Moving and motion

Hi guys,

I have an outfit post with a difference today. My first animated post. I hope you will get the feel of my rock and roll mood. I was excited to learn how to do this on photoshop and really excited because it works. Cool!



Nice weather today, one of the last chances to wear the mini shorts this year, although it was lovely and sunny, the summer has officially gone and tights are required. The ones I am wearing today by Wolford are perfect because they do adapt to the weather and you can always feel comfortable.
Mixed up with some leather and black nails, the look was rock and roll with a casual attitude.

The Mikey Mouse t-shirt, which I love, an old buy from Ebay. I wanted a cool vintage looking Mikey Mouse tee, I can't really remember how much it was but let's say it was about a fiver, we're talking a few years ago. Anyways a couple of week after I had bought mine, I saw a picture of Rihanna wearing something very similar. It's quite an old photo, but do you guys remember?


I swear, I bought mine first!

Wearing some of my favourite bits today: Shorts: Charity shop, Top: Ebay, Jacket: bought of a friend, Bag: Mcqueen, Boots: VW.
See you soon.
x

Jantzen Kharafleece Sweaters

I've seen the term "Kharafleece" in many Jantzen ads and on the labels of lots of their sweaters. I've often wondered what the term meant. I finally got a clue when reading the ad above from 1954. In the 1950s, sweater companies would name their exclusive yarn blends as a marketing strategy. Garland had "Dreamspun", Nan Dorsey had "Fabulon", Darlene had "Melospun", etc, etc.

What is "Kharafleece"? It was Jantzen's exclusive blend of lambswool, Vicara, and nylon yarn that was mothproofed by Mitin. Here's an earlier post of mine about Mitin. Vicara was a fiber produced by the Virginia-Carolina Corporation. It was made from the extruded plant protein Zein, which comes from corn. Vicara was soft as cashmere, washable, and took dyes well. It had to be blended with other fibers, though, as it was not as durable. Vicara production was discontinued in 1958 due to the advent of better performing synthetic fibers. If you have a Kharafleece sweater by Jantzen, you can properly date it prior to 1959.

You saw it first at Pretty Portobello

Hello guys,

I hope all of you had a good, relaxing bank holiday. It's so sad, this is the last Bank holiday of the year... Anyways, I had a really good time, learning how do to do some new things on the photoshop and reading some magazines.

Catching up on my monthly subscription of 'In Style' magazine, October's issue, I came across this page!
Much to my surprise, proudly on number 5 of their top 10 cool scarves, is the skull scarf, the one I have reviewed for Very.co.uk.

THE SKULL SCARF
- Click on the image to enlarge.

Back in June...


When I selected this scarf to review it, I was surprised that I had not seen it featured anywhere. It was just such an AMAZING FIND... I am glad to see that I am not alone on my good choices, because it definitely makes to my top 5 scarves too.
It's indeed a fabulous skull print and if you love skulls like me you will not get enough of it. A total bargain as well, just £8 it's so cheap and elegant! The next best thing to the LV as pictured above! Well, you saw it first at Pretty Portobello! Have a look at my full review, clicking here.

See you soon.

PS: Join my giveaway, A fabulous Alice in Wonderland Mad Hatter necklace by Tom Binns for Disney Couture!!! - Click here to have a look at this amazing GIVEAWAY!

See you soon.
x

Sophie Gimbel, Fashion Leader

Sophie Gimbel, 1959

Sophie Gimbel, also known as Sophie of Saks, was one of America's most influential designers in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. Born Sophie Haas in 1898 in Houston, TX, she moved to Atlanta, GA at age 4 after the death of her father. She attended Agnes Scott College there. At age 19, Sophie married Harry Rossbach and moved to Philadelphia. She had one son, Jay, and worked as a part-time costume designer for the theatre.

Sophie-gimbel ensemble, 1942

After divorcing Harry in 1926, Sophie moved to New York, where she was hired as a stylist by Adam Gimbel, president of Saks Fifth Avenue (she married Gimbel in 1931). In 1929, she was asked to take over the Salon Moderne, Saks' couture department. Prior to Sophie's taking over, the Salon had not been terribly successful. Within three years, however, Sophie had tripled the sales of the department. The Salon Moderne sold French couture from such designers as Chanel, Vionnet, and Schiaparelli alongside Sophie's own collections, which bore her name on the label, sophie-gimbel. In the 40s, the label was changed to Sophie of Saks.

