Posts Tagged ‘the way we wore’

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L.A. Frocks Stars: A New TV Series Featuring Vintage Clothing Guru Doris Raymond

Wednesday, November 28th, 2012

From The PR Desk:

Smithsonian Channel has greenlit the original series L.A. FROCK STARS, a window into the world of high-end vintage fashion. The six-episode unscripted series, a first for Smithsonian Channel, which is set to premiere Thursday, March 7 at 8.pm., focuses on the doyenne of Hollywood vintage, Doris Raymond, and her Los Angeles store The Way We Wore®.

Raymond is prized for her tenacity in finding hidden gems and for her encyclopedic knowledge of designer fashion. The Way We Wore® is a destination for Hollywood’s modern-day glitterati as well as high-profile stylists such as George Kotsiopoulis and celebrity stylist Jennifer Rade. Raymond has also supplied wardrobe for numerous film and television productions including Titanic, Boardwalk Empire, Casino and W.E.

L.A. FROCK STARS will offer an inside look at the quest for the perfect dress. Raymond and her colorful staff assist an endless stream of clients, all with unique needs, from Mel Ottenberg, Rihanna’s stylist on the hunt for a Grammy’s outfit to Lou Eyrich, the costume designer of Glee in search of fashions for an episode featuring songs from Phantom of the Opera.

Raymond has been buying and selling vintage clothing for over thirty years. Her boutique sells women’s fashions from the 1900’s to the ‘80’s, ranging from high profile designers to the world’s most iconic fashion figures such as Halston, Dior and more.

“Doris Raymond is an American original. Her eye for vintage fashion is respected by some of the biggest names in fashion and show business,” said David Royle, Executive Vice President, Programming and Production, Smithsonian Channel. “She not only knows how to help a star make a splash on the red carpet, she also has a gift for identifying some of the world’s most exciting and intriguing historical artifacts. The Smithsonian Institution has long maintained a collection of historical fashions, most notably the First Lady dresses. We are delighted to bring L.A. FROCK STARS to our viewers.”

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Iconic Designer: Ceil Chapman

Monday, October 8th, 2012

American fashion designer Ceil Chapman, who worked primarily during the 1940s to 1960s in New york, created glamorous cocktail and party dresses for celebrities and society belles alike.

Reportedly Marilyn Monroe’s favorite designer, Chapman provided the trousseau for Elizabeth Taylor’s 1950 wedding to Nicky Hilton and designed for Deborah Kerr, Grace Kelly and Aretha Franklin.  Today, her designs are still sought after by many people including women like Dita Von Teese, who appreciate the body-conscious silhouette of her designs.

Born in Staten Island, Chapman worked primarily with silk, taffeta, jersey, chiffon and metallic brocades, often embellished with lace, beads or sequins. She died in 1979.

Pictured is a 1950s sequined ice blue satin cocktail dress with a shimmering beaded bodice and accented waistband.

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Iconic Designer: Donald Brooks

Monday, September 10th, 2012

Once called one of “the three B’s of fashion,” alongside Bill Blass and Geoffrey Beene, Donald Brooks was an Academy Award-nominated and Emmy winning fashion and costume designer who created more than 3,500 costumes for the stage and film. Born in Connecticut, Brooks studied at Syracuse, Yale, FIT and Parsons School of Design. He started as a window designer for Lord & Taylor, but quickly attracted the attention of the store’s president who hired him to design a line.

The recipient of three Coty Awards for fashion, Brooks opened his first store in 1963, and was Oscar-nominated for the films Star!, Darling Lili and The Cardinal. While he never became as famous as some of his counterparts from the 1960s, Brooks remained a favorite of the New York set and beyond. “His clothes to wear in real life were elegant,” Liza Minnelli once said. “They made everybody look tall.”

Pictured is a 1960s graphic bamboo print silk shift dress with jacket. For more information please visit 1stdibs.

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Iconic Designer: Kenneth Jay Lane

Tuesday, July 10th, 2012

American costume jewelry designer Kenneth Jay Lane began his career as a shoe designer for Delman and Christian Dior before designing fun and flashy baubles. The Detroit native studied at University of Michigan and the Rhode Island School of Design and went on to design for Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor, Diana Vreeland, and Audrey Hepburn.

His motto: “Elegance, good taste and luxury never go out of style” has held true. While he gained popularity in the early 1960s, KJL continues to be relevant in the fashion world, and is still sold at stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Net-a-Porter, and Bloomingdale’s, among others.

Pictured at right are Kenneth Jay Lane oversize coral button earrings from the 1980s available from The Way We Wore.

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Iconic Designer: Nolan Miller

Saturday, June 9th, 2012

Designer Nolan Miller (pictured with Joan Collins), known for costuming Dynasty, The Love Boat and Charlie’s Angels, died on June 6, 2012, at the age of 79. Synonymous with 1980s shoulder pads and Hollywood glamour, Miller continued designing until the late 1990s and sold a costume jewelry collection on QVC until last year. Born in Texas, the young designer fell in love with movies and wanted to design costumes for its stars. He studied at the Chouinard Art Institute (now CalArts) and met Aaron Spelling — who would give Miller his big break and numerous jobs — at a local flower shop.

