Spotlight: Claire McCardell

Source: metmuseum.org via Vint on Pinterest

cotton dress, 1942

The other day I was prowling around The Met's Costume Institute online collections and building a ridiculous dream wardrobe pinterest board I discovered over and over that I was drawn to designer Claire McCardell's work.  While obviously fancy beaded evening gowns have their place, I'm much more interested in everyday fashions and cocktail attire which is what the shop focuses on.  Claire McCardell's brilliantly structured pieces certainly fit with my personal aesthetic so I set out to learn more about her work.

Claire McCardell mainly worked under the Townley Frocks label, a ready-to-wear brand that began in 1931.  After the Townley Frocks label closed in the late 1930s, McCardell briefly worked for Hattie Carnegie, but McCardell's designs did not find success with Carnegie's clients who were expecting something a bit more upscale.  Eventually, McCardell went back under the Townley Frocks name.  The line was picked up by Lord & Taylor as part of their American Look campaign and become one of their most successful lines.

Source: metmuseum.org via Vint on Pinterest

cotton playsuit, 1944

The American Look was distinctly different from most designer fashions of the time which either came directly out of France or from American designers who were influenced by French fashion.  These fashions even can seem distinctly modern by today's standards.  She also incorporated simple fabrics such as wool, ticking, and mens shirting into her designs because she wanted to create items that suited the American approach to life, active and casual.  These casual elements and fabrics were not just limited to everyday wear, but also incorporated into evening clothes and bathing suits as well.

One of McCardell's signature designs was what is refered to as the "popover."  The first outfit here is an example of a popover.  The popover is designed for busy housewives and could be thrown on quickly and offer instant style.  They came with a coordinating oven mitt.  These dresses would have sold for just $6.95 and were widely popular.

Source: metmuseum.org via Vint on Pinterest

cotton dress, 1953-1957

McCardell passed away in 1958 at the age of 53 from colon cancer.  Her influence, though, continues with designers such as Isaac Mizrahi and Anna Sui giving a nod to her in many of their collections.

Resources:

"Celebrating Claire McCardell," New York Times, 1998.

"Fashion Design History Collection: Claire McCardell," The New School.

"Label Resource Guide: Claire McCardell," Vintage Fashion Guild.

The Red Shoes

Source: guardian.co.uk via Vint on Pinterest

Last night I watched The Red Shoes (1948) as part of a poem I'm working on collecting imagery for. As I've mentioned before, I'm working on a series of poems about missing women in America, and Lola Celli, missing since 1946, is one of the women whose story I need to tell.  There was a lot of mystery surrounding Lola's disappearance, but she was last seen wearing an aqua dress and red Cuban heels. Later, someone reported seeing a single red shoe in the middle of a nearby road.  In the poem, I had originally planned on mixing imagery from The Wizard of Oz with Lola's story, but then I decided to connect it to other ominous connections with red shoes so that the poem can work more broadly.

I feel as though the only reason I know about The Red Shoes is because of commercials with Martin Scorsese in which he discusses the importance of saving our film history.  It is unusual for me to have missed it until now given the fact that the film is considered one of Britain's greatest and it was a commercial success in America.  In brief, The Red Shoes is a story within a story featuring a hopeful ballet dancer, Victoria, who is picked to perform the ballet The Red Shoes (based on a Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale) while under the thumb of the controlling head of the ballet company, Lermontov.  She falls in love with Julian, an aspiring musician who himself is quickly working his way up the ranks within the company eventually writing the score for the ballet The Red Shoes. This connection between Victoria and Julian spoils Lermontov's professional and personal plans for Victoria.

Source: guardian.co.uk via Vint on Pinterest

Martin Scorsese has a particular love for The Red Shoes calling it one of the greatest visual pieces shot in color film.  It certainly does not disappoint on that record and the continued and pressing image of red ballet shoes connects the story of Victoria with that of her unnamed character in the ballet production. While the viewer is hopeful for a romance between Victoria and Julian to function despite Lermontov's opposition, the image of the red shoes is a message to the viewer that love can not prevail and that Victoria the dancer and Victoria's character in the ballet will both, quite pointedly, be danced to death.

While the imagery of the red shoes is what drew me to the film, and ultimately is what will be distilled into poetic form, it's also interesting to see The Red Shoes on a broader social and cinematographic level.  Socially, the message imbedded within The Red Shoes is that women cannot have it all.  While Victoria would love to have the presence of love and dance within her life, it is clear from the start that Lermontov, who has the power to influence the entirety of her career, does not think this is possible. This messaging is something that we continue to hear in regards to women who want to have family and career in their lives.  This is something, we are told, that is just not possible.  To be fair, Julian also experiences this pull and messaging, but he does not have to pay the price with his life in the same way that Victoria does.

