VintageGent’s Menswear Daily

Mr. Blackwell’s First and Last

Recently, fashion lost another prominent figure. Mr. Richard Blackwell’s (born Richard Selzer) list of the ten worst dressed women morphed from a curmudgeonly missive to an annual event. He went to school with Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney and starred in stage productions until he introduced his own clothing line. In American households, the “list” eclipsed all of that.

Mr. Blackwell’s very first “list” came in 1960. Interesting trivia: the first list both included Morticia Addams (Carolyn Jones) AND Lily Munster (Yvonne DeCarlo)

1. Anna Magnani (“The female counterpart of Emmett Kelly. One of the most distinguished actresses of our generation, who suggests Eleanora Duse playing in a Shakespearean tragedy wearing tramp clothes.”)
2. Brigitte Bardot (“An unruly child who has acquired the bad habit of taking off her nightie before the bathroom door has been closed.”)
3. Yvonne De Carlo (“A gypsy who stole a wine-red portiere from a window and draped it over her body in combination with a Kelly green couch cover.”)
4. Lucille Ball (“One of our most gifted comediennes, she seems to bend over backwards to look ridiculous, and her greatest asset in this department in her clothes. Her preferences in fashion can best be described as a sense of turmoil, because nothing blends or complements.”)
5. Anita Ekberg (“If a woman who wears a shoe two sizes too small is apt to suffer from bunions, I wonder what is the fate of one with a 39-inch bust who wears a size 16 dress? Miss Ekberg, in either street or formal wear, provokes the idea that she dresses with a shoehorn.”)****
6. Shelley Winters (“The only description for Miss Winters dressed for a party is a rag doll brought to the circus and covered with pink cotton candy.”)
7. Carolyn Jones (“There is so little material between Miss Jones’ bust line and the hem of her garment one wonders which will get where first.”)
8. Kim Novak (“Lavender, like old lace, belongs in a bureau drawer, not on a torso with too great a frequency to offset it. She has adopted lavender as her trademark and is guilty of fabric redundancy.”)
9. Anne Baxter (“She wears a sweater as if she were headed for the showers instead of the moonlight sail with a handsome escort. In formal attire her hair looks as if someone ran a brush through it and then said, ‘Oh, the hell with it.’”)

And Mr. Blackwells’ very last list

1. Victoria Beckham (“Forget the fashion spice – wearing a skirt would suffice! In one skinny-mini monstrosity after another, pouty posh can really wreck-em.”)
2. Amy Winehouse (“Exploding beehives above…tacky polka-dots below…she’s part 50’s car-hop horror.”)
3. Mary Kate Olsen (“YIKES! In layers of cut-rate kitsch, Mary Kate’s look is hard to explain…she resembles a tattered toothpick-trapped in a hurricane!”)
4. Fergie (“Another style-free “Fergie” in fashion’s hall of shame? Yes, when it comes to couture chaos, guess it’s all in a name!”)
5. Kelly Clarkson (“Her heavenly voice soars above the rest…but those belly-baring bombs are hellish at best! She may be the queen of “Pro-Active” – but that wardrobe looks downright radioactive!”)
6. Eva Green (“Stuck in neon nightmares not fit for the sane. Fashion this loud could give Bond a migraine! A profusion of confusion from toes to nose!”)
7. Avril Lavigne (“Gothic make-up courtesy the mad spatula-Fashions provided by…The house of Dracula!”)
8. Jessica Simpson (“Forget the Cowboys. In prom queen screams, can it get any worse? She’s a global fashion curse!”)
9. Lindsay Lohan (“Lindsay the fashion frenzy strikes again! Lohan takes fashion to a new low.”)
10. Alison Arngrim (“Little Nellie of the prairie, looks like a 1940’s fashion editor for the Farmers’ Almanac.”)

Mr. Blackwell did not include his perennial least favorite, Brittney Spears, on the list because of her tumultuous personal life.  He felt sorry for her, but sure she would be on the list for the end of 2008.

****= 1959/60 was before the sizing standards change.  A size 16 was not large at all, closer to an 8

Globetrotting Has Rules

Numerous acquaintances of mine have vintage clothing or antique collections of some sort.  A few of them have quite vast collections.   Occasionally it happens that someone is tapped for a job overseas for a little while.   I always wondered if they put their collection in storage and just went over with their toothbrush until they checked things out and decided if they actually wanted to stay for awhile. Another option would be to sell it off. On the contrary, I found that people had brought a substantial bit of their collection with them.  Of course, they have the daunting task of also bringing it back when the job was complete.

