Fashion trends from a vintage view point...

In case any of you have been so far into the 1940's (or in A&E like me.. a long tiresome story) so as not to have noticed it has been London Fashion Week. By definition the 'looks' the fashion media have been tossing to us mere low level consumers are already yesterday's tinned tomatas. For a more cutting edge and indeed informed view of what is happening I direct you to the indefatigueable Katie Chutzpah's and Lee Clatworthy's posts on her excellent blog.  I thought however I would turn my jaded vintage peepers upon a few of the fashion 'stories' being sold to us and consider from the vintage point of view, whether they are fairytales or nightmares? So lets start:

1970's glamour, Charlie's Angels, Camel. I am aware that some eejyots will describe this as a vintage look. It isn't. I'm not the right person to comment on this as I remember with a shudder the clothes of the 70's. Fair enough the designers are not really channelling nylon knitted tabards, flares and clogs Croydon circa 75. Nor were designers in 1975, but it can easily come to that. This is a look that is really limited to the tall, the thin, the blonde and the American. Because it all seems to be pale and tasteful and browny/beigy. The other problem with it is that it needs luxe fabrics and will look cheap and nasty with a High Street sheen.  On the positive side a good 70's camel coat was a quotation of 40's and 50's coats as worn by Grace Kelly et al. If you are blonde and slim one of these could look splendid with your pin curls.  The other possible good result of this trend is the era's interest in borrowing 30's nautical looks; there may be some decent wide cut trousers, stripes and cotton out there. I quite like 70's jewellery, but that is just me in non-vintage mode.

The chunky wooly aviator style jackets and gillets are also in fashion again. These make you look like an inuit and if you have breasts it looks like you have been stuffed into a bit of roof insulation. Grazia has said that made cheaply they will look terrible and coined the phrase 'Chaviator Jackets'. But the whole point of high fashion is it's money making spiral into low fashion and if it can't look ok on a pretty 14 year old who has bought it from a stall on East Lane as a mass look it is a curse.

VintageVerdict: Not too good, might be some cruise wear type stuff and wide trousers. Odd decent coat. Otherwise pretty useless (the Studio 54 vibe would be better by far).

The 'new' minimalism/simplicity. No and before you ask I have no idea what the old minimalism was, when you think philosophically about it, minimalism can only be, well, minimal.  Funnily enough I have a soft spot for this kind of stuff. It is not really minimal, just stripping away the frills and furbelows so we can appreciate the fabric and shape. I'm not a fashionista so I am not interested in the 'construction', they mean the pattern cutting and sewing? Why not just say sewing? I digress. Simplicity gives you choice, a full vintage red lipped maquillage and set hair is set off well by simple classy silhouettes.

Simple shapes can work well for vintage tastes, they may seem very modern but the 30's and 50's were as much about shape and block colour as embellishment. For me a 40's or early 50's suit is more about shape than anything else. When these minimalist items hit the high street (if they do) the coats and jackets will work brilliantly with pencil skirts and a Lea Stein Brooch and reasonable mid range manufacturers should be able to make a decent fist of it.  

Vintage Verdict: Depends on the wearer, I like boxy and assymetrical styles in charcoal grey. As a top to toe look it might be severe, but then again what's wrong with severity, it's not all little darling buttons, lace and frou frou after all.

The New Lady-like, back to the Fifties or more simply put: Mad Men Rip Off. This would appear to be a no - brainer, pretty Horrockses style dresses with waists and unusual colours and fabrics. The only problem is that fashion predictably went for the least stylish and most fashion friendly of the Madmen ladies: Betty Draper, glacial, improbably thin, blonde and stupid.  So the dresses are all sleeveless, or they will be when they hit the High Street. 

I'm thinking that if we look at the staider quality High Street brands such as Planet or Alexon there may be some very good fifties style dresses and suits cropping up. I fear that what will happen, and has already happened as for once the designers were late with this trend, is that the waists will be too high and wide (can't see girls getting into support garments) and the volume entirely reliant on waist gathers rather than fabric yardage and pleating. Still can only be a good thing, I have already noticed some nice fabric patterns on the racks other than the hideous digital prints that have been plaguing us for the last year or two.

Vintage Verdict: Good for vintage lovers although we are unlikely to be spoiled for choice.

I'm going to follow this up with an Autumn/Winter 'vintage' fashion season round up, any makers or designers or companies out there who have ideas of what their vintage Autumn/Winter look will be please contact me or send me an image.

Comments are as ever welcome, 'specially as I am temporarily an invalid : (

Barbie goes Mad (Men)...

Mad Men Barbie Dolls.

Barbie are launching a collector's edition of it's dolls based on the superb US television series 'Mad Men'. There is a picture above. As ever the Male dolls don't quit cut the mustard. The Don Draper one looks more like a character from 'Twilight'. I am, however, fascinated by their effort to produce a middle-aged man doll . Personally I think it is probably well nigh impossible to capture the caddish silver fox that is Roger Sterling in all his droll dry glory. His doll looks most peculiar, like a cadaverous Steve Martin. Faces aside the suits don't work, perhaps because men's tailoring, especially of this era, requires movement. And these man dolls are unlikely to be arranged in louche lounging positions due to the limitations of Barbie limb articulation. More to the point, the required accoutrements: a cigarette or a tumbler of whisky are rendered impossible by the prudishness of the manufacturer's home nation.


The ladies are more appealing. Betty Draper, the most tedious female character on the show is virtually a Barbie anyway, albeit a frustrated and trapped suburban one. The frou frou fifties prom style dress and the Grace Kelly swirl of ice cream hair look completely appropriate. The character is a doll. The Joan Holloway doll is a little disappointing, it seems Barbie did not have the guts to represent the voluptous gorgeousness of the sharp sassy secretary. The hair and dress design are, however, charming. I'd have liked a Peggy, but expect a comparatively plain yet intelligent character might be a step too far... The dolls have a special ceramic style finish which is interesting and they do at least seem to have the right skin, not the colour of old prawns favoured by the modern Barbies. Despite the carping I do sort of covet the Joan doll, but only sort of. Actually I would rather have Pan Am Barbie, or raunchy rockabilly Barbie if I were not too old for dollies.

Pan Am Barbie.

Hard Rock Barbie.

This post was not intended to be about disappointment but I feel let down that the Mad Men style seems to have had more effect on menswear. My friend Laurence was wearing a wonderful suit last weekend which echoed that rat pack styling. The beautiful curve hugging dresses, wonderful rich colours and elegant shoes worn by the female cast do not seem to have had much of an effect, but when they do it is ruined by odd tailoring. This dress (pictured below) from Phase Eight looked promising but was far too short and the waist was, quite unlike the photograph, high. I am hoping that fashion is being slow and that Autumn/Winter '10 on the High Street will see a feast of lovely clingy tailored frocks; but I am not holding my breath.

Dogtooth Dress from Phase Eight.