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Archive for May, 2017

Street Style

Posted in Fashion, Uncategorized, tagged , , on May 31, 2017| 2 Comments »

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Zara and Sahar.

On a recent Sunday afternoon I spotted these two lovely women chatting together in a local park while looking casual-chic.

Sahar and Zara originally hail from Iran but now live in the Lamorinda area.

Zara is wearing edgy ripped leggings paired with a comfy sneakers. I like that she chose a button-down shirt with a flattering slim-fit (instead of a more typical and less interesting T-shirt). She pulled the whole thing together by adding a pop of color in the turquoise scarf.

Sahar went for pattern in black and white to top her leggings. A longish sweater accented with faux fur offers lots of pizzazz and completes the outfit. Like Zara she used an accessory to brighten the look – love the fuchsia handbag! Another cute pair of trendy sneakers, which look sharp and guarantee easy walking.

Comfortable yet fashionable and interesting to boot.

Nicely done!

 

 

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Fashionable Quote of the Week by Virginia Johnson

Posted in Arts, Fashion, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on May 29, 2017| Leave a Comment »

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Fashion sketches by Virginia Johnson published in Descant.

I paint all of my designs by hand. I use watercolor on paper. This is my most cherished part of the creative process. I welcome accidents in my sketches. In the manufacturing process, I try as much as possible to maintain a hand-crafted feel. I welcome print flaws in the fabric because this allows the presence of the human hand to show through.

Virginia Johnson – artist and designer.

This quote is from an essay Ms. Johnson wrote for the fashion issue of Descant, volume 38, number 3, fall 2007.

I agree with Ms. Johnson’s idea of slight imperfections in anything handmade. I’m reminded of something Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York (is she still a duchess?) said when she was asked if she was nervous about modeling for an upcoming fashion show: “No,” she responded with a grin. “I think perfection is overrated.”

A perfectionist myself, that really struck me and I’ve remembered it ever since. It can be very liberating when working on any creative project to let go and see where the craft leads. (I admit my quest for perfection still plagues me when it comes to some of my writing projects.)

If we worry less about the outcome and just enjoy the process, that’s where we find art.

 

 

 

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Throw Back Thursday – The True Cost: A Documentary Film by Andrew Morgan

Posted in Events, Fashion, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on May 25, 2017| 2 Comments »

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(This was originally posted on May 20th, 2015. Let’s revisit!)

Have you ever wondered who made that T-shirt you’re sporting? Jacket? Jeans? Until recently I hadn’t, nor had the film director Andrew Morgan. Then in 2013, Mr. Morgan was reading in the New York Times about the Bangladesh factory collapse in Rana Plaza. Shocked and horrified to learn of the conditions those factory workers (and many others) endure, he began to ask some basic questions: Who makes my clothes? What are their lives like? Are they better off?

In his new film, The True Cost Mr. Morgan helps answer these questions by traveling the world and talking to people in the industry from designers such as Stella McCartney to workers in far away factories. He interviews professionals about the business of fashion, globalization, consumerism and the toll all of this must-have fashion is taking on our planet and the people who make our clothes.

Mr. Morgan insists that his film is not a guilt trip but an opportunity to “… open our eyes and hearts to this idea that there are hands, physical human hands that touch the things that we wear and those hands are lives and they matter …”

Click here to watch the trailer. (It just might change your approach to fashion.)

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Fashion Picks from Cannes 2017

Posted in Arts, Events, Fashion, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on May 23, 2017| 1 Comment »

There are a lot of fashion looks strutting around the Cannes Film Festival – day and evening. Much of it not my cup of tea but here are several favorites:

 

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Cute and sassy daytime Moschino outfit worn by British model Cara Delevingne. The red beret makes the look.

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Androgyny in teal is the look of choice for model Aymeline Valade. Hard to pull off but the pop of color helps.  Dangle earrings soften the ensemble but I would switch out the Oxford shoes for a 1940s peep-toe heel in black and pull up the hair for more feminine/masculine contrast.

 

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Stunning in red is model Sara Sampaio. Dress by Zuhair Murad. A classic silhouette allows the color and fabric do all the work. I like her hair casually pulled back and no jewelry at the neckline is perfect.

 

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Elegant simplicity worn by French model/actress Lily Rose Depp from the Chanel resort line. I love the cap sleeves set off with unexpected detailing. It looks like the sides are partially bare, which adds interest. Soft ivory color with gold accents is perfect for spring and this event.