Sophie Originals evening dress, 1949. Photo by Louise Dahl Wolfe.

Sophie also worked with Emmet Joyce to design the Saks Originals ready-to-wear collections. In the 1940s, Sophie Gimbel sold more clothes than any other American designer, with the possible exception of Hattie Carnegie, who was Sophie's main competitor. She paid little attention to trends, preferring instead simple and elegant garments which were produced in expensive fabrics.

Sophie Originals ready-to-wear dress, Fall 1961.

During WWII, Sophie became one of the world's most influential designers, as there was no couture coming out of Paris. After the war, she resumed buying Paris couture to copy in the Saks workrooms, but she found that her own designs were more popular. She then cut back on buying Paris fashions and concentrated on offering her own custom garments along with her ready-to-wear designs. Beginning in 1955, Sophie also designed custom wedding gowns.

Sophie Gimbel, at right, sits in the Salon with a customer, 1960.

Sophie's clothes were always feminine and classic, and were made in luxurious fabrics. She had a unique color sense, often using unusual colors, especially for her evening wear. Her designs often featured bows, a favorite adornment of hers.

Sophie of Saks beaded evening gown, 1963.

Sophie retired in 1969. She died on November 28, 1981. In 1942, she was quoted as saying, "You don't have to have lots of clothes in order to be chic. But you most certainly have to have the right clothes." Those words still ring true today, after nearly 70 years.

Please note: Biographical information about Sophie Gimbel is copyright of Couture Allure and may not be copied without permission.

New at Couture Allure - Vintage Designer Dresses

I added 20 new pieces at Couture Allure this week, including fabulous party dresses, designer coats and dresses and a few suits. Be sure to check out all the new things under the What's New tab at the website! Here are a few highlights:

1950s Fred Perlberg red tulle party dress.

1950s black taffeta party dress with big plaid bow.

1960s white silk evening gown perfect for a wedding.

1960s Dan Millstein faux leopard fur swing coat.

1950s Claire McCardell black wool dress with provenance.

1990s Christian LaCroix patchwork knit dress with metal mesh inserts.

Weekend Eye Candy - Lanvin-Castillo, 1952

Lanvin-Castillo evening gown from 1952. White satin is embroidered and beaded in pale blue and the pale blue tulle train floats behind.

Going to a Festival...

The 60's had it's fair share of outdoor concerts, the first major one being the Monterey International Pop Music Festival, the event provided a weekend filled with unique and amazing sights, sounds, and experiences. In 1967 (the summmer of love), two years before Woodstock, over 200,000 young people gathered in and around the Monterey County Fairgrounds for a three day celebration of MUSIC, PEACE, FLOWER-POWER AND LOVE. I've watched the DVD of the festival and my favorite performance hands down was Otis Redding.
In Europe, the 1969 Isle of Wight Festival was a far more ambitious affair than the previous years line-up, which only had Jefferson Airplane as the overseas headliner and not a lot of other big names to back them up. The 1969 line-up was far more heavyweight. With the BIG Z as the drawcard , none other than Bob Dylan himself,(who had not performed since his he was hurt from a motorcycle accident in 1966) and bands like The Who and The Band taking support roles, and this festival was be guaranteed to be memorable.
Back in the U.S., on December 6, 1969 three hundred thousand people gathered in the Altamont Speedway, anticipating a day of free-spirited fun where they could listen to The Flying Burrito Brothers, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, and the headliners, the Rolling Stones, who at the time were the epitome of rock and roll music. The Altamont Free Concert was expected to be the Woodstock of the West, and was promoted as "three days of peace and music", but instead became an infamous event plagued with violence that included four people dying and the death of the hippie counterculture of the 1960s.
The speedway was ill suited for such a massive turnout, as was the security provided by the Hells Angels biker gang, who were paid in beer for their services.They were The situation, fueled by drugs and alcohol, deteriorated over the course of the festival, culminating in near riots close to the stage as the Stones started their headlining set.The concert was documented and released on a DVD by the Stones aptly named Gimme Shelter.
























Music Festival in Venice Beach, CA













Woodstock










Isle of Wight























(Images scanned by me from: Hippie by Barry Miles, San Francisco in the Sixties, Pop Sixties; photos by: David Hurn, Dennis Stock, Elliot Landy, Henry Diltz)