Source: joelcrary.com via Vint on Pinterest

As a film about ballet, The Red Shoes fits into a larger genre and it's interesting to see how films borrow from one another, or are just plainly derivative in general. While Black Swan was hailed for its presentation and beauty, it clearly borrows heavily from its predecessor in terms of visual effect and atmosphere. I'm not sure if this makes Black Swan a more interesting film, or degrades its presence in the genre. If I had to choose between the two, I would most certainly pick The Red Shoes for its impressive score and more subtle movements.

And, before I go, I'll leave you with a Kate Bush video since this song and its containing album are inspired by the film.

Thelma

Today would have been my grandmother's 93rd birthday.  When I was growing up, I loved that our birthdays were so close together because it seemed like the cosmos were confirming how close we were in life.  For a lot of reasons, I spent a huge portion of my childhood tromping over to her house.  She lived next door and I spent long summer hours sitting on the cool cement of her steps.  We looked after each other as strange as that may seem given that I was just a kid.

My grandmother was a tough lady, not in terms of her personality, but in her ability to survive and make do with what came her way. She was born in 1918, the only daughter of Albina and William. Her father was a carpenter and her mother cleaned houses. They lived in a small house in town filled with visiting family.  She never finished high school.  The first time she married, I would like to believe it was out of love, but maybe I'm just saying that because I want that for her, I want to believe that she felt that bright and shining moment of early love. That marriage didn't work out and neither did the next one or the next one. By the time she finished with her third marriage, she was done with men and I can't say that I really blame her. Though obviously she was a common denominator in all of these relationships, I believe it was less her fault and more her inability to partner with men who were in a good place in their own lives.

As I said in my earlier wedding post, my grandmother worked and saved to secure her own property not long after her first husband (my grandfather) left.  She worked hard, weathered a lot of storms by her own self-sufficiency and despite some missteps along the way, raised two of the greatest guys I know. 

My grandmother didn't have a lot of advantages in terms of education or finances, but what she did have she managed to share with others.  Many people who hadn't spoken to her in years came to us after she passed away to let us know that they survived and managed based on what she was able to give to them. I think she would have brushed off any compliments, she wasn't one to take them, but I'm proud that we shared this life together.

Thelma wasn't one to embrace fashion in any way. She made her own clothes which were constructed for practical purposes, she cut her own hair, and tended to dodge the eye of the camera. But here, is my lovely grandma in the few moments she was caught by the camera:

This is my grandmother and grandfather in 1937

My grandmother and my father in 1943

My grandmother wearing my grandfather's suit

How to Land a Man in Just 16 Easy Steps "The Girls of Pleasure Island" Way

*as a warning, you probably shouldn't read this if you actually want to watch the movie. I will also say I don't want to make light of war or the pain of waiting for a loved one to return, but rather add commentary about romantic conventions.

 

1. Live on a tropical island in the middle of nowhere, but in a strategically placed location so that it will make sense that a herd of Marines wants to use your pretty little island as a landing strip. Even though this island is already packed with men, they're only there to serve your family and as we know British ladies like yourself don't talk to servants. Use this to your advantage. Any of your awkward moments can easily be excused away by your sheltered upbringing. 

2. Live in a nice house. Just because you can and because men will naturally flock to the only place on the island the looks like it has all the comforts of home. This will drastically reduce the amount of effort it takes to sort through all those men once said 1,500 soldiers conveniently fall into your lap.

3. Make the most of your windfall by being the right sister. Obviously the saucy and freakishly worldly older sister won't work. We all know that girls who like a good time never land the man. It also doesn't pay to be the youngest one (sorry for the bad screenshot, darling!). She's stuck wearing pigtails and awkwardly puffy dresses. And as we know, the youngest sister is always the most man crazy and obnoxious. She's only bound for superficial puppy love heartbreak.

But the middle sister? Yes. You're literally the glue that holds the family together. You're responsible, mature, capable, and the most virtuous. Let a man see you put on stockings? I don't think so. Let a man get fresh with you? Hell no! After all, you know he'll respect you more later which is the golden path to landing a man and a ring.

