DECADES OF HOLIDAY POP AND CIRCUMSTANCE: ANDY WARHOL

Andy Warhol’s influence on culture and art clearly is not diminishing after his death. People of all ages still tend to romanticize not just his art but also his social life. So how did he spend his Christmas and New Year holidays? Let’s check in his infamous diaries for the year 1978, the height of everything socially Warhol, including Studio 54 and best friend the designer Halston.

Sunday, December 24, 1978: “Up early…decided to do prints of the Ali paintings…Truman called and said he was alone because Bob MacBride had to spend Christmas with his kids. I worked all afternoon…Tom Cashin came over to the house for a fast turkey dinner before we went to Diane Von Furstenberg’s…it was a horrible Christmas party with horrible people—about fifty of them…Then we left for Halston’s. Catherine [Milinaire, we assume] was there and I gave her a painting with some of my come on it, but then Victor [Hugo] said it was his come, and then we had a fight about that, but now that I think about it, it could have been Victor’s...Halston had a big fish. I had red wine and was getting so tired…”

Monday, December 25, 1978: “The turkey at Halston’s was ready at 9 p.m. It was really good. We reviewed the night before…At Studio 54 the IRS found a room full of cash….”

Sunday, December 31, 1978: “I didn’t know the evening at Halston’s was going to be so chic, my dear…Bianca Jagger was in Dior…Diana Ross looked beautiful. And she had asked Halston over the phone if he was going to serve black-eyed peas at midnight because it was good luck….And when she got there Halston was cooking ham hocks and ribs. A few people said to her, ‘Don’t you want to check on the black-eyed peas?’ They knew the peas were her idea, and they were just trying to be nice. I guess she took it as an insult, though, because she said, ‘No, thank you, darling, I think I’ve checked them enough’…Then we all did go to Studio 54. They had decorated it great, put silver glitter on the floor, and they had someone on a trapeze, and white balloons….The whole night was spent losing and finding and looking and finding and looking. John Fairchild, Jr. has a crush on Bianca so we were looking for her, and then losing her, and then losing him and finding her, and then losing me, and looking for me, and losing him…”

Here’s something very festive the ladies at studio 54 would have been partying in. This 60's chiffon and silk gown from Desses feels like something that would have inspired Halston is his designs in the 70's. With this dress you will not go unnoticed. That's what Andy Warhol would have loved.

-William

Jean Desses pink silk chiffon gown, c. 1960's. Modern size 4 to 6.

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call + 1 323 655-0223. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 1/2 Melrose Avenue (2nd Floor) at Harper Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Please reference the description above, if calling or emailing. For email requests, kindly include your full name and phone number plus City, State, and Country from which you are contacting, so may offer you a high level of personal service.

SIP OF DESSES

This post WWII Jean Desses gown is like a fine glass of red wine. It looks like one, too. This merlot-hued satin bustier gown (the French often call the color lie de vin) is a second skin silhouette that reminds us of Rita Hayworth as Gilda, but in a color that is dramatic and intoxicating, rather than a sober black. The pleated iridescent satin back features two parallel "falls" from the back of the dress and a third wide pleated fan attached below the derriere that dramatically becomes a train to follow you down the red carpet that you glide on when in a gown of this calibre.

Jean Desses Haute Couture wine satin strapless gown with dramatic pleated fan train, c. 1947. Modern 4 to narrow 6. Very minor discoloration that does not compromise the wearing of this garment.

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call + 1 323 655-0223. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 1/2 Melrose Avenue (2nd Floor) at Harper Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Please reference the description above, if calling or emailing. For email requests, kindly include your full name and phone number plus City, State, and Country from which you are contacting, so may offer you a high level of personal service.

Drop That BALL!

Because we are ready for NYE. If you need a great gown for the last few hours of 2009, but hate anything silver/gold/sparkly take a gander below. This Jean Desses silk chiffon gown is a vibrant pink color that is sure to get a lot of attention. The strapless sheath is diagonally ruched and draped releasing into floating panel at the right waist with self bow clasping at the zipper. There is a boned bodice, weighted hem, and taffeta lining to keep everything in place and comfortable.

