The Fashion Historian Polly Guerin

COUTURE HOUSES, HOITY STYLE MASTERS (c) By Polly Guerin

2012-01-26T08:24:00.000-08:00

The astonishing aspect of haute couture, a term referring to fashions created in the grand couture houses of Paris, is that it is a mesmerizing showcase of ultra fashion indulgences that brings entertainment to the forefront of the world runways. Charles Frederick Worth, the founder of the first Parisian couture house, and the House of Worth itself no longer exists, but the great man himself, Worth, set the stage for fashion and its celebrity. He ruled over his clients like a dictator guru and swathed them in rich fabrics and draperies in the crinoline of the day. Fashions a la couture were and still are an astronomically commodity and in order for a couture house to survive a rich client base is mandatory. Yet despite the economic crisis demand for couture is steady and the coffers of the couture are fueled by a new wave of rich customers; Russian, Chinese and Brazilian women who want one-of-a-kind clothes and are willing to pay $10,000 to $100,000, depending on the embellishments.
HAUTE COUTURE FOR THE MASSES? So why is haute couture a mainstay on the stage of fashion? One standout reason is that many designers are peddling their brand today to the mass market and the cheap chic brands are giving couture a new lease on life through marketing and publicity. At the same time marketers are hoping that women will eventually graduate to high-end fashion. Couture is something to be coveted. I remember working at the House of Guy LaRoche in Paris and although I expected to be paid in cash instead, I was given couture dresses in a sort of barter arrangement. Not a bad deal for me. I discovered that once you put on a couture garment something inexplicable happens to you. You instantly rise to the demands of the design, holding your head high and feeling fashion confidant in your new garment for you have risen up to the heights of fashion authority. In short you feel very much the princess or queen that you are. The fabric is exceptional, the workmanship, the fine lining and just the way the garment complements your body makes you feel exceptional, all because you are wearing the “derniere crie de la mode.”
THE HIGH COST OF HAUTE FASHION Upon observation we must consider that the exorbitant cost of a fashion has a lot to do with the fact that each garment is a one-of-a-kind, made-to-measure garment that has been stitched inch-by-inch by the couture house’s atelier seamstresses for a specific customer. Although the designers, top-of-the-fame houses Christian Dior, Chanel and Atelier Versace get full credit for the design, it is these time honored seamstresses who labor for hours, days, sometimes months behind the scenes and who actually give birth to the design working the best of their craft to create a garment of exquisite beauty. Today the same traditions continue and the red-carpet-ready fashion goes on with amazing venues and in-house fashion shows for the rich cognoscenti who covet wearing couture to distinguish themselves and their lifestyle.
SETTING THE STAGE OF FASHION You cannot fully image how spectacular some of these fashion show venues, produced for the elite press and rich couture customers, garner press coverage and collectively capture the attention of women worldwide. Show Biz is at the core of some of these productions. Case in point: recently Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel couture collection, spring 2012, called Jet Blue, took to the runways in more ways than usual in the Grand Palais with a jumbo airplane installation and seating for 250 select fashionistas. The double-C monogrammed carpet and swank cocktail bar cart suggested that we could fly away in the chic trappings of this elegant version of air travel. Lagerfeld, the master of his craft did not disappoint. The clothes were like a blue symphony in a monochromatic rainbow of blues, many of the styles were embellished with shimmering sequins, crystals and bugle beads, perhaps set by at the House of Lesage, the preeminent embroiders to the couture trade. Despite the entertainment the fashions were the main event with a lean, straight silhouette for daytime wear. However, the mood was young and flirty for evening with ingénue organza dresses flirting with hand applied flowers at one shoulder or in a fluttering cascade on skirts while exquisite embroidery shimmered in delicate blues. The collection was a skyrocketing success and Lagerfeld emerged from the cockpit to take his bow. Now, that spectacular venue is worthy of a Broadway production.
CELEBRITY FRONT ROWS Couture fashion shows and celebrity front rows take to the newspaper headlines and red carpet appearances of movie stars wearing couture gowns give the couture new impetus to maintain their position of excellence. When Angelina Jolie and Nicole Kidman wore couture to the Golden Globe Awards that pumps up the image of couture. But remember, these ladies probably borrowed the gowns for that occasion and the couture house gains by the publicity. Couture is an experimental fashion laboratory where designers can test out new techniques. At Dior crocodile skin was cut up and re-embroidered onto organza and Donatella Versace used PVC to made 3D flowers on her dresses. Such feats of fashion innovation, all created painstakingly by hours of hand application are difficult to translate into ready-to-wear lines but they are the source of inspiration and practical application.
WHO CAN AFFORD COUTURE? Don’t fret if you’re not counted among the fashion cognoscenti with deep pockets, who can afford the over-the-top couture fashion prices. More accessibly priced products are available through the couture house’s accessories collection; signature scarves, handbags, wallets, costume jewelry, shoes and millinery. The allure of owning a couture item also draws in wannabee couture customers to the sunglass, eyeglass, perfume, luggage and even home furnishings collections, which in most cases, though pricey, are more affordable for thee and me.
VIVA HAUTE COUTURE!!! IT’S A MAINSTAY IN THE FASHION WORLD, A COMPELLING LURE FOR THE LADIES WHO LUNCH AND RICH FASHIONISTAS WORLDWIDE. COUTURE TITILLATES THE IMAGINATION, IT SERVES AS INSPIRATION AND IN ITS FINEST HOUR IT IS THE GREATEST SHOW IN THE FASHION GALAXY.

LADYLIKE LOOKS FASHION TREND (c) By Polly Guerin

2011-11-22T09:13:00.000-08:00

Bring on those Ladylike looks in fashion in your wardrobe. Turn your heroine into a femme fatale that smolders passion underneath boucle suits, bouffant hairdos and baked Alaskas for dinner. The trend, which reigns supreme for fall right into spring 2012 revisits Dior's 'New Look,' the 1950s and 1960s and also takes inspiration from the popular 60s fashions graced by the “First Ladies of the Air.” Pictured right: Marc Jacobs collection. GRACE KELLY RECALL Remember those dolman-sleeved coats and suit jackets that so personified the Grace Kelly look. Well those shoulders were featured on the runways of Balenciaga, Donna Karan and even Marc Jacobs, and many others. Don’t forget the Kelly handbag or its hybrids as well as those pearls are demure ways to revive the Kelly look with a modern twist. Dressing-up also heralds the return of the 1950s black cocktail dress worn with a frivolity of the era, the cocktail hat. DIOR REVISITED A well groomed very feminine woman can be an object on display but she can also be a smoldering seductress underneath it all. The 1947 ‘New Look’ (pictured above) was introduced as the world recovered from World War II. Paying homage to the past the nipped in waist jackets and dresses returned at Christian Dior. His ladies were prim and proper in lovely suits and pretty print dresses, some with portrait collars. The head scarf makes a comeback and with it teasing brushes to create raised-hive hairdos. The classic pump is a must accessory and includes the black and cream tuxedo pump with vamp bow and a modest slim heel for ladylike chic. FLY THE FRIENDLY SKIES The hit TV show, which gives viewers a blast from the past with popular 60s fashions brings back crisp white blouses with shapely powder blue suits and oversized leather handbags. The proper suit with nipped in waist is a ‘must’ in a heroine’s wardrobe. For a modern twist on these iconic styles, visit OneStopPlus.com, Dots.com, the fast fashion retailer and eDressMe.com the contemporary fashion boutique, where you can find similar styles. WALK SOFTLY LIKE A LADY It’s time to lift up our feminine heads and walk the walk like a Lady. Your heroine gets interested in dresses in skirts for the first time in decades. Feminine details like gloves, particular white or pastel short styles that end at the wrist and “garden party” cosmetics, pink and lavender nail polish create pert looks that call for cat-eye sunglasses and puckered cherry pink lips.
HERE’S TO THE RETURN OF THE PRIM AND PROPER WOMAN!!! SHE’S LONG OVERDUE IN FASHION!!!
Polly Guerin, fashion guru and former professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology writes about fashion presentations in her book, “Creative Fashion Presentations,” Fairchild Books. Visit her at www.pollytalk.com where you will find a link to her Blogs. Polly is currently soliciting for a publisher for her book, “A Tale of Two Sisters,” the founders of the Cooper Hewitt Museum.

GUINNESS, DAPHNE The Ultimate Fashion Fantasy (c)

2011-09-29T08:25:00.000-07:00

Shoe and dress by Alexander McQueen

Throughout history there have been celebrated women of style, but Daphne Guinness, a brewing company heiress, couture collector, and style icon is a special type of fashion insider. She not only inspires designers and brings their clothes to life, but Daphne actually re-invents looks that affect the way the fashion cognoscenti dress and/or think about dressing. She has re-invented herself using fashion to transform herself to become a creative force in her own right. Art historian, John Richardson puts it: “She’s the object of her own creativity. Her persona is her own masterpiece.” If you’re like me hovering in the classic rung of the fashion ladder you may ask, “Why should any of us care about what DG does? It becomes clear at the exhibit at The Museum at FIT in New York City that Daphne Guinness, the most stylish woman living today, can turn even a basic into a head-turner. The exhibit on view through January 7, 2012 features approximately 100 garments and accessories from Guinness's personal collection, plus films, videos and image of and by her.

DESIGNER CONNECTIONS A close friend of the late designer Alexander McQueen, the exhibition includes more than a dozen McQueen garments that have never been displayed. “I wish he was still here, he was part of my real friends. It wasn’t just about making clothes; you’re feeding off each other.” Daphne Guinness is also credited with inspiring some of the world’s greatest couturiers from Karl Lagerfeld to Valentino. Also featured is an extraordinary haute couture from Chanel, Dior, Givenchy, Lacroix, and Valentino, as well as demi-couture from Azzedine Alaia, Tom Ford, Dolce & Gabbana, and Rick Owens, and futuristic styles by young designers and clothes that Guinness has designed herself that show her love of uniforms. The breathtaking wide range of exceptional accessories, many which were created in collaboration with Guinness include Philip Treacy’s hats and Shaun Leane’s “armor” jewelry, not to mention towering platform shoes made especially for her by Christian Louboutin and Noritaka Tatehana. GUINNESS’S INSPIRATION When questioned: “Who did you most admire?” Daphne replied, “Diana Vreeland, she lived her clothes. In contrast to Vreeland who lived her clothes, Daphne added, “Some people put things on, but they don’t feel that they are part of them. With style you learn and adjust.” The Duchess of Windsor, Nancy Cunard, and Josephine Baker were other style icons Daphne mentioned. She added, “I am also inspired by books. I will envision what the heroine is wearing. I’m always going back to the basics in literature and art and I am an Old Master fan.” DAPHNE’S VIEW ON COLLECTING When asked “How to you approach collecting?” Daphne replied: “It has to be something so original it sparks something in you, reacting ‘Wow that’s something new and exciting,’ I was the first with skulls, but when skulls became mainstream I gave them up. I’m connected to music; rock and roll and fashion are very related. Music in the 60’s influenced a whole generation way of dressing. However, I feel that there’s a new movement seems to be happening in fashion now.” CREATING INDIVIUDAL STYLE “I would not say one style is better than another,” Daphne said in reply is the question, “Is there more of an opportunity today for individual style. Daphne: “Sometimes I feel that there is enormous pressure that some people feel that they must dress a certain way to be validated. Fashion hats and gloves may not be necessary but they are now fascinating. I always wanted to wear men’s suits. When cut right you can put it on again, again and again because the structure is good.” From her platinum-and-black striped hair to her towering ten-inch heels, from her to die-for couture collection to her amazing jewelry, Daphne Guinness completely embodies the rarified personal style of a fashion icon.
Several of Guinness’s films are shown, including The Phenomenology of the Body (which explores the politics of clothing), Mnemosyne (which was inspired by her perfume, and Tribute to Alexander McQueen, as well as numerous images and videos.
The museum’s annual fashion symposium, Fashion Icons and Insiders, November 3-4, 2011 will take place in conjunction with the Daphne Guinness exhibit

JONES, STEPHEN, THE MAD HATTER (c) By Polly Guerin

2011-09-21T11:35:00.000-07:00

Who would ever predicted that a young boy growing up in the 1960’s, who aspired to be an astronaut, would one day become the British Mad Hatter, Stephen Jones, whose celebrity is synonymous with the millinery he has created for the fashion cognoscenti, superstars and royals. Stephen Jones burst on the London fashion scene during the explosion of street style in the late seventies and his oeuvre has proliferated into millinery stardom. He is considered to be one of the world’s most radical and important milliners of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. No wonder Jones was selected to co-curate the 2009 exhibition Hats: An Anthology for the Victoria & Albert Museum and to return triumphantly to New York to present Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones, a collaboration between the Victoria & Albert Museum and Jones, which opened September 16, 2011 at the Bard Graduate Center of Decorative Arts, Design History, Material Culture in New York City. BECOMING THE CELEBRITY MILLINER Jones was one of the original style-blazers of fashion and opened his first millinery salon in the basement of a trendy store in Endell Street in the heart of Covent Garden. “Overnight I had a business,” Jones commented in 2008. The Stephen Jones mystique and his ability to create iconic styles drew to its atelier rock stars to royalty, from Boy George to his regular client followers from Blitz and even Diana, Princess of Wales as a regular customer, to give them the head turning headgear that would make arresting headlines. His celebrity on the rise, Jones had a hat commissioned by the Victoria & Albert museum for their newly refurbished Costume Court, which was the beginning of Jones’ long and fruitful relationship with the V&A. RED CARPET CONNECTIONS Jones’ prolific oeuvre brought his creations to the fashion world creating hats for the catwalk shows of many leading couturiers and fashion designers including John Galliano at Dior and Vivienne Westwood. In 1984 Jones relocated his studio to Lexington Street and that year Jean-Paul Gaultier invited him to Paris to make hats for his show and subsequently he received full credit for his hats thus assuring that the Paris cognoscenti was made aware of his hats. It was inevitable that Jones would enter the retail arena and in the same year he also sold his first designs to a department store, Bloomingdales in New York. From the red carpet to fashion runways to race courses, garden parties and fashion magazine covers millinery by Stephen Jones are crowning achievements of originality, head turners on the fashion and social circuits. STEPHEN JONES TODAY His work is always identified by its inventiveness, its witty statement, its novel approach to subject matter and most importantly its high level of technical expertise. From the catwalk to the couture collaborations Jones’s hats have been an integral component in some of the most memorable runway spectacles of the past quarter century. In addition to his Model Milliner collection, he designs the widely-distributed Miss Jones and Jonesboy diffusion ranges, plus a JonesGirl accessories line exclusively for Japan. His hats are represented in the permanent collections of major museums worldwide and are always at the forefront of fashion on magazine covers and in the window displays of the world’s most celebrated boutiques and retail stores. BECOMING A MILLINERY ICON If truth be told Jones came into the fashion orbit of millinery in quite a serendipitous manner. Jones readily admits his faults and his triumphs, “I attended Saint Martins, but I couldn’t master sewing. However, despite this shortcoming I became an intern in the tailoring department of the London couture house, Lacasse.” However, upon observing the magical haven of creativity elsewhere Jones soon requested a transfer to the next-door millinery department. It was presided over by Shirley Hex and between 1976 and 1979 Jones spent his summer breaks working for Hex and learning about millinery methods and techniques. Jones left St. Martins in 1979 and the same year he became one of the style-blazers at London’s legendary Blitz nightclub himself competing to wear the most outrageous outfits including a pinstripe suit with stiletto heels. Many of the Blitz kids became his first clients, with Jones creating outlandish hats for them to wear to the club. STEPHEN JONES IS POSSIBLY THE MOST ORIGINAL MILLINER TODAY Rising to the heights of creativity Stephen Jones born on the Wirral Peninsula in Cheshire on the 31st of May 1957, and schooled in Liverpool, has propelled his art into the future and continues to attract a celebrity clientele which includes Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, Whoopi Goldberg, and Cher. Hamish Bowles, Vogue USA said, “His genius is to enhance the mystery, allure and wit of the wearer.” Jones was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2010 New Year Honours. STEPHEN JONES AT BARD The show at Bard is comprised of more than 250 hats, the majority of which are chosen by Jones himself from the V&A’s extraordinary hat collection. Visitors will see hats ranging from the twelfth-century Egyptian fez to a 1950s Balenciaga design and couture creation by Jones and his contemporaries. A selection of rare film footage shows the elegant Jacqueline Kennedy, who almost single handedly revived the hat industry in the United States by her allegiance to this sartorial finery, wearing hats at the presidential inauguration in 1961. Look into Jones’s amazing atelier workroom where creativity spills forth over desks and floor in a profusion of ribbons and trims. The exhibit runs through April 15, 2012.