A sequined flame gown designed by Nolan Miller for Gladys Knight is available at 1stdibs.

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Iconic Designer: Elsa Schiaparelli

Monday, May 14th, 2012

One half of the Met’s Spring 2012 Costume Institute exhibition (with Miuccia Prada), Elsa Schiaparelli is enjoying a major moment in the fashion spotlight. The Italian designer, who was a rival and contemporary of Coco Chanel, was inspired by the Surrealists such as Salvador Dali and Alberto Giacometti and Dada. Schiaparelli (known as “Schiap” to her friends) had clients such as Mae West, Wallis Simpson and heiress Daisy Fellowes. She is credited with inventing culottes, fanciful buttons and fanciful prints of food and body parts and introducing wrapped turbans, wedge shoes and pompom-rimmed hats. The 1937 Lobster Dress, featuring a lobster painting by Dali, is one of her most famed designs.

Born into a life of privilege, she quickly escaped luxury so that she could focus on art and design in New York and then Paris. She launched a collection of knitwear in 1927, appeared in the pages of Vogue and expanded to swimwear, ski wear and linen dresses. The post-war era proved difficult for Schiaparelli and she officially closed her doors in 1954. After writing an autobiography, she lived between Paris and Tunisia until her death in 1973. She was grandmother to actress Marisa Berenson and the late Berry Berenson.

Elsa Schiaparelli (pictured above in her own design), autumn 1931. Photograph by Man Ray. c. 2012 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris.

Wallis Simpson (pictured at right) in Elsa Schiaparelli, British Vogue, July 10, 1935. Photograph by Cecil Beaton / Vogue c. The Conde Nast Publications Ltd.

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Iconic Designer: Thierry Mugler

Monday, April 9th, 2012

Now that we are well into the 2010s, it’s more than safe to say that the 1980s are vintage, and key designers like Thierry Mugler are collectible. The French native began designing clothes for a Parisian boutique in his mid-twenties and went on to work for ready-to-wear houses throughout Europe. In the 1970s he struck out on his own and during the 1980s and 1990s he became internationally successful for his precise and structured styles.

He famously designed the black dress worn by Demi Moore in Indecent Proposal and went on to create wildly successful fragrances, books and short films. Mugler has collaborated on costumes for artists such as Beyonce and Dita Von Teese. In 2010, Nicola Formichetti was announced as the new creative director of Thierry Mugler.

Pictured is a sky blue gown made from semi-sheer chiffon with asymmetrical pleats from the bust in a Grecian style. Visit 1stdibs for more information.

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FIDM’s 20th Annual Costume Design Exhibition

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012

Over 100 outstanding designs from 2011 films made up the 20th Annual “Art of Motion Picture Costume Design” exhibition are currently on display through April 28, 2012, at FIDM’s Museum & Galleries. View costumes from all five Oscar® nominated nominees for Best Costume Design – Anonymous, The Artist, Hugo, Jane Eyre, and W.E. — and many others. The exhibition is free to the public and is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 10am to 5pm.

Pictured is Academy Award® nominated costume designer for W.E. Arianne Phillps with Doris Raymond at the opening night gala. (Alex J. Berliner/abimages)

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Iconic Designer: Bob Mackie

Wednesday, February 15th, 2012

Synonymous with glitz and glamour, designer Bob Mackie has created memorable costumes and gowns for everyone from the Supremes and Cher to Judy Garland and Barbie. A southern California native, Mackie was heavily influenced by the silver screen and began to assist some of Hollywood’s top costume designers like the legendary Edith Head. By the mid-1960s, he was doing Mod looks for television stars.

He collected 31 Emmy Award nominations and nine Emmy Awards and is the only costume designer in the Television Academy hall of Fame. His ready-to-wear line launched in 1982, and he has since gone on to sell home furnishings, lighting, luggage and more. His work on the Sonny & Cher show and The Carol Burnett Show is now iconic — who doesn’t remember the Curtain Dress worn by Burnett in the Gone With the Wind parody?

Known for his use of color, sequins and beading, Mackie has said, “A woman who wears my clothes is not afraid to be noticed.”

Pictured is a flamenco-inspired evening gown made from layers of hot pink and vivid orange silk chiffon. Read more about the gown at 1stdibs.

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Iconic Designer: George Stravropoulos

Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

Born in Greece in 1920, where he worked as a couturier in Athens from 1949 to 1961, George Stravropoulos maintained a low key presence in the fashion world. His gowns were anything but, and from 1961 to 1990, he worked in New York doing couture and ready-to-wear. Widely considered a master of chiffon, he was best known for dresses and gowns that seemed to float in air and were influenced by the grace of classic Greek sculpture, according to the New York Times. He had fans in Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor, Maria Callas, Barbra Streisand and Lady Bird Johnson.

Pictured above is a layered violet blue silk chiffon gown. The 2-ply layer of chiffon cascades from the front neckline around to the back, giving the gown a diaphanous feel. All seams clean finished or couture finished. Visit 1stdibs for more information and to view other gowns from Stravropoulos.

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