Recently, a packed house at Cinefamily watched Andy Warhol’s doomed muse, Edie Sedgwick, bat those famous heavily mascaraed eyelashes one more time, in the semiautobiographical 1970 feature, "Ciao! Manhattan."
Shot in fits and starts over the course of five years, the film is both Edie in her sparkle-and-shine prime and Edie floating lost. With "Ciao!" the California-born ranchland heiress was still struggling to find redemption -- this time in hyper-fiction -- a gorgeously shot, vaguely psychedelic, cult film version of her own real-life downfall.
Within a year of "Ciao’s" completion, Edie would be dead of a drug overdose at 28. But dying young and looking good have made her a martyr and a myth.
“Edie personifies the fundamental human urge for self exploration and artistic expression of an exceptional life of character with fearless, reckless abandon,” explains David Weisman, the co-director, producer and creative force behind "Ciao! Manhattan."
It's pretty hard to resist accenting my everyday wardrobe with items that mimic the vibrant-colored, sophisticated styles of the female characters on AMC's "Mad Men" -- but for a bridal gown? For brides setting their sights on tea-length and tulle on their wedding day, here are some resources:
Dolly Thicke's Tarzana-based salon Dolly Couture celebrates the era of the hourglass figure and specializes in ready-to-wear and custom-made '50s- and '60s-style dresses, (we like The Edmonton, $395, pictured above left, and The Beverly Hills, $895) plus they have the red patent-leather peep toes and pretty petticoats necessary to complete the look.
Custom-made vintage dresses and accessories, such as the above center 3/4-inch sleeve gown that retails for $210, are available at the Clever Vintage Clothing. But why stop there? Brides can also outfit their entourages at this in Downtown's Fashion District store.
The same goes for fashionista favorite Tavin in Echo Park, which recently added vintage bridal gowns dating from the Victorian Era to the 1970s -- including the above right whimsy romantic Bouffant 1950s gown for $750.
Kim Kardashian launches contest to design fragrance packaging to benefit breast cancer. [StyleList]
Model Noémie Lenoir is hospitalized after being found unconscious in a forest. [Daily Mail]
Transgenders win discrimination issue with American Eagle, whose employee handbook had stated that men couldn't wear women's clothing and vise versa. [N.Y. Daily News]
More photos of Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown's modeling days. [Styleite]
Louis Vuitton launches Young Arts project in London. [Guardian]
The latest counterfeiting trend? Big brands swipe from boutiques. [The Trim]
Victoria's Secret asks 'what is sexy?' Jezebel is not amused with the answer. [Jezebel]
Fashion, by its nature, can be repetitive as designers continue to gain inspiration from -- and put new spins on -- styles and stories of decades past. Just look at our spring fashion feature from a few weeks ago, in which stylist Melissa Magsaysay referenced screen legends Jean Harlow and Marlene Dietrich and Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks when talking about the hot "new" spring trends lingerie as outerwear, military styles and '70s-inspired Bohemian, respectively. And blame it on the retro glamor of '60s-era drama "Mad Men," but there were certainly a lotofdresses befitting Samantha of "Bewitched" on the spring runways.
Fashion, of course, is also subjective. Despite years of being mocked as an era that fashion forgot, the '80s rose up like hairsprayed bangs on the Autumn / Winter 2009-10 runways. Last week, when we linked to the Daily Beast's article about designers seemingly cozying up to 1990s grunge fashions as if they found a long-lost flannel in our morning fashion news roundup, a commenter on our Facebook page lamented "Ohh please say it isn't so..." Even the great Blair Waldorf threw some hate at clogs (shoes, I should note, that both my mother and I wore during our respective teen years and which seem to also be back), saying in a recent "Gossip Girl" episode the platform heels were silly and outdated.
So, we're curious: What fashion era would you want brought back and why? How would you modernize the look for today's fashionistas?
Sure, this isn't probably the kind of fashion post readers have come to expect from All the Rage, but The Times' Image staff loves a trend and, boy, did Rene Lynch in our Food section find a good one. Just in time for Mother's Day weekend, she writes about the resurgence of aprons.
But, as she points out, these aren't the "unisex, butcher-style, fuddy-duddy aprons" your mother or grandmother might have worn. Nope, according to Lynch:
Today's models — even the workhorse aprons, the ones you actually use to
wipe off hands and fend off splatters — are fun. They're flirty. Sassy.
Ironic. Fashion forward. And sexy: Full-length versions not only cover
up but also enhance the bustline and play up an hourglass figure with a
cinching of the waist.
Like so many other things "Mad Men"-style, these pinafores don't take themselves too seriously either -- Lynch even found one for sale on Etsy with skulls. And like other fashionable items, there are the cream of the crop breed of $100-plus aprons perfect for cocktail parties.
What do you think? Do you think aprons are retro cool or just old-fashioned? And would you/ do you wear one?
While preppies embraced Lacoste’s crocodile, the mods, punks, suede-heads and Brit pop fans preferred the crowning laurel leaves of British brand Fred Perry's tennis polos. But I'd wager that the youngsters who wore either didn't know or care much that champs Rene Lacoste and Fred Perry were the Federer and Agassi of the 1930s; Perry was the last Briton to win four Grand Slam tourneys back in that decade.