HOUSEGUEST, HOW TO BE PERFECTLY FASHIONABLE (c) By Polly Guerin

2011-07-21T06:59:00.000-07:00

There are rules of conduct when it comes to visiting friends or family.Whether it be a summer vacation, Thanksgiving or any other major holiday or simply a catch-up visit there are certain given points of etiquette that must be met so that you will be sure to hear your host say, “Come back real soon, honey, I mean it!”
When visiting my friend Dickie Van den Heuvel and his partner Chi Mui in Wells, Maine recently I was the perfectly fashionable house guest. Here are my ten rules that are sure to guarantee any self-respecting person another invitation.
1. THE TIME FRAME: In advance it is important to discuss the exact time frame in which the invitation has been extended to you. Visiting a host’s summer home is one thing and a city home another. A summer house may have a busy week-to-week schedule so the host would expect you to arrive and depart as planned. As for a city visit your host may have a weekday work schedule so do keep yourself busy during the day. However, don’t go off on your own merry way and treat the host’s home like a hotel. Instead make yourself free in the evening and weekend to spend quality time with your host. If it is a weekend only invitation the time frame is shorter but it is still necessary to respect the host’s schedule. When visiting family or relatives an entirely different set of rules would apply and the visit is usually negotiated on a personal level. However, in all of these situations there are ways to show your gratitude and make your visit pleasant any time of the year.
1. SHOW UP ON TIME: Remember to show up on time at the station or airport especially when your host has to travel almost an hour to pick you up at your arrival destination. Unexpected transportation delays may cause you to be running late. That’s quite understandable but be sure to call on your cell phone and update your host on when you expect to arrive.
2. COMMUNICATION: If you have any food allergies or even a medical condition that your host is unaware of be sure to discuss it in advance.Obviously you cannot expect your host to produce special meals to accommodate your special needs, so let them know that you will be purchasing those specific food items when you arrive. Don’t be shy; ask your host if they have any specific household rules. Smokers should check on the host’s policy on smoking in their house or apartment. As lovely as the sound of a clock chiming out the hours maybe to your host if you have sensitivity to these chimes, as I do and cannot sleep, politely ask your host if the clock could be turned off only at night. In any case it is best to remember to travel with ear plugs.
3. TRAVEL LIGHT WITH A TOTE AND HANDBAG: Since I never like to drag along a suitcase I always ship my fashionable digs and beach gear in a medium size box, which I send by U.S. Parcel Post so that it will arrive close to my destination arrival date. However, it is best to ask permission of your host first before you ship anything. Since the post office will deliver the box directly to the host’s home they should not mind your sending clothing this way, but obviously you should not pack a box so large that it seems that your entire fashion wardrobe has been shipped. That’s not acceptable.
REVERSE INSTRUCTIONS: Prior to your departure simply reverse these shipping instructions and repack the same box and mail it back to your home address. If time runs out before you leave and you need to request of your host to mail the box for you; remember to leave enough money to cover the cost of the postage and add a big ‘Thank You’ note.Always recheck the room to be sure that you haven’t left anything of value or importance to you behind. However, after you have returned home if you forgot an item the most convenient way to request its return is to send a padded self-addressed and stamped envelope in a larger stamped envelope addressed to the host and in a note politely ask your host to mail the missed item to you.
4. The PROS and CONS of GIFT GIVING: Unless you know exactly what the host or hostess really wants or needs, my advice is, “Don’t bring anything!” Politely tell the host that you would prefer getting them something they truly would like or need during your visit. I listened for this opportunity and when one of my hosts exclaimed that he wanted to shop for some potted plants to replant in their garden, I quickly joined
them on this shopping expedition.When check out time came I reminded my hosts that I wanted to give them a meaningful gift and at the cash register I gladly paid for the plants. This gesture not only pleased my hosts but it was something they really wanted and, since the perennials chosen would reappear each season, I would be remembered favorably as well. People in Maine like to hang patriotic and symbolic flags on poles by their front doors or garage. On another occasion we visited an amazing store, Harbor Flags in Wells, Maine which housed an incredible inventory of every kind of flag from all over the world. When one of my hosts asked if they had a signature flag of Scotland I took this opportunity to buy that flag and give it to him as a gift. It’s easy to be the perfect guest just keep your ears perked up to get clues as to what wonderful gift you can give your host that has personal meaning.
5. A ROOM OF YOUR OWN: This is a luxury that demands respect. Hang clothing in the closet and only use the drawers in the chest designated for your use. Show your housekeeping skills by keeping the room tidy, the bed made every morning. You may not have a private bathroom and will probably be required to use the hall guest bathroom so keep it neat and clean as you found it. On a chance encounter with your host remember to wear a robe. Dress is usually casual in a country or beach house setting but that dose not mean that you should arrive at breakfast in your pajamas unless you’re family. Otherwise show respect and appear at breakfast freshly groomed wearing T-shirt and shorts and flip-flops or bathing suit with beach cover up.
6. THE HOUSEHOLD ROUTINE: Every household has its routine so just go with the flow and fit into the host’s regime. Questions to ask: 'When is the computer is open for use?' Or 'May I bring my small dog?"

If you are an early riser, as I am, find out if you may make the morning coffee before anyone else appears for breakfast. In a casual breakfast setting, guests may be expected to help themselves to cereal and may freely open the refrigerator for juice and milk. However, do not leave glasses or dishes in the sink, rinse them out or put them in the dishwasher. You can pitch in at other times and put on an apron and help to prepare a noonday meal or dinner. However, if you are banned from the kitchen help to clean up afterward and put the dishes in the dishwasher. Ways to contribute and show that you are the perfectly fashionable guest include the following: One night let your hosts know that you are ordering take-out from their favorite restaurant or on another occasion invite them out to brunch, lunch or dinner, and of course, pay the bill. During your visit when the occasion calls for a group of friends dining out casually or formally together don’t disappear when the check comes, be prepared and pay your share of the bill.
7. REPLENISH SUPPLIES: If you are staying more than three days it
would show your appreciation for the visit by replenishing some of the items in the refrigerator. However, when the visit extends for more than a week or two weeks you may not realize how much of the general supplies you have consumed. It’s true that hospitality is a gift, but there are limits as to what you can expect from your host. The next time you accompany your host to the supermarket insist on purchasing some of the routine supplies like tissues or toilet paper which could run out pretty quickly with your use. With the cost of gas today if you have been taking excursions about by automobile, even if the host may refuse, insist on putting gas in the host’s car.
8. POLITE SOCIETY: When your host says, “Make yourself at home,”
don’t take that literally. It’s best to ask before you start using things like
sitting in the host’s favorite chair. I was upset once when a guest without
asking took a book from my vintage collection and proceeded to tuck her
feet under herself while sitting on the sofa. Another time, I found a guest
rocking back and forth on an antique chair doing some kind of exercise. I
was astonished by her lack of consideration for the fragile shape of the
chair. If your host likes country music and has the radio on all day, albeit
playing at a moderate sound level, don’t criticize and say that you prefer
Bach and suggest another station. Remember as a guest you need to go with the flow. Even if you are disappointed by a sightseeing adventure, a
restaurant or even if you have a negative comment about the host’s
neighbors keep your disappointment to yourself. It’s just polite. However, if your opinion is asked for that opens the gate for comment or discussion.
9. DEPARTURE: Most hosts would expect you to leave your room in the same state in which you found it. Specific tidying up may include a bit of
dusting and sweeping the floor with a broom or vacuum . You may have
removed framed photos or memorabilia, which were originally on display on the top of the dresser or on the desk, to make room for some of your
stuff. If this be the case then try to replace these items exactly in the spot in which they were located when you arrived. The day of your departure
remember to strip and remake the bed. Put the used linens and towels into the pillowcase ready for the laundry. However, for a visit that lasts a week or two, if your hosts are really busy and your time schedule permits, you can wash and the dry towels and linens and leave them clean and folded on the freshly made bed.
10. THANK YOU VERY MUCH: Having enjoyed the largess of your
host and the true hospitality that you have enjoyed then spare no time in
penning a thank you note. Show your gratitude by mainly stressing how
much you appreciated their hospitality and particularly mention one or
two very special aspects of the visit that impressed you. Don’t bother to
criticize anyone or anybody, stay firm in acknowledging how much you
enjoyed the visit with them and that you hope that there will be many more times to get together. Such a thoughtful individual who has observed the rules of guest etiquette can be sure to receive an invitation to visit another time and hear as they depart, “Come back real soon honey, I mean it!”

SPORTSWEAR: AN ALL-AMERICAN TRADITION (c) By Polly Guerin

2011-06-22T07:55:00.000-07:00

It’s easy to forget that women did not always climb mountains and ski, and become Olympic heroines. When we look at medieval tapestries we see aristocratic women riding to the hunt but in most cases women were relegated to sedentary roles. Gentle sports emerged in the 19th century. Women came out of the parlour and became active participants swinging a golf club, wielding a croquet mallet or playing tennis. There was no specific clothing for these activities. Though the skirt may have been shortened, you’d simply wear your daytime frock and hat encumbered with corset, bustle or crinoline depending on the era. In the late 19th Century a true liberation came in on wheels.
BICYCLE MADNESS
The bicycle afforded women the freedom to travel alone wearing of course bloomers, those liberating garments that had scandalized society when Mrs. Amelia Bloomer introduced them in 1851. Criticism about the bicycling craze erupted with a New York Times article from 1893 describes the phenomenon as ‘every woman must, does or will mount the iron horse.’ In Paris, women risked arrest wearing trouser-style garments while not in the presence of a bicycle.
THE SPORTING LIFE
Thank goodness those Victorian restrictions have given way to good looking garments that allowed women to participate in active sports unencumbered and sleek in new fabrics that afford comfort and speed. The Museum at FIT responds to some of these sport/fashion issues in a new exhibition, SPORTING LIFE, which explores the relationship between active sportswear from the past 150 years and fashion. The exhibit on view through November 5, 2011 features more than 100 garments, accessories and textiles representing 16 sports juxtaposed with sports-inspired, ready-to-wear styles by leading designers.
FASHIONABLE SPORTS
If you’re waxing nostalgic about the good old days imagine what it must have been like to ride a bike. Sporting Life features a circa 1888 woman’s tailored bicycling ensemble, with a divided skirt that was designed for mobility as well as modesty. Clothing for bicycling changed substantially during the 20th century giving way to stretch materials and streamlined design for maximum performance in competitive racing. The earliest tennis garment on view, circa 1903, is a two-piece summer ensemble with shirtwaist style blouse and long skirt. The exhibit also pairs a 1926 silk Chanel dress, with a loose cut and a pleated skirt, with a familiar white cotton tennis dress, circa 1926, to illustrate the relationship between sport and fashion.
IN THE SWIM OF FASHION
Imagine garments for swimming and active sportswear made in heavy wool and how much it must have impeded one’s pleasure of the sport. The exhibition features a wide variety of women’s swimwear, ranging from a modest, two-piece wool suit from the 1850s to the body-revealing styles created by designer Rudi Gernreich during the 1960s. Other garments illustrate how new textile technology, including lastex and spandex contribute to today’s competitive sportswear’s high performance functionality. By the 1980s, spandex could be found not only in specialized sportswear and in exercise and dance clothing, but also in similarly body-conscious fashions.
FASHION DIVERSITY
The exhibition also has sections devoted to golf, skiing hunting, skating, horseback riding, motoring, surfing, dance, football and baseball. Some synthetic materials most often utilized in active sportswear are being using in fashion garments---neoprene, for instance, a fabric commonly used in clothing for surfing and aquatic sports. To illustrate, the exhibit displays a neoprene wetsuit alongside a sporty 1994 Donna Karan dress, also made of neoprene. Christian Lacroix’s 1990 beachwear ensemble is an eye-catcher with coordinated swimsuits, scarf, hat, sunglasses and shoes as is Gucci (Tom Ford) ski jacket, pink polyester/nylon/spandex, circa 1995.
Today companies are consulting with doctors and engineers in their efforts to make performance apparel that has “comfort, lightness, and style.” Meanwhile, fashion runway collections continue to present adaptations of classic sports attire.
The Museum at FIT is located at Seventh Avenue at 27th Street, New York City. Info: 212.217.4558 FREE admission. Closed Sundays, Monday and legal holidays. Tuesday-Friday, noon– 8pm, Saturday, 10-5 pm.

ILLUMINATING FASHION: Rich Historical Imagery (c) by Polly Guerin

2011-05-23T08:31:00.000-07:00

“Illuminating Fashion,” the fascinating history of fashion and its ties to politics, social upheaval and cultural influence during the Middle Ages is a rich study in which clothing styles provide clues to how the royals and gentry expressed their fashion preferences and reacted to the vicissitudes of the world around them. The nearly 200 years covered by the show provides the viewer seeking fashion accuracy a rare opportunity to see a rich era for fashion, a period in which clothing styles changed rapidly, often from one decade to the next. The exhibition at the Morgan Museum and Library, “Dress in the Art of Medieval France and the Netherlands,” explores the evolution of courtly clothing from the “Fashion revolution” around 1330 to the flowering of the Renaissance in France following the accession of King Francois I in 1515 in shaping fashion.
ILLUMINATING FASHION Because few actual garments from the Middle Ages survive, the Morgan focuses on the art in the illuminated manuscripts and early printed books to reveal how historical dress in Northern Europe provides clues to the wearer’s identity and character. The exhibition connects through a historical timeline the potential impact of political unrest and social upheaval on the history of fashion during one of the world’s more calamitous eras: The Hundred year’s War, the occupation of Paris by the English, and the arrival of the Italian Renaissance in northern Europe. The exhibit also demonstrates the richness of symbolism in medieval art and how artists used clothing and costume as a code to help viewers interpret an image. In these works of art, what people wear is a clue to their identities and moral characters.
FASHION OPULENCE Viewers seeking fashion accuracy need only examine the magnificent illuminated books to see the colorful, gold leaf illuminated fashions which provide a rare glimpse into the era of fashion opulence. I might suggest that you bring along a magnifying glass to look closely at the amazing detail and preserved colors in some of the tiny books. Replicas of some of the fashionable images from the manuscripts have been reproduced in colorful large-scale portraits on the walls which form an impressive panorama above the glass cases where the timeline connects historical facts. HISTORICAL REPRODUCTIONS To enhance appreciation for the fashions of the era, on display four full-scale reproductions of late medieval ensembles depict actual garments in the illuminated manuscripts. Using period hand-sewing techniques and authentic materials including silk, velvet, gold brocade, linen, straw and ermine the recreations include the Catherine of Cleves, Duchess of Guelders richly attired, her voluminous ermine-lined Houpeland, with cascading bombard sleeves, her hair is enmeshed in reticulated cone-shaped headgear.
When I mentioned that I would have expected to see such an impressive historical fashion interpretation at a fashion museum, Curator of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts, Roger S. Wieck replied, “Yes, but we have the manuscripts,” and that is what this exhibit is all about “Illuminating Fashion” that touches on the potential impact of political unrest and social upheaval on the history of fashion during one of the world’s more calamitous eras. At The Morgan Library & Museum, 225 Madison Ave., New York, through September 4, 2011. www.themorgan.org.

JEWELS FOR A PRINCESS, The Jewelry of Van Cleef & Arpels (c) By Polly Guerin

2011-03-19T07:02:00.000-07:00

Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend but then there are rubies, emeralds and sapphires to color one’s life with vibrant fine jewelry designs that any princess in a romantic novel would cherish. Van Cleef & Arpels the legendary French jewelry brings to the fashion stage a world of beauty, fashion, mystery, storytelling and magic! The luxury jeweler has revisited its iconic surrealist Zip necklace and the gem-setting procedure known as the Mystery Setting at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York in the exhibit “Set in Style,” which showcases several themes: Innovation, Transformations, Nature as Inspiration, Exoticism and Fashion on display with all its historical dazzle until June 5, 2011. Even if you cannot afford this luxury---it is well worth admiring the detail of these exquisite works of art, the Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry, for themselves.

