Parisian Influence on Style

Parisian women have long been synonymous with style and fashion, yet are also notoriously wonderful for not actually working hard at it. It's been said that the perfect Parisian woman is an illusion. She knows that to look fabulous and chic is a combination of self confidence, sex appeal, and a je ne sais quoi attitude. The dictionary defines je ne sais quoi as "an indefinable, elusive quality, especially a pleasing one: She has a certain je ne sais quoi that charms everybody."

Three iconic Parisian women who embody these attributes are Coco Chanel, Brigitte Bardot and Ines de la Fressange.

For nearly a hundred years, Coco Chanel has been associated with every piece of clothing we consider stylish, and with many other things we've never given a thought to. Take a look in your closet. If you have a collection of jackets to toss on over a pair of jeans, that's Chanel. Any little black dress (LBD) is a direct descendent of Chanel's 1926 original. Anything jersey? Clustered strands of pearls? Chanel again.

Coco Chanel was simple elegance. She ran screaming from fashion fads. Her interesting life formed who she was: strong-headed, elegant, opinionated, passionate, and entirely French. She began her life raised in a Catholic orphanage monastery where she learned the art of being a seamstress; at 18 she became a cabaret singer. She was a mad chain smoker who never married, but was mistress to several men throughout her lifetime. Hat designer, perfumer, entrepreneur and pioneer also defined her. 





In more modern times, Brigitte Bardot was the epitome of the French bombshell.  Bardot straddled the line between the girly waifs of the '60s and the sex kittens of the '70s with little more than a crescent-moon smile and a flick of black liquid eyeliner. 

Bardot had a way of tossing herself together and making it work. Piling her hair on top of her head or holding it in place with a wide headband; a swipe of lip gloss and eyeliner, and she was off. She had a distinct way of making a cardigan, cropped jeans and ballet flats look sexy and chic. The Bardot neckline - a wide open neck that exposes both shoulders - was named after her.

To many, Ines de la Fressange is what "Parisian" looks like. A model, fashion and accessories designer, fashion consultant, businesswoman and author, de la Fressange is almost six feet tall, 125 pounds and hipless. She is said to drink wine, lots of strong espresso, and never diet. One of her signature looks - a navy crew-neck sweater, rolled up jeans and brown loafers - makes her look elegant-casual.



She was interviewed recently and offered 10 lessons to master the "offbeat look a la Parisienne." Among them: wearing jeans with gem-encrusted sandals, never sneakers; a pencil skirt with ballet flats, not heels; a sequined sweater with men's trousers, not a skirt; an evening dress with a straw handbag, not a gold clutch; or a chiffon dress with battered biker boots.

The Parisian influence on style is classic, casual, innovative and effortless at the same time. In the words of Ines de la Fressange:
"Fashion is constantly evolving, and that's what makes it so interesting."

The Dior Revolution

French fashion designer Christian Dior revolutionized the fashion industry after World War II. Convinced that women were fed up with the uniforms and boxy, unadorned clothing of the war era, Dior launched his first fashion collection for Spring/Summer 1947 focusing on lady-like charm and feminine curves. He called his line "Corolle," after the botanical term for the frail petals at the center of a flower.  However, it was Carmel Snow, the editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar, who coined the phrase "New Look."  Excited and surprised by Dior's designs she exclaimed, "It's such a new look!"

Sloping shoulders, tiny waists, full busts and hips characterized the New Look. Skirts were below-mid-calf length, very full, and cinched at the waist. Busts and hips were also full, a look that had fallen out of favor in the 1920's and 30's.  Wartime fabric restrictions were also a thing of the past by the time Dior created his own house of fashion in December 1946. The designer took full advantage of fabric availability by using yards and yards of extravagant material in his creations.

Over time, the New Look became popular and was embraced by women the world over, including many  Hollywood stars of the day. Grace Kelly was especially fond of Dior's clothing. The New Look soon became synonymous with 1950's couture, and firmly replaced Paris as the capital of the fashion world after WWII.

In his 1954 book, The Little Dictionary of Fashion, Dior compiled an A-Z list on his favorite subject. In the Introduction he says, "Many people dismiss haute couture as being something that is only for those who are very wealthy. Simplicity, good taste, and grooming are the three fundamentals of good dressing and these do not cost money." 

Christial Dior was born in 1905 in Granville, Normandy in a seaside town along the coast of France. As a young man, his parents strongly encouraged him to go into politics and wanted him to be a diplomat. He attended the Ecole des Sciences Politiques for five years, but during that time he made money selling his fashion sketches. 

Eventually his love of design won out.  He worked for various fashion houses until finally opening the House of Dior in 1946. Amazingly, Dior only lived to be 52.  He passed away in 1957, while on vacation in Montecatini, of an apparent heart attack.

Dior's wildly influential decade in the fashion industry shaped other designers and trends for years to come. It's been said that he was a great believer in luck, attributing his success to "good luck."  But looking at his gorgeous fashions, designs, style and know-how, it's obvious it was much more than that.

Creating a Vintage, Feminine Tablescape

The fun of collecting treasured vintage items is ultimately to display them. Even if it's just in a small corner of a room, creating a vintage display is fun and reflects the personality of the collector.

This Shabby-Chic antique dresser dates from the 1920's. I found it in a vintage shop, properly whitewashed and affixed with faux crystal handles... voila! A perfect landscape to hold a vintage table display.

Gathered from many sources, this table-top includes a small cottage-style lamp, a hand-painted perfume tray holding a bisque angel head figurine and a whimsical bank from the 50's labeled "Pin Money." A decorative plate picturing cherubs and angels sits in the back, flanked by a vintage hanky, a small ceramic bowl with silk tea roses, a small gold, flowered "princess" crown, a pair of white vintage gloves, and a copy of "The Paris Apartment."  The picture on the wall is a turn-of-the-century print entitled, "The Greatest Moments of a Girl's Life."

"The Paris Apartment," written by Claudia Strasser, is a collector's dream.  It's filled with hundreds of extremely cool ideas for creating the 'je ne sais quoi' of a true, Parisian apartment.  The cover, itself, is gorgeous, making it a beautiful display piece.

The beautiful bisque angel head figurine was hand-painted by my mother, as was the perfume tray that holds it. The Pin Money bank is adorned with 3-dimensional flowers and dates from the 1950's - popularly found in many teenaged girls' rooms. 

I found these sweet, feminine dress gloves in the back room of an antique store. Perfectly preserved from the early 1900's, they're still amazingly white; they have bows at the wrists fastened by tiny seed-pearl buttons. Like little works of art, they reflect a more elegant era when ladies would never think of leaving the house without a beautiful pair of gloves.

Collecting vintage clothing and accessories can be taken a step further by collecting vintage decorative items, too. Surrounding yourself with lovely things from eras gone-by is good fun and good Karma, pure and simple.

Timeless Classics - Vintage Wedding Gowns

Some of the most beautiful wedding gown designs were born of the 1950's and early 60's. Often characterized by cap sleeves or three-quarter length sleeves, tight bodices, flared ballerina-length skirts, and fingertip veils, the gowns of this era stand alone in their uniqueness of style and design.

Several famous brides also graced this time period, whose wedding styles were widely copied. Jacqueline Kennedy's 1953 wedding gown was ivory silk taffeta with cap sleeves and a huge, bouffant skirt which had interwoven tucking bands and tiny wax flowers.  Her rose point lace veil was attached to her hair with orange blossoms amid a delicate lace cap. 

When Debbie Reynolds wed Eddie Fisher in 1955, her gown's lace cap sleeves mimicked Jackie Kennedy's of two years earlier. Debbie's gown was made of chantilly lace, cinched at the waist and ballerina length; a style that was soon to become the trademark of the decade.

Perhaps the ultimate definition of the 1950's wedding gown was worn by Audrey Hepburn in the 1957 film "Funny Face."  The gown, designed by Givenchy, was a stunning ballet length in white with a full skirt, fitted bodice, drop waist, portrait neckline, and again, tiny cap sleeves. It was accessorized by a short, fluffy veil and ballet-inspired shoes.

Another Hollywood icon of the 50's was Grace Kelly. Her last starring role was as a bride in the 1956 film "High Society." Engaged to Prince Rainier of Monaco at the time, she actually wore her own engagement ring during filming. As a "second-time" bride in the movie, she did not wear white, but rather a soft yellow with a floral spring design. Three-quarter length sleeves reflected the era, and added to the overall softness of the dress.

Today, an increasing number of bridal salons are carrying vintage-inspired wedding gowns, such as the one below. Brides are requesting the classic styles of the 1950's and early 60's because of their timeless, simple elegance.

Throw a Happy Little Retro Party

Wanna party like it's 1959?

Throwing a retro party calls for the right vintage clothing, delectable hors d'oeuvres, perfect cocktails and killer heels. Creat a swank atmosphere with mood lighting and a sexy playlist. Here are ideas for throwing a retro party so boss it will be the talk of the office water cooler for months to come.

5:55 pm ~ The first guests are about to arrive. Give yourself the 'Manhattan once-over'.  Flirty chiffon dress with ankle-rocking slingbacks? Velvet jewel-toned pencil skirt with black patent leather stilettos?  Perfection! Lips are painted perfectly pouty to leave a lipstick print on the rim of your cocktail glass. Finish with red or coral nails and a fabulous pair of chandelier earrings. A spritz of your favorite French cologne and you're ready to be the perfect hostess and bartender fatale.

6:15 pm ~ You're serving up perfect champagne cocktails. "A Walk in the Black Forest" by Horst Jankowski is playing in the background, setting the perfect mood.

The Perfect Champagne Cocktail
- 1 sugar cube
- 4 to 5 drops of bitters
- 4 to 5 ounces of well-chilled Champagne
- Garnish with a lemon twist
Drop the sugar cube into the bottom of a Champagne flute. Pour the bitters on top. Let the cube absorb the bitters until amber-colored; about 30 seconds. Carefully crush the cube, breaking it into a soft mound. Slowly add the Champagne, letting the bubbles rise and subside, until the glass is full. Twist the lemon peel over the top and drop it into the cocktail. Voila!

6:30 pm ~ Frank is crooning "Fly Me to the Moon." What's not to love?

7:00 pm ~ Guests are nibbling your crab meat canapés, stuffed mushroom caps and bacon-wrapped water chestnuts. Add "Beyond the Sea" by Bobby Darrin and soon people are tripping the light fantastic.

7:30 pm ~ Andy Williams is singing "Music to Watch Girls By." You're feeling especially flirty.

8:15 pm ~ Take it up a notch with Elvis' "Bossa Nova Baby" - now you're really swingin'.



Retro Cocktail Shaker from the 1950's

 8:45 pm ~ Classic Martinis?  Mix some up while the Stones belt out "Satisfaction." 

The Sacred Truth Martini
- 2 pitted green olives
- 1-1/2 teaspoons dry vermouth
- 1-1/2 cups cracked ice
- 3 ounces top-quality gin
Spear the olives with a cocktail toothpick. Pour the vermouth into a small saucer. Add the olives and turn them several times to coat. Fill a shaker with the ice and add the gin. Stir very gently with a long-handled bar spoon to chill, about 20 revolutions. Set the speared olives in a martini glass. Strain the chilled gin over the olives and serve.

9:00 pm ~ The Nashville Teens are grinding out "Tobacco Road."  You realize you identify with their plight.

9:25 pm ~ Sexy-dance to Gene Vincent's "Be Bop A Lula"... do the twist

Vintage Purses - Treasures from Every Era

One of my favorite vintage fashion photos is a stunning 1950's white evening gown accented only by a brilliant red clutch. I was lucky enough to find a similar red clutch while recently visiting a local antique shop.

Vintage purses are amazing accents for any outfit. Every era offers its own unique and distinctive trademark. Below are some examples from my personal collection, dating from the 1920's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's.

My red leather clutch carries the label "Stylemark" and is from the 50's; its multi-striped interior is representative of the era. The beaded evening bag is from the 20's, manufactured by La Regale. The champagne-colored faux fur bag dates from the 40's and was made by Ingber. The black fabric evening clutch with gold clasp is a classic from the 60's. The black and white bubble motif purse with removable shoulder-strap has an equally mod interior that just screams "disco" and the 70's.

Mixing and matching these handbags with your outfits - both new and vintage clothing - will give you a distinctive finishing touch that can't be found in many of today's mass-produced handbags.

Just remember: a woman can never own too many purses or shoes... repeat often and act accordingly!

  

Stylemark Clutch, 1950's

La Regale Beaded Bag - 1920's



Ingber Faux Fur Bag - 1940's

1960's Black Fabric Clutch

Mod Bag from the 1970's with Removable Shoulder Strap

Vintage Sweetheart Jewelry

Vintage clothing and accessories are a passion for many fashionistas. Clothes and accessories from bygone eras are unique, charming, stylish and produced with a quality of construction that is often missing in today's ready-to-wear clothes. Rare vintage finds can even be like wearing a piece of art.

One popular accessory dating from WWI, WWII and the Korean War eras are sweetheart bracelets. A popular token of love and courtship between soldiers and their girls at home, sweetheart bracelets are typically expandable links surrounding a heart made of gold, silver, mother of pearl or other decorative material, sometimes adorned with semi-precious stones. Many of the hearts open as lockets that hold tiny pictures or bits of hair.

The first sweetheart bracelet in my personal collection is pictured below; the mother of pearl heart has the gold emblem "USN" (U.S. Navy) atop an anchor. It dates back to the Korean War, making it nearly 60 years old. I wear my sweetheart bracelet with any outfit that calls for gold accessories; it's also fun to contrast with a distinctly mod look ~ destressed jeans, faux fur vests, leather bomber jackets.

Wearing a sweetheart bracelet is wearing someone's personal history, which makes them so much more meaningful. Very cool vintage finds, indeed.