WRINKLE FREE

Issey Miyake pleated dresses have been the go-to for art-loving patrons around the world hoping from one opening to another.  They were more or less de rigeur during the 1980s and 1990s and I say let's bring them back, but take them beyond the galleries and onto the red carpet. 

If you travel as much as I do and aren't into steaming, ironing, or paying the hotel to spruce up your lewk, may I suggest revisiting Mikaye so you can go from unpack to glamazon in one fail swoop.  You know I wear some extreme looks so I can't wait to find a Miyake men's pleated tux.  I just got a pair of pleated pants in Kuwait and I think I may just wear them to something Oscar weekend!

-Cameron

Issey Miyake black polyester pleated dress, c.1990's. Marked size small. (some condition issues) SOLD
Issey Miyake Orange polyester pleated dress, c.1990's. Marked size small. (some condition issues)
SOLD
For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call + 1 323 655-1960. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Please reference the description above, if calling or emailing.

WHAT'S MODERN IS VINTAGE

Since 1997, I have followed a mantra when procuring garments for Decades.  I always ask myself "does this look modern?"  Case in point: this 1980s Lanvin strapless dress with velvet asymmetric overlay atop a cream silk skirt.  This gown manages to look both of the past, present, and future.  However, the mix is entirely modern.  I believe this dress was designed during the Creative Direction tenure of Maryll Lanvin, a former model who married the heir to the house, Bernard Lanvin.

-Cameron

 

 

Lanvin velvet and satin gown, c. early 1980's Label reads 38, modern size 4 to small 6

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call + 1 323 655-1960. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Please reference the description above, if calling or emailing.

CHIC SHEIKH

Greetings Decades followers.  As many of you know, the last two weeks I have had the privilege of travelling through the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait promoting Decades: A Century of Fashion (Bloomsbury) and meeting some of the most creative people in the Gulf.  Needless to say, the trip was amazing and I have returned to LA very inspired by Arabian Chic.  You can see pictures and read about my trip here on Style.com.

Yves Saint Laurent  was famously inspired by Middle Eastern style and these Rive Gauche pieces I have styled together below are spectacular as a total look or marvelous worn individually. 

The Burnoose Moroccan cape is an essential alternative to your coat and the dramatic hood with ombre fringe tassel is distinctive and glamorous.   An over-sized silk tank in jacquard rust looks great as a piece to layer or solo with a pair of shorts.  Totally modern but much more substantial than a tee-shirt.  As for the paisley wool challis pants, imagine this with sandals or tucked into boots.  It's a mix of Aladdin with I Dream of Jeannie, but this is fashion!  The style of pants still looks good on Barbara Eden and will look smashing on you. 

#Keepthechic.  Inshallah.

-Cameron

For more information on the pieces above, simply click the links below:

YSL Rive Gauche Cape

YSL Rive Gauche harem Pants

YSL  Rive Gauche tank

Or for additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call + 1 323 655-1960. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Please reference the description above, if calling or emailing.

les must de MOSCHINO

My friend Jeremy Scott had his anticipated and triumphant MOSCHINO debut in Milan today and he brought in a heavy dose of humor to the brand which has been the cornerstone of the late Franco Moschino's DNA.  Next month we will debut an EPIC and ICONIC collection of original vintage Franco Moschino era clothing and accessories.  We will be teasing you with archival imagery and editorials as well as the actual items that will be for sale instore and online.  The pieces below are all part of our collection so as I whet your appetite get ready to go bonkers and bananas while being bedazzled by les must de MOSCHINO and remember when fashion was fun!

It's great to be home.  Watch this space!

-Cameron

 

FROM CHARLES JAMES TO CHRISTIAN DIOR VIA JOHN GALLIANO

The opulence of Charles James inspired John Galliano for his 2010 Spring Couture collection for the house of Dior. Enough has been said about John Galliano, regarding that infamous drunk rant back in 2012 his fate almost sealed with shame. Regardless of your feelings on the man, John Galliano has been one of the great fashion talents of the last 20 years elevating the house of Dior from 1996 producing collection which have been regularly critical triumphs, creating visual pleasures as well as great clothes. For his Spring Couture collection in 2010, Galliano was inspired by the opulence of Charles James so he created a show worthy of such an inspiration. 