SET IN STYLE

On view are over 350 jewels, timepieces fashion accessories and objets d’art, many of which were created for the American market. Since its boutique opened in 1906 in Paris Van Cleef & Arpels has played a leading role in style and design innovation in the world of the fashion cognoscenti. Its timeless pieces have been worn by royalty as well as heroines of the silver screen, queens, princesses and famous women including style icons the Duchess of Windsor, H.S.H. Princess Grace of Monaco and Dame Elizabeth Taylor to name a few. By far one of the most unique design is the Zip necklace that the jeweler recently introduced in Paris with four new spectacular versions at their Place Vendome boutique.

THE ZIP NECKLACE

Van Cleef & Arpels is renowned for transforming objects from one form into another, hence the theme Transformations and the Zip necklace has a zipper that really works. What you’ll see on display, is the iconic surrealist Zip design, which was originally commissioned by the Duchess of Windsor in 1938, but only got as far as the sketch stage, being too difficult to engineer in platinum and diamonds as she had requested. However, the first yellow-gold version was produced in 1951. The highly technical piece the Zip necklace can be worn as a necklace or zipped up to form a bracelet, giving the piece great flexibility. It was the ultimate design solution by the firm’s head designer Rene-Sims Lacaze, and artistic designer Renee Puissant, daughter of Alfred Van Cleef and Estelle Arpels. Their liaison begins in 1926 and the next two decades are a highly creative period for luxury jeweler.

INNOVATION and THE MYSTERY SETTING

Truly remarkable is the Mystery Setting an innovation in which matched gemstones are grooved and set in channels so that the setting is invisible. The Mystery-Set Ribbon bracelet, circa 1943, for example, emeralds are softer than sapphires and rubies, making exact cutting difficult; they are also harder to match for color, so Mystery-Set emeralds are particularly rare. Van Cleef & Arpels is also the originator of the Minaudiere patented in 1934, a vanity case the size of a small clutch that is popular with fashionistas worldwide.

FASHION and PERSONALITIES

When Van Cleef & Aprels opened its doors it was an era of high collars and frilly lace, but the luxury jeweler has kept pace with the times of changing tastes and fashion. Whatever the period, VC&A has understood the line between fashion and jewelry as a powerful emotional sensibility that greatly influences contemporary design. The celebrated women and their choices of adornment are also a significant part of jewelry-design history. Among the great ladies legendary opera singer Maria Callas showed off her jewelry onstage and off including her flower brooch fashioned with rubies, diamonds and platinum, and always a favorite the adorable poodle brooch of the model owned by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in gold diamonds, rubies.

A BRIEF HISTORY

The history of Van Cleef & Arpels is a saga of the merging two families that formed legendary alliance as purveyors of fine jewelry, luxury jewelry. Both families had long been in the diamond and colored-stone markets in the Netherlands and Belgium. The daughter of Salomon Arpels, a dealer in precious stones, married Alfred Van Cleef, whose family were sheet merchants living in the 19th arrondissement of Paris. That same year, Alfred Van Cleef and Salomon Arpels established a jewelry business and in 1906, they registered the “Van Cleef & Arpels” trademark and opened a boutique in the tony haute couture enclave at 22 Place Vendome. Progressively, the second generation joined the business and in 1942 the Arpels family immigrated to America and opened their first boutique in New York, on 5th Avenue. Venturing further the firm later became the first French jeweler to open boutiques in Japan and China.

Visit Van Cleef & Arpels at www.vancleef-arpels.com.

The Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum is located at 2 East 91st Street. www.cooperhewitt.org.

Biography: Polly Guerin, a former professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology, and is currently working on a book entitled the Cooper-Hewitt’s of Old New York in which the founders of the Cooper-Hewitt museum, Eleanor Gurnee and Sarah Cooper Hewitt, granddaughters of Peter Cooper, are featured in the chapter, “A Tale of Two Sisters.”

WEDDING FORMALITIES (c) By Polly Guerin

2011-03-09T07:52:00.000-08:00

What could be more binding, more permanent a document than the legendary “Ketubbah” a marriage contract? The ancient Ketubbah was not merely a legal document it became a splendid work of art, but it did not begin that way. It originated as a contract protecting the interests of a woman and her children. From the first simply decorated examples of these magnificent treasures, frequently embellished with decorative borders and fine calligraphy evolved with increasingly elaborate ornamentation with texts and decoration providing rich sources of information on the artistic creativity, cultural interactions, and social history of the communities in which they were created from Iraq and Iran to Italy and the Netherlands, and finally to the United States. Recently there has been a renewed interest in the formalities of the Ketubbah and celebrations that follow the traditional Berberisca ceremony.
THE ART OF THE KETUBBAH
Similar to modern marriage contracts of intent, the Ketubbah not only outlined the rules of engagement and the sacredness of marriage it was a symbol of pride and displayed in the homes of Jews, be they wealthy or poor, scholar or layman, living in the West under Christian governance or in the East under Muslim rule. The largest number of Ketubbot in ‘The Library of Jew Theological Seminary’ are from Italy, where the art of the decorated Ketubbah found its most beautiful expression during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries under the influence of Renaissance and Baroque art. Thirty magnificent examples of marriage contracts from the Library from Egypt, Persia, Afghanistan and India are on view in the exhibit, “The Art of Matrimony” at The Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Avenue at 92nd Street, Manhattan. http://www.thejewishmuseum.org/.
BEFORE THE WEDDING
Before a wedding, the families of Jewish brides and grooms traditionally negotiated a marriage contract, a legal document that sets forth the husband’s obligations to his wife and specifies the monies due her in the event of a divorce or his death. By the seventeenth century they were richly decorated with figurative, floral, architectural, and geometric designs. Regional stylistic traditions developed, emanating from the two major centers of Ketubbah ornamentation, Italy and the Middle East. The Marriage Contract, 1816, pictured above reflects the custom of Jewish couples in Italy and Amsterdam of creating a secular legal document to confirm their financial obligations. Watercolor and gold paint on parchment. The decorative border of flowers and birds was characteristic of Ketubbot from Ancora, Italy beginning in the early eighteenth century.
NOCHE de BERBERISCA
The ‘Noche de Berberisca’ ceremony, which takes place during the week before a Moroccan Jewish wedding, is an intimate gathering of families and friends that precedes the wedding. It is enhanced with Sephardic songs, or Judeo-Arabic music, fashion, delicious dishes and pastries made with almonds and honey. The richest and picturesque Noche de Berberisca or Soiree de Henne means that the bride’s hands and feet are decorated in elaborate designs with henna (Henna is a red dye from crushed henna) to prepare the bride for leaving her family. In the Marriage Contract from Meknes, Morocco, 1896, two blessing hands are inscribed with Priestly symbolism, and also amuletic and protective connotations, especially popular in Morocco.
ENTRANCE OF THE BRIDE-TO-BE
The evening reaches its climax when the bride makes her entrance magnificently dressed in the Berberisca Traje de Panos, or Vestido de Berberisca (Spanish), or Keswa Elkibra (Great Dress in Arabic). *Note picture above. She also wears a gorgeous crown embellished with imitation or real gems. In this elaborate attire the bride-to- be is announced into the reception room and greeted by waiting family and friends. The event is enhanced with songs or singing and adulations (wailing noises) to show their happiness about the couple’s upcoming marriage. At this time the bridal presents may be displayed and tokens of adornment from bride and groom presented. The celebration is followed by a Moroccan tea and pastry reception. The traditional Moroccan Jewish Bridal celebration was part of The American Sephardi Federation’s exhibit “2,000 year of Jewish Life in Morocco: An Epic Journey.” http://www.americansephardifederation.org/.
SUMPTUOUSLY DECORATED MARRIAGE CONTRACTS HAVE BEEN INTEGRAL TO JEWISH WEDDINGS FOR CENTURIES AND REPRESENT A MAGNIFICENT EXPRESSION OF TRADITION IN JEWISH ART.

Millinery: CUNNING COCKTAIL CONCOCTIONS (c) By Polly Guerin

2011-02-18T09:25:00.000-08:00

Ellen Christine Couture Millinery

“Glamour” with a capital “G” and polished, lady-like looks are predicted by Fashion 2011 and along comes the revival of the Cocktail Hat. This sophisticated little frippery is making a strong comeback to complement the glamorous, chic new look. There are now many talented craftspeople and millinery designers creating their version of these tempting hats and one of the rising stars is designer Ellen Christine Colon Lugo, Ellen Christine Couture Millinery, who has designed the hottest accessory items of the moment. Although she makes a variety of one-of-a-kind fashionable hats for every head, the feminine, fun and sexy little gems recall the era of the 1930s and 1940s when cocktail hats first emerged on the scene to be worn to cocktail parties and soignée events. Ellen Christine’s precious cocktail hat creations and luxury millinery can be viewed at the Metropolitan Opera Gift Shop and by appointment at admin.ellenchristine.com.

SOME HISTORICAL FACTS

Little cocktail hats with peak-a-boo veils and flowery/feathery fascinator headpieces, worn at the side of the head, have been around since the 1800s. This bit of fluff has come in and out of fashion, but they have finally caught on and even modern fashionistas are perching these chic little nesting hats on their heads to be worn with almost everything. An alternative to wide brimmed hats, these delightful concoctions are the perfect finishing touch for cocktail frocks, prom dresses, evening and wedding gowns or afternoon tea.

COCKTAILS FOR TWO

Cocktail hats and cocktail dresses are fashionable partners. Celebrated French fashion designer, Christian Dior was the first to name the fashionable frock “a cocktail dress in the late 1940s. Traditional cocktail dresses were inspired by the little black dress, introduced by Coco Chanel circa 1926, when the black color was acknowledged as the most appropriate and elegant solution for cocktail attire. This fashionable duo grew into the cocktail culture of the 1950’s when the cocktail hat and the sleeveless cocktail dress were designed to satisfy most discerning constant visitors to the cocktail party.

THE FASHION ESSENTIALS

Dressing for cocktails or a special occasion was a fine art of feminine prerogative. Traditional cocktail dresses were worn with lots of accessories, particularly those little flirty hats, small black purses or gem-studded minaudieres to hold cosmetics and a bit of cash, shoes to match the color of the dress, elbow-long gloves that accented the elegance of a woman’s hand in the absence of sleeves. These accessories were ‘must haves’ to the cocktail dress well into the middle 1960s. If 2011 fashion has its way similar accessories, with the replacement of spike heels instead of matching shoes will capture the imagination of modern women, who covet the elegant, feel- good femininity that these accessories can convey to their sophisticated fashionable appearance. CONFECTIONS OF IMAGINATION

Those small extravagant cocktail hats are often decorated with romantic frills upon it including beads, jewels, sequins, flowers or feathers and very often have a peak-a-boo veil. They are closely related to fascinators, which are extremely charming hairpieces, decorated with feathers or flowers and worn on the side of the head. Most fashion stylists advise that the sophisticated little cocktail hat should be perched forward on the head, often at a titled jaunty angle, over one eye---so sexy and flirty. These witty hats contrast perfectly with the immaculate, polished groomed look today. No other hat in history has beguiled and provided a look that is so feminine, romantic, and seductive.

Double Model Image Photo by Sandy Ramirez

FASHION: HIS & HERS (c) by Polly Guerin

2011-01-18T10:08:00.000-08:00

In her book, It’s Still Spinach (1954), fashion designer Elizabeth Hawes noted that American women usually wore skirts, while men almost always wore trousers. This edit seems to reflect common belief that most people dress in ways that they consider to be appropriately “masculine” or “feminine.” However, perceptions of gender vary according to place, time and individual experience, and no clothing style or color is “naturally” linked to one gender or the other.

A GROUND BREAKING EXHIBIT

The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology presents HIS & HERS, a new exhibition that examines the relationship between gender and fashion. Side-by-by side comparisons of men’s and women’s clothing highlight the differences—and the similarities, through May 10 at the Museum at FIT, 27th Street and Seventh Avenue. Beginning with the 18th century and leading to the present the exhibit explores the so-called unisex and androgynous dress, as well as the developments in cross-gender appropriation. While skirts, for example, are generally regarded as “feminine” garments in Western culture, garments such as kilts and sarongs are common attire for men in other parts of the world, and in recent years, Western designers such as jean Paul Gaultier have created skirts for men.

THE OPULENT ERA

The exhibitions chronology begins with a brocaded silk court dress circa 1760 which is displayed alongside an elaborate embroidered velvet man’s suit from circa 1785. At that time, aristocratic dress for both men and women featured luxurious fabrics with lavish adornments that are today usually considered “feminine.” The opulence of the 18th-century menswear provides an interesting counterpoint to the generally staid men’s fashion of the 19th –century. During this period, day and eveningwear for men was typically dark and somber, while women’s dresses were brightly colored. However, men did wear exotic garments at home.

THE 20th CENTURY

Moving into the 20th –century, His & Her features a sporty, checked wool man’s suit from the 1920s paired with a checked silk day dress by Louiseboulanger. In the 1930s, women’s preferences for broad-shouldered suit actually preceded a similar trend in menswear. The “Peacock Revolution” of the 1960s, transformed menswear. Meanwhile, many women began wearing miniskirts, as well as trousers for day and evening. I remember being denied entrance to a posh restaurant in those days because I was wearing a pants suit.

THE POWER SUIT

By the 1980s, the growing presence of women in the workplace resulted in the creation of women’s “power suits.” A typical example is Yves Saint Laurent’s version with “feminine” details, such as a soft bow tie and playful animal print, alongside a man’s power suit by Alan Flusser.
Pictured above: Purple wool man's suit by Jacques, c. 1965, and red wool woman's suit by Tape measure, c. 1967.

ALTHOUGH MANY CONTEMPORARY DESIGNERS CONTINUE TO SUBVERT GENDER CODES IN VARIOUS WAYS, MOST COLLECTIONS TODAY ARE STILL CLEARLY DEFINED AS MENSWEAR OR WOMEN’S WEAR. NEVERTHELESS, SOME DESIGNERS CONSIDER BRIDGING THE MALE/FEMALE DIVIDE TO BE FUNDAMENTAL TO THEIR WORK.

Text Credits: Colleen Hill and Jennifer Farley, curators, The Museum at FIT
The Museum at FIT: Hours Tues-Fri.-noon to 8 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Sunday, Monday, and legal holidays. Admission is FREE.

TUXEDO FASHION, A Holiday Classic (c) By Polly Guerin

2010-12-01T08:48:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder what to wear come the holiday season? In short order, borrow from the men! No, I am not suggesting that you go out and purchase a formal tuxedo, but rather to adapt its timeless appeal in modified versions. The tuxedo, casually referred to as a “tux,” is a timeless classic that translates easily into women’s wear and it’s a spiffy way to look sophisticated and chic. Fashion designers have interpreted the tuxedo in a variety of ways that makes the style ready for any black tie event. Even show Biz personalities, like Josephine Baker and Marlene Dietrich (pictured above)adopted the “tux” to give that androgynous style to their stardom. The idea wearing black and dressing up for evening events is truly an American inspiration.
STYLISH TUXEDO LOOK
A fashionable, nipped in the waist tuxedo jacket with satin lapels, is like a short black blazer. Worn with a red glitter bustier underneath and skin curving velvet tights it cuts a dashing figure at a cocktail party. When the occasion is even more casual, wear the jacket over denim pants. The bolero style, like a waiter’s short tux jacket has youthful flair when worn with Capri pants. This short tux also pairs well, as does the classic tux jacket, with a white satin blouse and a long; side slit velvet or satin skirt for theatre or opera events. Either jacket worn with black, chiffon palazzo pants is hostess staple.
A PRINCE OF A TUX
In early 1800s most gentlemen at that time dressed in a traditional white tie and tails, and it wasn’t until the later period that the “black dinner jacket” became fashionable. In the summer of 1886 James Brown Potter, a Tuxedo Club member, went to England on vacation with his wife Cora and met the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII, at a court ball in London. The Prince invited them both to visit him at Sandringham, his sprawling 11,000-acre estate in Norfolk. James Brown Potter had no idea how to dress for dinner. So asked the Prince of Wales for his advice who put him in touch with his own Savile Row tailor in London, Henry Poole & Co. where he was fitted with a short black blazer, which was quite an innovation from the formal “tails” of the time.Potter liked the new look so much that he brought the it back to Tuxedo Park. If truth be told this is the beginning of the Tuxedo but there are other versions to tell.
BIRTH OF THE AMERICAN TUXEDO
At an Autumn Ball, October 1886, in the tony enclave of Tuxedo Park, New York, the guests at the Tuxedo Club were confronted by an unexpected shock. At that time, men’s formal dress consisted of the traditional tails. However, Tuxedo Park’s high society bon vivants changed men’s formal wear with riveting results. Legend has it that Griswold Lorillard, the son of Pierre Lorillard, the founder of Tuxedo Park, N.Y. and some of his spunky friends cut off the tails of their jackets, which by the way may perhaps have been inspired by Poole's new look. The short jacket created a sensation at the ball since they were "out of uniform." without the customary tails. The event and bravado of the young men garnered unrivaled fashion publicity in the papers. The story of the Tuxedo spread like wildfire across the country and a new abbreviated men's formal fashion, the short black dinner jacket, was born.
The new style eventually became known as the "Tuxedo,” obviously named after Tuxedo Park.

