Junk Love: YSL

Today's post is a 1960s time capsule of groovy YSL gear, featuring our favorite new hat, this vintage wool plaid tam:

In our Etsy shop

It was a love-at-first-sight moment for sure, and if I didn't look ridiculous in hats, I would wear it at least every other day. And while I'm on the subject of YSL hat love....

Pinterest

1stdibs

Of course, sometimes a girl needs a statement dress instead, like these from the Pop Art collection of 1966:

From Here

From Here

With some groovy raincoats to match:

From Here

I LOVE the colors of this scarf:

On Etsy

But here is the best Yves St. Laurent moment you'll ever have. Are you ready? Brace yourself, Bridget. I present to you...the super weird crochet cocoon wedding dress!

Pinterest

On the Radar -- The Mod Surrealist

The Blackbirds love road trips.  However, we don't like riding in the car for long distances with no thrift store stops.  So last weekend, coming home from our little antiquing trip, we resorted to one of our travel hobbies.  It was Sunday at 6pm -- and we had just finished at the last possible Goodwill we could get to that day.  We had more than three hours left until we got home.  So what's our hobby?  Well, we like to play these little games where we come up fantasy design projects, usually mashing up different eras.  For example, if we could design a house with anything in it in the world, what would it look like?  Or what styles could we mix together to create an amazing outfit -- from head to toe?

Mod Heels, from Salome Vintage on Etsy, here.

This weekend, we mixed Surrealist and Mod styles in our little game.  What we soon realized is that mixing the two would be amazing!  The psychedelia of the 1960s blends well with 1930s Surrealism, and the clean lines of Mod is a great foil to both.  What a concept, we thought!  And it was then that we knew we were in love. 

Vintage Telephone handbag from Cumstov on Etsy, here.

So when planning the blog today, I thought, "If only we could really find the components to our look."  I know well enough by now, that if it's on our radar (sorry, pun intended), then we'll start seeing it everywhere.  I had so much fun looking for the components for the blog post, it inspired me to do an Etsy treasury.  Take a gander at the treasury here, but enjoy some of the finds now!

1940s Glamour Lips from Curio Cabinet on Etsy, here.

  

Dior Surrealist hankie from Happy Anatomy on Etsy, here.

Mimi Di N Ram brooch from Pearl Modern on Etsy, here.

Mongolian lamb coat from Save As Vintage on Etsy, here.

70s postcard from Vintage Jenee Paper on Etsy, here.

The Skinny -- André Courrèges

Audrey Hepburn in Courrèges

The 1960s are my decade.  I am obsessed with everything from the 60s -- home interiors to fashion to culture...and on and on.  My favorite band is the Beatles.  I know my Motown and my beach music.  I drove a 1965 Ford Mustang in high school.  I love Doris Day and Audrey Hepburn movies from the 60s -- like The Glass Bottom Boat and Charade.  And the clothes -- those mod, mod clothes -- make me go weak in the knees.

The best design is almost always the simplest design.  There are exceptions to that rule, but not in this case.  Mod is about clean, simple geometry and bright (or absence) of color.  Crisp white, primary colors, and black are the go-to hues, and the shapes are short and graphic.  Bold and quite risque for the time.

One of the creators of ultra-mod fashion was André Courrèges.  He was born in France in 1923, and because of his father's wishes, actually trained to be an engineer, rather than the artist he wanted to be.  It didn't stick.  By 1948, he started working with Cristóbal Balenciaga, advancing to become Balenciaga's first assistant.

Courrèges, on right

By 1961, Courrèges was designing under his own name, for his own fashion house.  He did in France what Mary Quant did in England -- embraced youth fashion.  The times were a-changin', and they capitalized on the freedom of the 1960s.  Quant and Courrèges both claim ownership of the mini skirt; hemlines inched up and the brassieres came off.  Cut-outs were specifically placed to highlight the body.

