Taking big shoulders to their logical conclusion.

Give me some puff.

Yves Saint Laurent, Spring/ Summer 1977 evening dress

I recently bough this puffed-up dress from the Etsy seller Mary Goodness, and I can assure you it has enriched my life in every possible way:

Flying high, flying low.

I was quite taken aback to discover that Yves Saint Laurent designed the Qantas uniforms worn in the period 1985-93:

Scanned from the Art Gallery of New South Wales' Yves Saint Laurent Retrospective catalogue.

Personally, I prefer the modish style of the 1964-69 look:

And while I think it's more correct for an Australian designer to be doing the job...

Eww, Peter Morrissey. Eww.

Beautiful light.

I have to recommend everyone go look at the selection of Richard Avedon photos displayed on The New Yorker website. Among other things is this pic of Courréges' 1965  'Simone' sunglasses. 

Yes, we have no bananas.

How divine is Josephine Baker? I remember watching a video of her dancing when I was little, and trying for ages after to do that knee thing. I don't think I ever quite got it but fun times were had by all.

Wearing Jean Patou (Scan from Patou by Meredith Etherington-Smith)

In her famous banana ensemble

Bits and Baubles.

I'm really jonesing Solange Azagury-Partridge's jewelry collection at the mo. My only beef with it is also the precious stones and metals, which means they will always and forever be out of my price range.

Black Rainbow necklace

Smartie Mother ring

I particularly like her cheeky take on Georg Jensen's Daisy ring.

Here's the original:

And Solange's wilted version:

Let's loot the MET #2

Why is the past so awesome? I call this stuff:

Christian Dior "Venus" dress, 1949

Madame Grès Coat, 1935

Madeleine Vionnet Evening Dress, fall/winter 1938–1939

Madame Grès Evening Dress, 1960s

Oh, Karen

Karen Walker's 2010 Resort collection looks quite nice, but most impressive is the styling for the above shoot. Love that hair! Reminds me a bit of Cristofano Allori's self portrait, Judith with the Head of Holofernes:(He's the head.)

Walker's model also looks a bit like the super hot Isabelle Adjani in Queen Margot:

P.S. How good is 'Arousing!' as a press quote? Love.

take you on a cruise

Normally the Cruise Collections bore and confuse me (why are they?) This year, however, I love the hair from Chanel so much, I want to take it behind the middle school and get it pregnant.



Mainly, I think, because it bears a resemblance to Camilla Rutherford's coif in Gosford Park. I love it so much, I want to take it behind the middle school and get it pregnant:

Bessonova forever!

Maybe my ongoing obsession with rhythmic gymnastic is clouding my judgement, but is this not the most awesome dress ever?

And since we're on the subject of rhythmic gymnastics...

Lock me in.

The artist and seller warns : 'While these are technically functional, I am selling these as an art piece only, not as functional shoes... because of the extreme angle and unforgiving quality of metal...'

I still want 'em.

A Trend to Watch?

Kirrily Johnson

You see what I did there.

Ha ha ha plonk. That was me laughing my head off.

And maybe you could team the belt with these shoes from Etsy seller Big Yellow Taxi.

But seriously kids, don't. It would be massive overkill.

Joy.

If you were one of the many fashion insiders who bemoaned the sorry state of this year's goodie bags at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week (my heart bleeds for you), it probably won't make you feel much better to hear what Jean Patou's freebies were like in the 1920s.
Attendees of his fashion parades would receive a Patou lipstick which came in its own Cartier lipstick case (the picture above is actually of a Cartier cigarette case, but you get the idea; it would have been pretty lux.)
As if seeing the clothes wouldn't have been reward enough!
1931 dress from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection.

Harsh times call for bubble wrap.

The Sydney Morning Herald recently ran an article on how the financial crisis affected models' salaries at this year's Fashion Week.
What I found rather amusing was how journo Rachel Wells tried to weave into the story this woman:

Davina Reichman, 25, turned up to the Nicola Finetti show on Monday night in an outfit she had made from a $6 roll of bubble wrap.

"We're in a recession. Times are tough. People are watching their money," said the financial consultant who, in recent months, has fashioned a dress out of newspaper and a pair of pants out of serviettes.

Reichman is among a growing number of recessionista who are demanding more bang for their buck - a fact not lost on designers and local and international store buyers.

Interesting angle, SMH, but do you really think the woman garbed in packaging materials is doing it for the money?

Who dun it better?

Rosemount Australian Fashion Week seems to have sheer black sleeves with opaque cuffs coming out of its butthole. I like them all but it's Gail Sorronda's long cuffs and impeccable execution that really make me swoon.
Gail Sorronda
Dion Lee

Gary Bigeni (more a gathered sleeve than a cuff, I know. Don't be a narc.)