 

 

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Fashionable Quote of the Week by Asia Kate Dillon

Posted in Events, Fashion, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on May 22, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Asia-Kate-Dillon -Billions-Premiere-Season-2--01Gender neutral clothing is often, for lack of a better term, bags on bags. A baggy shirt with baggy pants, that sort of erases any individuality, as opposed to enhancing it. I think that fashion is moving in that direction already anyways. I enjoy mixing hard and soft, masculine and feminine, finding those gray areas. But for me, if it’s comfortable I’ll wear it. And I’ve been comfortable in 6-inch heels before if you can believe it or not. 

Asia Kate Dillon, non-binary actor. This quote of from a Q&A with WWD.

Dillion plays television’s first non-binary character, Taylor, in the Showtime series Billions.

Non-binary? From what I understand, that means a person who does not identify with either female or male gender. (Click here for a better explanation by Dillion on the Ellen Degeneres Show.)

As far as fashion goes non-binary is definitely having an influence on the runways. This fall we’ll see gender neutral suits by Jil Sander and Raf Simons. Brands such as Brownie and Blondie are making strides in the unisex fashion market. There’s a certain appeal to the chic neutral look that Dillion sports – with the option to lean one way or another by adding jewelry, soft fabrics, etc. as we see in the above photo.

I wouldn’t be surprised if we start seeing more shaved heads on women (remember Annie Lennox in the 80s? Sinead O’Connor in the 90s?) as well as some mixing of masculine and feminine fashion elements.

Sounds good to me. I look forward to seeing it all!

 

 

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Searching for Beau Brummell in London

Posted in Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage, tagged , , , , , , on May 17, 2017| 3 Comments »

IMG_0292One more London story! On my visit last October, I set out to find the Beau Brummell statue. Erected in 2002 the statue stands just outside Piccadilly Arcade on Jermyn Street.

It’s not easy to find. But we did and much to my surprise we also found a couple of bums hanging at the feet of Mr. Brummell. I suspect they were not not there to pay homage. Ha! I doubt they had any idea who this man was or his importance in fashion history.

George Bryan “Beau” Brummell (1778-1840) was London born and a general man-about-town with royal connections. He was known for gambling and unusual sartorial choices. In the British Regency period (1811-1820) the trends for aristocratic gentlemen were embroidered coats and waistcoats (Brit speak for vests), knee breeches, white stockings and shoes with gem encrusted buckles. They sported tall wigs, white powder makeup with red stain in their lips and fragrance.

It was too much for Mr. Brummell who pushed back with a simply tailored “suit” the first of its kind – a white linen shirt underneath a tan waistcoat, black coat with tails, fitted pantaloons paired with tall boots, a cravat (predecessor to the tie), and top hat. No wigs, no makeup and most of all no scent! He believed in bathing everyday, which was not the done thing at the time.

The story goes that it took him several hours to dress each morning and men would line up outside his flat in Mayfair hoping to secure a place inside to watch how he did it. Among the admirers was the Prince Regent, later to become King George IV.

He had quite a lasting influence on men’s attire.

I’m a fan of Mr. Brummell’s for his contribution to fashion but also, he was an interesting character with high style standards and a quick wit. I was more than a little annoyed by these two men just sitting with no intent to leave, even after noticing my photo taking. But after awhile I began to enjoy the irony and humor of the dapper dandy standing confident and tall over a couple of shoddy fellas. I imagined him poking his walking stick at one guy and offering a nice swift kick to the other. Indeed, at the feet of Mr. Brummell is exactly where these two belong.

Have I piqued your interest in Brummell? I recommend the biopic called Beau Brummell: The Charming Man (2006).

And/or the biography by Ian Kelly, Beau Brummell: The Ultimate Dandy (Hodder & Stoughton).

 

 

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Fashionable Quote of the Week by Victor Luis

Posted in Events, Fashion, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on May 15, 2017| 1 Comment »

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Modern luxury, how we define it for ourselves, is about quality and great design, while at the same time offering the customer an emotional experience through great brands, its history and narratives. Modern for us is different from the traditional European groups … it’s about being inclusive, not exclusive based on price. It is not based on a country of origin, [nor] is it made in any specific market as traditional luxury brands are …

 

– Victor Luis, Coach, Inc. CEO

Last week it was announced that American handbag brand Coach, Inc. bought Kate Spade & Co.  for $2.4 billion.

The once classic handbag line, originally designed by Bonnie Cashin, seems to be shifting into a fashion conglomerate having also purchased shoe brand Stuart Weitzman for $524 million in 2015.

(More fashion news – Mr. Weitzman, who orchestrated the sale of his company to Coach, is retiring this year.)

Is Coach luxury? Kate Spade? Semi-expensive brands, yes, but I never considered either one luxury. I guess they are “modern luxury” whereas luxury is old-school European expensive, a la Hermes and Louis Vuitton.

