Vintage Tapestry Fashions

When you say or hear the word 'tapestry', I'm sure a wall hanging of sorts comes to mind but tapestry fabric has been worn as clothing as far back as the middle ages in the era of castles and chivalry.  Tapestry in layman's terms is an intricate loom woven textile art that has been around for centuries, even dating back as far as the 3rd century BC as Greek tapestries have been discovered and preserved in desert of Tarim Basen.  The usual medium of choice for weaving tapestry is cotton or linen, but for more fancier fare, silk, gold & silver are often used.  It's amazing to look back now with wonder an awe as to how delicate the whole process was with the detailed art work performed with basic means in comparison to what is produced today with technology.  In February of this year, during Milan Fashion Week for Fall/Winter 2011, designer Veronica Etro went Medieval bringing a primitive vibe to tapestry styles...

There's such an absolute rich history behind the fabric that is tapestry and every once in a great while here at Retro Threadz, we are lucky enough to acquire a rare tapestry find.  Stop by the shop to see our new listings this week!  Featured as of yesterday, we are excited to add this 'Vintage 60's Tapestry Go-Go Boots & Handbag set to our collection!

: fashionwindows.net, Retro Threadz  

Designer Dish on Salvatore Ferragamo

Although he's been gone for over a half a century, Italian designer Salvatore Ferragamo will always be known for his outrageous shoe designs, as pictured here with this pair of 1938, stacked, multi color platform sandals that were actually about forty years ahead of their time being that they could have easily be mistaken for styles we've seen worn circa 1970.

At the height of his career, his shoe designs were worn by Hollywood royalty such as Audrey Hepburn and he was considered to be the 'shoemaker to the stars'.  What set him apart from the many other up and coming designer competitors was his ability to custom make a shoe that felt just as good as it looked on the wearer.  He could fashion a shoe to fit any foot, just as well as a tailor could custom a suit.

Ferragamo or rather, the design house of the late Ferragamo has always been considered a family ran business being that it has been handed down from generation to generation and although shoes, belts and bags have always been at the forefront of the store front, around 1980 they began incorporating clothing into their mix of merchandise with their reputable designer label however, shoes will always be their mainstay.  Recently they showcased their 'Women's Resort 2012 Collection' featuring new designs of shoes and bags with a 'geared toward going on a vay kay' vibe & it was said that some notable ladies of Tinseltown made an appearance at the event such as Eva Mendez & Minka Kelly to stake dibs on their select fave pieces...

Given the past rich history of the Ferragamo line of extraordinary shoe designs, I am personally not very hooked on the Resort Collection.  I feel it's a bit muted/tame in comparison to what I've seen from decades ago which is now considered 'Vintage Ferragamo'....

Check back often as Retro Threadz has been known to find Ferragamo's every now and then! 


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MOD Monday

Go-go boots first became popular in the 60's given the name that was derived from the 1962 slang term "go", meaning something that was "all the rage" and that was followed by the term "go-go dancer" in 1965.  Back then, a go go dancer wasn't necessarily a stripper as many well established night clubs featured mod mama's in retro frocks and go-go boots dancing in cages.  Initially boots were only thought to be worn during bad weather to protect us from the elements and not as street wear, but just like everything...fashions evolved...

The go-go type boots generally sits at the knee or above the knee with a lower flat chunky heel.  They were famous for drawing attention to the legs when paired with right mini skirt/dress.  You know you've found a 'vintage' go-go boot if it's made of plastic or vinyl and it's colorful, because the 'mod' go-go boots of the 60's came in array of colors!

Nancy Sinatra and Jane Fonda, both made go-go boots popular in song and film, as Nancy sang about them in her popular one hit wonder hit "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" and Jane showed us her sexy side in some space age go-go boots in the cult science fiction movie Barbarella.

Check out these sexy lace up boots worn by stewardess's in the 60's and for real with the hot pants?!

Retro Threadz 'LOVES' us some go-go boots & there have been many unique style and color variations that have came and went, but we are always on the hunt for that special find!  Currently, we have a few left in the shop...

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Cinco De Mayo en Etsy!

