Did anyone at the ‘Daily push through the crowds?

No matter what the style is that everyone has to have, on someone that it doesn’t quite suit, it looks as if a hat, tie or dress is coming at you from down the hall, rather than someone cutting out a fashionable figure. When someone stops saying, “You look great,” and replaces it “Here comes that dress again.,” or “Drive by again. You can’t miss that suit,” then you have to do a bit of a review. Though I have some friends that can rock it, but one bit of feeling you are wearing someone else’s skin and it just doesn’t work. The VintageGent=ette’s petite frame and seemingly opposite skin undertone than the current colors that are flattered was overwhelmed. Still, I do have a hankering for some scarves, ties and stationary if the afterglow, after crowd scavenger hunt is a success. The only disappointment is that there are many, many items Made in China, but that seems par for the course.

Are you, too, dreaming of zig zags but are not quite got the gumption to shell out lots of cash on eBay? Look no further than items inspired by Missoni the first time around. One of the most coveted items was and is the Missoni throw blanket. Well, feast a gander here. At left, is the true Target throw. Next to it are several vintage afghans from the 1970s with the undoubted trend for zigzags created the first time around when Missoni was something very new:

The three blankets to the right were made by hand in the 1970s and are available from Etsy sellers right now, unless they sell out of course. I was not able to see and touch the Missoni blanket, but can say some of these undiscovered hand made wonders were usually made to stand the test of time, long after trends change.

From left to right (Target – as much as $177.50 on eBay, Afghan from HammerAndZipper – $85.00, Afghan by BytheWaySide -  $40.00, Crocheted Zig Zag from KPDreams – $34.99).

Sure, you can go out and buy vintage Missoni clothing, but if you find that untouchable, here is a way to get the look in your home without feeling you are buying designer knockoffs. Handmade pieces from yesteryear may be inspired by the trends of the day but they are truly one of  kinds. Just instead of it being draped over a settee at Grandma’s house, they’ll be on the beds of trendsters and fashionistas, if that term isn’t passe.

(At left, a young Liz Claiborne in 1949)

Before her name was seen at TJ Maxx, Liz Claiborne was quite the high-end gal. According to the Vintage Fashion Guild label resource, she started her career sketching for Tina Leser, and later, behind Anne Fogarty, she was the most well-known designers to have designed under the Youth Guild label. She designed classic, but youthful, clothing in the 60s and 70s before ascending to fashion fame with her own design house in 1976. Now, not only is the name associated with runway fashions, but it has been lent to countless ready to wear and department store lines. While Ms. Claiborne passed away in 2007, her name and conglomerate live on.

Recently, I was surprised that Mexx (“metropolitan” clothing for gals and guys) and Kate Spade were a part of this empire. One learns something new every day.

There is in fact, a chain of outlet stores, Liz Claiborne New York Outlets, that carries items from the, of course, Liz Claiborne New York label. Shoppers right now can pick up fall fashions at 40% off and “differently seasoned” items at up to 70% off. From the looks of the website, the bread and butter of the line and the sore features classic basics, such as buttoned-down oxfords, foundations, flat-front slacks and suits for women. No word on whether the occasional men’s item pops in.   This is a prime opportunity to pick up a gift with tried and true style for a birthday or for Christmas.  The gals in your life will thank you.

I will not tell you how many days there are until Christmas, because I don’t want to get a quick swat of a cane or slap of a gauntlet.

here is a method to the madness. It’s all about merchandising. The team hopes to rope in sales from design aficionados, rather than strictly Rugby fans. This kind of potential shark jumping also gets the team a lot of press.

There was a study years ago that suggested sometimes the color of a uniform made a difference in the mindset of a team. What does having 70 people on a uniform do? Give the athlete the impression they are being cheered on by a crowd, or jeered at? Time will tell, and certainly sales figures will tell once the design is made available to the public at large.

What do you think? Brilliant marketing or a an ill-fated move?