4. Select the man. Sure you could meet a few guys, have a few laughs over tea and crumpets, maybe even do some island fun like walking the beaches or swimming, but it's best just to pick the first one who has any sort of authority and talks to you. Bonus points if he likes to be shirtless. In 60 years when the ideal body type for men is completely changed, you may question this attraction, but don't think too hard about it now.

5. Let the shirtless man kiss you a bit on the beach. Remember hands must remain firmly placed above the waist at all times. Limit the kiss to less than 10 seconds. 

6. Act horrified over said kiss. Tell him that it's your first, this will remind him that you're virtuous and pure and his manly lips are the only ones that have been on yours. Be sure also to question him about how free he is with his kisses. This line of questioning serves the following purposes: 1. reminds him of your virtue (again) 2. lets you know how many ladies he's been canoodling with before you 3. will wring a confession from him along the lines of how you are the best kiss he's ever had. Now don't you feel better? 

7a. Bathe in the bubble bath that he gave you. It's important not to question why he's on a tropical island in the middle of a war carrying a bottle of bubbles in his knapsack, just luxuriate in sudsy heaven before the party that you're throwing him and all the other officers. All of this will ensure man feels special and makes him feel like he bestowed his bubbles upon the right lady.

7b. Make sure you luxuriate long enough that the perfume soaks into your pores and hope the fumes will disorientate your shirt-deficient hero long enough that he won't notice your wonky eye.

8. Expect that your party will be broken up by the sudden departure of the Marine unit. You know that the plot has to thicken somehow, but be sure that you have a look of surprise on your face when he rushes to your house to let you know. It's okay, but only as long as you've been following the plan. We know you haven't done much beyond that sneaky beach kiss, but if you threw in some longing looks and thoughtful nods you should be good. Make sure you get a promise that he'll come back to you. After all, you're not the one going anywhere, right?

9. Stand solemly on the dock as the men leave. Don't cry, but look sad. Your man will know that you're one tough lady but that you have a soft side as well.

10. Commence moping. Look through everything he ever gave you. Wait, what is that you say? You only have a drawing pad? Make sure you return to it again and again.  Also insist to everyone you see that he's the type of man who will remember you exist once the war is over and return to your waiting arms. Glare at anyone who points out that you only knew him for five seconds.

11. Make sure you vary the scenery while moping. Mope by the dock.

13. Mope by a rusted out jeep in the middle of the jungle.

 

14. Mope by the ocean late into the evening.

15. Be prepared for your family to suddenly decide to leave the island after living there for twenty years or so while you're in the middle of moping. Protest! You need to wait for your man! How will he ever find you!

 

16. Spend your last day moping on the beach waiting for his return in mildly inappropriate clothing for sandy sitting.  This is the moment of truth, after all.  Will he arrive in time? Walk the beach alone, head cast down, locked in your own thoughts. This causes you to miss the arrival of an airplane and your manly man calling your name as he runs down the beach toward you. Finally hear him and run toward him. Wrap your arms around him.

He has returned! You are victorious!

Cue palm trees and end credits.

Schoolgirl Style

 This weekend I took in Sucker Punch at our local theater.  I had hoped for a film that was visually interesting and yet capable of exploring the divide between fantasy world and reality all the while keeping up with a strong female character. I guess I had hoped for too much.  I heartily recommend avoiding this film and if you want to read full reviews of it go here and here, but I warn you they contain plot spoilers.

The wardrobe choices of this film left it near impossible to consider this a movie of female empowerment, although I'm sure some critics would disagree.  Babydoll, the main character, is committed to an insane asylum shortly after her mother's death. What follows is her escape to a dreamscape of a dance brothel and then from there an additional layer of escapism as her mind flees to various surreal battlefields.

In each of these dreamscapes that she constructs, Babydoll wears schoolgirl outfits. While school uniforms and schoolgirls themselves used to be pretty innocuous, our contemporary culture has sexualized this image.  Google schoolgirl and you will most assuredly find scantily clad women and older teen youths.  Perhaps it is first a failure of the film to properly develop the character enough that her wardrobe choices seem like a natural extension of her being, but whatever the cause, the viewer is left with yet another empty sexed up ingenue. It is not the actual image of the schoolgirl herself, but the lack of appropriate context that seems irksome to me, as though the outfit is less about presentation of self and more about subjecting her to the male moviegoer's gaze.

After viewing this, I decided to do a retrospective on the schoolgirl look over the past 90 years, how we progressed from classic conservative staple to over-saturated images of dance pop videos featuring the likes of Britney Spears.