I guess there are some pretty slick international moving companies that can make the whole thing happen. From the size of some collections, I can imagine that the price would be steep.  The website, Internationalmovers.com, has some important things to consider, including rules on having to have relocated before importing your items depending on the country.  In fact, I know that in Australia, you are required to present funds proving you have the funds for your return trip and to complete your time there as they have had so many problems with people just deciding to go to Australia and see where adventure takes them (and often have to panhandle).

As for me, if a job opportunity came along, maybe I would consider selling a few things if I were to find myself across the country, but I wouldn’t go anywhere besides the good old U.S.A.

MLB Logo turns 40

The Major League Baseball Logo, which has adorned zillions of licensed sportswear, television graphics, and more turns 40.   Jerry Dior, who worked for Sandgren & Murtha at the time, created it to commemorate the 100th anniversary of of the league back in 1968.  It was unveiled in the fall of 1968, and appeared on uniforms during the 1969 baseball season.    What it also signified was that the league was going into a new direction of mass merchandising as well and needed a “face” and a logo.

Dior never received royalties for the design, as his work was property of the firm.  He later left and spent the rest of his career designing commercial packaging.  Now 1976, Dior is not bitter.  He states that the logo “belongs to baseball.”  However, Dior has petitioned just for acknowledgement.

(Note: as far as we know, Jerry Dior is no relation to Christian Dior.)

How to Break in to Doing what you Love

When I came out of college, sketch book in hand, things were a lot different than they were now.   If you had dreams of being hired as an illustrator for a publishing house, whether on creative projects or for the less expressive task of drawing diagrams, there were only several ways to get in.  Knowing someone obviously was one way, but it was no guarantee.  It just opened the possibility to lug a large portfolio downtown just for a chance to be seen.  If you didn’t know anyone and were stabbing in the dark, there were large, coffee table sized books that you needed to get in to.  It cost several thousand, I believe, to do so.   These books featured maybe a page or maybe two representing your work.  It had information on how to contact you or your agent.   When someone was looking to hire for a project, they would go to the directory of illustration.

Though the internet was of course alive and popping during that time, but the modem speeds and graphic cards just didn’t express someone’s work in a viable way.   Now that technology has changed so rapidly, the internet is a viable way to present yourself before the industry.

DesignHide, at www.designhide.com, in particular is a site that makes that possible.  It is not a photo storage site.  On the contrary, just like its slogan, it is “creative people seeking creative people.”

Designers can upload their work in a completely safe way for view by strictly other industry professionals.   There are many different styles represented, so whether your style is very retro or a throwback to another time, realistic, or streamlined and modern, there is a place here for you.

The site has interviews and tips by those in the industry to give hopefuls a leg up as well. It is definitely worth checking out if you are looking to hire or be hired.

Someone Needs to Buy These

Here and there for the past few days, I have been rolling out an encore of “Joe Famolare and the Platform Shoe,” which is a summary of a workshop that was conducted several years ago. As I was surfing around, I came across a pair of Famolare skates with the iconic bicycle label. I did not know about the existence of skates before. I have not seen them in any older ads, nor do I remember them.

These are not for men, but for a ladies size 8, so ladies, you might want to snap these up right away. I don’t know when I will ever see another pair like them. They are available on Etsy from the VinnyandVernelle’s. CLICK HERE to grab them before they are gone!

Win a Bamboo!

When I used to sketch set and costume designs for the theater, I often would use a Wacom tablet.  Now, Wacom has come out with something far more sophisticated, the Wacom Bamboo which is much more fluid with translating your actual drawing to your computer screen. Right now, there is a 123rf Search and Win contest where you can win your very own Bamboo.  123rf is a site devoted to royalty free stock images.

Here is how the contest works:

1) Search the site for images you happen to be randomly looking for in 123rf’s vast library of very affordable stock photos.

2) Be on the lookout for a special thumbnail.  Completely randomly, lucky winning members of the site will see a thumbnail listing their prize of credits to obtain images on the site or for a Wacom Bamboo.  One Bamboo will be given out per day!

There was a contest awhile back to show what the Bamboo can do.  This was one of the entries HERE.

Breathtaking, don’t you think? I have sat and watched it work several times now. Imagine what you can produce on the screen directly from your imagination. I can hardly wait to get my hands on one again.
Click the link to check it, register to win…and good luck!