Robert Talbott was founded by Robert and Audrey Talbott in the 1950s. Audrey, prior to her marriage to Robert, was a clothing buyer. As a hobby, she created bowties for Robert and his friends. With her skill and Robert’s dream to manufacture a true quality product, Robert Talbott the company was born. By 1955, the business was a success and they were traveling the world for silk.

In 1958, the first Robert Talbott store opened in Carmel, New York with a second opening in Pebble Beach in 1968. 24 years later, in 1992, a Madison Avenue showcase store was opened. Dress shirts were added to the Robert Talbott line in 1990, which had been exclusively ties up until this point. Casual shirts and outerwear followed.

Today, Audrey Talbott has shifted her focus to high quality ladieswear and her eponymous line is featured at many boutiques throughout the country.

A woven SILK tie…square bottomed and skinny. Robert Talbott for Jacobson’s from the 80s…

This bio that I wrote appears in the Vintage Fashion Guild label resource. If you are a trivia junkie or a fashion lover, you should check it out.

In my humble opinion, the airline uniforms win hands down. Perhaps my opinion is swayed by the overall styling of the presentation. The uniforms at left appear tailored to the ladies, where the uniform at right could use a bit of a fitting and finishing. In addition, its the bow.  While I think an ascot or tie could have worked in this situation, the bow feels fussy and impractical.  In a uniform situation, you are going to have a wide range of people wearing it.  Some have the savoir faire to tie bows perfectly, with a pleasing proportion of material on each side.  Some are going to have their bows looking a little straggly.

I am wondering what the uniform for men has at the neck.Of course, my biggest question is: Where are the guys?  What does the men’s version of these uniforms look like?  If anyone has a picture, please send it my way.  I can imagine that the Railway uniform could be identical, sans bow.  Is the cut of the jacket in the navy blue uniform in the airline photo the same, or is it a totally different take?  You will have to send me press photos and your vacation photos (with permission from the employees, of course, in having their photo snapped.)

By the way, the VintageGent-ette wants one of those blue uniforms, or at least the jacket, in the worst way.  But then one would have to have the skirt because the navy wouldn’t be exactly the same as another navy.  But the jacket would look cool with jeans on its own.  Oh…and the railway jacket too.

If you have read this blog for quite some time, you know that second to being a promoter of vintage fashion, I am a huge fan of clothing that is either sustainable in some way or made domestically. Vintage clothing involves a bit of recycling, but also creating clothing where the maker is employing local people and being gentle with their resources is also of great interest.

Ramblers Way is a small company in Maine that produces basic worsted wool clothing.In fact, the founders of Ramblers Way might be familiar names.  Tom and Kate Chappell, founders of Tom’s of Maine, are the friendly faces that represent the company.  In other words, they have a little bit of experience in launching successful companies. In 2006, they sold a majority share of Tom’s of Maine to Colgate.  In 2007, they began to set up the sheep farm.  At right is a photo of farmer Dave Norman and a friend.  Or, should I say, a valued employee of Ramblers Way with his friend Dave Norman.  I wondered if they were retiring at that point, but my curiosity has now been satisfied.  They are just off on another adventure, developing another product line that is designed with sustainability in mind.

Ramblers Way produces long and short sleeved shirts, long johns, and briefs for the men and women.  The pieces are in a natural blond color, which is the color of the wool when it has not been bleached or dyed.  The wool comes from the Ramblers Way farm, as well as several other family sheep farms throughout the United States.  In fact, they pride themselves on not only making their products in the United States, but all components are made in the US as well. From the shearing, carding, weaving, knitting processes to even the buttons and thread, nothing is sourced from or manufactured overseas.

As far as the items, they are exactly what they have set out to be. They do not make coats and suits like another famous American wool clothing maker, Pendleton, but rather stick to the very basics. Although the shirts look clean and neat by themselves, the clothing is really more perfect for wearing in lieu of a cotton T-Shirt. If you are always grabbing for a long sleeve to stick under a sweatshirt or flannel shirt on a dreary day, it is definitely for you. I found that the price point for particularly mens and ladies briefs to be on the high side ($47-65), especially considering that there was no color choice. However, worsted wool fabric has a natural “recovery” element and they will last many years longer than their cotton counterparts. When you look at the clothing prices, you really need to take that into account. They “don’t make things like they used to,” but perhaps Ramblers Way does.