1920s
Hemlines swiftly make their way upward from Edwardian ideals and we officially welcome in the first recognizable schoolgirl look. We often forget how dramatic a cultural shift we took from Edwardian ladies to the next decade's styles. Short pleated skirts paired with loose, often sailor inspired blouses, were the hallmarks of this style.


1930s
Shorter skirts become ingrained in school uniforms, further entrenching the schoolgirl style. The photo used above features young women in Australia indicating that the style was not a local or regional style.

1940s
We're all in love with seperates, so much so that they pinafore was a strong schoolgirl style contender. Skirts have a bit of pleating and plaid and schoolgirl start their connection here. 

1950s
This is the era that brings us one of the strongest images of schoolgirl style that we have today: the Catholic schoolgirl.  Outfits and uniforms worn to Catholic schools are by necessity conservative and easily replicated.

1960s
Schoolgirl style takes a big turn in the 1960s. Mary Quant takes credit for creating the miniskirt and it seems as though women and teens rejoice. Hemlines are drastically brought up especially when held to their 1950s predecessors.  Tartan also takes off in the 1960s and we'll always make the connection between the style and the pattern.

 

1970s

As the subversive culture shifts more strongly from hippie to punk, the schoolgirl look picks up steam as a sexualized image. Debbie Harry of Blondie is a strong example of this look.  The skirt lengths are shorter, and here paired with thigh highs and a hint of skin showing, the message is clear.

1980s

The sexual overtones of the 1970s are tempered in the 1980s by the overblown and oversized form. Here, from the movie Heathers, we see an example of the requisite plaid skirts paired with weighty blazers.  While the blazers shift in and out of current interest depending on where we are on the love/hate pendulum when we consider the 1980s, the skirts are really still top form and classic.

1990s

The schoolgirl look becomes inescapable and the hyper-sexualization of the schoolgirl look is back in full form by the 1990s.  The movie Clueless captured how omnipresent this style was with shortened hemlines and tighter fits.  Britney Spears knocked it up a few notches with her controversial (at the time) take on the full schoolgirl uniform.  With her midriff exposed and her pleated skirt sporting a dangerous hemline, critics couldn't decide if they should be critiquing the culturally complicated lyrics of her hit song or her decision to embrace a look that was heavily circulated in pornography.

Art Explorer: Kees van Dongen

 Woman on a Sofa by Kees Van Dongen from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

I confess that I stopped doing my art explorer posts (see here and here) because I haven't actually been to an art museum or purchased a major piece of art in quite awhile.  On my last excursion to Montreal, the art museum was closed for some reason or another and I haven't taken another trip up since.

I'm starting to get edgy, what with all the snow and all, so I've been making a list of places I want to go and things I want to do. In looking around the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts website, I came across Kees van Dongen's work.  I can't recall coming across his work in my museum adventures before by there's a gorgeous lush quality to his work but with an edge of darkness I can't resist.

Today's Art Explorer uses van Dongen's Fille-mere as inspiration. I don't always intend to copy an outfit from the subject in the piece of art, but I couldn't resist in this case.

Outfit consists of:

Shirt: 1980s white blouse found at Simple Vintage

Brooch: vintage rhinestone pin found at Moon Dog Cottage

Skirt: 1980s black peplum skirt found at my shop, Vint Condition

Purse: 1930s/1940s floral quilted purse found at Magicmuti

Shoes: burgundy Kona Blend heels from Indigo by Clarks found at Zappos

A Northern Spring

Today's post includes a few more pictures than usual, because I wanted to show you all what a North Country spring looks like. Because that's what I hear, that spring is right around the corner. Right...around....the....ummm no.  It snowed 22" on Sunday into Monday. That's on top of the snow we already had.  Meanwhile I'm keeping an eye on our river. It doesn't usually flood and we sit up rather high, but in a few weeks this snow will melt and the ice on the river will start breaking up. We live near the old dam and the half destroyed wall slows the water and forces it through a few small openings. While it hasn't jammed before, it's best to be cautious about it.

This is my front walkway, and the front of my house.  Neither the husband or I have enough energy to make this path any wider.  If you look at my January outfit posts, this is also the walkway that I was standing on then. That's back when the snow was so low you could still see the tops of the plants I didn't pull up in the fall.

Today I tried a mix of layering and color combining that weren't immediately obvious choices for one another.  I paired a casual long sleeve tee with a fancier tank top and even fancier jacket.  Collabritively they work to create an outfit that can easily blend.  I taught in this and ran to the grocery store, but I could easily take this to a meeting or on a date.  Also tonally the pale seafoam green shirt and green skirt work together, neither too bright for the other, and weighted with the through line of browns.