His collection for spring 1964 immediately became known as Space Age.  In addition to his mini skirts, cutout dresses, and trouser suits (shocking!), he introduced goggle style sunglasses, helmet style hats, and flat boots, reminiscent of astronaut's gear.  The silhouette was known as a "moon girl."  It's said that:

"His collection featured proportionate, well-cut pants, rigidly constructed clothes with smooth “trapeze,” or trapezoidal, lines, and short skirts, with white midcalf boots and large, dark glasses as accessories. White became his trademark."*

Courrèges’s first official couture collection made its debut in 1965.  In 1967, he started his made-to-order custom line, Prototype.  His clothing was not necessarily a hit in the couture world.  Traditionally, couture buyers were older women, and these styles were definitely for the younger generation.  Lower priced retailers began copying his work, making little a-line dresses, vinyl go-go boots, and bug-eyed sunglasses.

Courrèges introduced luxury prêt-a-porter, with his line called Couture Future, at the end of the decade. In the 1970s, he established his first fragrance, Empreinte, as well as a men’s ready-to-wear line.  Courrèges' Hyperbole line, started in the early 1980s, hit at a lower price point, in an attempt to grab a more mass-market audience.

In these later years, Courrèges' color palette moved from primary and neutral to acid colors.  He also made some glow-in-the-dark fashions. In 1985, he retired and sold his business to the Japanese firm, Itokin. The company is still going, making clothes that carry Courrèges' mod influence.

Diana Ross in Courrèges

*from Britannica.com

Junk Love Monday: Cathrineholm

It's no secret that we love enamel (someday, we'll tell you about the legendary enamel flower pin collection), so it's no surprise that we fell in love with Cathrineholm. Our first exposure was a fondue pot, found at Goodwill, and one innocent Google search later had us hooked for life.

The pieces can be expensive, and a lot of people inflate the prices on damaged items, which is frustrating. But we figure that if we can find one at a really good price, then maybe it'll happen again someday. (Actually, it did. We got two yellow Cathrineholm trays at a thrift store, put them for sale in our shop, and now they live with someone else.) Our black lotus pattern fondue pot has a small chip, but still has great graphic appeal, and it was only $2.99. Now we just need the other pieces:

velvetandshag.tumblr.com

I occasionally search Etsy for pieces, just to fantasize about owning them someday. It's easy to get addicted--they are so colorful it seems too good to be true. This post is going to be light on text, because a picture is worth, as they say, a thousand words (and more!). You can also check out cathrineholmfan.com, a highly specialized blog with some really great info and pictures. Enjoy, and we dare you to not fall in love with at least one....

sold on etsy

midmodmom.com

sold on etsy

nested bowls; flickr.com

 

ModandMore on etsy.com

sold on etsy

alamodern.com

flickr.com

Saturn bowl, sold on etsy

modcats.com

Junk Love Monday: How to Live Like Barbarella

One of life's greatest pleasures is a late-Saturday-night pizza and channel surfing session. This is when you are allowed to watch weird stuff, without worrying about To-Do lists, deadlines, or the judgment of others. It's Guilty Pleasure time. It's Barbarella time.



A few weeks ago, on just such a night, we were moaning about the available options on cable, not yet ready to retire to our rooms, when we saw that Barbarella was coming on next. This prompted a conversation about how our parents were too mean to let us watch the movie as children (although we understand why now...), and the quick decision that the moment had arrived for us to fill in that missing link in our pop culture education.



And so, we watched Barbarella, laughing and gasping all the way to the end. It's a little bit dirty, and a lot bit cheesy, and fantastic in its badness. It was also powerful, in its own way. We can't stop talking about it. There is a part of both of us that secretly wants to live like Barbarella, and we've decided there are two ways to do this:

1. Exercise (a lot), use hairspray (a lot), wear very tight clothing (not a lot), accept an important mission on behalf of Earth, and sleep with everyone we meet in the name of Patriotism.

or...