Ola' senoritas! & Happy Cinco De Mayo en Etsy!   In case you have no idea why May 5th is celebrated each year by the Mexican culture, here's the deets. It is celebrated primarily in the state of Puebla as well as in the U.S. to commemorate the Mexican army's victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5th, 1862. So enough with the brief history lesson, on to the fun stuff!  Cinco De Mayo is all about ... 'Fun, Music, Dance, Fashion & Food!'

Of course, we're going to focus on the 'FASHION', so...If you're gearing up to partake in any festivities this evening, make sure you go bright and bold with colors!  A-line skirts & dresses that swing are perfect for jiving to the Mariachi! & by the way, they don't have to be long...  Here are some fab & flirty frocks from our personal vintage collection.


                      ***Retro Threadz Vintage 50s Ric Rac Dress***

                 ***Retro Threadz Vintage 50s Floral Cocktail Dress***

If you prefer to go for a more modern fashion feel for Cinco De Mayo, feel free to incorporate a variety of colors, textures and patterns, because mix-match is definitely in for May 5th 2011!

                                            Que' divertido! 




pics: trenddelacreme.com, ethnicevents.com, harpersbazaar.com, etsy.com/shop/retrothreadz

MOD Monday

Enough of the Royal hoopla... it's time to get back on track here at Retro Threadz as we bring you Mod Monday once again!  Today we're going to talk about fashion icon of the 60's, Edie Sedgwick...

   
Edie was an American born actress, model, socialite and heiress who is mostly remembered for being Andy Warhol's 'muse' & was even considered a 'superstar' after appearing in several of his short art house films.   Edie's life was the epitome of the 'poor little rich girl' who had it all but had nothing really being that she came from an extremely troubled home.  All of this was said to have led to her battle with anorexia and substance abuse.

She met Warhol, the avante garde filmmaker/artist in March of 1965 and he immediately took a liking to her and set out to make her a star however, none of Warhol's films were commercially successful.

Edie may have failed on the big screen but she left her mark as a true fashion icon for her era as she was the epitome of the swinging 60's scene and a true founder of the beatnik style.  She was young and definitely hip and no one had ever seen anything quite like her daring to wear nothing but a leotard, with opaque tights & a sweater!  This fashion trend took off like wild fire!

It was reported in 1971 that Edie stopped abusing drugs and alcohol for a short time however, on November 15th, 1971 at the ripe old age of 28, she was said to have died from what was noted as 'undetermined/accident/suicide'.  She was definitely the life of every party and lived hers in the fast lane...


She became a vintage legend style icon and even today, women try to emulate her fashion statement with a more contemporary flair.

          *Random Fact: Actress Kyra Sedgwick is Edie Sedgwick's cousin

   
pics: veiga-veigas.blogspot.com , theesotericcuriosa.blogspot.com , collegefashion.net , blogs.ajc.com , inspirationalstyle.inese.blogspot.com , blog.swell.com 

Spotlight Saturday... Royal Wedding Re-Cap

It's Spotlight Saturday once again and since the hoopla has yet to die down, we're bringing to you today a 'Retro Threadz Royal Wedding Re-Cap'.  First off, the British tabloids were on the money as they leaked an early word that Kate Middleton's dress was designed by Sarah Burton for the late Alexander McQueen's fashion house. 

The dress was modest as to be expected but exquisitely beautiful nonetheless and the intricate delicate lace was a mixture of Chantilly & English.  The design pattern included rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock.  It was impeccably detailed.  The fitted bodice had a Victorian corset flair which not many women can pull off without being uncomfortable.  Sarah Burton did an excellent job of making a style reminiscent of Princess Grace Kelly's 1956 wedding gown quite current.   

   
I think everyone was thrown off by this vintage style redux by Burton since she is known for her avant-garde designs.  She regularly works for Lady Gaga and given that, maybe they were expecting wedding couture for the Princess that was a little more edgy?


O.k. so now onto the 'hats'...  Seriously some of these were totally Gaga'ish!
For instance this monstrosity worn by Princess Beatrice of York by Irish designer, Royal hat maker Philip Treacy was certainly an attention getter.  Kind of like... 'hey look at me, I wanna make sure I'm in the spotlight'!  Mission accomplished!

In my opinion, the true 'scene stealer' for the day was the Bride's sister Pippa Middleton who looked like an absolute dream in the sleek ivory satin dress with a crepe cowl neckline made especially for her also by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen.  This was a risky choice being that 'white' is usually the color reserved for the Bride only on her special day. 

