about movies aren't they?
The Academy Awards are the Superbowl of our house. I think it all started with Rudolph Valentino and a little girl from Kansas...<< MORE >>
The tragedy of Haiti and the reality of the American Way
Is it really poverty that plagues Haiti, Africa, and other regions of the world suffering economically? I have come to believe that it has less to do with poverty and more to do with greed. Our greed and the greed we've so generously taught to others.
Thousands of Haitian children are smuggled into the Dominican Republic each year, according to a UN report. Human traffickers on either side of the shared border smuggle about 2500 minors into the Dominican Republic illegally. << MORE >>
A vintage hair ornament Obsession
I'm obsessed with vintage hair ornanments. This year, my daughters were once again the unsuspecting victims of my crazy obsession when they unwrapped vintage hair clips, vintage barrettes, antique combs and vintage hairpins on Christmas morning. Realizing that the Beatles Rock band couldn't fit into the tiny boxes, they were resigned to the fact that their Christmas had another crazy vintage theme and that their untraditional mother hadn't changed much since last year. << MORE >>
Play dress up this Christmas!
Putting on heels and leaving your flip flops at home makes you walk a little bit taller and a skirt makes you sit a little differently, no matter what your financial situation is at the time. You don't have to be Grace Kelly or Audrey Hepburn to dress beautifully and you certainly can do it on a budget! << MORE >>
From June Cleaver to D&G, The Illusion of Power; Revealing the truth behind advertising and sexual freedom
The 1950's working woman needed to come home and make the perfect meat loaf, defrost her pink, yellow, or mint green Frigidaire and attend little Bobby and Cindy's PTA meetings, all while maintaining a pristine manicure and 22 inch wasp waist. Christian Dior's "New Look" allowed women to have larger hips than the fashions of the 1940's, but it still required that famous 50's cinched waist to be as small as possible.
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Where are Betty and Don Draper?
Though most people can't even remember what channel it's on, Mad Men attracts everyone from college co-eds to the now middle aged baby boomers. This made me think, why are people of all ages drawn to a show that seems to be, at first glance, about aloof, chain smoking ad executives and their beauty pageant wives?
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Mama's Shoe Boxes
When my mother died, I took on the responsibility of cleaning out her closet. It was bittersweet; joyful, as I smiled remembering the events to which she wore certain things, and terribly sad, as I cried realizing she’d never wear them again.<< MORE >>
What is Sexy?
“Do you have anything sexy?” I always cringe at this question and answer with,“Well, what do you consider sexy?” << MORE >>
Finding your Little Edie
No, no, this is the revolutionary costume! I never wear this in East Hampton! I went to two cocktail parties in East Hampton to stop the gossip about my being a recluse. Most of them looked at me like I was from Mars. I shouldn't have gone; I don't drink. If you don't do what everybody else does out there, if you don't go to the Maidstone Club or join the Garden Club, you're written off as crazy.
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On the fringe.. trend 2009
Not just for flappers anymore, FRINGE is back! Jil Sander, Alberta Ferretti, Ashish, Emma Cook, Balenciaga, Kris Van Assche, Jasper Conran, Julien Macdonald, Elie Saab, Alexander McQueen, Jil Sander, Alessandro Dell'Acqua, and Alberta Ferretti all showed it in their 2009 Collections for this Spring. Whether wide panels, roughly cut swatches, or fine silk strands, it appeared without any reservations and brought motion to the runways with the quiet swoosh of fabric and beading.
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ISABELL GERHART - The fashion Queen of Houston
The glamorous couple were known as the fashion king and queen of Houston. They took New York by storm with their business savvy, style and Texas sized personalities. << MORE >>
