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Posts Tagged ‘vintage fashion’

This week I attended something fun – Sustainable Fashion Workshop – hosted by Sustainable Walnut Creek. It’s a well known fact that clothing production is a significant contributor to climate change; there’s currently a movement to buy fewer new pieces and thrift shop instead or use what we already have in our closets.

Around twelve of us showed up for the Sustainable Fashion Workshop at the Downtown Walnut Creek Library to hear about and discuss ways to reuse, repair, repurpose, and recycle our clothing. Ellie (SparkEllie on Facebook) led the discussion and offered advice. Some attendees brought in pieces they needed help repairing or repurposing and others came for inspiration. Ellie contributed a large bag of fabric scraps that we all enjoyed sifting through. Among the gathering of likeminded people was a five-year-old girl who quickly put together a pile of fabric and set to work designing something for herself. (Her enthusiasm was delightful to see.)

A local Walnut Creek resident found just the right white cotton ruffle to add to the bottom of a t-shirt. I asked for advice on mending a sweater with rips under the arms and got several great ideas.

If this is of interest to ODFL readers there’s another Sustainable Fashion Workshop coming up on Monday, April 15, 5-6:30 at the downtown Walnut Creek Library.

Do you have some clothing that could use a little TLC? Want to refashion some of your wardrobe? Just need some inspiration? I recommend popping into the Sustainable Fashion Workshop to meet some really nice people who also want to help save the earth, one item of clothing at a time.

It’s free! Click here to register.

This workshop is just one event in April to celebrate Earth Month. Among the list of fun is the Earth Day Celebration and a sustainable fashion show on Saturday, April 20th at Walnut Creek Civic Park, 11-4.

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Vogue cover, April 1, 1910.

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Earlier this month my partner and I attended the Art Deco Society of California Member Mixer at the Alameda Masonic Hall. This is the first ADSC event for us since just before the pandemic shutdown in 2020 and what fun it was to get back into the swing (donning masks).

The label on the dress says, Made in France for Bonwit Teller.

I had three vintage outfits put together, but it was the weather that would decide it. As it turned out to be a cold and rainy day, my wool dress was the winner.

When creating vintage outfits I like to mix it up a bit. I’ll wear a simple silhouette from any era and add vintage accessories. This time I paired a royal blue 1960s A-line long sleeve dress with a blue 1920s cloche hat, which defined the era of the look. Since it was chilly and wet, I wore cream colored tights and waterproof suede Oxford shoes by Clarks. A vintage pearl cuff bracelet picked up the color of the tights. I carried a blue fabric satchel handbag that I found at a London antique market and my guess is that it dates from the 1960s, but it’s timeless. A blue crinkle silk scarf from Kiss of the Wolf and pair of vintage leather gloves completed the ensemble.

Accessories make the outfit.

The star of the outfit was a red Bakelite picture hat brooch that I wore on the shoulder to pick up the red crisscross accent on the dress. It received a lot of attention.

Just one statement piece can add a punch.

I plan all my outfits, but it’s extra fun to put together something like this for a period event. We had such a lovely day catching up with other ADSC members and touring the Alameda Masonic Hall, which was built in 1927. I look forward to more Art Deco events in the future.

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I have always loved sweaters; they are cozy, comforting, and an easy layering piece. I have quite a few sweaters including a navy blue cashmere that was my father’s. It’s almost a dress on me, but I pair it with a slim skirt and a wide belt.

Mom is wearing the beloved sweater paired with slim pants and desert boots. Circa, 1958.

One of my favorite sweaters was a black wool cardigan that belonged to my mother. What we both really liked about it was its sailor flap in the back, which “took it out of the ordinary” as Mom would say. Since it didn’t have pockets at some point she knitted a square in thick black yarn and sewed it on, making her own pocket.

Eventually she gave that sweater to me, as she did many of her clothes, and after years of wearing it I managed to lose it. I have no idea what happened. It was there at my desk at work and then it was gone. I looked everywhere possible – all over my office, my car, I tore my apartment apart, I even went to my local cleaners thinking I might have brought it in (and forgotten), but weeks later I had to accept that it was gone for good. It remains a mystery.

That was about eight years ago and ever since I have looked for a similar sweater with no luck. Until recently when I found a wool cardigan at Lesley Evers in Oakland. It’s navy blue, not black and it doesn’t have the back flap, which I can’t do anything about. Nor did it have pockets, but I could do something about that. I took a page out of Mom’s fashion book and knitted a square and sewed it on. Presto – a pocket!

You know that magical purchase that is just right in every way? This is one of those. I love this sweater almost as much as Mom’s and having added the pocket, it feels like hers. I’m so happy it’s now a part of my sweater wardrobe.

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More is more and less is a bore.

Iris Apfel (1921-2024) – Designer and fashion icon.

If anyone could pull off the idea of more and more and more, it was Iris Apfel. She was a fashionable independent spirit. RIP.

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Ann Lowe in 1963.

Jackie was so sweet and shy that I felt like putting my arms around her and squeezing her. Once she opened up, she would talk with me about anything. We sat on the couch and she said, ‘Will this red do for the bridesmaid dress?’ And I said no, and she laughed and said, ‘Well, all right then, you find the red.’ I brought her the shade of pink I loved best and she said, ‘You like that shade and so do I. Our minds work together.

