Queen of Knitwear

French designer Sonia Rykiel has been creating knits for thirty years. She began her career in 1962, when she was pregnant, motivated by the fact that she could not find any attractive maternity wear. It was in knitwear that she found her metier however; she wanted to ‘be the only unique woman of St Germain des Prés, dressed so that the rest seemed not to exist’. A very worthy motive indeed!

It was the ‘poor boy’ sweater that became her trademark with its tight, high-cut armholes. I own one of these in distinctive purple and red stripes, in a thin, almost semi-transparent wool, and can testify that the cut does give knitwear a sexy edge. I also have a couple of her pompom sweaters, the grey one above, and a multi-coloured striped knit with bell sleeves. All were bought from eBay stores.

Click and read the story below for a little history on the Queen of Knitwear. 

From British Marie Claire, Nov 1998; click image for larger version

Bohemian Love

CELEBRATING THE ROARING TWENTIES IN A SPECIAL SERIES

One of my favourite images in the shoot: I love the hair rolled up in the comb … and that robe!

This has always been one of my favourite 1920s themed fashion editorials, and now I see why: the photographer is also one of my all-time favourites, Friedemann Hauss. I am guessing that the magazine is British marie-claire, from the early 1990s.

There is something more sophisticated yet bohemian than the typical 20s style fashion shoots; something slightly louche about the artist’s muse lounging about in silk pyjamas and trailing semi-transparent kaftans. Yet she is still elegant; ethereal yet earthy, wandering the cold, wind-swept beaches in her tweeds, living a dream-life … sigh. 

Click images for larger versions.

I love the silhouette on the left, that coat and hat, and the luxury of velvet and ostrich feathersBeautiful panné velvets and chiffons – a romantic outfit for the beachDid I mention the fabulous jewellery?That gown is to die for!I would love a house with an interior like this, so decadent

Clara’s Bow

CELEBRATING THE ROARING TWENTIES IN A SPECIAL SERIES

Silent Screen star Clara BowI’m thinking, with my change of do on Thursday night, I’m also going to have to rethink my makeup. Doing a little research I discover that the popular colours of the time are actually not much different to the colours I already wear – except much more of it.

Check out Clara Bow’s dramatic eyebrows, (above). I wonder if that famous cupid’s bow of Clara’s was fake? I am not sure if I could be bothered drastically changing the shape of my lips or brows, except perhaps for a party. Just imagine how much concealer would be required – yuk. I wear the bare minimum as it is.

A 1920s collection :: Americana // DC // No flashAt Return2Style you’ll find a very succinct guide to colours and shapes of the era. Fortuitiously, I just bought an orange-red creme blush and a lovely red lipstick (above) that is somewhere between lipstick and gloss. Here is also a little tutorial on how to obliterate your twenty-teensies brows and vanquish a modern pout to create a 20s rosebud instead.

Scroll down for some more inspiration from a vintage British Marie Claire (no idea which issue, sorry, but hey look, there’s Christy, Shalom and the inimitable Linda sporting a 20s bob).

That would be Clara Bow and Louise Brooks in the top leftThe inimitable Linda Evangelista

Jumpology

Alain Chamfort and Claire, ph. Pamela Hanson for French Vogue, c. 1990sI’m obviously not the only one who thinks jumping is so much fun. Some time in the 90s, French Vogue and Pamela Hanson took these photos in homage to Philip Halsman’s portraits of many comedians and celebrities jumping.

He commented, “When you ask a person to jump, his attention is mostly directed toward the act of jumping and the mask falls so that the real person appears.” [Wikipedia] This is so true! It’s extremely difficult to think about aesthetic placement of one’s hands, and aspects of composition, not to mention non-contorted facial expressions while one is mid-flight. There’s so little time, after all.

Halsman even developed a tongue-in-cheek philosophy of jump photography, called jumpology. I think I like him.

Enjoy French Vogue’s take on it.

Marlon Richard and Lucie de la Falaise, ph. Pamela Hanson for French Vogue, c. 1990sMarc Cholodenko and Annabelle D’Huart, ph. Pamela Hanson for French Vogue, c. 1990sAnthonis and Emmanuelle Alt, ph. Pamela Hanson for French Vogue, c. 1990sJean-Paul Gaultier, ph. Pamela Hanson for French Vogue, c. 1990sNadja and Antoine de Caunes, ph. Pamela Hanson for French Vogue, c. 1990s

The Snow Maiden

The last day of winter is really here! The miracle of spring (and lots and lots of rain) is about to unfurl. But before we bid a final farewell, let’s sigh over this ice blue and white winter fantasy beautifully captured by Javier Vallhonrat for French Vogue in 1992.

Faintly resembling a pierrot with her white makeup, the inimitable Linda Evangelista, enveloped in ostrich feathers, brings to life a snow maiden out of a fairytale. Truly magical.