Wednesday, April 30, 2008

ANOTHER MUGLER FOR THE SUPERHEROES

Even if you are not attending Monday evening Superheroes gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, you still should make sure vintage Thierry Mugler is on your radar. His influence is everywhere and it's exciting to celebrate his designs over a decade since he was last in vogue. But what's a superhero to do when she is on vacation? Certanly, not every superhero wants to travel with an arsenal of weapons and armor garb? In that case, one need only look below to meld vacation-needs with hero-needs.

The viscose knit coral Thierry Mugler gown below uses the body piercing motif hardware, but in a cool lucite just about the bust. It's super light fabric and super versatile styling. Easily wearable with gladiator (of course!) sandals or a sexy heel. We adore the very 1940s style square and low-cut back, which gives the dress a lot of "going" and "coming" appeal. Throw it in your orange crocodile Birkin (trust us, it's super light and you will staff have room for your BlackBerry, make-up, and bail money, and hop on a plane to somewhere where there is real coral in the ocean. This is a dress for a holiday meant for a superhero, after protecting a Metropolis in distress.


Thierry Mugler viscose ribbed knit with lucite gathered ring flame dress, c 1990s. No size. Stretches 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.

MARILYN'S MISSING MUGLER

Thierry Mugler is the Man of the Hour. With the exciting opening of the MET's Costume Institute "Superheroes Fashion and Fantasy" on May 5th, expect a lot of Mugler to be displayed in the museum and on the stylish guests.

This Thierry Mugler dress pays homage to Marilyn Monroe's famous white halter gown worn in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and designed by Travilla, but with it's own Mugler-isms. The silver hardware is reminiscent of a body piercing and the sharp-edged neckline suggest a strong woman and a super heroine, don't you agree? (It also looks suspiciously similar to the Antony Price dress we posted on April 12th, too: http://decadesinc.blogspot.com/2008/04/bronze-goddess-by-incomprable-antony.html. It's no secret that Mugler was inspired by Price.


Thierry Mugler white polyester crepe halter gown with internal corset, c 1990s. Unworn deadstock, retailed at Neiman Marcus, original price tag on dress. Marked size 40, modern size 4 to 6. SOLD

THE LYDIE IN WHITE

We adore a chic lady carrying a Hermes Lydie, especially a Lydie in white! We just refurbished this Lydie, so who will be the lucky lady to add this lovely clutch to her luscious collection?

Hermes Lydie convertible clutch, G circle stamp 1977SOLD
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.

APPLES AND ORANGES

Hermes bags compared with other bags is sort of like mixing apples and oranges. Yet, in the case of Decades, we are mixing apples and oranges, but mixing them with two dueling, delicious, and gorgeous porosus crocodile 30 cm Birkins: one in vert anis (as shown below) and the other in orange, which we posted a few days ago http://decadesinc.blogspot.com/2008/04/birkin-my-god-birkin.html. You simply can't go wrong if you choose either or both. A charmed bag connoisseur knows that Hermes is the definitive in luxury and quality. When you compare any other bag to a Hermes bag it truly is comparing apples and oranges, isn't it? Take a bite out of this apple fast, as the violet one sold in minutes!



Hermes Vert Anis Porosus Crocodile Birkin 30cm, 2005 (I stamp). Appears unused in box. SOLD

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

ONE-OF-A-KIND CHANEL HAUTE COUTURE

We love runway jewels and if there is one trend that has emerged in contemporary fashion as of late, it's the return of great costume designer jewelry. Certainly Chanel has always been one of the great proponents of outstanding costume jewelry and Decades has been one of the great purveyors of vintage costume jewelry, especially from Chanel.

This dramatic gold cord sautoir is a runway piece likely from 1990. The original owner was a vendeuse at Chanel Haute Couture and she explained that the piece is one-of-a-kind (we've featured other pieces from her collection in previous posts). The super long necklace can be worn, well, super long, or it can be doubled around the neck. It can also be layered with tons of other jewels, too. The fantastic poured glass and delicate filigree pendant is really unusual, but then again, this is ONE-OF-A-KIND.



Chanel Haute Couture gold cord and filligree pendant necklace, c 1990 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.


FASHION IS A GOOD INVESTMENT!

So in the early 1990s, this Herve Leger Couture bandage dress retailed at Maxfield in Los Angeles for nearly $9000! That's the equivalent of around $14,500 today. How do we know this? One, the dress is deadstock with the original price tag from Maxfield delicately hanging from the back of the dress. Two, ever hear of an inflation calculator? Okay, we aren't selling this dress for $14, 500 or even for $9000, so, although inflation proves the dress would cost more today than it did 15 plus years ago, we can proudly offer you something for LESS than its original price.

Enough about the price--let's talk about the dress. An iconic bandage design with a strong yellow bodice that dramatically changes to black, the dress does what an Herve does so well: it holds you in where you need to be held and pushes you out, where you need to push out. Leger dresses give you booty where no booty exists. They give you a flat belly, even when you have had too many Jelly Bellies and not enough crunches. That's the magic of Herve Leger. We hope you fall under the spell of this dress! (Please note that the dress does zip up all the way but we didn't want to put too much pressure on the zipper against our plaster mannequin.)


Herve Leger Couture deadstock yellow and black iconic bandage dress, c 1990s. Marked size S, fits a contemporary size 4.
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.

