The Best Frocks of 2010

When I think about the most jaw-dropping celeb fashion moments of 2010, the first images that come to mind not unsurprisingly feature the forever perfect Cate Blanchett. Now that she's keeping a relatively low profile in Sydney (I was in Hunter's Hill the other week but I didn't see her, although the hubby caught sight of her a couple of weeks ago), she doesn't walk the red-carpet as much, but when she does, golly she's gorgeous. LOVED her in Alexander McQueen at Cannes this year and she was equally as lovely in vintage Lacroix in Japan.

Another highlight: Kristin Davis' efforts for the SATC 2 promo trail. She wore designer vintage from Decades for every event and looked spectacular each and every time. It's hard to pick a favourite, but the Balmain and Jean Desses were flawless.

(By the way I relented and finally watched the film in a hotel room one night while I was working. It was entertaining in parts but I thought it was culturally insensitive and the overt displays of wealth left me feeling queasy. Is it just me, or is Sex and the City not really Sex and the City if it isn't set in New York? And Stanford and Anthony hated each other. No way should they have got married).

The Costume Institute ball always brings me vicarious frock joy, even more so than the Oscars or the Globes I'd say. Particularly memorable in 2010 were Bee Schaffer's Balenciaga Edition (a copy of an original from 1948) and Dutch supermodel Doutzen Kroes in Zac Posen. I'm a sucker for periwinkle blue.

Though Diane Kruger looked very, very pretty in Lacroix at the Golden Globes.

Shoe designer Charlotte Dellal wore the wedding dress of the year back in May, in this custom designed Giambattista Valli. AMAZING.

And outside of these lovely ladies, my picks for the consistently best dressed celebs of the year go to Sarah-Jessica Parker, Anne Hathaway, Keira Knightley and Michelle Williams.

What were your favourite frocks?

Jean Desses Illustrations

For a stroll through the history of dress you can't beat Kerry Taylor Auctions; most of the offerings are truly fashion as art. A couple of weeks ago Kerry held an auction which saw a number of pieces from Princess Diana's estate go under the hammer, not least the black Elizabeth Emanuel dress Diana wore to her first official function post engagement. It fetched a staggering 192,000GBP!

Personally I am completely taken with these Jean Desses sketches from the early 50s, which offer an insight into the creative process of one of the best of the best. Aren't they super pretty? I hope a few fans were lucky enough to add these to their home.

I'd really like to add a beautiful fashion illustration to one of my walls, but I might have to settle for a reproduction before I get anywhere near the real thing.

Hot Pink Vintage

I died and went to heaven today when I saw this photograph of Kristin Davis at the New York premiere of Sex and the City 2. The dress is a 1950s Jean Desses care of Decades in LA and is a vintage (and pink) lovers dream.
This is the third time in as many weeks that Kristin has worn vintage on the red-carpet. The first time was her breathtaking Balmain at the White House Correspondents dinner. Then she wore vintage Rochas to the Met Ball (below), and now she's delighted us with 50s couture perfection. She looks so happy in it too.

Actresses tend to choose the latest designers because dead designers don't pay so well (and can't get you lucrative advertising gigs), so I was interested to discover who Kristin's stylist is. It turns out it's New York Magazine fashion editor Elizabeth Stewart, who also styles Amanda Seyfried, Leslie Mann, Calista Flockhart and fashion queen Cate B. So Kristin is in good company.
Calista is often seen in vintage on the red-carpet too.
Here is a pic of Kristin at the premiere with David Silver, owner of Decades, and Elizabeth Stewart.


I've gushed over Jean Desses many times before, but if you are interested in seeing what you can buy right now from the designer, I found these two stunners at Torso Vintage and The Frock respectively. Torso Vintage is asking US$3,500 for their evening gown, which is not unlike Kristin's, and is characterised by Desses' divine draping. While that amount would pretty much clean me out for a month and having me lining up for a soup kitchen, I actually think it is pretty fair for such a collectible piece, especially if you consider that Jennifer Lopez reportedly paid US$25,000 (!) for the Desses she wore to the 2006 Oscars.

Hers was purchased from the renowned Lily et Cie in LA, and you can read a bit more about that store in this interesting NY Times article.

I doubt the formidable Rita Watnick would ever start a blog. That would make her vintage couture accessible to the great unwashed, after all.

