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! 


: anonymitynews.com , tumblr.com , cosmicallychic.wordpress.com , reuters.com , secondcitystyle.com , sewmanstore.com  blog.lulusvintage.com , shoesense.com , pennydreadfulvintage.com 

Michigan Teen Wins Oscar Gown For Prom!

Kayla Staskiewicz of Waterford Michigan, was the 'belle of the ball' after winning a contest her father entered her in, hosted by Detroit's NBC tv station WDIV.  The prize for one winner, was getting to borrow the crystal embellished, $25,000 Versace gown Christina Ricci wore to the Oscars in 1999.  The cincher to the big win was being able to fit in the size 0 pale grey couture piece owned by the actress.  Ten other girls were in the running, but Ms. Staskiewicz was the modern day Cinderella, fitting into it perfectly!

The Italian fashion house of Versace's is known for styles that are out of the norm in regards to colors, materials & cuts that harbor clingy, glamorous and sensual silhouettes.  This number worn by Ricci at the 71st Academy Awards in 99' was no exception.  Speaking of 'out of the norm', recently, Christina was caught by the paps at the May 2011 Met Gala wearing a Zac Posen vintage inspired gown that appeared to be more of a costume she might have worn in a Tim Burton film!  This was more of a webbed disaster than a Gothic romance piece dont'cha think?  Guess you just can't win em' all!

pics: luxurylaunches.com , bellasugar.com

No Fur For Fendi!

The vintage Italian Fashion House that's been around since 1925... better known as 'Fendi,' has been asked to remove all of the fur pieces from their Fall/Winter collection fashion show that's set to take place this June 2nd.  South Korea's capital city, Seoul banned fur due to the numerous complaints from several animal rights groups. City officials even threatened to cancel the scheduled event if all animal related items aren't removed from Fendi's catwalk itinerary.

Fendi states, Milan had no issue with the 'fur for all' show they put on during the Italian Fashion Week and said Seoul's short notice comes as a surprise being there were no issues brought up during the months of preparation.  The company is continuing to negotiate on the subject but it's looking like a 'no go'! 

Fendi is definitely not an 'animal friendly' design house as back in 1997 Naomi Campbell was fired as spokeswoman for P.E.T.A. (People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals) when she dared to wear fur at a Fendi fashion show in spite of making the bold statement... "I'd rather go naked then wear fur".

Fur is a personal choice and when it gets down to it, you either wear it or you don't!  There are so many 'faux fur' and 'faux animal' prints out there that if you choose to not wear it for ethical reasons, you can still wear it anyway...and guilt free at that!

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