22

Jun

Halston remains an enigmatic icon in ‘Ultrasuede’

Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston is Whitney Smith’s 2010 ode to Roy Halston Frowick, better known  simply as “Halston.”  Known for his modern, pared-down yet uber glam take on womenswear, Halston owned the seventies and proved that American design was as relevant as those from Europe.  Smith – in a Smokey and The Bandit-type Trans Am and various hairstyles – sets out to uncover more about the designer’s life and legacy.

Along the way, he meets up with the imperious and formidable André Leon Talley, a chatty Liza Minelli (who was close friends with the designer), former model Anjelica Huston and legendary model Pat Cleveland, a favorite of Halston’s (she was known as The Moth, because she strutted toward the light.  She also modeled in his triumphant  “Battle of Versailles” show.)  We also get a peek at the Halston archives, located at Lipscomb University in Nashville (who knew!) and a crash course in 70s era decadent music and nighlife.

The documentary, which is as light and airy as a swath of chiffon, provides something akin to a Cliff Notes version of Halston’s life and legacy.  Although we get a glimpse into his posh home, posh friends (including Andy Warhol and Bianca Jagger), his archives (located at Nashville’s Lipscomb University) and his decadent and ultimately tragic life, we don’t get much else.  Smith touches on Halston’s significant influence – the Iowa boy became a milliner who put new First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in a pillbox and simple cloth coat and influenced the likes of Calvin Klein – but Smith fails to go deeper into the material.  He also hits the highlights of Halston’s business ventures: the licensing of his name and his partnership with JC Penney (which led to his line being dropped by Bergdorf Goodman) and sort of tainted his brand, but yet which set the stage for the current democratization of fashion (e.g. Isaac Mizrahi at Target and Versace at H&M).  Halston was ahead of his time in realizing that women wanted high fashion even if they didn’t have deep pockets, and he attempted to cash in on that idea before it was popular.

If Smith hadn’t been so concerned with asking shallow questions or in reliving the 70s – if he had looked deeper into Halston’s motivations and his genius – this would have been a much better documentary.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX55Tlyvq7U

View some of Halston’s designs HERE, and Smith’s interview with Liza HERE.

14 years ago Short URL Comments

Fashion Flashback/The Look

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14

May

Who knew Lena Horne had her own cosmetics line back in the day?  This ad via Flickr offers shoppers “an appointment with beauty” and “unsurpassed excellence and style.” 

Watch the fabulous Ms. Horne in all her glory below:

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHzx2P4x63c&w=560&h=315]

14 years ago Short URL Comments

Fashion Flashback/Love That!

16

Apr

You’re Never Fully Dressed Without…

I don’t feel fully “dressed” without my perfume.  What do you feel naked without?

14 years ago Short URL 4 Comments

Fashion Flashback/Love That!

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26

Mar

Mad Men Season 5 Airs; SCDD Shops!

Mad Men’s highly anticipated, hotly debated Season 5 aired last night and – without giving anything away- it’s safe to say “the time’s, they are [definitely] a-changing.”  SCDD won’t parse the details and speculate about future plot twists here (that could go on forever, as internet chatter about the newest season hit fever pitch the past few months).  Nay, we’ll celebrate the show’s pitch-perfect attention to detail.  I squealed out loud when I saw little Sally Draper’s sunshine yellow Springmaid bed sheets; my parents had the exact same set which they received as a wedding gift.  Want a set of your own?  Check them out on Etsy HERE (alas, this listing ’tis only the flat sheet).

What other era-perfect goodies did I browse?  How about Joan Holloway Harris’ signature statement piece: the gold pen necklace?  Femme fatale attitude sold separately.  Or how about that super chic pram she strolled her new baby around town in?  This Silver Cross Balmoral pram sold by Posh Tots “combines stately elegance with an air of true nostalgia” and retails for $3,995 (although it’s missing the little privacy curtain).

In the age of iPhones, crackberries and Androids, how many of us maintain a hardcopy desk calendar or handwritten schedule?  Pete’s secretary Clara had a nifty trifold version, and Kate Spade periodically offers a similar pink version. This one is on Ebay.  Or might you be interested in playing solitaire with a real deck of cards for a change?

Wondering what to get the man who has everything (including a secret identity)? Then a pure badger shaving brush or silver-topped walking stick may be right up your man’s sartorial alley. And if you’re planning to serenade him with his own special “Zou Bisou Bisou” moment, this dress by Posh Girl Vintage is close-up ready.

For more Mad Men clothing and cosmetics, check out the collections at Banana Republic and Estee Lauder.

I have an early meeting with Coca Cola on Staten Island,

Alexis

Images via AMC TV

14 years ago Short URL 2 Comments

C'est Si Bon/Fashion Flashback/Shopping is My Cardio

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17

Feb

SCDD Remembers: Whitney Houston

I don’t think I have the words to describe what Whitney Houston’s music accomplished when she opened her mouth and SANG, or to adequately describe where her lush vocals carried us.  If you can listen to her without feeling you don’t need someone to run to, it’s not right but it’s okay: you may not be human.

My family didn’t have cable television at my parents’ house when Whitney Houston was released.  My dad had a state-of-the-art (at that time) Realistic hifi in our den, and that’s where we played her records.   I remember looking at the woman on the cover as I sat on a barstool in our kitchen.  Thin, brown, with a head full of hair and a big smile – she reminded me of a Barbie come to life.