Best Red-Carpet Vintage of the Noughties

Grazia, in their red-carpet collectors edition, calls 2001 the "back to vintage" year, saying Julia Roberts led the way in vintage Valentino when she collected her Best Actress Oscar for Erin Brockovich. And I've got to say, it was - and is - an amazing dress.

But Winona Ryder actually kicked off the predilection for vintage couture on the red-carpet the year before when she wore this sultry but chic Pauline Trigere at the 2000 Academy Awards.

Winona has long been a vintage fan and it has been a lovely trip down memory lane looking at her pretty face and petite figure working lots of hot frocks. The Dior dress below is another favourite. Remember when Winona was the be all and end all It girl? Let's hope her acting career can start to soar again soon the way she always soars in her dress.

Red-carpet style in the 1990's was all about simplicity and understated elegance. Think suits, slip dresses, halter-necks and jersey. But as Bronwyn Cosgrove says in her fantastic book Made for Each Other: Fashion and the Academy Awards (Bloomsbury) "vintage dresses and couture harking back to Hollywood's Golden Era became the mode adopted ... as the twentieth century gave way to the twenty-first." I've had a lot of fun selecting my favourites, of the vintage variety, from the last decade.

Jean Desses knocks my sock off and so do Renee, Jennifer and Marisa in their amazing vintage frocks. These are three of my all time faves.

Considering that Valentino Garavani's modus operandi has always been classic frocks that make women look beautiful, it is pretty unsurprising that when celebs choose vintage for the red-carpet, he is such a popular choice. Calista Flockhart was a definite favourite at the 2008 Oscars (just ignore the school formal hair), and Renee, Kim, Jennifer and Gwen are all flying the vintage flag with grace.

Chanel makes me happy. Vanessa, Michelle and Kyra all look divine and even though some bagged Kate Bosworth's multi-coloured, bedazzled sheath (picked out for her by Karl himself, as she was his Met Ball date), I think it is a brave and beautiful choice.

I know there are a lot of people out there who seriously covet Sienna's wardrobe, but I feel somewhat indifferent about her. However, I feel anything but indifferent about this jaw dropping sexy vintage Ungaro. Backless all the way, I say.

Vintage Dior was also been hugely popular in the noughties. Some thought Reese Witherspoon looked mumsy, but I can't think of anything lovelier to wear to accept Oscar than 1950's Dior.

Plus I can't think of enough superlatives to describe how much I love Marisa's frock.

And while, for me, the heady days of Kate Moss: Style Icon, are over, I consider this dress one of Kate's parting gifts. What a show-stopper.

Rachel Griffiths is a huge vintage fan. Mates with Cameron Silver from Decades, I think Rachel wears vintage on the red-carpet more than just about any other celeb. And she's Aussie. And I loved her in Six Feet Under. And she looks modern and chic in a 1950's cocktail dress, proving that a beautiful & well-made dress can have many, many lives. Love her.

Following in the footsteps of Julia and Reese, Penelope proves that vintage is good luck. She wore this Balmain ballgown to collect her Supporting Actress Oscar last year.

Nicole's former stylist Rachel Zoe introduced her to the wonderful world of vintage, and now she hasn't looked back. I particularly like this vibrant Halston.

Kristin Davis is another vintage fan and snaps to her for wearing Guy Laroche to the SATC film premiere in 2008. She's as pretty as a picture.

So I know that Kelly Brook and Kate Moss are on footpaths rather than red-carpets, but when vintage party frocks are this influential, I need to be a bit flexible. I don't think any dedicated follower of fashion has forgotten that yellow dress in a hurry ... after all, it launched a hundred Kate Moss for Top Shop rip offs.

I wish desperately searching for more vintage Balenciaga on the red-carpet, so thank goodness that the iconic label has got a look in via model Hilary Rhoda.

(BTW I hate the over-use of the word iconic, so it is saying something that I use it here.)

And finally, representing for prints and their awesomeness when featured in evening-wear, is Emma Watson in Ossie Clark, Angie Harmon in Oscar de la Renta and Chloe Sevigny in Yves Saint Laurent.

Eight days into a new decade and I'm hoping fervently for a little more 'brave' on celebrity red-carpets. I'm thinking some of the more experimental and structured Christobal Balenciaga ballgowns and cocktail frocks. Or how about some Jacques Fath? Queens of Vintage just ran a story on Fath and a selection of gorgeous images appeared on My Vintage Vogue this week.

If you've made it to the end of this long, long post, I'd love to hear about your favourites. There were many more frocks to choose from.