HERMES CAN BE SEXY

Here is an Hermes posting not about a Birkin, but we do have a yummy 40 cm Veau Grainé Lissé Rouge Birkin arriving tomorrow with gold hardware, so check the blog on Wednesday afternoon for pictures. Oh yah, there's also a Kelly 32 cm in Clemance with Palladium in Brighton Blue that will be posted tomorrow, too.

But to satiate our Hermes lovers in the here and now we offer a sexy fine gauge silk jersey round neck broken-up mosaic print dress from the early 1980s. We always look for the Hermes print dresses in silk jersey, as they are a great alternative to Pucci or Leonard dresses, but are just as light and easy for traveling, too.

It is grand to carry Hermes. but it's fun to wear it too!

Hermes silk jersey "broken mosiac print" dress, c early 1980s. Modern 4 to 6 SOLD

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call (323) 655-0223. Please reference the description above. For email requests, kindly include your full name and phone number plus City, State, and Country from which you are contacting.

SHOWGIRLS SHOULDER THE BLING

It's not easy being a Showgirl! Just ask Gina Gershon or Elizabeth Berkeley. And those damn shoulder duster earrings are so heavy, but oh so glamorous, aren't they? Here is a collection of mostly Larry Vrba spectacular shoulder duster earrings. We've noted the length of each pair so you get an idea of how dramatic they are. Here is a hint from some of our shoulder loving Showgirls who shop at Decades: USE PASTY GLUE ON THE BACKS OF THE EARRINGS TO HELP THEM STAY ON YOUR EARS. Here is yet another use of the all-too-important pasty glue. Buy it here http://www.laprofashions.com/pastyglue.htm, but buy your ear bling HERE!

Larry Vrba aqua and pearl round dusters, c 80s. 3 inches. SOLD

Larry Vrba hematite and citrine massive shoulder dusters, c 80s. 5 inches SOLD

Anonymous multi color hoops, c 80s. 3 1/2 inches SOLD

Larry Vrba amethyst with pearl tear drops, c 80s. 3 1/2 inches SOLD

Larry Vrba turquoise and coral classic drops, c 80s. 3 1/2 inches SOLD

Larry Vrba 3 tier turquoise and pearl drops, c 80s. 4 1/2 inches SOLD

Larry Vrba turquoise and pearl shoulder dusters, c 80s. 4 inchesSOLD

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call (323) 655-0223. Please reference the description above. For email requests, kindly include your full name and phone number plus City, State, and Country from which you are contacting.

LESS THAN ZERO

If you live in Los Angeles, it's not unusual to see the impeccably dressed Mr. Gustave Tassell walking on Beverly Blvd or Melrose Avenue around La Cienega Blvd. We often catch him adjacent to the Beverly Center...always in a suit with a check shirt, print tie, and pocket square. He can mix patterns better than an Etro window!

Well fifty years earlier, Mr. Tassell designed at Hattie Carnegie (didn't every designer have a stint at Carnegie?) and eventually opened his own house in 1956. Eventually, he took over for Norman Norell in 1972.

This dress was designed in the very early 1960s and features a wonderful black floral print on a pink silk background. When we say Less Than Zero, we mean it. This is a true contemporary size zero and although the dress can accommodate a pair of child birthing hips (you will notice the exaggerated hip effect in the skirt design), the waist is around 22 inches and the rib cage is mighty narrow. It does look pretty divine on Decadestwo's style star Michaela Beckwith (catch her and the Decadestwo team in 944 magazine this month), so we hope some petite blog reader will fall in love with this sublime cocktail dress and make LA's very own Mr. Tassell proud as a peacock!

Gustave Tassell pink silk cocktail dress with black floral print, c. early 196s. Modern size 0 (and we ain't kidding!)SOLD

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call (323) 655-0223. Please reference the description above.

Sexy Safari Attire from Patrick Kelly!

Few human pursuits can match the thrill and exhilaration of a big-game hunt. Now, become "The Most Dangerous Game" of all in this this ravishing khaki dress by Patrick Kelly! We're not sure if the skin-baring bustier is more likely to make you the pursuer or the pursued, but there's a matching, strong-shouldered jacket to go along just in case you want to show those boys who's boss.

Patrick Kelly Khaki Laced Bustier Dress with Matching Cropped Safari Jacket, c. 1980s. Fits a contemporary size 4 to 6.

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call (323) 655-0223. Please reference the description above.

Fresh as a Rose in Christian Dior

We hear that our colleagues in New York are still suffering through a cold spot! Rather than gloat about the balmy weather here in Los Angeles, we're bringing you chic spring options that still keep you warm in wintry conditions. Take this Christian Dior ensemble, for instance. The color, a delicate tea rose, is perfect for the early spring months; the material, beautiful swirls of wood grain silk moiré, is smooth to the touch and thicker than a chiffon or a jersey. The voluminous jacket is beautifully cut with cropped sleeves. What more could you possibly want?

Christian Dior New York Tea Rose Dress in Wood Grain Silk Moiré with Matching Cropped Sleeve Jacket, c. early 1960s. Fits a contemporary size 6. SOLD

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call (323) 655-0223. Please reference the description above.

ALAIA IS HARD TO TOP

We love the craziness of Alaia sizing. This chenille and lurex halter with roll neck is marked a size Medium! Come on, this is an XS in our book. The original owner bought this top in 1992 and she took very good care of it and although she outgrew it, she could never part with it, until it was vintage enough for Decades. So here it is! A luxurious blend of viscose and nylon (we kid) this halter stretches in all the right places.

Alaia stretch black lurex halter, 1992. Marked size M, modern size 0 to 4 SOLD

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call (323) 655-0223. Please reference the description above

HERE COMES THE COOL BRIDE

Just because this dress is white, does not mean it is solely for the purpose of a virginal wedding, but when we get great white dresses, we do think of all the non-conventional brides out there who want a cool dress that doesn't look too wedding, but is still appropriate for your big.

This Thierry Mugler white pleated poly crepe dress is very cool bride; and at the same time, could be worn for a black tie gala (as we all know white continues to be a formal wear go-to color). It's also a variation on a shirt-maker style, so it can be worn dressed down. We love it at an al fresco summer soiree with chic metallic sandals and some yummy Lalaounis jewelry. It's extra special because it's DEADSTOCK Mugler from the 1990s...imagine a dress nearly 20 years old, in pristine condition and in white! This isn't something too common, so take advantage of this fantastic dress. Mugler is all about the details: from the rolled sleeves, to knots of crepe along the collar, and even the belt is signature Mugler. It's a blending of 21st century futurism from the early 1990s with an ode to 40s old Hollywood glamour. We say: "I do!"

Thierry Mugler DEADSTOCK white poly pleated crepe shirt maker style gown, c early 1990s. Marked size 40, modern size 4 to 6 SOLD

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call (323) 655-0223. Please reference the description above

Shocking Pink Dior Haute Couture

This is a shocking post. We are actually playing a trick on you! We are not posting the Oscar de la Renta hot pink dress with black belt Jessica Biel wore to the Oscars last year,, but rather posting the vintage Christian Dior Haute Couture by Marc Bohan early 80s strapless wrapped busiter gown just below Ms. Biel's lovely photos. The two dresses remind us of each other in their simple construction and sharp use of color.

The shocking pink Bohan-designed dress is a study in sexy simplicity: A wrapped-bustier style bodice, with a gathered skirt and a thigh-slit that shows off a great pair of gams. The dress is broken up with the removable black satin sash worn at the waist. We often feel the power of Haute Couture is in the cleanest design and details. This dress is the antithesis of rococo, but still features the unparalled construction techniques of the Haute Couture.

Christian Dior (label missing) by Marc Bowan shocking pink bustier strapless crepe dress with black silk satin sash, c 1980s. Modern size 4 to 6 SOLD

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call (323) 655-0223. Please reference the description above

TINY DANCER

Jacques Heim, the great but oft-forgot couturier of the 1950s and 1960s, makes his debut on the Decades blog today with a gorgeous spring dress. The designer has not achieved the same posthumous glory as colleagues like Chanel and Patou; as the New York Times commented in his obituary, "Jacques Heim, a tall good-looking man with a cheery disposition, seemed more like a businessman or banker than a couturier. He exhibited none of the flamboyance or temperament of competitors like Yves Saint Laurent or Christian Dior." Perhaps the median truth was expressed in Women's Wear Daily 's obituary: "Heim was basically an innovator in business. He didn't want to be called a designer, but rather an editor of clothes."

Heim aggressively conceived of ways in which couture might be vital to new audiences: his Heim Jeunes Filles brought garments to a young audience long before other couture designers, and engendered early client loyalty. Moreover, his Heim Actualité diffusion line, launched in 1950, extended his influence into ready-to-wear (what a visionary!). He was an editor of many design ideas, beginning with the possibilities of fur, continuing through beach and play outfits, even the two-piece swimsuit, and the plane and planar simplifications of design in the youth-conscious 1960s.

Through the 1950s, Heim addressed American needs for sportswear in innovative and utilitarian fabrics, while still remaining, in the vocabulary of the day, very ladylike. The dress below, for instance, was purchased by a Los Angeles based dressmaker as a "bonded" sample that would be "knocked off" and mass-produced. A family friend of the dressmaker happened to be the sample size and she was always given the bonded samples after they were used for copying. Lucky lady, non? Anyway, she probably was the only person who was slim enough to fit into the samples. This dress looks fanatastic on our chic Decadestwo manager, Amanda, but she is truly a contemporary size 2, so that should be considered when contemplating this charming creation.



Jacques Heim Jeunes Filles bonded sample day dress in green leaf print, c early 1960s. Contemporary size 2 SOLD
For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call (323) 655-0223. Please reference the description above

SPRING TIME FOR GIVENCHY

It's Good Friday which means Easter is this Sunday and Purim is also happening, too. It's time to dress up and put on an apple green Givenchy Haute Couture coat from the 1960s, don't you think?

This is a streamlined moderne-cut coat with a clean collar, 5 round matte buttons, and framed seam lines. For mobility comfort, the two side slits are very useful. As it is Haute Couture, the coat is beautifully lined in silk too.

Givenchy Haute Couture early 60s day coat in apple green. Modern size 6 to 8SOLD

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call (323) 655-0223. Please reference the description above

DiOr CoooouTurtaLLY! LoLzerZ!

Our petits mains have been hard at work bringing you trunkloads of fine haute couture from the venerated house of Christian Dior! The first two pieces are sexy black evening dresses from the era of Marc Bohan in the 1980s. The third is from Gianfranco Ferre, a Lucile Ball-style dress with graceful long sleeves, an exquisite crinoline skirt, and gorgeous satin cuffs and oversize buttons. The last piece isn't haute couture, but it is a creation for Saks Fifth Avenue from Christian Dior's heyday in the 1950s. We belted it with a chic red belt from the designer who would be Mr. Dior's successor--Yves Saint Laurent.


Dior Haute Couture by Marc Bohan Black Silk Gown with Twisted Bodice Detail and Straps Embellished with Amber Stones, c. 1980s. Fits a contemporary size 4 to 6. SOLD


Dior Haute Couture by Marc Bohan Black Taffeta Strapless Bustier Dress, c. 1980s. Label Missing. Fits a contemporary size 4 to 6.


Dior Haute Couture by Gianfranco Ferre 1950s-Inspired Black Crepe Wool Dress with Crinoline Skirt and Satin Cuffs, c. late 1980s. Fits a contemporary size 4 to 6.

Christian Dior Original for Saks Fifth Avenue Black Taffeta Dress with Pleated Shoulder Detail and Voluminous Skirt. Fits a contemporary size 6.SOLD

Shown with Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Red Lizard and Black Patent Belt with Silver Hardware, c. 1980s.

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call (323) 655-0223. Please reference the description above.