Journalist? Nay, poet.

The Daily Mail 's Morwenna Ferrier covered Fuller-Figured Fashion Weekend, which recently wound down in New York, with the article "Fatties like fashion, too!".
Genius.
The picture which accompanied the article was in fact from Jean Paul Gaultier's Spring 2006 collection, but it's stunning nonetheless.

The model is the stunning Johanna Dray. Kudos to Gaultier for making her the bride!

Winter Yum Yums.

I just ordered some stuff I can't afford on Etsy but I figure that if I'm going to be a hobo, I might as well look like the old-bitty-who-gambled-her-ill-begotten-fortune-away kind.

Plus the seller of the gloves described them as 'buttery' soft and that's just not an adjective I feel comfortable saying no to.
Ideally I'll be channeling Vivien Leigh in That Hamilton Woman. Less Whisky stealing though.

AA for A-Dubs?

I was recently driven to the brink of insanity by the Sydney Film Festival website and subsequently missed out on tickets to The September Issue, to my intense disappointment. Drowning my sorrows in the 60 Minutes segment on Anna Wintour (which is more or less a promo for the feature-length doco), I was interested to note that one of her little minions at Vogue was wearing what I think is the American Apparel Afrika-print stretch jersey skirt:

(Sorry for the craptacular picture, for a slightly better look go to the 1:09 mark on the youtube clip)
I'm not sure why I'm surprised... it's just American Apparel seems a bit sloppy and uncreative for, well, you know, VOGUE.

she sure ain't gauche

A little bit irrationally, I've always been a bit put off by Carla Zampatti because of her political affiliations. Nevertheless I'll give credit where it's due; this vintage dress by her, currently being sold on ebay, is lurvlee:

What's more, I always love the stuff I see in the shop of her spawn, Bianca Spender. A very subtly cut orange dress from a few seasons back particularly sticks in my mind, though unfortunately this is the only picture I could find of it on the interweb:

Like a chastity belt but less icky.

I've been looking for ages for a completely metal belt not unlike these:

... just maybe a bit plainer. The tricky part is they have to fit one's waist perfectly.
The only non-vintage one I could find was this grotty Dolce and Gabbana baby:

Blerg.

Slow on the uptake but swift on justice.

Now if we can all just pretend that I'm writing this four months ago, the following will seem rather more impressive. Check it:

1949 Christian Dior from the MET's collection

+

Reese Witherspoon at the 2006 Oscars, also in vintage Dior

=

Miley Cyrus at the 2009 Oscars in Zuhair Murad

beg, steal or borrow

Rage put on a seriously kick-ass Choreography Special last night, which included Sophie Ellis Bextor's 2002 'Murder on the Dancefloor'. Watching the clip I was struck by how ahead of it's time Sophie's outfit was, with its waisted dress, rhinestoned fingerless gloves and tough buckled shoes:

Snaps are in order for Miss B, I'd say.

the fortunate ones

I'm kinda obsessed with this divine magazine cover, and Cyndi Lauper in general, at the moment.

Check out the chains on the boots! Very Isabel Marant:

illustrious beginnings

I was going to find a picture of Ali Larter wearing something interesting and cute so that I could then tangent my way over to the Esquire cover. Unfortunately, it turns out Larter is bland incarnate so I'm gonna have to just go with cover.

Didyaknow before she was an actress, Larter posed as Allegra Coleman, a fictitious starlet invented by Esquire? Sadly, nothing about here career has been remotely interesting since.

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...