From the Pages of… Princess From the Pages of… Princess

The Seventini

Do click on the pics to make them BIGAt first glance, the looks on these pages – straight from the latest issue of Australian marie claire – seem straightforward 70s redux (floppy hats, big sunglasses, flares). Then when you break it down you glimpse shades of the 1950s (capri pants); 1980s (chambray shirts, chain bags, flippy, belted minis); and 90s silhouettes (pencil skirts). It’s a strange cocktail, but I most prefer the 70s influence. Let’s call it a ‘Seventini’.

But let’s break it down a little further. The opening look (above) – what’s not to love? Great hat, fabulous swallow print scarf, super cool boots, and didn’t Hermès design some watches like that a few years ago? It is a little difficult to tell what the dress really looks like, and the bag is a trifle boxy for my tastes, but all in all, very soignée.

Moving on to the second page … The colour palette is appealing, except I quite dislike wearing chocolate (eating, yes; wearing, not so much). Especially in snug leather (bottom left). Can you imagine how much you would sweat in that tight-fitting top? But I LOVE those enormous bangles by Elke (great label, btw) – only $95 each, I think I’ll buy one in every colour. And I really do like the navy heels with white – what do you call that kind of trim? Shoelace? The braid is threaded through eyelets.

Oh, and have I mentioned before that I really don’t like loathe chain-strapped bags (although I must confess I do own a very cool vintage version)? You know, if someone gave me a classic Chanel 212 chain-strapped bag I would instantly bestow it upon a deserving pal. It’s one of my most-hated bag styles in all fashion history, what with the chain and the quilting. Ergh.

I shall dismiss page three almost wholly, except for the delicious tomato red hue and most of the jewellery. The brown dress is quite appealing… if only it wasn’t … brown. The gold bag and ballet slippers just look cheap.

Ok, onto the last page (the two large photos are my favourite looks). Love the enormous round sunglasses, adore the knit, and covet the jeans. The shoes are passable except for the gold toes (but if someone was holding a gun to my head, I would wear them) … Oooo! The bangles. Love!

That just leaves the bag. It is Vile. Who perpetrated this abomination? B Store. Never heard of ’em. Best to leave it this way, methinks, if this is a sample of their design philosophy.

This look would only set you back $1599. $2089 if you actually liked that hideous and repellent bag.

And now, the conclusion

The 70s vibe is very cool, and elegant – although I suspect there is just a sniff of unapproachable goddess here. The main drawback (aside from the fact I don’t have yards of leg at my disposal) is all the bare flesh: it looks great, but you would freeze gadding about like this in a Melbourne winter! I’m talking iceblocks. Blue skin even. What I want to know is this: are beige pantyhose coming back, because black opaques just won’t cut it for this look?

Ph: Adam Flipp/Reload Agency for marie claire Australia, May 2012

Read More
From the Pages of… Princess From the Pages of… Princess

Keep Your Shirt On!

Click for a history lessonI know that just the other day I panned the white shirt and cast it into outer darkness, but today let us pay homage to a special white shirt of recent history: the ruffled pirate shirt of Jerry Seinfeld infamy. Once you have finished dwelling over that precious memory, cast your eyes over this wonderful editorial on duelling fashion from the Australian magazine Follow Me Gentlemen (Sep/Nov 1989).

The gentlemen are sultry and the lady is sulky; passion and tempers run high. The introduction is full of delicious puns. These shirts are worn relaxed and open – no getting hot under the collar for these guys!

Click on images for larger versions.

Read More
From the Pages of… Princess From the Pages of… Princess

A Train Romance

Oooo, who can deny the sheer romance of train travel? That first step onto the platform in a strange country is delightful – how much more exciting when the train clacks in, one boards and finds one’s seat! The endless possibilities and adventures lying ahead transfix one into reveries, and it is far more interesting to gaze out the window and daydream than read a book.

These pages from a mid-90s French Vogue just make me sigh. And laugh reluctantly when I recall the stark contrast of the train I boarded from Fez to Marrakesh (which sounds romantic enough itself, but I can assure was most definitely not). Dominique Isserman’s black and white photographs are beautiful; Amber and Hervé’s marriage may not have lasted, but the romance of train travel will last forever.

Read More
From the Pages of… Princess From the Pages of… Princess

Love All

In celebration of the final night of the Australian Open, I bring you these highly impractical and light-hearted Thirties-inspired tennis outfits. They might not make you go faster on the court, but they sure do look good.

Torn from the pages of a vintage 90s Italian Vogue, I can see no photographer credited, or perhaps I have lost them when I trimmed the edges. I can only guess that it is Arthur Elgort, although a couple of those black and white shots put me in mind of Ellen von Unwerth. Both photographers are favourites of mine, so it’s a clear case of love all. 

Click on images for larger versions.

Read More
From the Pages of… Princess From the Pages of… Princess

Over at Hilles

Now that’s a hat!

Last week I posted a story about Blow by Blow, the biography on Isabella Blow, co-written by her husband, Detmar Blow and Tom Sykes. Reading the book, there was a reference to a photoshoot at Hilles, the home the couple shared: Isabella wore clothes by Alexander McQueen, a recent discovery. I remembered reading the story in British Vogue (Nov 1992), thinking what a grand and glamorous life the couple must lead. The other day I came across it in one of my tearsheet books while looking for a fashion editorial on Christmas.

So here’s the story of a lovely lady … click on the thumbnails for larger versions you can read.

Read More