Visit Polly Guerin at www.pollytalk.com and click on the Blog of your interest in the right-hand column.

Polly Guerin
PollyTalk From New York
www.pollytalk.com

TIE ONE ON...The Fashionable Scarf (c) By Polly Guerin

2010-11-16T08:17:00.000-08:00

Loop de Loop>

The Dangler >

It's A WRAP

The quickest way to give any outfit a touch of drama, a splash of color or to add punctuate your wardrobe with style and chic is to tie one on with a fashionable scarf. Although silk is by far luxurious come chilly weather cashmere blend wools, and cozy synthetics make scarf attire the ultimate fashion accessory. It’s a reasonable investment and has become a must-have item for women around the world. As scarves grow ever popular with society’s celebrities convey sophistication and elegance. In addition, they have the advantage of flexibility in how they are worn—around the neck, tied at the waist as a flashy belt, worn as a head covering a la Jackie Kennedy or even tied to a handbag like a badge of fashion aplomb.

A STYLE OF POSSIBILITIES Do you envy the way Hollywood stars can wear scarves and just look so trendy and cool? Duplicating the look is easier than you think and www.coffeebreakwithlizandkate.com has some easy to follow instructions:
LOOP DE LOOP: Choose a color that matches your coat or jacket. Fold a large oblong scarf in half lengthwise. Hold the scarf behind your head and bring both ends toward the front. Thread the scarf’s loose ends through the looped end and pull and wrap closely around your neck.
IT’S A WRAP: Hold an oversized oblong scarf behind your neck (do not fold—the look should be loose) Drape the scarf around your neck once to make a big loop, and let booth ends dangling one tail slightly longer than the other in front.
THE DANGLER: Start with a long rectangular scarf, looped once in front of your neck. Then make a second loop below the first loop. Take one tail and tuck it into the lower loop, dangle the ends.

HISTORICAL SCARF NOTES

Experts say that the scarf marked the rank for warriors of the Chinese Emperor Cheng. However, leave it to the French to take the scarf to new heights of importance. They became so enamored with scarves that men began to wear them, tucked into their neckline, calling them cravats, from the Croatian work kravata. Men also demonstrated their political inclination by the color of their scarf. In the 19th century European silk suppliers start to offer bands and ribbons as well as scarves, but it took the French Hermes house of luxury brands to adapt the silk used in jockey’s blouses to produce their first silk scarf, “Jeu des Omnibus et Dames blanches,” in 1937. After that the silk scarf took its turn as a fashion statement and continues its role as a status badge of fashion chic.
Don’t let the fashionistas steal the spotlight. Bundle up in scarf style and give your outfit an added dash of sophistication.

The Big Cover-Up: Cloaking Devices (c) By Polly Guerin

2010-10-20T07:59:00.000-07:00

When the weather turns chilly, it’s time to cloak yourself in the hottest stylish accessory, the fashionable cover-up. Whether it is a cloak, poncho, ruana, cape, capelet or shawl, these hot fashion items provide an extra layer of warmth that give any outfit a certain pizzazz that conveys a chic image. A wide range of fabrics dominate the cover-up style, from classic knits, to camel wool, tweeds, or paisley for day wear to elegant silks, lace and moiré for evening wear. They are trimmed with embroidery, braid, and ruffles and updated with a Burberry border or fur.

TERMS OF ENDEARMENT

Most of our modern cover-up styles come right out of historical reference. Definitions as follows:

CLOAK, any loose fitting garment, with or without hood, fastened at the neck with strings or fastened to the hemline. A Puritan cover-up, it is a popular for rainwear today.

PONCHO, a blanket-like cloak with a hole in the center to admit the head, originated in Latin America. Pretty today with braid embroidery or fashioned in paisley fabric.

RUANA, a poncho-like outer garment of heavy wool. Today a Southwest-inspired, fringed ruana, toggle tied at the neck with Prairie embroidery looks great with rancher girl wear.

CAPE, a sleeveless garment of various lengths, fastened at the neck and falling loose from the shoulders is worn separately or attached to a coat. CAPLELET, a short cape usually covering just the shoulders. More fashion than function in this style, but charming as an evening accessory.

SHAWL, a square, triangular or oblong piece of wool or other material worn dashingly about the shoulders in place of a coat outdoors or protection against chill or dampness indoors. Coordinated in matching color with a sweater it perks up an outfit with fashion savvy.

CLOAKING FASHION HISTORY

Full length cloaks have been in fashion from early times and they all seem to start with a very loose garment that protected from the cold, rain and wind. The Romans, Scots and Brits used the cloak as a night blanket, as did the Arabs of the Middle East. Long cloaks were popular with both sexes through the 16th and 17th centuries but we mostly think of them as Victorian Opera Cloaks. In the 18th century a very popular cloak in Britain was the Cardinal, a three quarter cloak with a hood. Welsh women liked blue cloaks and the Irish wore black or gray. The term, “Mantle,” another name for a hooded shapeless cloak with arm slits was frequently used throughout the 19th century.

THE FASHIONABLE CAPE

The cloak cover-up paved the way for the small cape that falls over the shoulders and reached the waist. Around the 1890s the multi-tiered shoulder cape with high collar became fashionable and would have been made of cashmere, alpaca, Melton wool or lace and silk fabrics for evening wear trimmed with fur, tassels, fancy braid or feathers and usually lined in silk or fur in winter. Etiquette books advised Victorian brides to include at least 2 or 3 evening wraps (capes) in their trousseau. However, the loose fullness of a cloak held on as a fashion accessory as it was highly suitable for wearing over the wide romantic crinoline skirts. Until 1900s full length cloaks and capes were still worn but after that time they seemingly lost their place in fashion importance and by WWI they were only seen on Red Cross Nurses and service women. Moving into fashion, a wide variety of stylish coats became de rigueur and the standard.

COOL WEATHER COVER-UPS

The hottest new way to stay warm has come full circle and the various cloaking devices have given way today to a wide variety of gorgeous shawl, poncho, ruana and cape styles. Worn separately in milder weather or tossed over a coat in winter these items have become ‘must have’ fashion accessories.

GLOVES, THE FASHIONABLE ACCOURTREMENT (C) By Polly Guerin

2010-09-21T10:18:00.000-07:00

Gloves, an indispensable accoutrement of elegance, have had their place in fashionable society as items of feminine coquetry, romance and duels of honor. Historically they were emblems of status and power, worn by royalty and church dignitaries. In ancient times gloves served their purpose as a protection and embellishment. Today, however, the importance of the glove seems to be relegated to whims of fashion, worn with wedding dresses or gala balls.

THE SIXTEEN BUTTON GLOVE

Imagine the fashion of the sixteen button opera glove, popular in the nineteenth century, as a subject of sensual intrigue. It could take an hour just to put on a pair of these gloves, requiring the use of glove stretchers, powder and button hooks. With the absence of a lady’s maid, each little button had to be undone by a lover who knew how to kiss the revealed arm of his amorata with passionate pause. Such a scene of patient anticipation could easily be re-enacted in a romantic novel.

GLOVES IN FASHION

Every once in a while models sashay out in fashion shows wearing gloves, but it still doesn’t do much to entice women today to complete their outfit with gloves. Instead, gloves seem to go back to their original purpose and appear in cold weather, more as a protection rather than making a fashion statement. However, in the Renaissance, fashionable women wore opulently embroidered and perfumed gloves of silk, linen, and kid leather. A woman might carelessly, but intentionally, leave a glove behind her indicating that she expected to be followed.

ANCIENT GLOVES

The gloves of kings and church nobles were richly ornamented with gold, silver and precious stones. They were part the investiture of a knight. A gauntlet flung down in front of an adversary was a challenge to battle or a duel. Ancient gloves were luxuries of the privileged classes, while the peasants wore coarse working mittens. If ever there was a glove fetish collector Queen Elizabeth 1, who ruled England during the sixteenth century, was one. So fond of gloves she amassed more than 2,000 pairs, which were maintained by a wardrobe mistress. Napoleon was another great lover of gloves and encouraged his Empress Josephine, and the ladies of the court, to dress in the height of fashion.

THE ENTERTAINMENT NOTABLES

Mme. Sarah Bernhardt was one of the great glove-wearers of all time. She was responsible for popularizing the over-the-elbow gloves which she wore on one of her American tours. Not to be outdone Lillian Russell, the famous New York society beauty and actress was also known for influencing glove trends, particularly wearing fingerless white kid opera gloves. Similarly another entertainment notable, Michael Jackson did a lot to promote the penchant for wearing one glove and admirers adapted the look.

THE VICTORIANS

Elongated kid gloves, called mousquetaires, were so skintight in the Victorian era that many young women squeezed their hands into a size smaller to achieve an elegant look. It was acceptable, and positively an alluring sight, for ladies to slip their hands out through the button- or snap-fastened wrist opening of long kid gloves to eat or drink while keeping the glove itself on. Harrison Fisher’s painting, “Girl Taking Tea in Gloves,” illustrates a young woman’s ability to nonchalantly dine while wearing gloves.
NOWADAYS GLOVES COME IN A WIDE VARIETY OF MATERIALS COLORS AND LENGTHS. FABRIC GLOVES BEGAN TO BE WORN AFTER WORLD WAR I AND BY THE 1950’s WHEN WOMEN WOULD NOT LEAVE THE HOUSE WITHOUT A HAT, GLOVES AND HANDBAG, SYNTHETIC MATERIALS BECAME AVAILABLE REPLACING LEATHER TO SOME DEGREE.

The Hankie, A Fashionable Coquette (c)

2010-07-20T09:03:00.000-07:00

Handkerchief Hems

Fragile and delicate, imbued with feminine coquetry the handkerchief, a mere square of linen, commanded a major role in designating royal favor or marking the bonds of love and even marriage. Early in the sixteenth century we begin to recognize handkerchiefs under that name, but they were confined to the nobility and upper classes. Who else could afford the extremely rich silks trimmed with luxurious Venice gold lace which Henry VII carried to demonstrate his noblesse oblige. An early fashion trendsetter the King elevated the handkerchief to royal status and it has remained a fashion accessory ever since.

SQUAREING OFF ON SHAPE

It is rumored in fashion history that Marie Antoinette (1755-1793) had to trouble her pretty head about handkerchiefs which were offered in so many shapes that she had to put a stop to it. Her husband, King Louis XVI (1754-1793), made it a law and all handkerchiefs remained square. A fine lady or gentleman gave to their favorites, as a token of their love, little three to four inch square handkerchiefs. By the seventeenth century lace covered the fashion silhouette at the throat and wrists, and even the tops of boots. Handkerchiefs did not escape this extravagance and were edged with deep flounces of lace and were extremely costly.

DROPPING A HINT

As a communicator of love’s intrigue the handkerchief of finely crafted linen and lace was given, accepted, worn or even purposefully dropped to catch a lover’s attention. Many a lover could communicate their intention by the mere drop in the right place. However, there is the case of poor Anne Boleyn and her indiscriminate dropping of a handkerchief at the feet of a favorite courtier after a joust, and you know what happened, her demise was foretold. Then there’s negative side of handkerchief lore. In Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago manipulates a handkerchief to ignite Othello’s jealous rage. On the Orient Express a handkerchief with an embroidered initial, left at the scene of a crime, plays an important part in the investigation of a murder.

HANKY PANKY MEN’S FASHION

Men got into the handkerchief craze with noticeable flourish. The almost universal use of snuff in the eighteenth century offered many opportunities for the display of a fine handkerchief and their demonstrated use was a sign of good breeding. The First World War saw a curious revival of the handkerchief as a decorative accessory for men. As the breast pocket on men’s suits were now made on the outside it became fashionable to show a protruding handkerchief, which was sometimes colored to match the tie. In the nineteenth century the handkerchief spread to all classes.

HANDKERCHIEF CURIOSITIES

Children’s hankies were embroidered with the days of the week and during the 1920s and 1930s, several handkerchief books were produced depicting artist, Gladys Peto’s artwork. These charming publications contained six square children’s handkerchiefs made from Irish Linen, and covered subjects such as school time, nursery rhymes and Alice in Wonderland. Women found ingenious ways to use the handkerchief creatively and sewed several handkerchiefs together to make a fancy apron. The handkerchief hem on a skirt takes its cue from the handkerchief as does ordering a handkerchief table, a corner table in a restaurant where lovers can have some privacy.

DEMISE OF THE HANDKERCHIEF

Though people no longer dangle a handkerchief to catch a lover’s eye, women of good taste do carry a handkerchief in their purse or tuck it like a flower in the breast pocket of their suit. However, for most people today the Golden Years of the handkerchief have vanished giving way to the economy and hygiene of disposable soft paper handkerchiefs to use not only for colds but also for drying wet eyes during a soppy movie. But I’m old-fashioned and still carry a handkerchief as my feminine right to having something beautiful in my purse and on occasion to flourish before an admiring public.

Visit Polly at www.pollytalk.com.

The Language of the Fashionable Fan (c) By Polly Guerin

2010-06-18T08:46:00.000-07:00

Fans were once the language of lovers, communicators of emotion, declarations of approval and most essential the dress of no fashionable lady’s attire in the 18th century would be complete with the addition of a fan. This little accessory takes its significant place in history as the instrument of intrigue, love and scandal that it was apply been termed “the woman’s scepter.” Poets have written prose to it and minstrels sang ditties of praise to its pleasurable interaction with the opposite sex. Fashionable fans of yesteryear, though relegated to the museum showcases and in private collections, can still have the same allure and enchantment as they did in the Victorian, Belle Époque and the Art Deco era.

THE PRETTY COOLER

Imagine the world without air conditioning. Be it made of lace, ivory, painted silk or gem encrusted, the fan was an essential accessory in a stuffy, crowded ballroom. The years 1880-1890 were the Golden Age of the fashionable fan and ladies of the court and other royal pretenders counted on their elegant fan to communicate their heart’s desire. The fan has a long and storied history. There were fans for every occasion, painted or printed with picturesque landscapes, romantic images and most effectively as instruments of advertising. During the second half of the 19th century most fans were manufactured to promote the railroad, spas, restaurants, cabarets and magnificent perfume fans appear around 1910. Thousands of fashionable fans were also manufactured between 1900 and 1940 declining slowly after WWII to come a trickle today.

FLUTTER, FLUTTER

The fluttering fan charmed and entertained but much more elaborate was the etiquette of the fan, which was prescribed to describe a variety of emotional flutters: the angry flutter, the confused flutter, the angry flutter, the merry flutter and the amorous flutter to name a few. Young ladies were therefore instructed on the proper ways to handle their fan and if they failed to do so they were looked upon as being gauche and of the most bourgeois sort. In the 18th century ladies used the fan for more than keeping cool. Supposedly, there even existed a “language of the fan’ whereby ladies could send a message across the room without saying a word. It was essential therefore to be quite clear what message a lady wanted to convey.

A LADY’S BODY LANGUAGE

The fan became an essential part of a woman’s body language. It could reveal or conceal a host of female emotions. The fan had significance when placed in specific positions. Placed near the heart it meant: “You have won my love.” A closed fan touching the right eye: “When may I be allowed to see you?” The right hand in front of the face: “Follow me.” A half-opened fan pressed to the lips: “You may kiss me.” Hiding the eyes behind an open fan: “I love you.” Opening a fan wide: “Wait for me.” Twirling the fan in the left hand: “We are being watched.” Fanning slowing can deter a swain’s attentions. Fanning quickly indicated: “I am engaged. Fanning slowing meant: “I am married.” Woe is it to the woman who did not follow the rules of fan etiquette for the right position was essential to attract for disengage a suitor.