 

Now that the nuptials have taken place, the frenzy begins as the question buzzing around today is..."Do you think Pippa out shined Kate at her own wedding"?  Inquiring minds want to know...or do they really?  Where would we be without our trash mags?!

: weddingspirasi.com , fashion-era.com  rickey.org , royalwedding.aol.com  abcnews.go.com 

Fashion In Film Friday

Every Friday here at Retro Threadz we discuss movies that have inspired fashion and this weeks feature film is the vintage 1967 movie Bonnie & Clyde starring Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty.

The movie was based on the actual events that transpired between Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker in the 1930's.  Bonnie & Clyde were two notorious outlaw bank robbers who also committed several civilian murders during their travels with their gang during the great depression.


Shortly after the 1967 film went mainstream, a fashion trend sparked to recreate the bad ass outlaw look of Bonnie Parker. Her look in the film was tailored yet functional with a touch of glamour.  Wearing scarves and topping off your bobbed hairstyle with a beret became extremely popular because of this rebel girl sex appeal of Faye Dunaway's character. 

Bonnie had the ability to look good at all times in spite of being on the run from the law.  In addition to the scarf and beret, her signature style included the streamline pencil skirt and knit sweater which is so easy to copy.

The film will remain a classic as will the timeless style...


I'm sure the 'real' Bonnie Parker would be happy to know that she was famous for more than being an outlaw.  She was also a style icon before her time...

pics: handbag.com, petergerman.net, catwalkqueen.tv.com, freemoviestheatre.eu.com

Vintage Maven Shareen Mitchell's Run On New Reality Show

The queen of second hand clothing and owner of 'Shareen Vintage' located in both New York and Los Angeles, is soon going to be featured on the Discovery Channel's spin off Planet Green's new reality show 'Dresscue Me'.  The show is set to run for eight weeks beginning on April 19th at 10:30 p.m.

Each week,  'Dresscue Me' will follow the self taught vintage fashion maven on her quest to change women's lives forever by connecting them to style.  The show will also get up close and personal into the behind the scenes of the vintage fashion business.  Before there was ever a 'Shareen Vintage', Shareen Mitchell was a self proclaimed jack of all trades and did whatever she had to in order to make ends meet.  This included everything from cleaning houses to babysitting round the clock for neighbors.  She even tried her hand at being a thespian for awhile, and has a lengthy resume on IMDB as a bit part actress on quite a few t.v. series.  In 2003 she decided to go into vintage retail and began her search for rare clothing finds as her passion for fashion grew.  She opened her shop Shareen's Vintage in a warehouse in downtown L.A. and set it up like a home with furniture which rendered a comfy vibe to the aesthetics.  A lack of dressing rooms is the reason she put a 'No Boys Allowed' sign in the front shop window...

   

In Shareen's vintage warehouse there are no two pieces alike and the really good stuff is said to get ripped from the racks rather quickly.  Everyone wants first dibs on her one of a kind gems! She hand picks each new 'old' piece and brings it back to life by cleaning, steaming, mending and sometimes altering to bring each find up to par with current trends. I was really surprised after visiting her website online at www.shareenvintage.com  to see that even given her cult status as vintage fashionista extraordinaire, her goods that range from the 1920's to the 1990's are extremely affordable!


Being proprietors of vintage couture, all of us here at Retro Threadz are looking forward to the first episode of 'Dresscue Me'!  Make sure you check it out!       


: planetgreen.discovery.com , stylecheckupla.com , thedelicatedish.wordpress.com 
   

Fashion In Film Friday!

It's that time of the week again here at Retro Threadz where we discuss a film that inspired the world of fashion and this weeks movie is..."Valley Girl" circa 1983 starring Deborah Foreman and Nicolas Cage who at the time the movie was made had not yet made his mark in Hollywood as a reputable actor. 

The term Valley Girl was a stereotype given to a group of ditzy, materialistic, self-centered and often promiscuous California girls in the 80's.  They even were characterized as having created their own language called 'valspeak' which coined phrases such as "Ohhh my gawd"..."totally awesome"..."that's so gnarly" and the unforgettable.."whatever!!!"  More than the language became a trendy fad, the fashions choices of the Vals which originated in California spread out to the United States. This style included colorful headbands, leg warmers worn with heels, ra-ra skirts which have been seen making there way back to the racks, mini skirts worn with leggings, sweatshirts with cut collars worn off one shoulder, dresses with thick shoulder pads & polo shirts with the collar poppin'!