Outfit consists of:

Jacket: 1950s white swing coat

Necklace: 1940s book locket necklace found at Jean Jean Vintage (cute book lockets from Jean Jean here and here)

Shirt: stone colored long-sleeved tee by Mossimo Supply found at Target

Tank: seafoam green ruffle tank found at Banana Republic Outlet

Belt: brown skinny belt found at TJ Maxx

Skirt: 1980s green skirt found at Cheap Jack's (similar here at Greatest Friend and here at Great Grandma Agnes)

Tights: brown windowpane striped tights found in Florence, Italy

Boots: brown boots by BP found at Last Chance

Birthday Wishes

My family always claims that I'm hard to shop for. And I suppose I am. I don't tend to like all of everything just one particular piece. It drives everyone crazy in a, "But you have mid-century chairs so I bought you a mid-century stand and you hate it?" kind of way. You could call me picky, but I prefer to say my look for fashion and home is eclectic. I'm not particualry tied to any era and love to mix and match which is why you will frequently see 1940s mingling with 1970s or Victorian with contemporary in my outfit posts.

So here it is, the current guide to buying me a birthday gift:

1920s



1920s embroidered blouse at Adore Vintage
1920s dress at Adore Vintage
1920s cotton wrapper at Souvenir Souvenir

Vintage Jewelry


1940s locket (love it worn as a bracelet) from Jean Jean Vintage
Vintage lacework earrings (screw back since I don't have my ears pierced) from pinguim
1920s drop earrings from Noveau Motley
Vintage trench art ring from SS Alice and Gypsy Wagon


Modern Jewelry

Girl with antlers necklace by Markhed Design
Bird cuff bracelet by Unique Art Pendants
Lock and key necklace by Ginger Hollow
Teacup and ribbon bracelet by Stay Gold Mary

The Color Wheel

I'm not one for neutrals in general, but I find my closet has been overwhelmed by shades of gray, black, and brown. Spring is almost here and it's time for a bit more color in our lives.  Behold, the Vint Condition color wheel:

Yellow: 1960s yellow silk cocktail dress, extra small

Yellow-Green: 1950s Fashionbilt green plaid coat, large

Green: 1980s Easton Park cotton blend dress, large

Blue-Green: 1950s blue-green brocade dress, medium/large

Blue: 1980s Nipon Boutique designer dress, medium

Blue-Violet: 1980s Flora Kung designer dress, large

Violet: 1970s violet and gold brocade dress, medium

Red-Violet: 1950s feathered hat

Red: 1940s red and green woven skirt, medium

Red-Orange: 1940s R&K Original reptile print dress, small

Orange: 1960s orange and gold brocade skirt { sold }

Yellow-Orange: 1960s floral print carpet purse {coming soon}

15% off any of these items in the color wheel until Saturday at midnight. To get the refund, mention this blog post in your message to the seller.  Refunds will be given through Paypal.

Sad Face

The title of this post refers to my inner sadness while my outfit pictures are actually cold face, since we're rocking out a whole 5 degrees today.  What gives me sad face is this:

A giant winter storm standing between me and the AWP Creative Writing conference in DC. I'm supposed to leave Wednesday evening and it kind of looks like that might not happen.

Meanwhile, back here in the cold, I dashed outside for a quick photo today.  Notice the slightly blue hands and face. Also, I think I'm holding my breath in these shots. I'm not sure how all those other bloggers can stand to frolic in the snow and cold. 

Also, this is my hair in its native state.  When I straighten it, this is what it fights to get back to, a wavy, puffy, frizzy disaster.  At times like this, I just need to remind myself that this is a trait that I get from my father. Whenever I have a new hairstylist, there is always exclamations over how thick my hair is and my response is that it's my father's fault.  That and the curly eyebrows.

Outfit consists of:

Sweater: gray cardigan found at Gap Outlet

Shirt: white cotton tank found at Goodwill

Necklace: 1940s book necklace found at Jean Jean Vintage { more great lockets here and here }

Belt: clear and black belt found at Last Chance

Skirt: vintage skirt by Massimo found at Call Me Chula { more vintage yellow plaid skirts here at The Bea Project and here at Cappywanna Vintage }

Tights: gray sweater tights found at JC Penny

Boots: black Nine West boots found at TJ Maxx

New to the shop