SPRING IN YOUR STEP

When it comes to spring, we have you covered...literally. Below please find four delicious dresses that are perfect as we transition from winter to spring. The dresses below represent a great mix of design talents: from Chloe by Karl Lagerfeld, Malcolm Starr, James Galanos, and Geoffrey Beene. There is something for everyone so put some spring into your step and let Decades cover you up appropriately as the sun shines from above and al fresco becomes a reality!



Chloe by Karl Lagerfeld butter yellow drop waist long sleeve silk dress with clear crystal trim and cooridnating slip, c 60s. Modern size 4 to 6 SOLD



Malcolm Starr yellow long sleeve dress with silver beaded stripes and concealed hip pockets, c 60s. Rayon, wool, silk blend, deadstock labeled size 14, contemporary 8 to 10. SOLD



James Galanos spaghetti strap cocktail dress in navy blue polka-dot lurex silk with velvet textured panels, c 1960s. Modern size 4

Geoffrey Beene floral print hippie silk dress with puffy sleeves and cummerbund, c 60s. Modern size 4 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.

WONDER POWERS ACTIVATE

With the opening of the Metropolitan Museum Costume Instituter's latest exhibition themed around Super Heroes just days away, Decades and Decadestwo partnered to showcase clothing in our window that is appropriate for the super hero in everyone. As many of our avid blog readers don't live in Los Angeles, please find store front photos of our current window and our past window featuring Balenciaga Haute Couture.

We will post some totally unrelated spring and summer dresses later today. Sometimes super heroes need to go incognito, too!

For those interested, the Thierry Mugler dress below is the famous "Indecent Proposal" dress that Demi Moore wore in the iconic film of 1992. SOLD







Sunday, April 27, 2008

HELLO TO OUR GLOBAL CLIENTS

Dear Friends,

As we are receiving more and more international clients and purchase inquiries, we are happy to expand the Decades "family" and remind you that we are able to ship globally, since so many of you ask us on a daily basis. We generally use Fed Ex and we ONLY ship to billing addresses that are verified with your issuing credit card or issuing bank. This is a very strict policy. We also accept payments via wire transfer. Naturally, if you live near or are visiting Los Angeles, you are encouraged to visit Decades in person. Our location is 8214 1/2 Melrose Avenue @ Harper (the 1/2 represents the second floor as Decades is just above Decadestwo, the 21st Century designer consignment store on the street level).

Feel free to email us blog@decadesinc.com or ring us on + 1 323 655 0223 for more information.

Thank you.

CHANGE THE CHANNEL CHANEL

We thought it was time to change the channel, since we have posting so many delicious Hermes bags as of late. Although we are changing the channel, we aren't short-changing you in the luxury quotient because we are showcasing a very unusual Chanel early 80s felt and quilted leather shoulder bag on the "Decades" channel today.

We always strive to find out-of-the-ordinary items at Decades, as well as, iconic and signature representations of 20th Century design. This Chanel bag uses the iconic and signature elements (black quilted leather, woven leather and gold chain, turn knob closing mechanism), but mixes it up with smooth felt creating a functional and fresh variation of a classic design. With long shoulder straps, the bag remains quintessentially Chanel, but one can still have all the signature details in a design that you won't see coming or going. If this bag were a TV show, you wouldn't want to click off this channel. Just like a hit TV show, the Decades blog is a Nielsen favorite, too!






Chanel quilted leather and felt long strap shoulder bag, c 1980s. Bag body is 12 x 8 1/2 x 3 inches.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.





Friday, April 25, 2008

Exotic Birkin Bonanza! It Never, Never Ends!

Those of you who have played it cool in your search for the perfect Birkin are about to be rewarded. We have not one, not two, but three brand new Hermes 30cm Birkins in exotic Crocodylus Porosus arriving at the store this week in gorgeous colors! Earlier we posted an orange version of this bag; now, we're showing you the beautiful purple version with palladium hardware. The yummiest bag of all, in apple green, should show up on the blog next week!

Hermes 30cm Birkin in Purple Porosus Crocodile with Palladium Hardware, 2005. New in the box with original packaging and stickers on hardware. 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.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Decadent Earrings from Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, & Lacroix!

Looking for statement jewelry to top off a gorgeous vintage or contemporary dress? How about something that spices up your regular ol' day clothes? Costume jewelry is the way to go. The first earrings, from Christian Lacroix, combine stones in lavender, rose, and jade with gold hardware and pearl drops for a spectacular garden party effect. No less fetching are the Yves Saint Laurent chandelier hoops below, which employ Eastern-inspired stones and engraving for an exotic look. The next two sets are by Chanel--the first features a pearl drop with beautiful Gripoix poured glass, while the second stays simple and sexy with a small pearl drop and minimal gold hardware. If you want the Gripoix look for less dough, the Anonymous earrings below are the way to go! Fashion eccentrics will be drawn to the final pair by Yves Saint Laurent, featuring aubergine ornaments and gold hardware.

Christian Lacroix Garden Party Earrings with Stones in Lavender, Rose, and Jade with Gold Hardware, c. late 1980s. SOLD


Yves Saint Laurent Eastern-Inspired Hoop Chandelier Earrings in Gold with Ornamental Stones, c. 1980s.SOLD

Chanel Pearl Drop Earrings with Elementary-Colored Gripoix Poured Glass Decoration, c. 1980s.SOLD

Chanel Pearl Drop Earrings with Gold Hardware and Black Enamel, c. 1980s.SOLD

Anonymous Poured Glass and Gold Earrings in the style of Gripoix, c. 1980s. SOLD

Yves Saint Laurent Aubergine Drop Earrings with Gold Hardware and Ornamental Red Stone, c. 1980s. 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.