Of course the style has made it's way back to current day, as does pretty much every vintage fashion trend once passed as we are seeing more bold, colorful statement pieces both in jewelry and clothing.

The 80's ROCKED and not just because it was the decade I grew up in of course!  The music, the fashion, the vibe..."Yeah..It was all pretty 'bitchin'!" 

 movieposter.com , thisnext.com , 1.bp.blogspot.com , polyvore.com          

It's MOD Monday Baby!

It's MOD Monday here again at Retro Threadz and this week we're discussing the origin of the 'baby doll dress' since it was a fashion staple of the 60's.  The baby doll style started out as a sometimes sleeveless, comfortable, usually nylon fabric, short, loose fitting night gown that shortly thereafter migrated into a dress.

The name given for the garment style 'baby doll' was popularized by the movie of the same name in the late 50's which portrayed the title female character as a young and sexy nymphet and the whole idea of that set off the garments popularity amongst young women.

Both Twiggy and Goldie Hawn were most associated with the baby doll style of the 60's...

The style faded a bit through the late 70's and 80's but made a resurgence in the 90's when grunge goddess Courtney Love gave it a new spin and the birth of the punk rock style called 'kinderwhore' was born!  Basically it's a baby doll dress that has been torn, ripped up or cut low in the front paired with platform Mary Jane's.

     
The trend had died down again a bit but popped up in the 'here and now' as  designer Julien MacDonald fashioned up quite a variety of baby doll dresses circa 2011 as he showed his collection at the Spring Fashion week.  

If you notice, there hasn't been too much evolution regarding the shape of the style with the baby doll dress, just a lot more variety where color and textures are concerned.


pics: eliakazanmovies.blogspot.com, corbisimages.com, hubpages.com, fashiontheory.umwblogs.org, threndsandtreats.wordpress.com

Fashion In Film Friday

In addition to our Mod Mondays, we're going to be doing Fashion In Film Friday's here at Retro Threadz.  Each week we'll be picking one movie that inspired the world of fashion.  Fashions of every era have always been motivated by movie costumes since way before there was even color or sound in films.  For example the German stage and silent film actress Marlene Dietrich was a fashion icon of the 20's and was considered a scandalous rebel in her time due to her love of masculine attire.  She wore a top hat and tuxedo in the 1928 vintage film Morocco which raised eyebrows and more than likely began the dawn of sexual ambiguity in clothing styles.   

In regards to her style she was quoted as saying...
"I dress for the image, not for myself, not for the public and definitely not for men"...

pics: zerode.wordpress.com, mythicalmonkey.blogspot.com

MOD Monday!

We've decided here at Retro Threadz that every Monday we're going to be doing a flashback of popular vintage fashions or fashion models from the era of the 60's because seriously...we 'love love love' the fab & funky mod styles of that era so with that being said, when it comes to mod, "what goes around comes back around" as this colorful, versatile style isn't going anywhere soon!

Mod fashions and the models who wore them were brash and daring and definitely ahead of the times!  The styles of the 60's were owned by England but it wasn't too long before Americans hopped on board!    


The term 'Mod' is derived from the word 'Modernist' and is defined as...
mod ¹  (md)

n.

An unconventionally modern style of fashionable dress originating in England in the late 1950's & early 1960s.

adj.

1. In or characteristic of this unconventionally modern style.

         2. Fashionably up-to-date, especially in style, design, or dress.

In and around the 60's, two youth subcultures became ground breaking for mod fashion; the bongo beating bohemian beatniks with their berets and turtlenecks...

And the Teddy Boys with their spiffy dandy narcissistic style that made a man having interest is fashion socially acceptable...

From the mid 60's and on, the term mod was used to describe anything that was thought to be 'popular' & the 60's will always be known as defining Mod as the 'cult of the super cool'.  Today's fashion trends still continue to incorporate that concept into designs.

There is a bevy of 60's styles, fashions, fads, icons and trends to cover and we look forward to bringing them all to light for you... So make sure you stop by next week for our MOD Monday 60's retro rewind!  

Browse our 60's style digs!

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