Fashion In Film Friday - The Black Dahlia

The 2006 film, 'The Black Dahlia' set in the 1940's was based on speculations on the true events that led to the gruesome death of Elizabeth Short whose body was found sliced in half in Leimert Park on January 15th 1947, in Los Angeles, California.  To this day, the identity of her killer has not been found and it probably never will...  Short was given the nickname 'The Black Dahlia' by the newspapers, because it was common in that era to do so in an attempt to sensationalize the headlines.

Starring Scarlett Johansson, Josh Hartnett, Hilary Swank & featuring Rose McGowan, it was directed by Brian DePalma and based on the novel by the same name.  The vintage fashions in this film were detailed and accurate of the 40's when modesty was at the forefront of every day styles.  The 'big band' era, was coming to an end but the fashions of the age of swing were staying put.  Wedged cork shoes, swing dresses, lace & taffeta evening wear, simple fabric day dresses and padded shoulder, fitted jacket skirt suits were in.  Elaborate netted hats and fox tail stoles as well as delicate angora sweaters.  Hemlines & necklines were definitely reserved.

Leaving something to the imagination was the allure of femininity and the timid seductive attraction that embodied the styles of the 1940's.






pics: allmoviephoto.com, impawards.com, movies.about.com, google.com, moviesonline.ca, archive.hippopress.com

Meat Dress Mayhem

Last week, California taxidermist Sergio Vigilato was given a rare request to preserve Lady Gaga's controversial dress made of meat that she wore to the MTV Video Music Awards last September.  The 35 lb. garment made from a dozen thin cut flank steaks had been kept frozen for close to a year before making it's way to Vigilato's shop.  It was stated that as it began to defrost it was discovered that it had initially begun to decompose but since the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame had paid him $6,000.00 up front to complete the job,  he went ahead with the process.  The dress was originally created by Los Angeles artist & designer Franc Fernandez & stylist Nicola Formichetti.

The message behind the meat was said to be symbolic of equal rights for everyone primarily regarding the double standard for men vs. women and how we can observe each other as 'pieces of meat'.  I think Gaga's artistic expression was hypocritical in the sense that she puts herself out their as a humanitarian so much so, that you'd think she would consider it a travesty to wear the animals flesh on her body.  I guess this wasn't the first time that Gaga chose meat as her fashion medium since prior to the MTV Awards, she was seen on the cover of Vogue Hommes Japan wearing a meat bikini.

Of course I was curious to find out what P.E.T.A. had to say about Gaga's meat haute' couture and this was the commentary...


"No matter how it's presented, flesh from a tortured animal, is flesh from a tortured animal and there's no way around the fact that it represents pain & suffering"


pics: unicornbooty.com, 99now.radio.com 

Spotlight Saturday - Eternal Sparkles!

When I'm not busy with my day job, or busy here working at Etsy to bring you awesome vintage fashion finds, I'm always always busy keeping abreast in regards to what's going on in our big vast wonderful world of style.  A couple of days ago, I landed on this website, www.eternalsparkles.com and was absolutely amazed at just how cool this online shop is that specializes in celebrity jewelry knock offs at ridiculously low prices.  Besides the fact that these dupes are affordable, they are quality made which is a complete bonus!  Now we can all rock out some celebrity style bling without busting our bank accounts! From modern current day jewelry designs to what's now considered vintage: rings, earrings, bracelets, necklace & everything in between, they pretty much have it all!  *Pictured below are a pair of delicate pearl earrings inspired by the ones worn by Hollywood starlett Audrey Hepburn.

There are so many different styles to choose from, for instance here is a radiant 14 carat CZ stone set atop a classic sterling silver band worn by Kate Hudson to the Los Angeles premiere of 'Something Borrowed'.  Or how about the stunning square shaped ring worn by Khloe Kardashian to her sister Kim's 30th b-day that's encrusted with hundreds of clear grade AAA CZ stones sitting atop a rhodium plated band.

This week at Retro Threadz, we've added a rare vintage jewelry find as we're bringing to you this gorgeous heirloom amethyst & hematite ring, circa 1930's set in sterling silver...Stop by the shop and check it out! 

   
  
pics: eternalsparkles.com, www.etsy.com/shop/retrothreadz?ref=seller_info

Vintage Maven Shareen Mitchell's Run On New Reality Show

The queen of second hand clothing and owner of 'Shareen Vintage' located in both New York and Los Angeles, is soon going to be featured on the Discovery Channel's spin off Planet Green's new reality show 'Dresscue Me'.  The show is set to run for eight weeks beginning on April 19th at 10:30 p.m.

Each week,  'Dresscue Me' will follow the self taught vintage fashion maven on her quest to change women's lives forever by connecting them to style.  The show will also get up close and personal into the behind the scenes of the vintage fashion business.  Before there was ever a 'Shareen Vintage', Shareen Mitchell was a self proclaimed jack of all trades and did whatever she had to in order to make ends meet.  This included everything from cleaning houses to babysitting round the clock for neighbors.  She even tried her hand at being a thespian for awhile, and has a lengthy resume on IMDB as a bit part actress on quite a few t.v. series.  In 2003 she decided to go into vintage retail and began her search for rare clothing finds as her passion for fashion grew.  She opened her shop Shareen's Vintage in a warehouse in downtown L.A. and set it up like a home with furniture which rendered a comfy vibe to the aesthetics.  A lack of dressing rooms is the reason she put a 'No Boys Allowed' sign in the front shop window...

   

In Shareen's vintage warehouse there are no two pieces alike and the really good stuff is said to get ripped from the racks rather quickly.  Everyone wants first dibs on her one of a kind gems! She hand picks each new 'old' piece and brings it back to life by cleaning, steaming, mending and sometimes altering to bring each find up to par with current trends. I was really surprised after visiting her website online at www.shareenvintage.com  to see that even given her cult status as vintage fashionista extraordinaire, her goods that range from the 1920's to the 1990's are extremely affordable!


Being proprietors of vintage couture, all of us here at Retro Threadz are looking forward to the first episode of 'Dresscue Me'!  Make sure you check it out!       


: planetgreen.discovery.com , stylecheckupla.com , thedelicatedish.wordpress.com 
   

Elizabeth Taylor...Timeless Beauty

The beautiful Elizabeth Taylor just recently turned 79 this past February and has been in the news over the past several weeks for being hospitalized for congestive heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. She remains stable and there are no new developments in her condition.

Award winning two time Oscar recipient Taylor defined herself as one of the most influential style icons of the 20th century with her stunning face, violet-blue eyes and the trademark beauty mark on her chin.  She was never afraid of playing up her bold eyebrows and that became a trend among women everywhere.


She has influenced film fashion for over five decades and became famous not only for her acting talents but for her style choices in clothes and jewelry.  Since she was a teen she has been intriguing us with her sass and sex appeal.


Elizabeth Taylor will always remain a timeless beauty...     

pic: cowkitty.net