2. Buy junk that reminds us of the movie's better (yes, this is subjective) moments.

We have decided to explore option 2, as it aligns more closely with our normal routine. We're not sure that we'd be very good at top secret government work anyway. And so, here are the ways that we would live like Barbarella, if we could....

You could wear an actual space suit, and spin in mid-air whenever you take it off

or, you could wear a snazzy metallic 1960s dress like this one:

from reflectionsofvintage.blogspot.com

Like this?

Shiny! Green!

Try this.

http://blog.marketpublique.com/category/tags/dress

We would love to live in a pod entirely carpeted in lush shag,




But we'd also settle for a cool vintage rug.

unfortunately, this one has been sold from etsy.com

And then we'd have to have a goddess statue to go with it.

ebay.com

We love this,




And who wouldn't love a vintage skunk fur coat (yes, they made them, and they are fabulous)?

http://rozessecondhandnews.blogspot.com

 We love, love, love her boots:




 So, we could buy some like these:

etsy.com

And speaking of black and white (and more boots):

Oh, how I love thee. Let me count the ways...

vintage mod dress, modcloth.com

With some boot options:

Vintage mod boots, from afunkyshoeandboot.com

Black Chanel thigh-high boots, from Elle France Sept 2012

Vintage black and white boots, from polyvore.com

And you can't wear it, but you can certainly watch Barbarella on it (but not in the same room as the rug)...

stylehive.com

Now, all we need is some colorful mood lighting, a blind angel to fly us places, a backyard maze full of naked people, and a hookah room with swings and piles of pillows. I think it could work.

On the Radar -- 60s and 70s Geometric Prints

Prada. Photo from http://blog.brandsexclusive.com.au/

 On the Radar is our weekly post where we get to talk about what we, the Blackbird girls, think the next big things are out there in design.  We have this problem, you see.  It never fails that about two months to a year after we start talking about what we like and what we want to feature somewhere -- in our Etsy shop or in the antique mall window -- it shows up in Country Living.  Or Martha Stewart.  Or on HGTV.  Now, we know everyone out there in "Design Land" drinks the same Kool-Aid and feeds off the same inspirations.  However, our process tends to be a bit more internal, organic, and dare I say it, vintage inspired!  As you probably already know, we LOVE vintage and antique things, so we get most of our inspiration from that.  

Michael Miller. Photo from http://www.trueup.net/

This week's post is about something we have always loved and have always been drawn to...1960s and 70s Mod/Geometric prints.  There's just something about an optic print that pulls us in.  Bright colors, neutrals -- doesn't matter.  It's all about the repeat and the graphic joy of a cool design.  We've noticed it popping up everywhere -- home fashions, high fashion, and even the craft world.  This chair, for example, has been recovered in Michael Miller quilting cotton, designed by Patty Young.  Fabric like this is accessible -- mainly because of price point.  Cotton crafting prints are a great way to maximize your design without spending tons of money.  These exact fabrics come in under $12 per yard, making them ideal for throw pillows, art projects, and even sweet little cotton dresses!

When we opened our Elle magazine for August, we were bombarded with images of suits and dresses made from 60s geometric prints.  Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu, Etro, and Prada are just a few of the designers featured.  Not only did they make individual, stand alone pieces, but they combined multiple prints. Layering pattern on top of pattern takes skill -- but the effect is dynamite!  Printed bags, shoes, dresses, jackets -- nothing is overlooked.

Photo from http://patternbank.com

1970s Blouse from Blackbird Antiques.  Ross House Boutique.

We still say that vintage is best, though.  If you wear vintage or live with vintage housewares, you know that your items are more one-of-a-kind.  Unique.  There may be more of the item out there, somewhere buried in an attic or a thrift store, but you can pretty much guarantee that nobody else in your town will have it!  The thrill of the hunt, and knowing that your item is special, can make ownership of vintage items a special thing.  Especially when you are right on trend, and just as fab as Prada (without the Prada price...)!