Jean Desses diagonally ruched vibrant pink chiffon gown, c. early 50's. Contemporary size 4. SOLD

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call + 1 323 655-0223. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 1/2 Melrose Avenue (2nd Floor) at Harper Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Please reference the description above, if calling or emailing. For email requests, kindly include your full name and phone number plus City, State, and Country from which you are contacting.

WE HEART MARISA

Marisa Tomei is fabulous in vintage Jean Desses from Decades at the MOCA New Gala in Los Angeles.

BUBBLE-LICIOUS

This 1950s Jean Desses Haute Couture bubble-gum pink and bubble-skirted cocktail dress is a fashion lover's ideal confection of high style in a hue that will burst the bubble of anyone who crosses your path without a smile on his or her face.

Jean Desses Haute Couture bubble-gum pink cocktail dress, c. 1950s. Modern 6 to small 8 (room for a full bust!)
For email requests, kindly include your full name and phone number plus City, State, and Country from which you are contacting.

JEAN DESSES HAUTE COUTURE

Jean Desses is often regarded as the Master of draped chiffon and goddess-inspired silhouettes. That may be one of the reasons why Desses gowns always sell quickly at Decades. They don't come around often, however. We have had many six Desses evening gowns since our opening in 1997. That's one about every two years! This Desses is in an unusual cafe color and trimmed in milk chocolate velvet at the top edge and repeated at the left hip bow, where the chiffon gracefully gathers. We are the first to suggest that this is not a color for everyone, but, then again, Jean Desses dresses always end up in an extraordinary closet, so we can't wait to find the perfect home for this distinctive gown in spectacular condition, considering it's age. No one swags chiffon like Desses and this gown which is practically sixty years old remains the epitome of Haute Couture's endearing qualities and timelessness.

Jean Desses mocha strapless gown trimmed in velvet, c 1950s. Modern size 4.

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call + 1 323 655-0223. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 1/2 Melrose Avenue (2nd Floor) at Harper Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Please reference the description above, if calling or emailing. For email requests, kindly include your full name and phone number plus City, State, and Country from which you are contacting.

Christian Lacroix

Glamour is always a frame of mind. There are shapes and colors that can make you instantly glamorous. There are designers that make you feel like a lady, and not just any lady but a lady of the manor. A wealthy doyenne of style and sometimes excess. The runways of Haute Couture in Paris, are famous for the sometimes costume like creations that surge from the minds' eye of the designer. Sometimes however, the toned down versions of these pieces and the RTW collections are the healthy and perfect balance between beauty and excess.

Christian Lacroix, Dead stock Spring and Summer 1993, Ombre sand to hot pink Goddess Gown. Strapless and detailed with a floor length swag of chiffon swung over the shoulder and mimicking the action of Jean Desses. A contemporary size 4. SOLD

For further information or to purchase please contact alexander@decadesinc.com

The World of Haute Couture

For some this may be an Oscars dress but for others its a walk in the park and perfection in Couture.
Jean Desses, famous for drapery, was one of the original Parisian Couturieres. Once you wear Haute Couture like this there is nothing you can compare it to. The elegance is sublime and the lines are graceful. Pair it with a strand or two of pearls as shown on this mannequin and you will automatically ascend to the outer strata of dramatic and refined dressing.

Jean Desses, 50s Haute Couture. Shades of pink pleated creped chiffon gown with a 'bubble' stylized skirt. There is an additional swath of fabric that falls across your back for you to play with as you see fit. SOLD

for further information or to purchase please contact alexander@decadesinc.com

Jean Desses

When it's time to roll out the red carpet and it's time for you to slap on the glitz, turn to Jean Desses for some Hollywood pizzaz and drapery unlike any you find today. When J.Lo wore vintage Jean Desses to the last Oscars, she immediately found herself receiving more fashion credit than she was used to. Why? Because Jean Desses was a master of his art and the pieces he created are truly works of art.

With this hot red, 50s chiffon gown you will achieve something of a similar stir in the media. Unlabelled, this gown is such a piece no less. The front is actually very demure and measured while the back is dramatic and sexy. If you like to pose looking over your shoulder this is certainly the dress for you. SOLD

For further information or to purchase please contact alexander@decadesinc.com