We're bringing a brand new lot of Fresh Designer Vintage this week, the likes we have never had before! All are from the 1960's & 1970's - classic styles for today's modern gal!
All coming to Kitsch-y-Cool Vintage in Charlotte Friday!
Vintage Designer Names like: Gucci, St John, Pauline Trigere, Adolfo, Oscar de la Renta, Lanvin, and More! Great Vintage 70s Lilly Pulitzer Spring / Summer Tops. Fun, Ultra-Stylish Shoes and Handbags! - Loads of Vintage Ferragamo's!
Fun, Ultra-Stylish Shoes and Handbags! - Loads of Vintage Ferragamo's!
We've just marked down bunches of dresses, handbags, coats, and menwear to 75% off the original price - but they won't stay around long, only thru the weekend - we've got new items ready and waiting to come in!!
So we don't normally get too country in our Kitsch-y-Cool decor, but we just couldn't resist these quilts found recently at a local estate sale. All were handsewn in the Hanging Dog Mountain area of North Carolina, a small community a on the North Carolina & Tennessee border. Not only did they have great kitschy retro fabrics and designs, but we love that they come from a community called Hanging Dog!
These quilts were all created from the 1950's - 1970's and with these bright teals and pinks, they would look great with any kitschy Mid-Century home decor. Some even have the quilters "signature" on the piece.
OK people - enough dishing of what didn't work, (what could be worse that reading in the morning paper that you looked awful on your big Oscar night!) - let's talk about a couple of looks that we loved!
Personally I tend to favor the classic Hollywood gown styles, but I also love when someone wearsa whimsical gown, which is why I loved Carey Mulligan's (An Education) Prada gown embellished with tiny scissors, forks, and gears - so could this be Haute Couture Steampunk??? A lot of fashion writers out there are criticizing the choice, but I think it's FUN and Fashion Forward! I mean, who says you have to be stuffy at the Oscars!
One of the producers of the Foreign Language film El Secreto de Sus Ojos(Vanessa Ragone or Mariela Besuievsky, nobody on Oscars.com has posted these details yet!) wore this great crinoline lined black cocktail dress - 50's Vintage, or Vintage Inspired? I'm dying to find out!
Not one of the better known Audrey Hepburn movies, but what better movie to profile fashion with than a movie about fashion itself! Stanley Donan's "Funny Face" is the story of a snobby intellectual bookshop girl who is discovered by fashion photographer Fred Astaire and lured with a trip to Paris to become a fashion model. This movie may be best known for it's modern day usage of the beatnik club scene for a Gap ad. I love this movie, not just because of the great Hepburn shots and Astaire dancing, but it's a great glimse into 1957 era "High" fashion, and everyday working girl looks. Naturally, Best Costume Design Oscar Nominations went out for Edith Head and Hubert de Givenchy. Hepburn has the classic 50s look - it goes without saying, of course her clothes are fabulous, but I love everything else from the suits of the everyday girls around the magazine office to the sleek chic beanik fashions in the jazz club.
Not only is Hepburn the epitome of glamour in her fashion shots, I totally love her look as the dowdy shopgirl! I can't go without mentioning Kay Thompson who is captures classic 50's style as the editor of Quality. Trivia Note: Kat Thompson is probably best known as creator and author of the Eloise series of books; A character she is said to have created based on the antics of her goddaughter Liza Minnelli.
Here she is in the opening number "Think Pink" - a great stylized romp in PINK.
I thought I would start a new series of blogs on the movies that inspired me to collect and wear Vintage Clothing. I have always been a classic movie fan, and much of that was due to my fascination with the fashions of the past - be it clothing or home fashions.
Movies to me are one of the best ways to familiarize yourself with the true vintage styles of those decades - many times when we see vintage costumes they are the Classic Stereotypes of those decades - disco for 70s, bobbie socks and poodle skirts for 50s, mod and hippie wear for 60s etc - I like to see what real people wore!
So why not start the series with probably my all-time favorite movie The Philadelphia Story - released in 1940, directed by George Cukor, and most notably, Costume Design by Adrian! Now granted this movie does portray high-society so it isn't what mainstream America was probably wearing in 1940 - but how can I resist! I'm not going into plot or story - hopefully this will entice you to see the movie for yourself if you haven't already!
So without getting too wordy - here are some of my favorites!
The classic Hepburn, here in "Riding Gear" - mens style shirt and jodhpurs
Tracy Lords (Hepburn) attempting to portray an "Over-The-Top" socialite to tabloid journalist Macaulay Conner and photographer Elizabeth Imbrie from Dubuque ("That's west of here isn't it", "Yes, but we occasionally get the breezes")
I always loved how the lapel on C.K. Dexter-Haven's (Cary Grant) sportcoat was buttoned-up in this film!
Cary Grant is the only man who can pull off the button-up shirt with no tie look - again, check out the lapel!
Tracy Lord's sister Dinah with her jewels (a wedding present of her sisters) and HUGE hair bow!
Punk's not dead... Growing up in the DC punk rock scene in the 80's, I still have a soft spot in my heart for old-fashioned punk rock combat boots! Kitsch-y-Cool Vintage is bringing 'em back this week with a new assortment of weather worn and loved boots - sizes ranging from 5 - 10.
For the 80's flashback video, I tried very very hard to find a video of my all time favorite DC punk rock band Government Issue's version of These Boots Are Made for Walking, so if anyone out there has one, send it our way! In the meantime, we found a great video circa. 1984 of the GI's doing "Understand" at the famous 9:30 club (the old one at 930 F St, which to me is the real 9:30!). We spent many a night of our youth here, and in fact we're probably in the crowd at this show - look for us! Enjoy!
This week it's all about the guys! We're bringing in tons of vintage sportcoats, disco shirts, Mad Men style dress shirts, & groovy plaid pants! Check out this stylin' 80's jacket and 60's plum color velvet number! Groove on these plaid sportcoats and pants... 50's-60's print mens dress shirts, and a hip 70s Hawaiian RTW shirt! For our 1980's Flashback Video of the week, you might have thought I would pick Denice Williams hit from Footloose, but sticking to our New Wave roots, we're going with the very under appreciated group Book Of Love. 1985 Book Of Love, "Boy"
quilts found recently at a local estate
sale.
All were handsewn in the Hanging Dog Mountain area of North Carolina, a small community a on the North Carolina & Tennessee border. Not only did they have great kitschy retro fabrics and designs, but we love that they come from a community called Hanging Dog!
a whimsical gown, which is why I loved Carey Mulligan's (An Education) Prada gown embellished with tiny scissors, forks, and gears - so could this be Haute Couture Steampunk??? A lot of fashion writers out there are criticizing the choice, but I think it's FUN and Fashion Forward! I mean, who says you have to be stuffy at the Oscars!
film El Secreto de Sus Ojos (Vanessa Ragone or Mariela Besuievsky, nobody on Oscars.com has posted these details yet!) wore this great crinoline lined black cocktail dress - 50's Vintage, or Vintage Inspired? I'm dying to find out!
photographer Fred Astaire and lured with a trip to Paris to become a fashion model. This movie may be best known for it's modern day usage of the beatnik club scene for a Gap ad.
Trivia Note: Kat Thompson is probably best known as creator and author of the Eloise series of books; A character she is said to have created based on the antics of her goddaughter Liza Minnelli.