What caught my attention was the claim that it “repels moisture and odors through natural wool fiber. Go days without washing, dries quickly, and stay warm even when wet.” Well, I hope you do wash it. However, when one is camping or in a similar situation, it is good to know it will hold up. Then, it made me think of the old fashioned bathing suits. Suits in the 1920s were in fact wool. I always thought that bathers would be a bit itchy and hot. If the wool was anything like this superfine spun wool, I bet they were really just fine, and their suit held its shape over the years. The suits that survive certainly have.

If someone handed me an armful of cash, I would probably stock up on a bunch of basics.  For my family, the men’s crossneck shirt and ladies scoop neck top would be at the top of the list.  The ladies scoop neck is low enough to be able to wear under buttoned or V-neck shirts without covering up a necklace, but it remains to be seen if it the material is substantial enough to be worn alone without bra straps showing through.  The men’s crossneck looks like it could be worn alone, and not just as a layer, which would be handy when the weather just can’t make up its mind.

As of this writing, I do not know of any stores that carry Ramblers Way, but you can  shop at Ramblers Way online.  In fact, if you normally have issues with wool and find that it itches, you may want to request a fabric sample on the site to test it out.

You were probably afraid from the title that this was all going to be about Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.  I am sorry to disappoint you, or perhaps you are relieved, but this is a TomKat free zone.

According to the Vintage Fashion Guild Label Resource:

“Some see his couture accomplishments eclipsed by his reputation as “The License Man.” After all, the Cardin moniker is affixed to more than 500 licenses. Caroline Rennolds Milbank states in her book, Couture, “Today, Cardin’s diversification overshadows his work in couture. His current reputation rests more on the variety of his endeavours…as well as on his undaunted efforts to dress (or somehow effect) every human being in the world.”

So what does one do with so much clothing? There has to be a way to know what to look for, with Cardin items existing from the couture on down to discount and from the 40s to months from now. As far as strictly the eye of the vintage lover, it is important to note that Mr. Cardin had a hand in design up until the very early 70s. In particular, this Creation Pierre Cardin label from a silk tie that is shown at the bottom of the photo is a good example of one of the Cardin labels to look for, though there are other earlier ones as well.   After that, Mr. Cardin was more of a figurehead and a marketer.  Other people designed items, if indeed they were not produced elsewhere, or even sold under other names, and just affixed with a Cardin label.

Several readers have asked for a source where the REAL  1000% genuine article could be purchased. The real Rolexes that are not spray painted gold.  If you are looking for the genuine article and want it delivered to your home, Perpetual Diamonds is an authorized dealer.  They come authentic, either just born or previously owned, with serial numbers, the original boxes, and are GIA certified.   They come right to your home, so you can be discreet about such a purchase, and the customer service is top notch, as befitting such a purchase.

Some people purchase them for gifts to commemorate monumental occassions.  Often they become the heirlooms of tomorrow. Is it too late to be adopted into THAT family?

Marc Jabobs paid a one million dollar fine to avoid being charged with bribery for having a monopoly on the desirable 26th Street Armory for his fashion shows.  The money will go to the State of New York.   In related news, the manager of the Armory, James Jackson, will be sentenced up to fifteen years in jail for soliciting bribes.  Who deserves the larger punishment, the person who paid the bribe or the person who hinted at the opportunity and accepted the bribe?  I am sure Mr. Jackson is not a gazillionare so perhaps took the hit or could not pay that steep of a fine (it just seems a little convenient or fishy to me), but if he solicited others perhaps there are other counts.

Marc Jacobs International will be monitored for the next two years.  By the way, the last time you saw runway photos and said, “I want that” did it really matter where the show had been held?  Probably not.