Junk Love: Lilli Ann

Think of the last time you saw Disney's animated Alice in Wonderland. Imagine Alice finding that charming little cottage in Wonderland, and the White Rabbit rushing in, screaming, "Mary Ann! Mary Ann!" Now replace that with "Lilli Ann!", and you will understand how my brain works sometimes.

But on to other matters, like the fact that the Blackbird girls love Lilli Ann clothing, especially from the 1960s and before.... We're all about a tiny waist, dramatic collar and unusual sleeve--all things that epitomize Lilli Ann. Oh, and did I mention coats? (But we'll save those for the end....)

The company began in 1933, and they used a lot of unusual fabrics after WWII that became characteristic of the line. We have a fabulous variegated tweed suit in our shop (shown below) that was made of a silk/wool blend. Unfortunately, due to the fact that silk tends to become very fragile over time, and the nature of the weave itself, the wool strands often exert too much pressure on the silk threads, thereby causing the fabric to shred at stress points. Ours has this problem at the shoulders, which broke our hearts. But it's still gorgeous!

In our shop

Here's a near-perfect suit in a variegated silk blend:

On Etsy

A side view of another near-perfect example of the same design:

www.lulusvintage.com

And here's the original ad for it from Vogue (1955):

Love that accordion sleeve? Here's another version, with mink trim:

On Etsy

 The company's designers definitely loved fur collars, which you'll see on suits and coats. This green suit is another to-die-for example of Lilli Ann perfection:

On Etsy

And some great fur-trimmed coats:

On Etsy

On Etsy

I absolutely fell in love with this 1940s beaded suit. Even though there's some damage, it's fabulous:

On Etsy

This 1950s dress came as a bit of a surprise, as it was vastly different from most of the other Lilli Ann pieces that I've seen (but I have always focused mainly on suits and coats, so I suppose it makes sense). This one is pale gray with a pink, green, and metallic gold print.

On Etsy

But the thing I love the most is the wasp-waisted princess coat. This brown one is a fine example:

On Etsy

But THIS ONE IS MY DREAM FANTASY. I want to hold this coat, and love it and squeeze it (but not hard enough to damage the fabric!)...!

On Etsy

Could a coat possibly be any more fabulous than this? Why yes, actually. If you add Persian lamb to the sleeves:

www.1stdibs.com

And...I just went into cardiac arrest. I think we're done here.

It's Fashion Week!

On this rainy afternoon, I've been treating myself to a Sex and the City marathon, with the newest Vogue in my lap and Dior on my mind. The other Blackbird is soon to be listing our newest batch of scarves on Etsy, and since we are currently in the season called Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, I've decided to round up my favorite designer scarves on Etsy for those of us who are too financially challenged to fly to New York for a bit of shopping. Cue techno music and heavy traffic!

Silk Diane Von Furstenberg, Here

 

1970s silk Chanel, Here

1970s silk Courreges, Here

Polyester Schiaparelli, Here

 

1959 silk Christian Dior (designed by YSL), Here

Silk Emilio Pucci, Here

1974 silk Hermes, Here

And here are a couple from our shop!

1960s silk Gucci, Our Shop

1985 silk Yves St. Laurent, Our Shop

On the Radar -- The Word Necklace

So we've all seen the classic name necklace, made famous again in more recent times by the beloved icon, Carrie Bradshaw, played by SJP.  What would Carrie be without her "Carrie" necklace?

This idea was taken about a gazillion steps further in Lanvin's Fall 2013 show, with their line of wordy statement necklaces.  They used words like "happy" and "cool" in a script font, and scaled the proportions way up. I really like the look:

 

Is this cool?  Yes.  Is this a new idea?  Not really.  Look at this Chanel necklace from 1994:

There are some options if you don't want something quite so large, like this sweet necklace from Dior, in white gold with a diamond:

Or if Dior is out of your price bracket (or on another price planet, as it is in my case), there's tons of reasonably priced options from the handmade side of Etsy, like this sweet "happy" necklace from Piano Bench Designs, available here.

On the Radar -- Supersized

Philip Treacy, Spring 2013

We're going to go a bit fantasy today with the trend post.  Designers got a teensy bit crazy for Spring 2013 when it came to scale and size...well, actually, they got BIG crazy.  An oversized and overscaled kind of crazy. I don't think any of these things can be used in real life, but they are fun to look at, aren't they?

Where do you put this purse when you go to eat in a restaurant?  Can you imagine trying to find your keys in it?

Chanel, Spring 2013

Don't these earrings give you a headache?  I get one just from looking at them...

Diane Von Furstenberg, Spring 2013

There's something appealing about these glasses.  Of course, if I was a model, they would look good on me, too...

Nicholas K Eyewear, Spring 2013

Here's a way to incorporate the trend into your wardrobe, but I feel like it looks really un-tailored:

Dries van Noten, Spring 2013

On the Radar -- Dial H for Hitchcock

The Blackbird girls are huge fans of Alfred Hitchcock.  I know, I know -- who isn't?  But we're the type of fans that record every movie onto our DVR when Turner Classic does the special Halloween showings of all of his films. We once kept a Hitchcock film on our DVR for two years, just because we liked it.  Sadly, we moved to a new city and had to switch out the old cable box for a new one.  But not to worry.  It's now back on our new DVR and our Netflix queue! (It's Mr. and Mrs. Smith, by the way -- watch it if you've never seen it.  It's a comedy with Carole Lombard and Robert Montgomery.)

Thanks to several projects that are in the works, Alfred Hitchcock is hotter than ever.  Anthony Hopkins is starring in a movie about the filmmaker, out in 2013, and Freddy Highmore just signed on to star as Norman Bates in a Psycho prequel for A&E.  There's a lot of buzz out there about these projects, and it's starting to infiltrate other areas.

Kim Novak in Vertigo

He was known for the "Hitchcock Blonde" -- Grace Kelly, Kim Novak, Tippi Hedron, Janet Leigh -- drop dead gorgeous, icy, stylish.  They were the representation of the ideal woman in his films.  Hitchcock was the master of a deceiving appearance -- making them look beautiful as their world falls apart, like in The Birds, or using their beauty to draw the viewer in, as in Psycho.

Jil Sander, Spring 2012

Designers this year, in the spring with Jil Sander, and others this fall, gravitated towards fitted suits and classic mid-century silhouettes.  There's always some representation of 1950s glamor in fashion, but this year seems to highlight the polish and sophistication of the Hitchcock leading ladies.  Look for structured Kelly bags and gloves in accessories this fall.

Kelly bag from Storyland Vintage on Etsy

Glamour UK fashion spread, September 2012

Our find this summer! 1950s taffeta dress.  For sale in our Etsy shop!

Cosmetics are jumping on the trend, too. Chanel launched a three color line of nail polish this fall based on Hitchcock films -- Frenzy, Suspicious and Vertigo.







And for your viewing pleasure...the fantastic dream sequence from Vertigo: