Vintage Cheek

Continuing with the theme of pinups: here is a very cheeky fashion editorial from the February 2013 issue of French Grazia that I stumbled across yesterday on the blog Vintage Vandalizm. It’s both super-cute and naughty, and is gorgeously styled by Stéphanie Brissay with lots of nice lingerie (I just love that white spotted tulle bra by Eres in the aeroplane pic).

The clever and witty art direction, the sumptuous photography by Marc Philbert – both save those visual puns from becoming tacky. Saucy!

Click images for larger versions.

Sweetheart

The classic pinups of the 1940s will forever hold a special place in the popular imagination. Some are simply sweet, and some are very definitely saucy, but they will never fail to raise a laugh (and maybe a pulse). Those paintings of audacious girls manage to say sexy without being trashy because of the inherent humour – a cheeky wink is endearing.

I’m keeping this little 40s pinup look sweet with stripes and denim shorts (much more modest than a little skirt that can flip all too easily in an errant breeze) and classic rope espadrilles. This style of shoe became very fashionable in the 1940s due to rationing – shoe designers had to get creative – and were made famous by Lauren Bacall when she wore an ankle-laced pair in the 1948 film Key Largo.

I adore stripes in almost any colour combination, but my favourites are bright colours, or black with white. Stripes, with their nautical lineage, also shout summer. The espadrilles are striped and polka-dotted – how sweet can you get? – and aptly, are by Candy. I found them in the Sacred Heart charity store last weekend, and, never worn, they were a bargain for $15. The cute little pink and white cotton knit by designer label Gorman also came from the same store – $6, thanks. The little denim 40s style shorts are new, by Seduce.

(The raspberry candy heart came from a sweet shop at the Queen Victoria Market.) 

Pink is for Nostalgia

Everything that goes around comes around again. We’ve heard that refrain applied to fashion before. And you know how they say you hate the fashions of the decade you were spent your formative years in? I was a teen in the 80s, and although I have a few fond (and amused) memories I believe it really was ‘the decade that style forgot’. I don’t know who coined that phrase, but it is particularly apt for the brash 80s.

On the other hand, I was a kidlet in the 70s, and look back on those years through rose-coloured glasses. (Pink is the colour of nostalgia.) Of course, the clothes I wore back then were quite different to the vintage 70s garments I own now. A few years ago I even bought a pair of vintage 70s rose-coloured sunglasses with leopard-print frames!

… back in the 70s, my coat was called the ‘Zhivago’ coat (after the famous Russian book of course).

The suede and rabbit fur coat I am wearing in these photos is one of my favourite winter coats. It is vintage 1970s, by old Australian label Stephen Dattner.

A couple of weeks ago I was travelling home by tram very late on a Saturday night after a party. I had boarded the tram, and when I had sat down, a late middle-aged lady addressed me, informing me that back in the 70s, my coat was called the ‘Zhivago’ coat (after the famous Russian book of course). The woman knew this because she had owned one, in tomato red suede and trimmed with black fur. She only had a single tier of fur along the bottom however.

How wonderful to meet someone so dubiously on public transport, and learn such a fascinating tidbit! I told her that I had come upon the coat in a charity shop for only $45 – she was hugely impressed by that price and told me I had a bargain (which I certainly knew already), for the coat had cost hundreds of dollars new. Taking into account inflation rates, that would translate to several thousand dollars at today’s prices.

The original lining was completely shot, and my sister Blossom very generously and expertly replaced it with a plum coloured satin as a birthday present one year. My new acquaintance and I proceeded to talk non-stop about vintage fashion for the next 30–40 minutes as we waited for our tram transfer at the interchange. It transpired this lady had worked in the vintage fashion industry for decades, and had begun her career in a magazine start-up with the Murdochs. Fancy! She knew all the Melbourne dealers, and collected vintage clothing herself, as well as assisting at vintage fairs with styling advice and the like. When I said goodbye to her she urged me to say hello next time I saw her – she had already noticed me before because of my outfits, which was very flattering.

My red bag is also 70s, and though the floppy wool felt hat (Milana), red and purple knit top (Sonia Rykiel) and dusky pink, wide-legged velvet pants (Asos) are all new, they are certainly bathing in the rosy glow of the 1970s.

Thou Shalt Stay Classy

THE SECOND FASHION COMMANDMENT

Once upon a time (say, back in the unemancipated sartorial dark ages of the 1950s) women dressed to please their menfolk. Thank goodness we’ve moved on from those days … Instead, we dress to impress our friends and peers; our work colleagues or rivals; our bosses. Sometimes it’s the object of our desire – and, cue dramatic Psycho-style music – our FUTURE MOTHER-IN-LAW.

Much less pressure indeed. Thank goodness.

More importantly, today most women are free to dress to please themselves, and if we do wear something to make ourselves feel sexy, it might be hidden – a whisper of vintage silk lingerie, or a tuxedo worn with just a racy, lacy bra underneath. When you see a girl on the street going the whole shebang – thigh-high skirt with fishnets and stilettos, a tight animal-print skirt with eye-popping cleavage, and makeup slathered on – we all know what we’re thinking: Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman – before the transformation. 

A classy woman … has a good sense of what should be kept private, and what should be made public.

But what is classy anyway? It is certainly not about a cookie-cutter style of elegance in fashion; rather it is an elegance of dress that is defined by elegance of mind. A classy woman has good manners and discretion in all things; she is considerate of others, generous, and she is not mean-spirited. She has a good sense of what should be kept private, and what should be made public. She has confidence and faith in herself, and does not need to ‘prove’ herself to others.

Modern: not a whiff of trashiness around Marion Cotillard; she balances a strapless bustier with the long pencil skirt of her dressVintage: Wow. Thirties actress Jean Harlow is poured into a heart-stopping gown typical of the glamorous early years of Hollywood.

As far as fashion is concerned however, the question is: in this day and age when absolutely anything goes, how does one manage to look sexy, and still stay classy?

It’s as easy as A-B-C …

A is for Artfulness

Be artful in what you choose to wear. Obviously consider the occasion for which you are dressing and dress appropriately. We don’t need to ooze so much sex appeal we’re frightening (or worse, comical) – we are not caveladies, dear readers. Subtlety is more enticing than an overt display of flesh spilling out over every edge of hemline. Too much bare flesh showing leaves nothing to the imagination. What is left to pique someone’s interest if everything is already on view?

Sometimes it’s not only how much flesh you show, but what. An unexpected flash of bare skin is always more erotic, especially when everything else is covered up, and even more so when one removes a wrap to reveal a naked back, or neck, or arms. Not for nothing did Victorian men get all hot and bothered when they glimpsed a bit of bare ankle, or stocking top (they still get excited about that today – stockings I mean, not so much ankles).

A saucy Victorian postcard, from the book, ‘Seduction – A celebration of sensual style’, by Caroline Cox (Mitchell Beazley, 2006) I once saw a very pretty young girl with long blonde tresses walking in the street looking like she had escaped from a Brassaï photograph of 1920s street walkers. She was wearing a very short  white babydoll dress with black thigh high stockings, and little else. My friend Lulue and I looked and gasped at one another: What was she thinking? we asked ourselves. She looked like she was on the prowl for someone to seduce.

Here’s a simple rule to follow: if it’s something you could imagine wearing in the bedroom for a loved one, then it probably doesn’t belong on the street.

Not for nothing did Victorian men get all hot and bothered when they glimpsed a bit of bare ankle …

How to ruin a racerback tank …The correct underwear is important too. There is no use in wearing a dress with a daring open back if it’s ruined by a visible bra. Or a strapless top with a bra. Or even worse, one with see-through straps. Thank goodness the fad for flaunting g-strings over the top of low-rise jeans has just about died out.

Look at this before and after showing a pretty blue racerback silk tank with and without a bra. How much nicer is it without bra straps showing? Quite apart from looking tacky, the straps completely ruin the circular cutouts of the design. It’s essential to own at least one strapless bra in nude, and preferably two, with the additional being black.

Just as bad is not wearing underwear when you should, or the wrong underwear. Some of us need more support than others. One should be especially wary of Visible Panty Lines with tight bottoms – this is the time for a g-string. Ill-fitting bras under tight tops create a very unattractive line too, or even worse (gasp!): no bra at all under a tight white top.

… and how to show it off

B is for Balance

Remember, balance is the key. Coco Chanel is famous for saying ‘before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take at least one thing off’. She was addressing those women with a predilection to over-accessorising of course, and in this situation I would like to paraphrase that to, ‘before you leave the house, look in the mirror and put at least one thing on’.

‘before you leave the house, look in the mirror and put at least one thing on’

Follow the same ratio as with clothing silhuoettes, when you pair a tight top with wide-legged trousers for instance. If you’re showing off your legs, then keep your boobs covered. Or if your dress is very tight than err on the side of length rather than brevity. If your dress is see-through, then perhaps a slip might be a good idea. Remember too lighting is important – a garment that looks opaque at home in your bedroom might be far more revealing in bright sunlight.

C is for Confidence

One of the most important ingredients often forgotten by amateur fashionistas is CONFIDENCE! Confidence makes you shine and stand out from the crowd – who can help staring at a woman who lifts her chin and walks confidently with her shoulders back? She will always draw the eye.

But if you dare to bare your back and you look and feel sexy, then you must OWN it. Be proud and stand tall.

Vests are often touted as perfect officewear, worn with shirts and pencil skirts. However, this halterneck version is risky business – best kept for date night, or more casual affairs.By the same token, don’t be forever tugging down a tiny skirt for fear you’re revealing a little too much – it looks idiotic and self-conscious, the opposite of the breezy confidence and sexiness you want to exude. If your skirt is riding up that much, then you probably are wearing the wrong size.

Nor are goosebumps ever sexy. I can’t help pitying those pretty young things that go gallivanting about on freezing Saturday evenings dressed in flimsy dresses. Wear a coat for heaven’s sake, and don’t look like such a silly fool.

Actress Clara Bow; backless dresses were first invented in the 1920s.

Do’s and Dont’s

Exposure:

• DON’T overexpose – retain some mystery, but DO show off a sliver of skin in an unexpected way, and DO leave room for the imagination
• DO wear the right size and avoid wardrobe malfunctions such as nipple exposure, muffin tops, underbum, VPLs or similar
• DO dress appropriately for the occasion – DON’T go to the office dressed like you’re heading for the nightclub
• If it’s cold out DO wear a coat – goosebumps are not sexy!

Lingerie:

• DO wear the correct underwear for your outfit: DON’T wear bras under backless garments and for goodness sake DON’T wear a bra with see-through straps (click here to read more on this topic), and DON’T go wobbling about bra-less in a tight top (especially a white one)
• DO wear the right lingerie under sheer garments (click here for more detail)

Stockings:

• DO wear seamed stockings, but make sure the seams are straight
• DO try stay-ups or suspenders or over-the-knee socks for a more nonchalant look – but DON’T wear your skirt too short (unless you are at a Cosplay convention)
• DON’T wear ripped stockings

Shoes:

• DON’T wear stripper shoes
• DON’T take painful shoes off and walk barefoot in the city streets – this looks trashy (not to mention dangerous – you could step on something you ill regret): DO carry a pair of fold-up flats in your handbag for emergencies instead
• DO make sure you know how to walk in heels before you fall and break your ankle

Jewellery & Makeup:

• DON’T go overboard with jewellery or risk looking like a Christmas tree decked out in holiday decorations
• DON’T wear hooker makeup
• DON’T overload on perfume – your nose may be desensitised so you can’t smell it, but everyone else can!

Attitude:

• DO mind your manners – a classy look loses all its cred if you have a guttermouth or behave in an otherwise vulgar manner (such as removing your undergarments in public, or having a screaming match in the street with your partner)
• Above all: DO be confident! 

Modern: who can forget Jennifer Lopez and Liz Hurley in their respective Versace dresses? Bordering on the decidedly unclassy, one must admit they both OWNED these looks

A Frenchwoman’s Guide to Elegance

Here are some interesting excerpts from Madame Genevieve Antoine Dariaux’s book A Guide to Elegance (Harper Collins Publishers 2003 – updated since the original version was published in 1964.) A French style guru, Dariaux spent most of her life in Paris. She opened her own fashion house before becoming for many years the directrice to Nina Ricci. She has this to say on the subject of sexy dressing, rather scathingly and amusingly:

‘So-called ‘sexy’ styles are never truly elegant, but only suitable for the vamps of gangster films or comic strips. Besides, the authorities responsible for these exaggerations are neither the fashion designers, who only like the most slender, flat-chested mannequins, nor the garment industry, which has all the trouble in the world trying to lodge a generous bosom in the bodice of a dress that has just arrived from Paris without the slightest sign of a dart in front! No, the promoters of the aggressive poitrine are the brassiere manufacturers, who construct and reinforce their creations as solidly as skyscrapers, with the result that those anatomical features which were intended to be soft, natural cushions, have been transformed into veritable armour plate. The collective adoration for the big bust and the publicity given to the measurements of certain celebrities is a phenomenon perhaps worthy of the attention of a psychiatrist, or the jury at a livestock competition – but it certainly has nothing to do with either fashion or elegance.’

Modern: Christina Hendricks shows off her voluptuous curves but keeps it classy, defying Dariaux's decree that a less than svelte figure should steer clear of form-fitting gowns

But Dariaux does give us hope:

‘On the other hand, don’t believe that in order to be elegant you must dress with austerity and only wear clothes with high round necklines and unrevealing full skirts like the saintly ladies of the Salvation Army. Evening gowns with extremely low necklines are almost always flattering. And dresses that mould the figure – when they merely suggest the forms they cover rather than expose them, and when they are very well made – can cause every head to turn in admiration. Nevertheless, if you are not absolutely sure of the perfection of your figure, and especially if it is a bit on the generous side, instead of emphasising it, veil it. You will have everything to gain and nothing to lose. As for the Wonderbra, they are meant to be worn only in absolutely desperate cases, and even then with discretion.

A kind of mythology seems to have been built up concerning men’s preferences in fashion, with the result that many a young woman who deliberately dresses to attract masculine admiration often inspires only astonishment. To separate once and for all the fact from fiction, this is

What is Really Attractive to Men

• full skirts, tiny waists, and a long-legged look
• clothes that are in fashion, but not avant-garde; men follow the fashion trends more than you may realise, and even the Wall Street Journal prints articles about fashion
• almost any shade of blue; white; very pale and dark grey; certain men hate to see their wives in black; others adore it
• perfume – but modern men appreciate lighter perfumes than their fathers did, subtle sophisticated blends rather than the simpler scents
• collars on suits and coats

Vintage: Sophia Loren shows off her figure and tiny waistModern: Jennifer Lawrence sports a similar version of the full skirt and tiny waist; the deep vee of her neckline sexy, but the blouse is demure

What Men Think They Like (but only in the movies)

• revealingly tight skirts and aggressively pointed bosoms
• false eyelashes
• ‘femme fatale’ lingerie
• musky, oriental scents
• spike heels
• yards of black fringe and miles of red chiffon flounces

In short, men enjoy being envied, but they hat feeling conspicuous. And they particularly dislike vulgarity in the women they love.’

Apparently only appealing in the movies … Ava Gardner; animal print is classic sex kitten attire, but be careful how you wear it Some of those rules are a trifle old-fashioned (I almost never wear collared shirts myself for instance), and I cannot think Dariaux speaks for all men, but the list does offer food for thought. Her advice is stern, but it is always better to err on the side of caution, n’est-ce pas?

~

Come back next week for the Third Fashion Commandment. If you’ve just tuned in, or would like to refresh your memory, click here to review all the Fashion Commandments. 

Dreaming of Curls

Last year in Queensland I purchased some very sweet hair curlers from Dream Wavers, at a stall at Eumundi Markets. They are fabric-covered with a foam core, fasten with Velcro, and are soft enough to sleep comfortably in them. I managed to find a set made with a retro cherry-print fabric. They are trimmed with little red satin bows too. Cuteness overload!

Unfortunately I never quite got round to using them, because my hair was too long. Yes, it is possible for your hair to be too long, simply because one’s arms are not long enough to roll up the curlers neatly – or maybe I’m just unhandy? And then I cut off my hair into a bob, and now it is far too short! (This is sounding a bit like a Goldilocks adventure.)

But is this reason enough to grow my hair again? I’m rather fancying a 40s retro style next – something like this …?

Lauren Bacall

Or this? (Okay this is the same hairstyle, except Veronica’s is longer. I’d better start practising my smoulder too.) 

Veronica Lake