Fred Perry polos, like their French counterparts, are a closet evergreen that never goes out of style. To keep it fresh, Comme des Garcons and Raf Simons have both spruced up the laurels in recent years for limited-edition collaborations.
Do you have a fond Perry tale? Got a pic to prove it? Upload a picture of you in a Fred Perry to FredPerryTellUsYourStory.com before Dec. 20 and regale readers with your shirt tale. Whether you were an indie rocker, rude boy or a stylish office drone, the story that gets the most votes from readers is eligible to win a cash prize of $7,600 (i.e. £5,000).
Trailblazing New York retailer Opening Ceremony (which has a boutique in L.A. on La Cienega Boulevard) has teamed up with veteran footwear designer Robert Clergerie for a collection of playful '70s-style lace-up loafers.
Clergerie, who was the first designer to produce women’s shoes on a men’s last (foot form), started as a designer for footwear legend Charles Jourdan before establishing himself as one of the most innovative shoemakers in recent history.
The capsule collection, Opening Ceremony par Robert Clergerie, is essentially one zany look (for $460) wrought in a variety of bold prints. The design boasts a rope-covered platform sole and an oxford done up in fabrics featured in Opening Ceremony's spring / summer 2010 collection -- polka-dot linen (in cream and navy), indigo linen and a custom floral watercolor-printed denim.
While they're not for the fashionably timid, the style is a natural match for all those wide-leg and flared jeans edging their way back into style.
We all have a beloved old rock T-shirt or two in our possession. But for Cesar Padilla, owner of New York's Cherry vintage boutique, retro rock tees are a passion. And the retailer and collector, who's been amassing music tees since 1980, has now turned his obsession into a book.
In "Ripped: T-Shirts From the Underground" (out March 9), Padilla captures more than 200 tees made by (or in homage to) post-punk artists and musicians of the '70s and '80s from his collection. The shirts -- which are shown in all their sweaty-stained glory -- chronicle a musical movement that hinged on the DIY. This was an era when bands silk-screened their own T-shirts (and posters and fanzines) to sell at their club dates. Even the mass-produced shirts looked homemade.
Sure, it’s riveting television. But what we’re likely to remember most about the Golden Globe-winning series “Mad Men” is its slick costuming, evocative of two-martini lunches and desks with built-in ashtrays.
And now the woman behind the skin-tight pencil skirts and pocket squares, Emmy-winning costume designer Janie Bryant, is hoping to help real-world gals tap into their inner va-va-voom with a fashion-advice book -- co-written by former Los Angeles Times staff writer Monica Corcoran.
Before heading out to the holiday sales, gift receipt in hand, get some fashion inspiration from some of our readers’ favorite features from 2009.
This year, the fashion and beauty world took a big hit with the loss of some beloved style icons. In particular, we said goodbye to one of our favorite feathered angel, Farrah Fawcett.
Though she will be remembered for many things (red one-pieces never looked so good -- sorry, Pamela Anderson), her hair was also a mane attraction. But while Fawcett will always be remembered as a trendsetter, her locks aren't the only look to drive folks to the hairdresser clutching copies of gossip magazines. We looked at some other trend-setting tresses.
On the way in to work today, NPR let me know that -- based on a report in the Daily Telegraph -- the monocle is poised to become trendy across the pond.
According to the Telegraph article by Harry Wallop, the Vision Express chain is responding to an "unexpected spate of requests" for the nearly extinct style of eyewear, and will start offering the affectation of aristocracy in its central London stores for 50 pounds (about $81 at current exchange rates).
Locally, trendy eyewear boutique L.A. Eyeworks -- which stocks a surprisingly wide selection -- hasn't experienced a noticeable spike in sales recently, though marketing director Angela Gee noted that it had sold out of a special 2009 version that commemorated the company's 30th anniversary (as well as the 50th anniversary of the peace symbol).
"Magnifying peace monocles" have been a staple at the store for over 15 years -- crafted from optical plastics and available in a range of styles that have, in the past, included frames in purple, tortoiseshell, and neon orange and black.
And if the idea of clenching the lens between brow and cheek whilst counting your cartoon bags of money conjures up images of Planters' Mr. Peanut mascot or "Hogan's Heroes" Col. Klink, think again.
"Ours aren't intended to be worn in the eye," Gee explained. "They hang around the neck on a cord and you hold it up to your eye when you need to see something better."
The peace monocles can be found at both local L.A. Eyeworks outposts (7386 Beverly Blvd. and 7407 Melrose Avenue) for $65, as well as at A + R (1121 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice) and OK (8303 West 3rd St.).
-- Adam Tschorn
Photos: Well-known users of the aristocratic affectation known as the monocle include Planters' Mr. Peanut mascot (top) and the Col. Klink character from "Hogan's Heroes" (played by Werner Klemperer, center). Local eyewear boutique L.A. Eyeworks has been making a monocle with a decidedly less stuffy feel (bottom) for the last 15 years. Credit: David Fitzgerald / Los Angeles Times (top), AP file photo (center), and L.A. Eyeworks (bottom).