IF TRUTH BE TOLD WHEN THE FAN RULED OVER ROMANTIC ETIQUETTE THERE WAS HARDLLY ANY EMOTION IN THE MIND THAT DID NOT PRODUCE A SUITABLE AGITATION IN THE FAN.

LUXURIOUS LACE, 'PUNTO IN ARIA' STITCHES IN AIR (C)

2010-05-21T10:20:00.000-07:00

Madonna a Modern Lace Icon

Lace Makes a Comeback (c) by Polly Guerin

Lace has charmed and dazzled men and women for centuries. Think of sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century portraits of royal figures framed in exquisite lace ruffs, lace stiffened into jeweled fans, magnificent gowns lavished with lace, or the towering lace headdresses that became the rage in the court of Louis XIV. The production of lace was tedious and required dexterous hands to ply the needles or accelerate the wooden bobbins to create such works of beauty in pillow lace. So tedious and such an eye strain was the work that girls in convents were said to go blind creating these costly fabrics. Today incredible computerized machinery make it possible to replicate handmade lace and the production renders an affordable product that every modern woman can wear.

THE CRAFT OF PUNTO IN ARIA

Knowledge of the craft of lace making, ‘Punto in Aria,’ stitches in air, as the Venetians called the fabric, was jealously guarded in the Royal workrooms. Many nations depended on handmade laces for revenue, and pattern books were state treasures. In time, as laces came to be seen as the privilege of noble adornment, it became much in demand, and lace making spread throughout Europe. By the middle of the seventeenth century lace became a great luxury and an item of commerce and the craft was established as an industry. Lace literally overwhelmed the fashion taste of the period and was used with abandon on collar, cuffs, caps and even the tops of boots. The Puritans, however, give up lace believing it to be “a temptation of Satan.”

LACE GOES UNDERGROUND

No one know for sure when lace went underground, that is, from outerwear to underwear, but when Catherine de Medici went to France to wed Henry II in 1533, her bridal trousseau included ‘calecons,’ a Renaissance term for lace drawers. Taking the lead from Catherine, men and women of high rank began wearing elaborate lace trimmings on perfumed undergarments as an expression of their superior rank. Always sensitive to the aesthetics and luxury, the French began, early on, to combine lace with silk to make luxurious lingerie.
LACE TERMINOLOGY

The Venetian lace industry spread to France and thrived. Places like Valenciennes, Alencon, Argentan, Calais and Chantilly became identified and known for their particular style of delicate yet complex lace patterns. Valenciennes also called Val lace, is a flat bobbin lace of linen, Alencon, also called Point d’Alencon, is a delicate needlepoint lace and machine production with a cord-like outline of the design started in 1855, Chantilly appears to be the most elaborate with a scalloped design along one edge , often having an outline design of scrolls or vases, or baskets of flowers. It is widely used for bridal gowns and evening wear. The picture above features a Victorian woman with a large cape in Chanilly Lace.

LACY FASHIONS PREVAIL

Victorian women seem to have coveted lace not only for their gowns but also to decorate their parlor armchairs and tables. Flounces of lace were also used in runners that were placed on the mantle shelf or to adorn pillows. Such was the luxury of a bygone era, but the modern woman is no less endowed and fancies ‘Punto in Aria’ not only for her delicate undergarments, but also for daytime and evening fashions. Created in a wide assortment of colors, and black , re-embroidered with gold or silver threads these luxurious garments are the prerogative of women everywhere.

A WOMAN'S CROWNING GLORY, A HAT TO MATCH (C)

2010-04-22T09:12:00.000-07:00

A WOMAN’S CROWNING GLORY, A HAT TO MATCH ©

By Polly Guerin,

The Fashion Historian

Hats have always functioned as more than mere head coverings. The styles created by different civilizations also proclaimed the rank and status of the wearer. It distinguished people by degrees of social class, profession and religious order. Head gear also defined the etiquette of an era, and hats were always an important part of regional and national costume. So what became of a one’s crowning glory?

DEMISE OF MILLINERY

Hats were an important aspect of American and European fashion, until about the 20th century when men and women started going hatless. Today one hardly ever sees women wearing hats. Exceptions being at church services, weddings, race courses and other special events. Construction workers give us hard hats, baseball caps identify with the all-American spirit, and the beret seems to be mainstay worn by women as well as men in the private and military sectors. Millinery has a broad and ancient history.

THE EGYPTIANS

The early Egyptians were proud of their wig headdresses. In the beginning wigs were adorned with a tasteful gold band. In time, however, this ornamentation became more elaborate and symbols of Gods emerged like ram’s horns or the sun disk. However, it took Queen Nefertiti to introduce the wide-topped crown, but other queens preferred to adopt the vulture headdress, a symbol for motherhood. To top it off the Greeks had their own take on hats.

CROWNING GLORY

Cretans’ hats were a lavish affair---jeweled berets and turbans; huge towering fezzes were worn at a jaunty tilt. Tall, candle-shaped crowns plopped onto wide, flat brings. By the sixth century B.C. women had a nice range of hair styles to choose from. Queens and Goddesses got to wear golden coronets or most regal of all a crescent-shaped diadem, the Stephane. To protect their coifs from the weather, Etruscan men and women might affect a tutulus, a curious pointed hat with an upturned brim. Always the fashion followers by the mid-eighth century, many women copy Charlemagne’s mother, Bertha, who wears her long hair parted in the center and held in place with two thick braids and a headband around her forehead.

THE MIDDLE AGES

When we think of the Middle Ages we picture the period as romantic but it is the era of the Crusades with men going out with snoops, hoods and a variety of hear gear. Women of importance and rank, like Eleanor of Aquitaine wear a high headdress, a pointed cone-shaped hat adorned with a view which helps her to achieve the elongated silhouette inspired by Gothic architecture.

PUTTING ON A THINKING CAP

Men have their day in the 13th century. In an era when most people were illiterate, teachers and philosophers wear square-cut caps which are fit tightly against their skulls and people start talking about “putting on their thinking cap.” Women’s pillbox-shaped caps with their attached chin straps do have some charm but Robin Hood hats with pointed visors and high crowns are in fashion. When Isabelle of Bavaria arrives in France to marry Charles VI, she brings with her outlandish millinery and women of her court sport bourrelets—wide, padded rolls, anchored on top of their hair and the towering cone shaped headdress grows to fantastic proportions. In the Renaissance the Mary Queen of Scots, a veil suspended from a rigid frame was de rigueur.

LOUIS XIV RULE

In the 1670s and 1680s, women adopt a variety of hats---beautifully embroidered snoods stretch over hair buns, hoods for protection and best of all, glamorous wide-brimmed picture hats. By 1735 Fashion Dolls, exact replicas of fashionable French Ladies, from their headgear down to their makeup travel to the Colonies and American women of rank and wealth adopt Parisian style. However, the saga of fashion hats takes a turn for simplicity for the new settlers and the wide-brimmed bonnet carries them forward into the new frontier.

THE WORLD OF FASHION

In the world of fashion, women’s hats were hardly functional at all. Like the tiny cocktail hats of the 1930s that perched at angles on a woman’s head, it was pure décor of the most charming of decorative accessories. Much of the credit for wearing impressive hats today can be observed at black community churches where women take pride in wearing their crowning glory as a sign of respect and their regal privilege. Mad hatters done their fantasy hats at the Easter Parade in New York, and hats of picturesque splendor offer a picture opportunity at charity functions and race track openings. However, once upon a time a woman would not have left the house without a hat, which completed the outfit. In folklore the hat represented a queen's crown and declared to the world that a woman was indeed a Lady.

FASHIONING THE BODY: SEDUCTIVE CORSETRY (C)

2010-03-19T08:45:00.000-07:00

By Polly Guerin

The Fashion Historian
As glamorous as corsets may appeal to women today, they were from the beginning a restricting garment that evolved perhaps from the chastity belt and the concept, decreed by men, of keeping women in their place. Despite the discomfort, women have been wearing corsets for almost 400 years putting social status, respectability and the pinnacle of feminine beauty over common sense values. Corsets were so tightly laced in the 1800s that they gave pain a new meaning in the 19th century. A girl as young as 11 years old was instructed by their society mother’s that the corset was an essential element of fashionable dress. Women appeared to be willing to be fashion victims, because it was considered not only unfashionable—even immoral—for a woman to appear in public without a corset.

FIGURE FACTS

Although doctors blamed the corset for a wide variety of diseases most of those diagnoses were unsupported but more dangerous was the fact that corsets did alter the body’s shape. Such a distortion of the natural body implicated the corset in aggravating existing conditions and digestive problems. The squeezing of vital organs from their original position in the body may also have contributed to the inability to bear children normally. Furthermore as a status symbol, the corset limited a woman’s mobility and it suggested that she could afford servants and needed a ‘lady’s maid’ just to get dressed. Even working class women succumbed to the allure of the corset and adopted cheap ready-made versions.

THE FAINTING COUCH

Striving to achieve the “ideal” figure, a woman was convinced that her waist was too large and accepted tight lacing to achieve a feminine 13-16 inch waist. Hence a ‘straight-laced woman” was not loose. As the corset was cinched tighter and tighter (think of Scarlet O'Hara in Gone With the Wind telling her maid “tighter, tighter”) it may have produced the desired small waist but it also reduced a woman’s lung capacity. Getting vapors was an obvious result as tight corsets were the cause shortness of breath and fainting was a common occurrence. Hence men came to the aid of a damsel in distress and smelling salts were summoned. To the cognoscenti a fainting couch was considered fashionable furniture of the day.

EROTIC FEMININITY

The corset prolonged the feminine prerogative to tempt a lover. The act of undressing and making love was a studied ritual in feminine coquetry. Not only did the corset support and uplift the bosom and idealize the female figure it extended the seduction process into one that took time and the delft hands of one’s lover to un-lace and un-trap the woman’s body for lovemaking. Women of the golden age of corsets did not engage in ‘quickie’ encounters but plied their femininity with flirtatious corsetry.

SEXUAL EMPOWERMENT

Corsets today, more modified but no less glamorous and seductive, have reappeared on the fashion scene as an outerwear garment and a source of sexual empowerment. No longer a garment of female oppression, the corset has reappeared and reconceived by Madonna and other show biz icons as a statement of the modern femme fatale. Women blatantly wear the fashionable bustier outside or inside a suit jacket and the strapless corset appears as the top of evening gowns. This age of liberation makes it no longer necessary to wear a corset for respectability but to establish one’s identity an independent and empowered female figure.
Books of interest: Fashion and Eroticism, Ideal of Feminine Beauty from the Victorian Era to the jazz age by Valerie Steele, Oxford University Press and Let There be Clothes by Lynn Schnurnberger, Workman Publishing.
Polly Guerin never wore a boned corset but is fascinated by the seductive world of corsetry and the role it played in women’s lives. Polly honed her fashion historian skills as a professor at The Fashion Institute of Technology and wrote “The Ties That Bind, A Guide to Historically Correct Undergarments” for doll enthusiasts. (Doll World magazine)

FOOTWEAR'S FASHION VICTIMS (C)

2010-02-26T10:37:00.000-08:00

By Polly Guerin, The Fashion Historian

Nowadays on the fashionable streets of major cities the thin, gravity-defying Stiletto Heel seems to have ensnared more fashion victims than any other footwear style. Yes, they are sexy but difficult to walk in and most importantly they throw the body off balance, and can cause other foot problems as well. Yet despite this fact countless women insist on spending big bucks to point their way to fashion footwear. Why? Because the classic pump is a power-wardrobe essential, a go-with-everything choice for women executives and females on the prowl. The Manolo Blahnik’s Tuccio pump, for example, comes in five heel heights and a variety of colors. The toe shape, too, called the vamp, varies depending on regional taste. A pair bought in New York has a slightly longer toe than one from bought in Dallas. Footwear history seems to repeat itself and women have been dying to follow the whims of fashion making footwear an indispensable accessory.
HEIGHT AND PRACTICALITY
Women throughout the ages have been trying to gain royal privilege. You no doubt remember how women of the most modest lifestyles in ancient China insisted on binding their feet to emulate the royal prerogative, but this crippling binding fashion rendered the ladies incapable of walking. It’s alright, I guess if you’re a royal and can be transported about on a divan by servants, but obviously this kind of portage was not available even to a social climbing peasant woman. As for platform footwear Carmen Miranda may have popularized this style but clog versions also go back to ancient China as well as adaptations of platform shoes as early as 1640. Defying the mud and filth in the medieval cities it was essential to wear shoes with stilt-like pattens of wood to elevate the foot and increase the wearer’s height or aid them in walking through the filthy streets. These practical stilt-like platforms were popular footwear and worn right down to Colonial America.
A HISTORICAL LEAP INTO FOOTWEAR
Until man invented footwear, he walked. That’s it barefoot! The invention of footwear was the first step forward in devising protection for the feet. The sandal is perhaps the oldest creation and has its incarnation as far back as the Egyptians and evolved in modern times as the flip flop. Jeweled sandals worn by the privileged few in the early Roman Empire were decorated with priceless gemstones and pearls. However, one could not exist by the sandal alone and eventually different styles were needed as transportation. Footwear back then identified with one’s lifestyle or work and shoes did not come sized for the right or left foot. In those early days it was just one size fits all. If you were a member of the wealthy class or a member of the court, however, you could have your servant wear the shoes for a while so that they could break them in for you. Going to great lengths to outdo one another in the 15th century women of fashion privilege and dandies outdid the pointed vamp statement with such an extremely pointed projectile that a gold cord had to be extended from the point to the top of their boot so that they could walk.
DECORATIVE DESIGNS
The French took the shoe and boot into further decoration with lace trimmed cuffs in the 17th century and the Cuban heel painted red was a style reserved for the king. The wealthy classes in Europe wore shoes in which the uppers were made in the rich brocades of the Orient, and from the looms of Venice and Genoa. During the Empire period in France women opted to imitate the Greek and Roman fashions and wore such diaphanous garments that only a delicate slipper could accommodate such attire. Costly to make and fragile these slippers did not last more than one night on the dance floor. Sadly, too, fashion victims who wore these sheer gowns in frigid weather didn’t survived either.
THE CULT OF HANDCRAFTED SHOES
Footwear was one of the great industrial arts in the Middle Ages and the workers bore a distinction of service with pride and production of a specific nature. Leather tanners, boot, shoemakers and cobblers were organized into guilds and each guild had it own armorial insignia attesting to the quality of their trade. Interesting, is it not, that the same tools used in the production of handmade shoes today are the same type of tools that were used in Europe in the l8th century? Handcrafted leather shoes or custom made shoes are an expensive rarity. Today, however, most shoes combine machine production with handmade features. Herman Delman, of Delman Shoe fame, who specialized in building shoes that were chic, yet comfortable, believed that skilled construction was essential to the creation of a quality shoe. He employed several notable designers over the years, including Roger Vivier, Herbert Levine, and Kenneth jay Lane as a means shaping the tastes of fashionable women across the country. An extrovert and proficient businessman Delman knew the power of educating the viewing public about handcrafted shoes. At one time, Delman store on Madison Avenue featured an oval window showcasing three cobblers at work. “Scandal Sandals and Lady Slippers: A History of Delman Shoes, Exploring the Company’s Vibrant History of Style, Advertising and Fine Craftsmanship" will be on view at The Museum at The Fashion Institute of Technology, March 9th through April 4th. Free Admission.♥

BIO: Polly Guerin, a former professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology took 20 of her students every summer on a fashion expedition tour to visit the Couture Houses and meet the designers in the fashion centers of Europe. Ferragamo’s shoe museum in Florence Italy was a main attraction as was the Gucci Factory just outside of the town limits. Culture was always part of the tour and included visits to Fontainebleau and Versailles in France and the Albert & Victoria Museum and Blenheim in England.
Labels: Herman Delman, Manolo Blahnik, Roger Vivier

