Frock of the Week: Floral 50s

I thought Dita's lovely turn this week in this 1950s floral cocktail frock deserved a revisit of my Frock of the Week posts. Love the green and gold sash. I say more sashes on dresses. More, more.
This also gave me an excuse to post this more modern dress - Alexis Mabille 2010 Haute Couture - that Dita wore during the Couture Fashion Week in Paris recently. The details on this dress had me in raptures. It is a little bit Belle Epoque, a little bit 1940s, and a whole lot of gorgeous.

Dita's Off-Duty Style

Dita favours Elie Saab and Christian Dior couture for her red-carpet appearances but I think it is in her everday style where her real personality shines through. Can you have an 'everday' style when your job is to be stylish every single day? Perhap not. I have noticed, however, that she is either looking particularly cute of late, or getting papped a lot.
She shopped at an LA flea market in vintage and she embraced colour, and all purpose wedges, for the Coachella Music Festival. Pairing one of Dior's South Pacific inspired dresses with a sailors cap provides a lovely finishing touch and suddenly I"m flooded with memories of my own sailors cap that I wore obsessively for months on end when I was 11.
PS Her boyfriend is a little bit handsome. Lucky lady.

Frock of the Week: Almost Vintage

Dita Von Teese was breathtaking at a book signing this week, wearing an early 1990s Vivienne Westwood dress.

It is not quite vintage yet, but if she holds onto it for another ten years, it certainly will be.

Pics like this confirm for me that Westwood is one of my all time favourite designers. I think Dita looks like she is swathed in a piece of Delft Blue china here. And her brooch and vibrant pink lipstick rock.

Thanks to Dita Von Teese Fan for the pics.

Dreamy Skirts

It is a double-dose of Dita this week! I intended getting back into the Frock of the Week swing of things today, but I haven't seen any celebs that have blown me away. So while Dita might not be wearing a dress so to speak, I'm a little bit in love with her whole outfit, and especially the tropical print skirt. Is that flamingos I see? Oh how I love a pretty vintage skirt, accessorised with basic white or black.
And lovely Texan blogger Millie Deel just introduced me to this gorgeous Finnish lady Molla Mills, who is a bag and jewellery designer and 40s/50s style maven to rival Dita. I seriously heart her gorgeous mustard print skirt, perfectly complemented by red tights, gloves and parasol. Check out her website here.
I'm feeling somewhat inspired. Look out for a photo-shoot with some of my own vintage skirts soon.

Photos courtesy of Dita Von Teese Fan and Hel Looks.

Is the 1990s now vintage?

Well as Sydney Morning Herald Fashion Editor Kellie Hush points out, London department store Selfridges certainly seems to think so. Now that 1990 is twenty-years ago, some would say that technically it can be called "vintage". A quick stroll around a Sydney shopping mall and one can't help notice the frayed denim, opaque stockings, small print floral dresses and even Doc Martens. Stylist Liz Goldwyn and burlesque star Dita Von Teese recently stepped out, respectively, in a vintage Versace reminiscent of Liz Hurley's famous 1994 safety-pin dress and a 2010 Jean Paul Gaultier lingerie as outerwear frock that is very 1990s. So it looks like the decade is in, right?

Kellie Hush in "Grunge reborn as 90s hit vintage status" says:
It was only a matter of time before the phrase "that's so 1990s" entered the fashion lexicon. But while '80s style seems easy to pin down - bubble skirts, big hair, power dressing, lycra and neon - the following decade is more elusive.
Unless you're the London department store Selfridges, that is. It has declared 2010 as the year we can officially declare '90s fashion "vintage". So confident is Selfridge's about the decades retro appeal, it has opened a '90s vintage concept store filled with iconic pop-culture items, clothes and cosmetics.
So, what will we wear when an invitation to a '90s party drops into the inbox?

Now, I have no particular desire to return to 1990s fashion, and as it is, I've resisted much of the recent 1980's redux because I lived through that decade too and much of it is not worth repeating. What draws me to vintage more than anything else is the quality and beauty of the fabrics and the small details in construction which are missing from the mass sweat-shop produced clothing that has lived in most modern shops for the last thirty years. This applies even to some "designer" labels.

But I certainly have a sense of nostalgia about the '90s because it was the time of my teenage years, where I transitioned into the adult I am now. And it was this sense of nostalgia which prompted me to throw a '90s themed party for my 30th in 2008. Some people felt like it was too close, and yet others were like "but what was the 1990s all about?" (I responded with grunge, Britpop, rave culture ... need I go on), but most of my friends got it and really embraced the theme.

I was Sporty Spice, and there was Jerry and Elaine from Seinfeld, Ab Fab, Uma in Pulp Fiction, Cher from Clueless, ravers, grunge rockers and even poor Monica Seles with a knife in her back. My betrothed was Hando aka Russell Crowe from Romper Stomper (he doesn't share the sentiments of the character in any way shape or form, but he does look good in a pair of tight stonewashed jeans) and the two of us compiled almost twenty hours of 90s music to keep us dancing all night long.

So I reckon the teens and 20-somethings can go for it with their Docs and ripped jeans, but I'm going to stick by the old adage that if you've lived through it once, you really shouldn't dress head to toe in that decade again. Not unless you want someone to think that you are still wearing exactly the same wardrobe.