I suppose it’s relative. One woman’s Vuitton is another woman’s Coach. Actually it’s all luxury, because we don’t NEED any of it … says the woman who owns a few Coach handbags herself (the classic silhouettes only).

 

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Happy Mother’s Day from OverDressedforLife

Posted in Events, Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage, tagged , , , , on May 12, 2017| 2 Comments »

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My mom has (jokingly) started calling me “Mom” …  since she now needs a little more attention. So, I say let’s celebrate moms of all kinds.

Happy Mother’s Day from us to you!

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Fashionable Quote of the Week by Andrew Bolton

Posted in Arts, Events, Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage, tagged , , , , , , , , on May 8, 2017| Leave a Comment »

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Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garcons spring/summer 1997

What’s so inspiring about Rei is that for her the body has no bounds, and fashion itself has no limits. That to me is what her legacy is — the body and the dress body in fashion is limitless … When you think about what’s been achieved in the last 40 years and the types of things we take for granted now — the unfinished, asymmetry, black as a fashionable color were pioneered by Rei. But beyond the formal aspects of that, she has always rebuffed the status quo … I feel if Rei didn’t exist we would have to invent her to explain the last 40 years because her impact in fashion is that big.

– Andrew Bolton, curator of the current Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC exhibit, Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between. 
This quote is from an interview with Mr. Bolton for Women’s Wear Daily.
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Paired with ballerina flats. Look at the tight shoulders. Kind of like she’s wrapped up.

I was just reading about Rei Kawakubo in a book about avant-garde fashion (Fashion Game Changers: Reinventing the 20th Century Silhouette, Bloomsbury). She says there is no meaning to her designs and yet people seem compelled to find something behind (between?) the unexpected bumps, pads, layers and outrageous silhouettes.

I find her fascinatingly inaccessible. I don’t know what to make of her designs except that they are:

1. Completely noncommercial.

2. They look like they’re challenging to wear.

3. They remind me of Leigh Bowery, the British club kid of the 1980s who also came up with some wild unflattering silhouettes.
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Leigh Bowery original design, 1980s.

There is one very big difference between the two – Mr. Bowery played in a dark and freaky arena, by making everything larger than life. Not to mention his makeup and masks. Ms. Kawakubo stays within the non-freak zone by using (sometimes) feminine prints and colors and showing her clothing on lovely mainstream models. She certainly bumps up against freak (pun intended!) but with a light, quiet hand.

I would say that perhaps Ms. Kawakubo uses the body as a canvas, so to speak, for her sculptures. And in doing so she has, as Mr. Bolton points out, impacted fashion.
Fashion model Anna Cleveland, an attendee of the recent Met Gala calls Ms. Kawakubo’s designs, “Walking art.”
Click here for more information on Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between on now at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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Making Mainbocher: The First American Couturier

Posted in Arts, Events, Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage, tagged , , , , , , , on May 3, 2017| Leave a Comment »

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Fashions by Mainbocher.

While visiting Chicago last month I took the opportunity to view the exhibition Making Mainbocher: The First American Couturier at the Chicago History Museum.

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A young Mainbocher.

Main Rousseau Bocher (1890-1976) was Chicago born and raised but as a young man he set off for adventure, first to New York City and later to Paris. He sported many hats before becoming a couturier, including an opera singer and a fashion illustrator for Harper’s Bazaar.

Quite spontaneously in 1929 he opened his first fashion house in Paris calling it Mainbocher – pronounced mon-bo-shay. For that touch of French chic he blended his first and last names. Known for his embellished ball gowns and smart suits, he soon became the go-to designer for socialites and celebrities of the time. American Wallis Simpson donned a Mainbocher piece for her wedding to Edward VIII in 1937.

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Butterfly evening dress in silk crepe, 1945.

In 1940, the early days of WWII,  Mainbocher decided to close his Paris house and reopen in NYC. There he established himself as the first American couturier, attracting the attentions of the elite chic. Additionally he designed for Broadway plays and was commissioned by the American military to design uniforms for the women’s voluntary services.

And all this is just a brief overview! Making Mainbocher: The First American Couturier follows the designer’s diverse career in detail and features 30 garments from the museum’s permanent collection as well as illustrations, photos, and audio interviews with some of his clients back in the day.

Located in a smallish gallery, this exhibit is just the right size allowing for a second and third walk around and a good gander at some of the fashions on display.

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Uniform for women’s voluntary services, WWII.

Making Mainbocher: The First American Couturier is on now through August 2017 at the Chicago History Museum. Any fashion enthusiast in the area should check it out!

 

 

 

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