LOVE TOKENS FROM THE HEART, THE GOLDEN AGE OF VALENTINES

2010-02-07T18:55:00.000-08:00

Love Tokens From the Heart, The Golden Age of Valentines ©

By Polly Guerin, The Fashion Historian

Lacy and beribboned, gilded with hearts, intertwined and pierced by Cupid’s dart, “Love Tokens From the Heart” were the frou-frou confections of lavish sentimentality, which identify with the Golden Age of Valentines, the years 1830 to 1860. These lavish confections, spilling forth with fancy paper work and sentimental verse, expressed an era and a time when the delicate art of romance was heightened by the sending of charming valentine cards and greetings. So engaging is the custom that modern sentimentalists will be sending over a billion Valentine greetings, February 14th, making Valentine’s the second largest card-sending holiday.
THE POSTMAN COMETH A popular magazine in 1850 explained the significance of the expected Valentine: “But of all the clamorous visitations in expectation is the sound that ushered in…a Valentine. The knock of the postman on the door this day is light, airy, confident and befitting of one that bringeth good tidings. A blessing on St. Valentine, the patron saint of the day, fraught with so many heart flutterings and heart enjoyments!” As the postman’s footsteps were heard along the street on Valentine’s Day ladies awaited the tell-tale knock at their door, which signaled the momentous arrival of a sweetheart’s sentiments. To be passed by was a devastating personal experience as it was observed by one’s next door neighbor who was peeking out of the window and awaiting the post as well. So much for Victorian foibles! The custom of sending valentines to loved ones was so well established that there was practical help for swains whose feeling went deeper than words. If the muse did not inspire there were little books of love poems, called “valentine writers”, which were available for copying by lovers who could not conjure up an original rhyme. Commercial valentines were soon to lead the way to a prolific business that spread from England to America.
TWO HEARTS ENTWINED The first valentines were imported from England, where new graphic art techniques enabled publishers to produce valentines of extraordinary beauty, intricacy and delicacy. Of all the well-known makers in England and America two stand out above all others, Jonathan King of London and Esther Howland of Worcester, Massachusetts, the first lady of the American Valentines. The real inspiration behind Jonathan King’s business was his wife Clarissa who added glitter to cards simply by decorating them with powdered colored glass. King’s valentines were highly ornamented to catch the eye and prettily enhanced with fine net, lacy paper, silver and gold glitter, cupids, flowers and love birds. Valentine “bank notes” issued by the Bank of True Love were also in vogue at the time. Typically the sender promised to pay the sincere homage and never-failing devotion of an affectionate heart. The idea was pure fantasy and wit, but the notes were printed on actual bank note paper that looked so real that they very soon outlawed.
A VALENTINE HEROINE The history of valentine greetings in America has one special heroine—Esther Howland. Esther was the daughter of Southworth A. Howland who ran the largest bookstore and stationery shop in Worcester, Massachusetts. The well-educated young woman, a graduate of Mount Holyoke Seminary was preparing to go into teaching, but when she saw a British valentine that her father had imported to introduce in his emporium, it sparked her artistic talent. Quite enchanted with the cards, Esther hit on the idea that she could make Valentines as pretty as the European kind, if not nicer, and set about doing so. When her brother, Allen, was scheduled to go on a horse-and-buggy sales trip to get orders for the next season Esther convinced him to take along a few samples of her cards. The handmade cards cost from $5 to $l0, a price that only the wealthy could afford, and the response was overwhelming. Esther expected her brother to sell $100 to $200 worth of the expensive cards. Instead he returned with orders for $5,000 worth. With such good sales results she was able to convince her family to let he go into business. The year was 1847. She persuaded her father to import embossed lacy paper and materials from England, and color pictures from a lithographer in New York. With all the material assembled, as well as artificial flowers, feathers, glitter, silk and lace, spun glass, colored papers, portraits and romantic scenes, Esther rounded up her “staff.” She took over a bedroom in the family home as a factory, creating prototyped designs for her helpers to copy. They worked in an assembly-line fashion. One person cut out pictures; another made backgrounds, and so on around the table the valentine confections were assembled as each girl added further embellishment. As time went on, Esther Howland's, assembly-line production of these Valentines did exceedingly well and the business expanded to a $100,000 a year enterprise. It was an astonishing accomplishment and huge sum for 1848.
COPYCATS EMERGE It was not long before other entrepreneurial individuals recognized a good thing and established similar businesses with valentine cards that bore a striking resemblance to Esther Howland’s. Legend has it that among one of her employees was George Whitney, who later established his own business. The striking resemblance of the Whitney valentines in decorative art collections today proves out the fact that Whitney’s valentines closely resemble those of Esther Howland, even to the small red “W” stamp at the back of each card, similar to the “H” used by Miss Howland. When her widowed father became deathly ill in 1880, his dutiful daughter gave up her business to be at her father’s side.
SHE BROUGHT ROMANCE TO MILLIONS By all accounts Esther Howland by Victorian standards was an attractive young woman and wore the fashionable attire, perhaps having her gowns made by a seamstress who copied styles form Godey’s Lady’s Book, the quintessential arbiter of style which featured colored fashion plates from England, selected by the venerable editor, Sarah Josepha Hale. With an excellent family background, a good education and a fine bearing, she was described as having an abundance of glossy brown hair, a high complexion and exquisite dress. One would have thought that many a beaux would have courted the First Lady of Valentines, but, sadly, she never had a sweetheart of her own and died a spinster in 1904. Lets toast the First lady of Valentines whose greetings lavished with lace; love and sentimentality were the epitome of a romantic bygone era. The Esther Howland award for a Greeting Card Visionary was established in 2001.

THE BRIDE WORE RED OR HER SUNDAY BEST

2010-01-19T15:42:00.000-08:00

By Polly Guerin, the Fashion Historian

This may come as a surprise to any bride-to-be, but historically June brides did not wear white wedding gowns. Pioneer women probably wore their made-do calico's, and adventurous women who helped to settle the West chose whatever finery was available. Brides up to the 19th century merely regarded the wedding gown with practicality. Museum costume collections attest to the fact that many surviving wedding gowns, worn by women through the Victorian era, were not angelic white, but merely the owner’s Sunday best in colors like mauve, green and deep burgundy. These brides probably referred to Godey's Lady’s Book, for the most fashionable advice at that time, and had a dressmaker reproduce the latest Parisian gown.

THE VICTORIAN ERA

During The romantic Victorian era “love” and “marriage” were the key words in the language of a young woman’s desire to succeed in a successful alliance and to become engaged. In her diary, Sarah Elizabeth Jewett, an American writer of the era wrote these sentiments, “Oh, will Heaven grant I may love and be loved someday. Then I shall be engaged.” The print makers Currier & Ives further abetted the romantic influence with framed scrolls featuring period themes such as “The Declaration” and “The Wedding Day.”

THE AGE OF INNOCENCE

It was truly the Age of Innocence, and marriage was the ultimate solution and highly regarded as the pinnacle of a bride’s finest achievement. The focus on marriage and wedding attire was also a strong theme in women’s literature. In fact, in 1886 Godey’s Lady’s Book editor, Sarah Josepha hale, insisted that blue and brown were still both popular and stylish for weddings. Perhaps taking a cue from Hale, America’s first fashion editor, Andrew Carnegie’s bride wore a gown in tones of gray and brown.

WHITE WEDDING BELLS

The incarnation of the white bridal gown with flowing veil, emerged as the quintessential wedding attire during Queen Victoria’s reign. In previous historical periods royal weddings favored velvet and ermine, but Queen Victoria quite outraged the Royals at the time when she changed the standard to a white wedding gown. Women obsessed with propriety chose white not only to emulate Victoria but also as a symbol of virginity. Her influence was so widespread that in an attempt to support England’s declining lace industry, when she married Prince Albert in 1840, her wedding dress was designed with Honiton lace. Always a sentimentalist and consummate journal writer, Queen Victoria commemorated her marriage with the following entry, “I wore a white satin gown with a deep flounce of Honiton lace, imitation of old. (Meaning an old lace design) I wore my Turkish diamond necklace and earrings, and Albert’s beautiful sapphire brooch.”

HISTORICAL WEDDINGS

Countess Eugenie, the legendary devotee of the styles of France’s first couturier, Charles Frederick Worth, originated yet another tradition. On the occasion of her marriage to Napoleon III, she instructed her hairdresser to fashion her coiffure and the crown with a wreath of orange blossoms, a symbol associated with fertility. Brides quickly picked up the idea and orange blossoms became part of the headdress for many brides. By the 1870s the long and diaphanous wedding veil in clouds of tulle or sheer lace, created an aura of mystery and enchantment, and became a fixture of wedding dress etiquette.

WHITE HOUSE WEDDING

In America headlines were made the first time a president was married in the White House. In 1886 Frances Folsom married Grover Cleveland in the Blue Room wearing a white gown with a 12-foot illusion lace train. The extravagant sweep of the train reflects the advent of the machine age as it was decorated with machine-embroidered cotton net lace.

REJECTING WHITE

In consideration for certain restraints brought about by major wars, brides again went back to bridal practicality by wearing their Sunday best. Patriotic in spirit in 1868 Amelia Jane Charley wore a gray wedding dress to honor the dead at Parkersburg, W.V. During World War I, wedding fashion came to a standstill and brides made do wearing refurbished gowns that had been worn by their mother.

THE ROARING 20s

The roaring 20’s saw the raciest of styles. The flapper bride liberated with short hair wore a shorter skirt and danced the Charleston at her wedding. The good times were gone with the advent of the Great Depression in 1929 and only the very rich could afford the traditional wedding gown, its contingent of bridesmaids and ushers. However, for the shop girl and secretary hand-me-down wedding gowns were popular again.

WARTIME BRIDES

World WAR II brought an era of wartime austerity, and with the shortage of satin and lace fabrics, brides exhibited their patriotism by wearing a suit or their Sunday best, very much like the pioneer women.

In 1947, when war-forced restrictions were eliminated, Dior brought out the “New Look” featuring yards of fabric in a voluminous ankle-length skirt, nipped waist and a narrow-shoulder jacket. It was a fashion revolution of sorts, a throwback to Victorian crinoline silhouette, but women starved for something “New” embraced it for its return to femininity.

MODERN BRIDES

The whole business of a purchasing a wedding dress and the staging the wedding itself has reached to the height of monumental preparation. In January modern brides must have finalized their wedding gown choice because it requires lead time to create the made-to-order gown in time for a June wedding. Less expensive a proposition is to visit a bridal retailer where a sea of white ready-made, off the rack gowns awaits selection. This can be a somewhat intimidating task. One young woman I know, who was on a limited budget, was confronted by over 500 gowns only to find three that she actually considered. Fortunately bridal manufacturers today create both historically influenced styles and evening gown versions to suit the tastes of the modern woman, not only in white but in jewel tones and even black.

JEZEBEL REMEMBERED

Remember Jezebel when Betty Davis wore a red gown to the White Ball in New Orleans. Well, I declare the red wedding gown is already here. Other cultures also prefer red. In northern India, for example, brides wear red and yellow to ward off demons. All this makes a dramatic departure from puritan white, but like Queen Victoria, Red gives today’s bride an opportunity to make a unique fashion statement.One interesting tidbit. The 1937 film, "The Bride Wore Red,"Joan Crawford portrays a chorus girl who crashes an exclusive Swiss resort to snare a rich husband.

FASHIONALBE FOOTWEAR, AN INDISPENSABLE ACCESSORY

2010-01-15T11:18:00.000-08:00

By Polly Guerin, The Fashion Historian

Nowadays on the fashionable streets of major cities the thin, gravity-defying Stiletto Heel seems to have ensnared more fashion victims than any other footwear style. Yes, they are sexy but difficult to walk in and most importantly they throw the body off balance, and can cause other foot problems. Yet despite this fact countless women insist on spending big bucks to point their way to fashion.

FOOTWEAR'S FASHION VICTIMS

History seems to repeat itself and so it is in fashion footwear. You no doubt remember how women in ancient China insisted on binding their feet to emulate the royal prerogative, but this rendered them incapable of walking . It’s alright, I guess, if you’re a royal and can be transported about by servants, but obviously this privilege was not available to an average peasant woman. As for platform footwear Carmen Miranda may have popularized this style but clog versions also go back to ancient China as well as adaptations of platform shoes as early as 1640. Throughout the ages people have been dying to follow whims of fashion and the footwear became an indispensable accessory.
A HISTORICAL LEAP INTO FOOTWEAR
Until man invented footwear, he walked. That’s it barefoot! The invention of footwear was the first step forward in devising protection for the feet. The sandal is perhaps the oldest creation and has its incarnation as far back as the Egyptians and evolved in modern times as the flipflop. Jeweled sandals worn by the privileged few in the early Roman Empire were decorated with priceless gemstones and pearls. However, one could not exist by the sandal alone and eventually different styles were needed as transportation. Footwear back then identified with one’s lifestyle or work and did not come in a right and left configuration. They were just one size fits all. If you were a member of the wealthy class or a member of the court, however, you could have your servant wear the shoes for a while so that they could break them in for you. And did you know that in the 15th century women of fashion privilege and dandies outdid the pointed vamp on their boots. The point became such a projectile that a gold cord had to be extended from the point to the top of their boot so that they could walk.
DECORATIVE DESIGNS
The French took the shoe and boot into further decoration with lace trimmed cuffs in the 17th century and the Cuban heel painted red was a style reserved for the king. The wealthy classes in Europe wore shoes in which the uppers were made in the rich brocades of the Orient, and from the looms of Venice and Genoa. Defying the mud and filth in the medieval cities it was essential to wear shoes with stilt-like pattens of wood to elevate the foot and increase the wearer’s height or aid them in walking through the filthy streets. These practical stilt-like platforms were popular footwear and worn right down to Colonial America. During the Empire period in France women opted to imitate the Greek and Roman fashions and wore such diaphanous garments that only a delicate slipper could accommodate such attire. Costly to make and fragile these slippers did not last more than one night on the dance floor. Sadly, too, fashion victims who wore these sheer gowns in frigid weather didn’t survived either.
THE CULT OF HANDCRAFTED SHOES
Footwear was one of the great industrial arts in the Middle Ages and bore a distinction of service with pride and production of a specific nature. Leather tanners, boot, shoemakers and cobblers were organized into guilds and each guild had it own armorial insignia attesting to the quality of their trade. Interesting, is it not, that the same tools used in the production of handmade shoes today are the same type of tools used in Europe in the l8th century? Handcrafted leather shoes or custom made shoes are an expensive rarity. Today, however, most shoes today combine machine production with some handmade features. Herman Delman, of Delman Shoe fame, who specialized in building shoes that were chic, yet comfortable believed that skilled construction was essential to the creation of a quality shoe. He employed several notable designers over the years, including Roger Vivier, Herbert Levine, and Kenneth jay Lane as a means shaping the tastes of fashionable women across the country. An extrovert and proficient businessman Delman knew the power of educating the viewing public about handcrafted shoes. At one time Delman store on Madison Avenue featured an oval window showcasing three cobblers at work. “Scandal Sandals and Lady Slippers: A History of Delman Shoes, exploring the company’s vibrant history of style, advertising and fine craftsmanship will be on view at The Museum at The Fashion Institute of Technology, March 9th through April 4th. Free Admission.

COMPACTS GLAMOUR ON THE GO

2010-01-04T10:31:00.000-08:00

COMPACTS: GLAMOUR ON THE GO
By Polly Guerin, the Fashion Historian

Functional, flirtatious and designed with mysterious compartments, vanity cases that go by the collective name “compacts” were an essential part of a chic woman’s equipment in the 1920s to the 1950s, and for those nostalgic collectors among us they are having a comeback. These little gems of personal deportment reflect on a time when liberated women needed to transport their cosmetic essentials discreetly encased in a glamorous container that was part a jewel of an accessory that also served a functional purpose. Prior to the birth of compacts a refined woman had to ingeniously conceal her cosmetics.
THE COSMETIC COVER UP
Since “makeup” in the early 1900s was considered daring and perhaps not-quite-respectable, early compacts were sometimes disguised as lockets or lapel pins or hidden in the top of hatpins, umbrellas, or walking sticks. With the advent of World War I a massive change took place. As more and more women were working outside the home they no longer had the pleasure or time to linger at the dressing-table mirror. Convenience and practicality ruled the day and the compact became a woman’s necessity. More social freedom spread throughout the women’s movement with the liberated woman at the wheel of an automobile, smoking, dancing and attending movie and nightclub entertainments. The high flying flappers personified the age of rebellion and vividly made-up actresses became style icons. In the roaring 20s and 30s compacts went public and were very much on display.
A LITTLE TREASURE
They were made of sterling silver other simulated gold or silver metals, plastics like Bakelite and even wood and most often jeweled or embellished with initials or designs. Small compartments for rouge, powder, lipstick and mascara, and even secret a compartment for love letters were ingeniously squeezed into the small spaces. Some were equipped with wrist chains which made it easier to carry them. A vanity often substituted for a handbag, especially for dressy occasions. In 1925 International Sterling took a half-page advertisement in Vogue to promote their newest solid-silver vanity case. Described by their overzealous copyrighter: ‘ “Stunniest of vanities!” exclaims mademoiselle when she beholds this newest creation. So slim! And of solid silver!...She opens the case! It holds the very newest combination. A compartment for rouge! And then…another compartment with another mirror for her own choice of loose powder! A clever sifter device dusts the power out, just as mademoiselle wants it.’
NEW GIMMICKS
Manufacturers kept coming up with new gimmicks to attract new converts to compacts.Vogue described a new one as being ‘made of black metal, with a single bright line of color at the top and a smart marcasite motif.’ The vanity contained rouge, powder, lipstick, and mirror, as well as allowing space for cigarettes. Consider this extract from an advertisement for the Trejur, Queen of Compacts, 1924. “Powder, Rouge and Lip-stick Complete! A case as lovely as a gem. It opens at the touch! Inside---a full size mirror and powder of true quality, scented seductively with Joli Memoire. Below—a drawer which yields to a magic touch, revealing the best of rouge and lip-stick! In your bag—securely closed; in your hand—three swift allies to fresh charm. $1.25.” Lucille Buhl’s cosmetic gimmick was doubles—a face powder box containing two drawers of powder, one for day and one for evening.
A COMPACT FOR EVERY OCCASION
Eventually compacts were combined with watches, cameras, cigarette lighters, embellished with floral designs, personalized with initials, phone numbers and even photographs. My prized possession among compacts I have collected is a little black enamel shell shaped compact etched in gold with a 2 x 2” small watch inside, whose face can be viewed though on opening on the cover. Inside reveals a place for rouge and powder with the replacement inscription: “send 25c and shade desired to Elgina, 358 Fifth Ave, New York City. Another charmer I own is a chic 3 x 5” silver and black enamel compact, the cover incised with a floral bow. Inside it is attributed to Kathleen Mary Quinlin and features a compartment with the remains of ruby red lipstick, strawberry pink rouge, the power puff inscribed with the name Quinlin, this divided by a 2 sided mirror with creamy white powder and Quinlin puff. I wonder what flapper once owned this little gem for it seems to be missing its chain for easy portage but must have seen many entertainments in the jazz age.
COMPACT’S to SHELL CASES
With the advent of WWII many famed compact makers converted to manufacturing shell cases. It wasn’t the total demise of the compact because fashion-conscious women could scoop up military-themed novelty compacts embellished with flags, anchor, officer’s hats and service insignia. One such compact that I cherish is a gold metal compact with royal blue enamel and in the center of the blue cover sits a miniature white enamel life preserver and gold anchor. Despite its chipped condition I love to use it with my summer outfits. By the 1950s, compacts were taking a setback. For one thing, the powder, once an important cosmetic item, was replaced by cream or liquid makeup that wasn’t easily carried or applied in public. In response to this cosmetic makers produced solid makeup which was sold in its own plastic container, further abetting the demise of a beautiful compact. In an effort to generate sales, cosmetic makers came up with small compact collectibles in beautiful animal or floral shapes, which contained only one item, a solid perfume or solid powder. They were a sort of gift with purchase idea.
AN ENDEARING COLLECTIBLE
The golden age of compacts may have ended, but there is avid interest in these little gems. So much interest in collectible compacts that I was able to sell on the Internet a particularly handsome Italian enamel case displaying a decorative engine-turned picturesque design coated with translucent colored enamel. Both Sotheby’s and Doyle New York have conducted auctions in which signed Tiffany and Cartier gold or gem-set compacts hit the hammer at prices from $2,000 to $7,000. If this feature has perked your interest the Internet is loaded with information. One popular site is the Compact Collectors Club www.lady-a.com/antiques/COMPCLUB.html.

Bio: Polly Guerin honed her skills as an Accessories Editor at the trade fashion bible, Women’s Wear Daily and later taught product knowledge as professor at The Fashion Institute of Technology, where her definitive textbook and video production, Creative Fashion Presentations, is used even today. In 2009 she was a vice-president of RWA/NYC and currently serves as a board liaison. Visit her at www.pollytalk.com

PEARLS; NATURE'S GIFT FROM THE SEA

2009-12-15T09:13:00.000-08:00

PEARLS: NATURE’S GIFT FROM THE SEA (C)

By Polly Guerin

The Fashion Historian

Genuine pearls are truly nature’s gift from the sea and as such have been valued throughout the ages not only by royalty, but as accessories in important works of art. However, before the 20th century, the hunt for genuine pearls was more or less by chance. Pearl divers dove into the depths of the sea to manually pull oysters from the ocean bottom. It was a laborious and difficult process, and it could take nearly one ton of oysters to produce only three or four perfect round pearls. Pearls were traded as a valuable commodity and people paid astonishing prices for a pearl necklace. Morton Freeman Plant (son of railroad tycoon Henry B. Plant) knew the value of a pearl necklace and in 1917 he traded the Plant’s Neo-Renaissance mansion in exchange for $100 in cash and a double-strand natural pearl necklace valued at the time at $1 million dollars. This mansion is the site of the New York branch of Cartier at 653 Fifth Avenue.

BIRTH OF NATURAL PEARLS

Like Venus rising from the sea a natural pearl can take many years to achieve near-perfect condition and for them to grow in size. The birth of a natural pearl begins when an oyster is invaded by a foreign object. An oyster’s natural defense to the intrusion of this small foreign object, lodged in its mantle tissue, (a grain of sand or parasite) is to encase the object in layers of ‘Nacre’ (nay’ker), which forms a smooth, iridescent mother-of-pearl protective coating. It can take from two to five years for a quality pearl to fully develop in the oyster. Many are not perfectly round and their odd shape has given rise to a style called ‘Baroque.”

JAPANESE PEARL DIVERS

In ancient times it was not uncommon for slaves to be anchored with a rock tied around their leg and thrown into the sea to collect precious pearls from oysters. It was a treacherous business. However, traditionally in Japan pearl the process was more civilized and diving was done by women who were called “Ama,” a word which literally meant “sea woman.” This Japanese tradition dates back 2000 years and as recently as the 1960s, Ama divers wore only a lioncloth. They are known to have incredible “free-diving” and “breath-hold” skills. Even today, Ama dive without scuba gear, using these free-diving techniques and can descend to depths of over 100 feet on a single breath. Today, a bit of modesty prevails and divers at tourist attractions wear, white, partially transparent suits to dive in. The harvesting of natural pearls continues to be a costly process. The difference between “Natural” and “cultured pearls” is man’s intervention or to put it more simply, by artificial insemination.

CULTURED PEARLS DEBUT

If you own a pearl necklace today you are wearing ‘cultured pearls,” a result of pearl farming. Modern-day cultured pearls are primarily the result of discovers made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Japanese researchers. They discovered a specific technique for inducing the creation of a round pearl within the gonad of an oyster. They simply inserted a foreign object into the farmed oysters and waited for their production to increase. The first harvest of rounds was produced in 1916, but the technique was patented by Kokichi Mikimoto in the 1930s. Pearl farmers cultivated large numbers of quality pearls in the Akoya oysters under controlled facilities in the shallow ocean waters of Japan. It takes two to three years for pearls to develop in pearl farming. You could say that cultured pearls were designed from the start to be round and flawless. Most importantly by producing thousands of pearls in farming facilities, it brought their cost down to a point where pearls became accessible to large numbers of women throughout the world. Only an X-ray can tell the difference between a cultured and natural pearl. Pearl variety includes Mabe pearls, Tahitian Black pearls, South Sea pearls, and small Biwa and seed-like Keshi pearls.

PEARL TRIVIA

Many legends surround the value of owning pearls as they contain the power of love, money, protection and luck. Ancient legend says that pearls were thought to be the tears of the gods and Greeks believed that wearing pearls would promoted marital bliss and prevent newlywed women from crying. The pearl is the official birthstone for the month of June. It is also the birthstone for the Sun signs of Gemini and Cancer. Freshwater pearls are given on the 1st wedding anniversary and also on the 3rd, 12th and 30th anniversaries. Pearls seem to have a beauty and a versatility all their own. They can be worn with equal ease with daytime business fashions right into evening with a jeweled clasp, and even compliment casual sportswear. Their luminous light compliments most every woman’s complexion and they have that special quality of quiet elegance as personified by celebrities and royals as their signature accessory.

Bio: Polly Guerin taught Product Knowledge at the Fashion Institute of Technology and pearls were a favorite topic. Earlier as an accessories editor, she wrote about cultured pearl jewelry for the venerable trade newspaper, Women’s Wear Daily and also for Art & Antiques magazine. Her tenure as a vice president of RWA/NYC ends in 2009, but she will continue to regale you with fashion history. Visit Polly at www.pollytalk.com and her other blog http://www.amazingartdecodivas.blogspot.com.

THE MYSTIQUE OF THE HERMES SCARF

2009-12-01T08:05:00.000-08:00

Hermes wasn’t always a kingpin of scarf makers. This global purveyor of luxury good’s first customer was the horse. When the company was founded in 1837 by Tierry Hermes it was a saddle and harness workshop in the Paris neighborhood known as the Grand Boulevards, in close proximity to the wealthy clientele whose majestic carriage teams frequented the Champs-Elysees. Soon he provided aristocratic stables all over the work with saddles and harnesses. However, as the 20th century got underway and with the advent of the automobile, Emile-Maurice, who succeeded his father, perceived that the demand for saddlery was bound to diminish, and wisely steered the firm into “saddle stitched” leather goods and trunks for the growing number of customers traveling by car, train, ship and eventually airplanes.
THE BIRTH OF THE HERMES SCARF

The silk used for jockey’s jackets gave rise to the first scarf, “Jeu des Omnibus et Dames blanches,” which debuted in 1937. The design was inspired by a parlor game similar to the “Game of Goose” from the 19th century, with the “Dames blanches” in the center of the scarf surrounded by two circles of the first horse-drawn buses. Today this silk twill scarf is a mainstay of the product line. Originals of the Omnibus scarf fetch high stakes at the auction block, however, the first Omnibus is housed in the Hermes museum at their flagship store in Paris, 24 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore. This petite museum is only open to Hermes’ design staff and by special permission. Passionately interested in everything equine, Emile-Maurice attend sales at the Paris auction house Drouot and eventually acquired a collection of exceptional pieces that serve as inspiration for Hermes’ craftsmen and designers: antique saddles, rare paintings (such as an equestrian portrait of Louis XIV, one of seven replicas ordered by the king for his foreign ambassadors), 16th- to 18th century equestrian books, toys and objets d’art. Menehould de Bazelaire, the curator of the Hermes private collection says, “It is still being added to with exceptional finds brought in by members of the Hermes family.” On a rare occasion and with special permission, which I acquired, several years ago I took a group of fashion students from the Fashion Institute of Technology to visit Hermes and we had a brief visit to the famed museum.

DESIGNING THE HERMES SCARF

Every year, approximately 20 new designs are added to the silk twill scarf collection, and earlier models are frequently reinterpreted in fresh styles and colors. Ever wonder why a Hermes scarf is so expensive. Well, just consider this--each scarf is crafted using a multi-step process that can require up to 800 hours of engraving and thousands of colors in a single scarf. Since 1987 Hermes conceived an annual theme for each calendar year. The highly collectible silk scarves include “Year of the River” (2005), a river theme of blues and greens; “Paris in the Air” (2006), a celebration of Paris that included a historical map; and “Shall We Dance…?” (2007). In creating new scarf designs Hermes often partners with independent artists. At an art fair in Waco, Texas Jean-Louis Dumas-Hermes, who took over the reins of management in 1978, discovered Texas painter Kermit Oliver and commissioned him to create printed scarf designs, including “Les Mythologies des Hommes Rouges,” which reflects the spirit of the American Indians, their culture and the horse. Special-edition scarves have commemorated many events in American life. In 1986, the centennial of the Statue of liberty was marked by the production of a “Liberty” scarf. “Envol,” issued in 1995, celebrated the 50th anniversary of the United Nations. Le Salon Dore was issued in 1996 for the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Responding to popular demand, in 2007 Le Salon Dore was reissued, with proceeds benefiting the rebuilding of the New Orleans’ historic City Park carousel, which had been demanded by Hurricane Katrina, which was yet another Hermes nod to its equine roots.

HOW TO WEAR A HERMES SCARF

There’s something “je n’est ce pas” special about how Parisian women seem to instinctively know how to wear a scarf, and there is no doubt that a quality silk scarf is easily recognizable on the wearer. Replicas of the famed Hermes and other couture makers have been made to mimic their celebrity, but their quality is never up to the standards of a luxury brand. When you invest in a quality silk scarf it can become a collectible, so much so, that some people even put an especially beautiful design in a large glass protected frame and exhibit it on their wall. Far from being limited to wear a scarf on your head, one can also belt it around the waist, tie it onto a quality handbag, buy two and make a blouse or a skirt, buy one and tie it around your neck halter style. If your imagination fails, books are available that give directions how to extend your scarf into a fashion item. A BIT OF SCARF TRIVIA The evolvement of the silk scarf into a fashion item also had its incarnation when the dancer Isadora Duncan captivated audiences with her long white silk scarves floating on the air of breathtaking movement. However, when she wore one of these long scarves around her neck whilst driving her convertible, long flowing scarf flew in the wind and caught in one of the wheels of her car and “yes” it strangled her. Let not forget those “Rosie the Riveter,” women who during World War II worked in the munitions factories to aid the war effort. They made practical application of the scarf and wrapped it around their heads to protect their hair, and prevent their hair getting caught in machines. Movie stars, models, women of rank also did their bit to promote the scarf. Who can forget Jackie ‘O’s iconic look wearing a quality silk scarf or when Sophie Loren covered her locks with a scarf, Grace Kelly called it her own and Brigitte Bardot knotted a small scarf under her chin it became the rage. If you like to wear silk scarves may you find the perfect quality silk to build a collectible collection.

Bio: Polly Guerin indulged and purchased a Hermes silk scarf in Paris and still wears it decades later. As a fashion historian and former professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology she taught “Product Knowledge,” and accessories were a major topic. Early on she was an accessories editor at trade newspaper, the bible of the fashion industry, Women’s Wear Daily.

