Category Archives: Designer

VPOD: Vintage 1960s Pucci Dress and Hitchhiking


vintage 1960s Pucci dress

Ralph Waldo Emerson reminded us that “life is a journey, not a destination.” And perhaps no one understands that better than a hitchhiker.

A hitchhiker isn’t attached to her mode of transportation. She’s not concerned whether the next 100 miles will be spent in the cab of a tractor trailor or in the plush leather seat of a sports car.

A hitchhiker isn’t attached to her route. She may know that the southern route is faster and more scenic, but she’s happy to accept an offered ride even if the driver plans to take the northern road.

And a hitchhiker isn’t attached to a schedule. While she hopes to be in NYC by Thursday, she knows the city isn’t going anywhere and that it will still be there waiting with open arms for her arrival on Friday or Saturday if her journey takes that long.

But you don’t have to go to Europe (where hitchhiking is legal) to experience the freeing power of living for the journey and not the destination.

You can do a little virtual hitchhiking on the highway of life every day! How?

  • By freeing yourself from attachments to the way you always do things and considering that there may be another way to get to the result you’re looking for.
  • By paying less attention to the deadlines you’ve set for your dreams and by spending more time dreaming of possibilities.
  • By allowing yourself to be more open to offers of help and not being too proud to stick out your thumb and ask for help when you need it.
  • And by welcoming unforeseen opportunities that might cross your path even if they don’t arrive wrapped up the way you thought they’d look.

But whether you’re one of those brave ladies who’s willing to risk hitchhiking on the interstate or whether you prefer to just hitchhike on the neurons in your brain, take a look at today’s VPOD.

This vintage 1960s Pucci dress is one way to flag down a ride in style (although it’s still smart to be well-prepared with those comfy high top sneakers just in case you have to walk a little further than you think.)

And it’s a fun find for a daring vintage fashionista!

Available at Alarm Boy Now. | Discovered at TheFind.com.

(To receive the VPOD via email along with detailed size, price and purchase information, sign up for my growing email mailing list here. Your information will never be sold or shared and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.)

VPOD: Vintage 1970s Missoni Silk Cape


Vintage Missoni Silk Cape

Recently More editor Lesley Jane Seymour spilled a little insider fashion secret to the world when she told Today show viewers that fashion editors often cut the size labels out of clothes before celebrity photoshoots. It seems if you want your size 8 starlet, who insists she’s a size 4, to wear a size 8 selection, you’ve got to grab some scissors and resort to subterfuge.

But this problem isn’t limited to the neighborhoods surrounding Hollywood. Many American women rely on the size ticket of their clothes to determine what they’ll buy or not buy. And that’s just plain silliness!

I mean, really, who knows what that size ticket in your back collar says except you? And what does it matter anyway?  Either a dress fits and makes you look and feel gorgeous or it doesn’t.

More importantly, if you’re gonna get stuck on a size number, you’ll never be open to the wide and wonderful world of vintage. Take me, for instance. I’m a petite gal who can’t wear some current labels because I swim in their size zeroes. But I’m thrilled to wear my favorite vintage dress bearing a size 10!

Of course, before you go clipping all the size labels from your clothes, you could always settle for something a little “one size fits all” like today’s VPOD.

This vintage 1970s hooded cape by Missoni is made of whisper soft silk.

And it’s a beautiful find for any size vintage fashionista!

Available at Swank Vintage.

(To receive the VPOD via email along with detailed size, price and purchase information, sign up for my growing email mailing list here. Your information will never be sold or shared and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.)

VPOD: Vintage 1970s Madame Gres Dress with Capelet


vintage madame gres dress

vintage madame gres dress detail #1

A few Santa Monica Vintage Expos ago, Sandra Mendoza-Daly and I were browsing all the vintage goodies when we came across a dress on a mannequin that had a little handwritten sign below it.  The sign said something like this:

Dress by Madame Gres. If anyone has any info on this designer, please see me.

Sandra and I looked at each other, then we looked at the dress and lo and behold it was truly an early Madame Gres. We informed the dealer about the treasure on her hands and listened in awe to her story of how the dress just walked into her shop one day with someone who wanted to sell some of a relative’s old clothes.

For someone like myself, who immerses herself in fashion history on a regular basis, it’s hard to believe that Madame Gres could go unnoticed, particularly by an experienced dealer. After all, some would argue that Madame Gres was the greatest couturier in history! But unlike other legends whose names live on with much greater fanfare, Madame Gres’ story was more one of riches to rags than rags to riches.

When she passed away in 1993 she was alone and destitute and her daughter kept her death a secret from the world for over a year. The truth was finally revealed by a reporter shortly after the full-scale retrospective of her work at the Met’s Costume Institute closed.

Christian Dior once said, “Each dress she makes is a masterpiece,” and today’s VPOD is no exception.

This vintage 1970s Madame Gres ensemble features a simple dress with a magnificent cape top.

It’s a noteworthy find for a vintage fashionista!

Available at Rare Vintage.

(To receive the VPOD via email along with detailed size, price and purchase information, sign up for my growing email mailing list here. Your information will never be sold or shared and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.)

VPOD: Vintage Pierre Balmain Evening Gown


vintage pierre balmain evening gown

I’m about halfway through Steven Martin’s latest novel, An Object of Beauty, which chronicles the business of fine art collecting and the people behind the game. (And if you’re wondering, yes, it’s the same Steve Martin that you remember from SNL and that you think of as “just a wild and crazy guy.”)

an object of beauty by steve martinThe protagonist in his story is Lacey Yeager, an ambitious young woman pursuing a career amid the art world. And I was struck by some advice given to her by her boss at Sotheby’s. Lacey is told:

“You don’t have to sell paintings. All you have to do is a put a good picture in front of a knowledgable collector and stand back.”

And certainly this is true among vintage collectors, too. It is easy for them to recognize “objects of beauty” like today’s VPOD.

This vintage Pierre Balmain gown would be beautiful with just the seed-beaded bodice and the chiffon skirt but it’s elevated to higher heights with the addition of its ruffled tulle overlay.

What an exquisite find for a collecting vintage fashionista!

Available at TheFrock.com.

(To receive the VPOD via email along with detailed size, price and purchase information, sign up for my growing email mailing list here. Your information will never be sold or shared and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.)

She’s a Vintage Fashionista: Mila Kunis in Vintage Christian Dior


mila kunis wears vintage christian dior

Mila Kunis, the 27-year-old actress who stars in Black Swan opposite Natalie Portman, became a vintage fashionista for a recent photoshoot for LA Times Magazine. She looks absolutely stunning in this vintage Christian Dior dress from The Way We Wore. Read more about this lovely leading lady here.


© Mary Kincaid 2006-2009
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