Style Stayers in 2009

Of course best dressed lists are completely subjective, and one person's Alexa Chung is anothers Carla Bruni, but that hasn't stopped me having a super fun time coming up with my own top ten. I've picked those ladies whose style has consistently impressed me this year. Some celebs have had amazing red-carpet moments coupled with some serious shockers, so I've tended to eschew them (e.g. Eva Mendes, Marisa Tomei and Anne Hathaway) for those ladies who rarely put a put wrong, both day and night. I've included only photos that I haven't posted before.

Michelle Obama's look is innovative and colourful. There is a whole site devoted to chronicling this oft photographed style-meister, and a quick stroll through will confirm this online devotion is warranted. Her evening-wear is always elegant but youthful and the lady has a phenomenal collection of beautifully tailored, vibrant coats. I'd be happy to spend a day hanging out in her White House closet.

Cate Blanchett appeared on a couple of worst dressed lists again this year. Who is responsible for this madness! Cate's bold crocheted dress - which I blogged about here - seems to have blinded them to the perfection of all her other fashion choices this year. Because Cate is living in Sydney now and concentrating on theatre rather than film, she hasn't made as many red-carpet appearances as usual, but when she is snapped at events, or candidly on the street, she always looks impeccably groomed, lady-like and stylish. For my Cate, dressing is an art-form.

French actress Marion Cotillard benefits from a contract with Dior, but I'm still convinced that Marion's effortless glamour is very much her own. I couldn't find one appearance in 2009 where Marion looked anything but perfect and crazy pretty. So French, so chic.

Sarah-Jessica Parker continues to elicit fashion envy whenever she steps out her front door. She's adventurous while still remaining beautiful and her ability to accessorise is second to none. I might not want to wear everything she does, but I love her wearing it. While I'm not particularly excited about the SATC sequel, I am very excited about SJP's hitting the promo trail in 2010. Bring on more gorgeous head-wear, statement shoes and cute little party frocks please!

While I remain a little bemused by the level of fame Dita has achieved for taking off her clothes and marrying a musician of questionable morality and talent, I can't deny that the lady wears the socks off couture and vintage. Harking back to the glamorous film stars of the Golden Years of Hollywood, the lovely Dita is always 'on' and seems to love fashion body and soul. Her wardrobe is one I'd seriously be happy to inherit.

Thandie Newton loves vintage and colour so she is definitely a woman after my own heart. Feminine and fine without being too frilly, I'm always interested to see what this stunning actress is wearing.

Natalia has the advantage of being a supermodel, and one of the most naturally beautiful at that, but she eschews the usual model off duty uniform of band tees and denim for a romantic and feminine wardrobe that includes a whole lot of vintage. Gorgeous.

Everyone knows I love Diane Kruger. Muse to Karl Lagerfield, Diane styles herself, and never fails to impress whether she is wearing a statement making ball-gown, sexy cocktail frock or she is off duty in jeans and blouse. A real fashion original who just happens to have access to the best of the best ... although I'd love to see her in some vintage.

Carey Mulligan's acting chops have been seriously hyped this year, but her sartorial choices have impressed as well. Unlike other young starlets, Carey has realised that baring flesh isn't always best and has picked elegant but edgy ensembles that seriously flatter. Love her cute pixie haircut too.

And finally Ms Nicole Richie. While Nicole's style might not be my own, the way she works her luxe hippie chic consistently impresses. She was pregnant for much of this year and never looked less than glamorous. I give her big snaps for not being afraid to wear loud patterns, for working so much vintage into her wardrobe, and for having lots of fun with cute accessories too. This girl has come a seriously long way this past decade.

Thanks to Red Carpet-Fashion Awards, Just Jared and Mrs-O for some of the pics, and now feel free to shout me down in flames or tell me who your favourites where this year.

Is it a coat or is it a dress?

Actually I believe it is coat worn as a dress, and considering how ravishing Dita looks, I'm declaring this coat/dress Frock of the Week. Though I'm not a regular animal print wearer myself - I've owned one item my whole life, in the late 90's - I do like it on others, and Dita is definitely the girl to pull it off with aplomb. I thank Dita for also prompting me to revisit the genius of Galliano's 2010 Resort collection for Christian Dior. The lilac paired with the animal print is inspired, and that particular shade of lilac and the gray/blue of the polka dot print day dress are just so, so beautiful. Like shades Marie Antoinette would have worn.

Thanks to Red Carpet Fashion Awards and Style.com for the images.

Dress of the Week

If you've been reading my blog for a while you'll know that I've been lately enamoured of floral and lace appliques. Dita Von Teese looked gorgeous this week at some alcohol related event (ugh) in this heavily appliqued Fendi dress. I've never quite understood why Dita is so famous - taking your clothes off and being married to a pop star is all it takes these days to score magazine covers and couture it seems - but I can't deny that she knows how to pick a frock. She is always immaculately put together. The pink satin shoes are pretty too.

Thanks to Pro Fashion Elle for the pic!

Cruising the inter webs to check out what the celebs are wearing for Frock of the Week, I was both saddened and delighted to see SJP back on the fashion radar. Filming has begun on the second Sex and the City film and so I was saddened because I wish they weren't making it (apart from the gratuitous clothes porn I thought the first film had virtually no substance and was but a pale ghost of one of my favourite series) and delighted because I'm an admirer of both Sarah-Jessica Parker's and Carrie Bradshaw's style.

This white dress and the summer breezy purple one below are both Halston Heritage; a just released capsule collection from Halston based on classic silhouettes from the label's heyday.

With all these pap pics from the set being released on a daily basis with any luck I can get my SJP style fix without having to see them screw up the SATC brand even more.

Remember how edgy the original series was? Ah, those were the days.