Ann Lowe (1898-1981), American fashion designer.

In this quote Lowe was speaking about working with Jacqueline Bouvier.

Lowe was known for the fabulous gowns she created for brides and debutantes, including the wedding gown that Jacqueline Bouvier donned when she walked down to aisle to marry John F. Kennedy in 1953.

Image from the picture book Only the Best: The Exceptional Life and Fashion of Ann Lowe, by Kate Messner, Illustrations by Erin k. Robinson.

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I have always believed that breaking rules is what makes clothes interesting. It is what I’ve done in different ways for my entire career. I love mixing fabrics and shapes in unexpected ways – the classic with the modern, the rugged with the elegant. There are no limits, as long as it’s done with a certain taste level.

Ralph Lauren – American fashion designer.

Ralph Lauren is one of my favorite designers. I appreciate his always tasteful designs and his nod to the past.

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Image courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

Congratulations to the de Young Museum and Laura Camerlengo, Associate Curator of Costume and Textile Arts at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco for their latest fashion exhibition, Fashioning San Francisco: A Century of Style, open now through August 11, 2024.

There has been much anticipation among the local fashion crowd for this exhibition that features over 100 high and couture fashion pieces worn by prominent SF Bay Area women and created by top designers including:

  • Lucile
  • Jeanne Lanvin
  • Rei Kawakubo
  • Christian Dior
  • Vivienne Westwood
  • Christopher John Rogers
  • Alexander McQueen 
  • and many more – more than 50.

The Fine Arts Museums has an impressive and extensive collection of 20th and 21st century women’s fashions thanks to generous donations by Bay Area women. This is the first time in more than 35 years that pieces from the collection have been shown. Additionally there are pieces loaned to the exhibit by locals including Sherri McMullen, East Bay resident and owner of McMullen, an Oakland boutique named by Vogue and Women’s Wear Daily as among the premiere fashion retailers in the country.

Christopher John Rogers, 2021. Image courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

I was disappointed to have missed the Press Preview, but did I attend the Members Preview Day and I appreciated getting a different perspective. There was a certain excitement in the air and I enjoyed hearing people’s comments and reactions as well as chatting with fellow fashion enthusiasts, including Lee, a Bay Area resident who as a designer herself was interested in taking a close look at construction. She pointed out to me that a 1955 Dior dress has zippers underneath the sleeves.

Backed by lightweight curtains with subtle architectural designs, Fashioning San Francisco is divided into seven sections that smoothly transition from one to the next: after the 1906 earthquake, the little black dress, suits, global influences, fashion as art, formal wear, and a small collection of shoes.

While attendees moved from section to section a soundtrack of mid-century standards played in the background. I asked fellow attendee, Aldona what she thought of the music and she said that she hadn’t noticed. After listening for a moment she commented, “It’s like we’re at a party.” It did feel like a party and suddenly I craved a cocktail.

“Junon” Christian Dior, 1949. Image courtesy of Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

But we were already giddy looking at the dazzling fashions surrounding us. Particularly in the formal wear section, where two well-known evening gowns by Christian Dior – Junon and Venus – with their fairytale sparkle called out to the crowd.

I was also drawn to the suits and one that caught my eye was a 1999 John Galliano for Dior: wool slacks and a jacket designed to wear backwards. I would have loved to have seen it from the back. Another Galliano that I liked was an ensemble with a short black jacket that had unexpected cutout detail on the sleeves.

John Galliano jacket, 1996. Love that detail!

Something new (at least to me) was the use of two levels of mannequin displays, called “balconies” one on top of the other. I liked the simplicity and use of space, plus it felt fresh and it offered viewing from a distance – why not bring opera glasses? Also new and great fun is Snap AR Activation, which allows attendees to “try on” some of the couture in the exhibit. Stand in front of a screen and like magic it will drape your reflection in a beautiful gown. (Don’t miss it – it’s located downstairs from the main exhibit.)

Well-Suited. The John Galliano for Dior suit I mention is center bottom. Image courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

For a deeper dive, Laura Camerlengo has edited a 336 page catalogue that accompanies this exhibit and includes detailed images, information about who owned and wore some of the pieces, and essays by fashion historians.

The exhibition catalogue is available in the museum shop.

I walked through the exhibition three times and could have circled again and again and still spotted something I didn’t see before and that’s a good reason to buy the book.

Fashioning San Francisco: A Century of Style is a fashion feast. Don’t miss the party. Click here for tickets.

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After The Ball: Formal Wear in the Big City is one of the sections of Fashioning San Francisco: A Century of Style on now at the de Young Museum. Image courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

Opening night gives San Francisco a chance to get the fashion jump … and the well-dressed women make the most of their chance.

A quote from an article in Life magazine, 1952.

Check back tomorrow for my review of Fashioning San Francisco: A Century of Style.

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There is something about sparkle this time of year that lifts my spirits. In January I pull out some of my sparkly pieces of jewelry, which includes a strand of cut crystal beads that belonged to my grandmother, a vintage rhinestone star brooch, and a Victorian diamond horseshoe pendant that is also a family piece.

Every day I choose one sparkly piece of jewelry to wear. (I like to think that the horseshoe pendant offers a bit of luck to the new year.)

A touch of sparkle makes the so-called “bleak midwinter” a little brighter.

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