Aspiring Designers: This May Be Your Big Break

Henri Bendel is conducting the famous “Open See” day.  Aspiring designers can come from far and wide for a chance!

The official Henri Bendel site says:
Welcome to Open See, Bendel’s legendary designer casting call.

For more than 40 years, Henri Bendel has opened its doors to new and emerging talent from around the world. Open See has launched the careers of countless young creators, including Todd Oldham, Anna Sui, James Purcell, Pamela Dennis, Colette Malouf, and many more.

Held twice a year at Bendel’s Fifth Avenue flagship, admission is open and on a first-come-first-seen basis. Join the excitement! For more information, including the date of our next Open See event, call 212.904.7992.

The next Open See is THIS MONDAY MORNING!

For more information for the event at the 5th Avenue store, call the above number or CLICK HERE.

Harrison Ford would Definitely Be In the Movie Version

There have not been too many good espionage novels or games this side of the Cold War. I have recently stumbled across Hacker Evolution, something that will probably suck up a lot of my time. It is a computer game that involves YOU, a former intelligence agent. Critical services have all been disabled, causing worldwide troubles and only you can solve the world’s problems.  You have to hack in to make everything all right with the world.

In real life, it would be all about a team of thousands of experts, but in video game and movie land, it probably would just be Harrison Ford or Gene Hackman or a teenage Matthew Broderick, depending on the decade, taking it all on.  

Download Hacker Evolution – The most challenging PC game

New Shoes – The Wing Tip

The must have shoe for fall and winter is the wing tip?   Why is that?

Of course, fashion magazines are touting them, but it is perhaps a return back to the tried and true amidst all the uncertainty out there right now.   While not always seen as the hottest trend, wing tips have seldom been seen as inaprorpiate.   With the trends being for the past few years to be “dressed down,” sometimes to the extreme, even a small wing tip detail in a more casual color shows that a guy cared just a little bit.

While the well polished wing tip is a classic, distressed, worn in wing tips are being shown on the run way.

Personalized Pens: A Stylish Gift

Looking for a time honored gift to give the men in your life, but don’t want to make sizing mistakes?   How about giving Cross Pens – Personalized Gifts that are going to last. It is apropriate for a proper gentleman, rather they are a high ranking business man, or just someone that has a little style, to have a good pen that is attractive, and well weighted in the hand.

Personalization will guarantee that no one will run off with it either. In an office I worked at, there was a coworker that had a habit of pilfering pens, claiming that they were all his. It could indeed be that he had a collection himself, but he was always caught when one spun the barrel around and looked at the name.

If you scurry over to GiftPens.com, they have free engraving on Cross Pens, as well as free shipping on orders over $69.00.

Future Gentlemen?

There was a recent article announcing the top word in the English language as selected by 7 year old boys in America.  Of course, we all know the old nursery rhyme.   Little boys are supposed to be made of snails and puppy dog tails.   This must be true as, according to ABC, the favorite vocabulary word among seven year olds is “poop.”

“The 7-year-olds once again cited the word’s versatility, its utility and its sheer elegance,” said Francis Rothchild of Edelman Public Relations in a written statement. “It works as a noun, a verb, an adjective and, of course, an interjection. It’s a classic of the genre.”

Of course, I would like to know Rothchild’s methods. What was the sample group? One classroom, or a large cross section of thousands of seven year old boys? What about the kids in class who were “old” or “young” sevens. You know what I mean. Children who already turned seven and would turn eight at the end of the school year, versus children who would have their seventh birthday during this school year. Maybe it doesn’t make a big difference developmentally, but you never know!

For more on the story of the future gentleman of America, click here.

More Shopping Seals and Endorsements

Online shopping has changed rapidly in the last decade, and even in the past couple years. Website giants have come and gone, or have gotten more diluted. Despite gas prices finally dropping, people are still being very conscious about their shopping excursions and it is speculated that this holiday season many more purchases will be made online. When it comes to buying online, I typically buy things that I cannot find in my local market or for convenience.

The buySAFE Shopping Advisor is a free took that points out which merchants are bonded up to $25,000, and in addition, you are provided with identity theft insurance.   It may go a long way to reassuring people to come back into the online shopping fold, or converting people who have never bought online before.

What I wonder is what it is going to do to the “little guy.”  Small scale mom and pop merchants may come under the radar of a service like this.  In fact, upon reading the website it does not appear to be for companies that have monthly sales less than the five figure range.   So, for smaller scale antique dealers this may not be something to sign up for.  Not everything needs to be for everyone, but I wonder if it is more of an association versus implying merchants not a part of buySafe are not trustworthy.