When Whitney Houston’s music swept WBLX and WABB and everywhere else on the planet, her songs became recital program staples and Star Search pieces. I couldn’t sing a note to save my life, but alone in my bedroom I’d close the door, turn on my Walkman, grab a hairbrush and lip sync in my dresser’s mirror.  With her 80s-perfect gowns, big hair, and modeling credits,  I think for girls my age (no matter what race) Whitney’s beauty, other-worldly talent and down-to-earth persona gave us something to aspire to, whether you wanted to be a singer, actress, model or something else entirely.  Plus, she couldn’t dance; she was just a touch awkward, just like me.  If I close my eyes when I hear You Give Good Love, I can imagine I’m six years old again, riding in my mom’s Toronado, too young for the love she sang about but definitely able to understand the emotion.

I’m not going to embellish her life and ignore or gloss over the fact that Whitney had very real problems.  Real people – whether they are superstars or not – are often more and less than what our expectations hold them up to be.   It is unbelievably tragic that for all the elegant control she had over her voice professionally, she struggled with exerting the same control personally.  I watched the train wreck of an interview conducted by Diane Sawyer, and the Bravo dramedy she starred in with Bobby Brown.  But I always hoped Whitney would pull herself together and triumph.  

This is how I’ll remember her: no gimmicks, no ill-advised attempts at theatricality, just…Whitney.

14 years ago Short URL 2 Comments

Fashion Flashback

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09

Dec

Fashion Flashback: Marilyn McCoo

You can thank Tasha Simone of Hot 107.7 for today’s flashback; her tweet yesterday inspired SCDD’s stroll down memory lane! When we think of Marilyn McCoo, we instantly recall the over-the-top pop sensation that was Solid Gold in the 1980s.  Ms. McCoo was the show’s glamorously coiffed and couture-wearing host, who performed a contemporary hit each episode set to some awesome choreography from the Solid Gold Dancers.  The show also featured a top ten countdown and sassy commentary from Madame.  But did you know the multi-Grammy award winner  and former Jet Beauty of the Week was also an original member of the The 5th Dimension, a  music group known for hits such as One Less Bell to Answer and Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In (of Hair fame)?  Ms. McCoo, who went on to record as a successful duo with her husband (Billy Davis, a founder of The 5th Dimension), is a celebrated stage, film and television actress, entertainer, author and hostess.

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There were entirely too many clips to enjoy  from Solid Gold, but check out this one featuring Jermaine Jackson.

Images courtesy of Lucy Who, Vintage Black Glamour, mccoodavis.com and Wikipedia

14 years ago Short URL 3 Comments

Fashion Flashback

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18

Nov

Fashion Flashback: Phylicia Rashad

Before Michelle Obama and her kitten heels strode in to the White House and before Real Thirsty Wannabes and Basketball Fiancees & Baby Mamas hit the airwaves,  for girls of a certain generation, Clair Huxtable was the epitome of affluent sophistication.  In sitcomland, she managed to run a household of five precocious children and one hilarious husband all while maintaining a career as a lawyer and keeping a flawless brownstone.  Elegant and  eloquent, Clair’s relationship with Cliff and her children helped revolutionize television each Thursday night on NBC.  Whether you had a mother like her – or just wished you did – her presence on the air was affirming (which makes this  recent turn of events even more unfortunate).

Texas native Phylicia Rashad, who brought the character to life,  is a gifted thespian as well as the first African-American to receive a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play.  And who can forget that she was married to Ahmad Rashad?  Bet you didn’t know she also tripped the light fantastic as a disco singer!

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14 years ago Short URL Comments

Fashion Flashback

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11

Nov

Fashion Flashback: Michael Jackson

The best to EVER Do It.  It takes some serious self-confidence to rock a bedazzled military jacket, one sequined Mickey Mouse glove,  white socks, penny loafers and – if anyone else rocked them, what would be considered –  high water pants, plus a Jheri curl, all at the same time.

I’m going to need those glittery slouch boots to materialize in my closet in a size 8.

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Images courtesy of Google

14 years ago Short URL Comments

Fashion Flashback

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04

Nov

Fashion Flashback: The LBD

Whether you wear it to breakfast at Tiffany’s or style it like Halle or Herve, the little  black dress (LBD) is every woman’s best friend.  Versatile and effortlessly chic, this wardrobe must-have is available in a variety of fabrics and silhouettes.  Find the one that works best for your physique and lifestyle, dress it up or down, rock a sheath or dare to be bare in a strapless version, but make sure you own at least one!  Before the Roaring 20s, black was considered appropriate only for mourning, and came to be associated with fallen or dangerous women when worn outside those circumstances.  Coco Chanel turned it into an aspirational uniform, and today it is always appropriate: with a few adjustments an LBD can take you from the office to cocktails to…well, just about anywhere.

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Images courtesy of Google

14 years ago Short URL 1 Comment

Fashion Flashback

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28

Oct

Fashion Flashback: School Daze

Come on…you saw this one coming a mile away!  In honor of the 2011 Magic City Classic, we’re posting a classic clip from the 1988 Spike Lee Joint which inspired countless co-eds to enroll at  historically Black colleges or universities.  Lee’s film examined racial tension, political consciousness and Black identity on college campuses; its themes – frats vs. independents, “good” hair vs. “bad” hair, light skin vs. dark skin, etc. – are still being debated in  some circles today.  Enjoy this clip featuring  two up-and-coming Gamma Rays who went on to very bright careers!  (And ladies – you’re lying if you love the movie but claim never to have done this choreography in the your bedroom mirror!)

Some scenes from the film:

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For more on School Daze, click here.

Images courtesy of Columbia Pictures, Inc. & 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks via imdb.com

14 years ago Short URL Comments

Fashion Flashback

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