BAUBLES, BANGLES and COSTUME JEWELRY

2009-11-17T09:00:00.000-08:00

BAUBLES, BANGLES AND COSTUME JEWELRY

By Polly Guerin, The Fashion Historian

Fashion has had an awakening and the search is on for vintage jewelry pieces, imitators of fine jewelry, that covet high prices at retail counters and at antique dealers. After all the blitz and glitz on the runways costume jewelry has come full circle with the luster of pearls, the gleam of crystals, diamond-like rhinestones and brilliant colored stones.
ALLURING QUALITY
One of the most alluring aspects of collecting vintage costume jewelry is the thrill of acquiring pieces of incredible beauty and unprecedented workmanship. Early pieces from the 1930s to the 1950’s were made by craftsmen, high- end jewelers from the fine jewelry trade who applied their handicraft to costume jewelry. Imitating fine jewelry, the handcrafted prong-set designs used faux pearls, colored enamels, simulated precious gemstones and Swarovski crystals in necklaces, brooches, earrings and bracelets that defied anyone calling them “fake.” So painstaking to detail was the work of the artists that the incised name of a designer or a manufacturer’s mark makes a significant difference in value. Signed pieces by Boucher, Ciner, Miriam Haskell, Panetta and Eisenberg command steep prices, as are pieces incised with a manufacturer’s marks such as Coro, Monet, Napier, Trifari and Vendome.
INVENTING COSTUME JEWELRY
It is curious that along this glittering path was Chanel, who invented ‘costume jewelry.’ She turned the jewelry rules upside down in the 1920s, making fabulous faux jewels a high fashion essential. Other couture houses followed her example including Elsa Schiaparelli, Christian Dior and Yes Saint Laurent. These high-end showstopper, costume jewelry pieces were designed to complement the designer’s haute couture and prêt a porter (ready-to-wear) runway fashion collections. However, many of the extravagant costume jewelry pieces attributed to haute couture designers actually were designed by legendary French fine jewelry designers including Gripoix, Robert Goossens and Roger Jean-Pierre. The distinctive quality of vintage costume jewelry pieces from the 1930s also focuses on the work of Parisian designer, Marcel Boucher. He came to New York and worked for Cartier, but left in the 30s to set up his own firm, explains jewelry historian Joyce Jonas. “His first collection of three-dimensional pins was made with colored rhinestones and unusual translucent enamels. Nothing like it had ever been done before. Each piece was beautifully crafted and prong-set. Originally priced from $40 to $60, in today’s market these same pins go for $800 and better, and at the high-end sell for $1,500 to $l, 600.”
THE PRICE IS RIGHT
“Chanel was a visionary and the high quality of her costume jewelry was made and prong-set like fine jewelry,” says Pauline Ginnane-Gasbarro, a New York dealer who specializes in Chanel pieces that sell from $4000 and up. Chanel gave master jeweler Fulco Santostefano della Cerda, Duke of Verdura, his start as a costume jewelry designer and he later created the house of VERDURA. He first introduced the combination of multi-colored stones and pearls in necklaces, cuff bracelets and brooches. Chanel was often photographed wearing her favorite Maltese cross cuff bracelets and other signature pieces by Verdura. Today Verdura has transformed itself into a high-end fine jewelry house using real precious stones in just the same Maltese cuff. For costume jewelry buffs look for Kenneth Jay Lane’s version. He revived this design in the 60s.
BAKELITE BAUBLES
New plastic materials originating at the turn of the 20th century introduced Bakelite, a plastic material that was worked in vivid, bold colors and often incised with hand-carved geometric or floral motifs. Bakelite was also fashioned into a type of whimsical costume jewelry that became popular in the 30s. Today Bakelite is having a renaissance and most fashionable is the staking of bangle bracelets in multi colors, or wearing whimsical figurative brooches—bunnies, dogs, and clowns, some with moveable parts. Carmen Miranda’s Bakelite fruity jewelry was also popular. Bakelite pieces that may have sold for $50 in the 1930’s today might sell in the hundreds and thousands depending upon the rarity of the piece. “A French Bakelite design, signed by Auguste Bonaz would bring much more money than unsigned pieces,” says Ginny Redington Dawes, co-author with Corinne Davidov of the ‘Bakelite Jewelry Book.’ One world of caution, I’ve heard that some fakes have penetrated the seller’s market, so be sure you know what you are purchasing when it comes to Bakelite.
HOW TO PURCHASE
What to purchase can be perplexing. “Costume jewelry is getting hot,” says Harrice Simons Miller, a New York dealer and author of ‘The Official Price Guide to Costume Jewelry.’ Now is a great time to collect Eisenberg enamels, Trifari, Panetta, Ciner, Chanel, Dior and YSL pieces.” Knowledge of buying and selling trends can best be acquired by keeping close tabs on vintage costume jewelry auctions and estate sales held at Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Doyle in New York and Skinner’s in Boston. A mint condition Chanel sautoir and oblong pendant, circa 1935, in silver-plated metal set with rhinestones and imitation emeralds was auctioned at $1,500 at Doyle. In the 30’s the same sautoir may have sold for just two hundred dollars. Miller says, “As for the future of collectibles you should consider purchasing contemporary jewelry by top designers now and put it away for 20 years to age its intrinsic value.” It is interesting to note that Providence, Rhode Island from the 1920s to the ‘50’s was the center of the American manufacturing of the handcrafted and prong-set costume jewelry and much of the costume jewelry is still manufactured there, albeit mass produced and not with the same vintage characteristics. Costume jewelry reproductions are filtering the market from China so it is best to take a magnifying glass with you and examine the incised maker before making a purchase. Today some of the most collectible costume jewelry includes Kenneth Jay Lane’s oversized earrings, large necklaces, animal bracelets and bold pins. In 2005 a KJL tiger bracelet sold for $540. Today the price would be considerably higher.
Recently I attended the Antiques Show at the Pier and the vendors of jewelry, both real and imitators, was quite overwhelming. However, I found an adorable artistic bracelet watch under $50, so there are still ‘finds’ out there, but you have to look very carefully to authenticate a piece’s origin by examining the incised signature.

Ode To The " LITTLE BLACK DRESS"

2009-11-02T13:01:00.000-08:00

Since Coco Chanel introduced the “Little Black Dress” in 1926, it has become the epitome of chic and the one classic that every woman covets for her wardrobe. Intended by Chanel to be a long-lasting, versatile, affordable and accessible to the widest market possible the “Little Black Dress, which many refer to by the abbreviation LBD, has outlasted fashion frivolity as the essential wardrobe basic. Be it for daytime wear or cocktail occasions the simple but elegant black dress can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion: for example, worn with a jacket and Chanel pumps for daytime business attire, the LBD can reappear for evening without the jacket and accessorized with jewelry and stilettos, perhaps adding a little Minaudiere purse. Vogue called it “Chanel’s Ford,” and like the Model T, the little black dress would become “a sort of uniform for all women of taste.”
Birth of the Little Black Dress As early as 1915, Coco Chanel envisioned the LBD as the new uniform for women for afternoon and evening wear. However, one may also surmise that Chanel’s early life educated by the nuns in a convent orphanage may well have influenced her affinity for the black uniform (the nun’s habit influence). She rejected the accusation that she was trying to impose the style of the working girl on haute couture by creating the “deluxe poor look.” Chanel’s silhouette, staying close to the uncorseted figure, began to make the skirts of Lanvin’s hobbled-skirt look old-fashioned and Poiret’s Orientalism too theatrical. Sadly, Poiret spent his final years in decline and debt. Chanel and Poiret had a chance encounter on a Paris street in 1928. Noticing that Chanel was wearing all black, Poiret inquired, “For whom, Madame, do you mourn?” To which Chanel replied, “For you, Monsieur.”
Black, The Essential Color of Fashion Black as we know has traditionally been associated with mourning but it has also had a sinister relationship with magic, wizardry, Halloween and a dark, moody scenarios. However, painting played a major role in the rediscovery of black as an essential color of fashion. In the 1881 the American painter, John Singer Sargent met Madame Gautreau in Paris society. She agreed to sit for a portrait, which he titled “Madame X.” To his shock and consternation, the painting became an instant scandal, viewed as salacious because of the sexual suggestiveness of her pose and revealing nature of the black gown. Likewise theLBD also partakes of a chameleon character changing as it does from day to night depending how it is accessorized and who wears it.
Black, The Color of Stability While Coco Chanel’s “Little Black Dress,” became the archetype of black as the color of high fashion, we must give black much of the credit for the timeless quality of the LBD. Black has a certain dignity about it. It can be called aristocratic, sophisticated or chic. Its economy and elegance has brought it forward into the Twentieth Century unscathed and always a reliable staple to pull us through any occasion. Many women aspire to own a simple, sleeveless black sheath similar to the one designed by Hubert de Givenchy and worn by Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s, but sadly vintage styles like this are difficult to find and when you do it is at an auction house. The LBD Audrey wore in the film was sold at auction for over $800,000. Other celebs include the “little black sparrow,” Edith Piaf, the French folk icon, who performed in a black sheath dress throughout her career.
Alas when all else fails and we have a wardrobe dilemma, the Little Black Dress can always pull us through most any occasion.
Bio: Polly Guerin is still searching for the ideal Little Black Dress. As a fashion historian and former professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology she produced the video “The Story of Color,” delving into the psychology of color, its influence on fashion, home furnishings, products and advertising. Her book, “The Message is in the Rainbow,” is being peddled around to publishers by an agent.

DEMYSTIFYING THE CHANEL SUIT

2009-10-26T12:20:00.000-07:00

DEMYSTIFYING COCO CHANEL: THE FAMED CHANEL SUIT
by Polly Guerin, Fashion Historian

Cloaked in mystery and romance Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel is one of the most fascinating women in history and so is the Chanel suit that has outlasted her legendary life of rags to riches and high society. Her extraordinary influence on the way women dressed in the 1920s and 1930s evokes an image of elegant simplicity and a modernist approach to fashion. No wonder, the Chanel suit reappears today as an all-time classic. Honors are pouring in across the country and with the opening of the film, "Coco, Before Chanel" at the Paris Theater, moviegoers learned the truth behind the Coco legend. But don't expect this movie to be all about the celebrated designer's famous Haute Couture days of wine and roses and high society. It focuses on her early days singing at cabarets, plying her dressmaking skills and finding romance with the wealthy male benefactors who provided financial aid and abetted her meteroric rise to stardom and high society. All aboard, Saks Fifth Avenue's windows paid homage to Chanel and invited viewers to take a vicarious trip on the Chanel train with the CC logo, pulling out all the stops with Chanel suits and accessories. Attention to detail made the Haute Couture Chanel jacket quite a different breed of garment from the traditional tailored styles. The Haute Couture version was hand-made in exquisite tweeds and boucle fabrics and the lining, printed or plain, matched the coorinating blouse, collar and cuffs. A delicate gilt chain sewn to the hem of the jacked added just a bit of weight so the jacket did not ride up. Now that is a classy suit, par excellence and it is said that if Chanel was not satisified she would rip off the sleeve of the Chanel suit time and again to get the perfect fit. The end result was that despite fashion's frivolity this was a suit that would last for years and still look chic.

Notorious as a born romantic, her name was linked with celebrated men of the era. Idle hours on the Duke of Westminster's yacht did not stop Chanel's imagination and from the crew's uniforms she developed jersey yachting fashions and sportswear. Polly dishes the dirt that so many biographers have tended to hide about this amazing woman. After her romantic attachment to a German officer during WWII she fled to Switzerland and only returned to Paris to open her Couture House after the largesse of the French population forgave her dalliance.

Chanel is the trademark for fashion, accessories, perfume, cosmetics and all sorts of lovely things. If it isn't an authentic Chanel suit, do not use terms in your writing such as Chanel-ed, Chanel--issim or Chanel-ized. Lawyers positively detest them.

Bio: Polly was a fashion reporter when she was sent to cover the House of Chanel collection for the trade publication, bible of the fashion industry, Women's Wear Daily and had the great pleasure of meeting Madame herself. As a professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology she became a recognized fashion historianon on the subject of the Chanel suit. Visit Polly at www.pollytalk.com.

THE MYSTIQUE OF CHANEL No. 5

2009-10-22T07:26:00.000-07:00

THE MYSTIQUE OF CHANEL NO. 5
By Polly Guerin, Fashion Historian

The world's most legendary fragrance and the House of Chanel's most famous perfume, Chanel No. 5, is not the first perfume to ever have emerged on the fashion scene. Poiret, the fashion designer who freed women from the corset and created slim hip sheaths that were all the rage in the Jazz age, was also the first fashion designer to create a perfume. He worked with chemists to concoct mysterious, Oriental scents. In the l920s/1930s he created the "Poiret" woman with Le Fruit Defendu, Nuit de Chine, L'Etrange Fleur, even Borgia.
However, perfume has a prolific history because women have been known to douse themselves with aromatic scents throughout the ages. The Egyptian women knew a thing or two about beauty as did women of the French court who used perfume to dispel unpleasant body odor. Amazing these noble women did not all bath. Then Victorian women had their fainting spells and scented vials of aromatic arousal came to their rescue.
However, the legend still holds Chanel No. 5 up as the number one perfume that has been on sale since its introduction in 1921. The House of Chanel claims that a bottle is sold worldwide every 30 seconds.
Parisian couturier Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel commissioned Ernest Beaux, one of the most celebrated perfumers of the era, and as we know today these men are called the "Nose" of the industry. Well, Beaux' nose was inspired by his military sojourn above the Arctic Circle during World War in which the perfume attemps to capture the scent of extreme freshness of the northern lakes under the midnight sun. At that time the most expensive perfume oil was jasmine and Chanel wanted to create the most costly perfume in the word, and as a result No. 5 relies heavily on jasmine. There was not one but several formulas presented by Beaux and No. 5 was the one chosen out of a series of ten perfumes presented by Beaux. Cocurrently Chanel was presenting her couture collection on May 5 of that year and the iconic No. 5 was born to a destiny of unrivaled success.
Chanel No. 5 did not take off immediately. Being a woman of unprecedented marketing vision Chanel introduced it first to her friends on May 5, 1921 and it was given to preferred clients free at her salon. Making the scent more recognizable, the fitting rooms of her establishment were scented with No. 5, which as you know, is a tactic imitated by retailers today. Although not the first fragrance to use snythetic floral aldehydes as a top note, it was Chanel's theory saying "I want to give women an artificial perfume. Yes, i do mean artificial, like a dress, something that has been made so that it would make a woman's natural beauty more precise."
Famous spokesmodels for the fragrance have included movie start, Marilyn Monroe, whose mystic boosted its popularity. In 1953 when asked what she wore to bed, Monroe famously replied, "Why, Chanel No. 5., of course." Chanel herself declared, "A woman should wear fragrance wherever she expects to be kissed."
French film sensation, Catherine Deneuve also became the iconic image of the Chanel No. 5 woman as were Nicole Kidman and actress Audrey Tautou who also appeared in the short firm for the fragrance introduced on May 5th, 2009 in honor of the creation of Chanel No. 5. introduced on May 5, 1921.

THE LEGEND OF THE MINAUDERE

2009-10-21T13:55:00.000-07:00

The Legend of the Minaudiere: by Polly Guerin, Fashion Historian

Everybody knows that accessories make an outfit, and it seems you can never have too many evening bags, especially a Minaudiere. The French word describes an elegant but small, highly jeweled hard metal case that one can nestle in their hand. These charming little handfuls are more an art form than anything else and placed on the dinner table or worn at a gala event these minaudieres look like portable art. "Bubbles," the late Beverly Sills had hundreds of them and mostly as gifts or bought from Judith Leiber the famed handbag designer who produced animal, avant-garde and whimsical shapes all jeweled and emblazoned with eye popping colorful Sahworski crystals. Among Bubbles' collection, auctioned at Doyle, were a Doctor's Bag Minaudiere, A Shell Minaudiere, an Elephant Deity Minaudiere and a wide assortment of Faberge Egg Minaudieres. Minaudiere in its original sense was a charming way to describe a coquette, a person with affected manners.
Contemporary minaudieres are just that coquettish but their incarnation is ascribed by Deborah Chase, in her book, "Terms of Adornment," The Ultimate Guide to Accessories (HarperCollins), as having been created by Van Cleef and Arpels in 1930 when Charles Arpels noticed that one of his clients was using a metal Lucky Strike box as a purse. He adapted the look and named it after the wife of his partner, Estelle Van Cleef, who was "minaudiere" (charming). At first minaudieres were made of gold plated or silver metal and encrusted with genuine gems, but the look was too delicious to remain exclusive. Within a decade you could find the dainty purse on female arms throughout America. Imitatators of the iconic jewled minaudere cover designs with colored rhinestones, which is how Judith Leiber's minauderes started in the first place. In a Women's Wear Daily, trade newspaper interview Leiber said,"I was making metal bags, but they were getting tarnished. To cover it, we put each rhinestone on with a flat back and a little glue." However, if one wants to have the 'real thing,' Deborah Chase recommends that "You look for vintage mother-of-pearl, petit point, or beaded minaudieres in flea markets and antique stores and to modernize the minaudiere change the short wrist strap for a long chain so that you can hang the small bag from your shoulder."
Mad about a certain book cover? Your own, of course! Have it immortalized on a square-shaped minaudiere. That's the concept behind a magical new line of limited edition minaudieres by Paris-based, Olympia Le-Tan, evoking first-edition covers of 21 classics. The collection is handmade in France, using canvas, embroidered flet applique and silk thread, with a brass strictire. Each minaudiere book retails for $l,500 and the boutique Colette is the exclusive Paris distributor for the collection. 213 Rue Saint-Honore, 7500l; +33-1-55-35-33-90.
Terry Mayer, jewelry designer, takes it one step further and creates book miniatures in silver or another alloy, and imprints the title of a book on the cover so you can wear the little jewelry book on a chain, front and center. www.terrymayerbells@aol.com.
At age 88, Judith Leiber is still enthralled about handbags. She reflects on her life and career in accessories in a new self-published book by Jeffrey Sussman, "No Mere Bagatelles," Telling the Story of Handbag Genius Judith Leiber & her Modernist Artist husband, Gerson Leiber.

Bio: Polly Guerin's first job in journalism was as Accessories Editor at the fashion bible, the trade newspaper Women's Wear Daily where she honed her skills on writing about accessories and later as professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology she lectured on Product Knowledge explained how accessories were made and manufactured. Polly is also a vice-president of Romance Writers of America/New York Chapter. Visit her at www.pollytalk.com with links to her Internet PollyTalk column and blog www.amazingartdecodivas.blogspot.com.