On the other hand, if you are a buyer thinking of making a major purchase online, it may go a long way to creating additional confidence.  The jury is still out with me.

Joe Famolare and the Platform shoe: Part III

Joe Famolare and the Platform Shoe – Part III in a Series

Part III Joe “Gets There”

Despite many naysayers who thought he was crazy, when Joe saw the “writing on the wall” at Marx and Newman, he didn’t cultivate his long list of business connections from all over the world. His business ethic and the personal commitment he made to the company just wouldn’t permit his conscience to.

He totally started from scratch with his new company. He had to start over with being the new guy and pitching his ideas to investors to get nickel one. But in the end, he charmed them with his ideas and his sense of showmanship.

An early product was a molded clog, for which he won a Coty award in 1973.

Even though the clog was a sensation in the fashion world from a design perspective, what really showcased Joe’s abilities as a self promoter was the “Get There”

The Get There took the world of platform shoes by storm.

The secret behind the shoes, while many platform shoes of the day left one teetering, the Famolare platform shoe was well balanced and practical.

The patented, 4 wave sole promotes posture and balance. Instead of having a main area of balance underneath the ball of the foot and then one under the heel, with a hollow at the arch, creating the “figure 8″ style foot print, the foot print is a series of waves that helps one “roll” and flow when they walk as opposed to the other two mobility situations with platform shoes.

The next ad appeared in magazines and newspapers everywhere as the “birth” of the Get There…featuring an implication that the Get There was carved out of marble like a masterpiece sculpture…

Not only did he use the traditional means of print advertising to promote his product, such as shown below, but he even choreographed the “Get There” dance, and ran a contest for an aspiring song writer to perform the “Get There” song on a 45 rpm record, and the record was released and it became the theme song for them.

Joe envisioned it as a yearly contest to find aspiring talent and spread the word about comfortable platform shoes that you could actually walk in! This didn’t turn into a yearly contest, but it was something that burned the Get There in everyone’s memory. They could read about it, dance about it and listen to it!

The shoes not only hold a patent but are on display in the Smithsonian museum, and is also featured at the Costume, Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. So next time you are in the neighborhood…pay the exhibit a visit.

To Be Continued…

Attention Procrastinators! Halloween is Nigh!

Some people start thinking about the next Halloween on November 1st of the preceding year.  For the procrastinators, I would like to remind you that there are only ten days to get your thinking cap on and your fingers cracking at halloween costumes if that is the way your preferences lean. If you don’t believe me, just look at the calendar.

Sometimes, the best costumes I have ever worn came out of last minute procrastination. When I was a kid, I found an old box, a few magic markers and I went as a Rubik’s Cube. We had a parade through the different classrooms of the school, and I couldn’t make it between the rows of desks. Poor planning on my part, I know. In the years since, I thought that the last minute route was the way to go based on my prior success, but found that the creativity well often was dry now and again and I went to the store to look for the one or two elements of a costume I couldn’t find around the house and was sorely out of luck. I mean, you can’t exactly make a deerstalker’s hat with your limited 4th grader skills in a way that people could tell what it was.

In truth, I didn’t wear a Sherlock Holmes hat.  That was just an example of something not easily made.  After milking the Rubik’s Cube costume a few years, I used it as the basis of going as a dining room table complete with place setting.

I found that if you are totally desperate and can’t possibly milk the same costume again for a third year in a row, Halloween Adventure still has some last minute Halloween emergency shipping options, where you can still order up until a few days before depending on what state you are in.  I will warn you though.  This is the last call. If you order today with ground shipping, you’ll get it the 28th. You can shell out more for faster shipping if you want. Don’t wait until the day before Halloween because it is just not going to happen for you. In otherwords, drop what you are doing right now and get on the stick!

Farewell William Claxton: A True Vintage Gent

At left, Peggy Moffit and Steve MacQueen by William Claxton.

Photographer William Claxton has died at the age of 80 of congestive heart failure.  Claxton may not be a household name to all, but those in the fashion world remember his iconic photos.   He was most known for his work with  wife Peggy Moffitt, muse of designer Rude Geinrich. creator of the monokini.

Claxton was known for many other images of pop culture icons.  His moody, black and white Jazz Life series featured the likes of Chet Baker and other greats.   In fashion, he photographed many pop culture icons, including Moffit and Mary Quant and Steve MacQueen.

Claxton will certainly be missed as a great man and a great talent.