The gown below comes from this collection. Though not quite vintage, it's is definitely an archival piece. The pink satin whipped into a ball gown with pleated train and dusted with crystals is the perfect gown to make any woman feel like Cinderella. And most importantly for those attending, a great option to wear to at this year's MET ball honoring Charles James, America's best couturier. 

As Galliano expressed to the press after the show, he had read that it was actually Charles James who inspired Christian Dior to create the New Look. So voilà, Charles James to Christian Dior via John Galliano in all his splendor. 

-Eri  

Christian Dior Haute Couture nude pink grosgrain evening gown with crystal embroidery, Spring/Summer 2010. Modern size 4. 
To purchase click here. 

Or for additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call + 1 323 655-1960. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Please reference the description above, if calling or emailing.

SEASONLESS SEXY WON'T QUIT

If you are on the East Coast, it feels like the dead of winter.  If you are in Los Angeles, it feels like fall one moment and summer the next.  What's a global fashionista to do?  Wear vintage Holly Harp, of course. 

This early 1970s boho wool-blend dress may be autumnal in color story, but the flouce of the sleeve, peplum at the waist, and ease of drape in floral print is perfect for the hippie-dippie Woodstock-er music festival VIP pass attendee we all have inside and of us at any time of the year.  Imagine wearing this in Coachella next month with a pair of roman sandals?  If you are in NYC today, top this dress with a shearling and Doc Martens for fighting the elements.  In LA, throw on a pair of Manolos and hit an award season party in effortless style.   

Holly translated counter-cultural fashion but made it sellable at tony stores like Bendel's and Bergdorf's.  She also believed a woman remained sexy during every decade of her life:

"I still have a sexy little girl in me that won't quit."

-Holly Harp at 47

Don't Quit!

-Cameron 

Holly Harp wool floral print dress with zip up front detail, c. 1970's. Modern size 2 to 4. 
To purchase click here SOLD

Or for additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call + 1 323 655-1960. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Please reference the description above, if calling or emailing.

ON CLOUD NINE WITH ROMEO GIGLI

If you think mixing together Japanese conceptualism, a little punk and renaissance grandeur would be a complete fashion mistake, well then you have never seen a vintage Gigli piece. Romeo Gigli was the European master of the 80's and 90's. He created looks that went against the "power dressing" in those decades, he followed the lines of the body,  soft romantic draping and an overall fluidity all created in rich and lux fabrics. Romeo Gigli once hired McQueen and his designs were photographed by great photographers such as Avedon and Lindbergh. His pieces had a soft fragility that feels young and fresh and opulent at the same time. 

Like every self respected fashion aficionado, the lovely lady who's closet Cameron raided back in October to get these pieces, was in love with Gigli's designs. She wore them in Chicago in the late eighties and all thru the nineties, making her stand out in a see of Escada, Armani and St. John's suits. These pieces as special as they are, they feel so modern and inspiring today. 

Let's hope this year a lovely talented actress will grace the Oscars red carpet with the same fluidity that Gigli intended. 

-Eri 

Romeo Gigli pleated taffeta gown with jersey corset, c.1980's. Modern size 6. 
To purchase click here.  SOLD

Romeo Gigli pleated taffeta gown with warp around top, c. 1980's. Modern 6. 
To purchase click here.  SOLD

Romeo Gigli three piece ensemble with pants, bandeau top and light jacket, c.1980's. 

Modern size 6. To purchase click here.  SOLD

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call + 1 323 655-1960. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Please reference the description above, if calling or emailing.

INSHALLAH CHANEL

Here is a little preview of some of the vintage Chanel I am taking for our Saudi Arabia trunk show at Harvey Nichols Riyadh starting on Sunday the 9th of February.
-Cameron