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GOD SAVE MY SHOES Trailer – New Fashion Documentary

Written on May 21, 2012 by Mary Kincaid in fashion, Films, Shoes, style

VPOD: Vintage 1960s Sequin Dress and Dressing The Help

It was so nice to see a movie of substance like The Help hold it’s own against the CGI-laden Rise of the Planet of the Apes this weekend. The film has grossed over $35.3 million since Wednesday night’s opening and demonstrates the power of the female pocketbook since 74% of its ticket buyers were women.

And while I’m sure the majority of women seeing the film had already read the book and loved the powerful story bearing witness to the complicated personal relationships between women and their maids in the early-1960s South, it didn’t hurt that the film delivered over two hours of drool-worthy vintage fashion, too!

I have yet to see the film but I’m eager to witness the work of Sharen Davis, the Oscar-nominated costume designer for Dreamgirls and Ray. Her job was to capture the small-town innocence of rural Mississippi and that was no easy task.

To fashion the look of the film she built 50 costumes and sourced the rest from vintage stores and costume rental shops, plus the LA Times reports that she spent $15k just on period accessories like handbags, shoes, jewelry, sunglasses and hats.

Her style inspiration?

It wasn’t Vogue magazine, which she claims was “too fashionable for everyday people.” Instead she admits that she turned to Sears, JC Penney and Montgomery Ward catalogs of the early 1960s.

And if you love the color palette of the film, which Sharen has described as “Easter egg” and “lollipop,” then turn to today’s VPOD.

This vintage 1960s sequin-covered wiggle dress in sherbet silk chiffon is an extra-sweet find for a Vintage Crusader!

Available at Mill Crest Vintage.

Image Credit: The Help Official Movie Site

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Written on August 15, 2011 by Mary Kincaid in 1960s, Dresses, Films, movies, sequins, vintage, vintage clothes, vintage clothing

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VINTAGE CRUSADE Spotlight and GIVEAWAY: Alexandra Roxo and Mary Marie

I am a huge supporter of independent films, perhaps because I just happen to have a screenplay tucked away in a drawer like pretty much everyone else in Hollywood! Plus I love the indie spirit and how talented people pool their creativity to bring stories to life on limited budgets.

That’s why this month I’ve put the Vintage Crusader Spotlight on Alexandra Roxo and her lovely indie film, Mary Marie.

Described as “guiltily enticing,” “an erotically charged yet gentle growing up film,” and “a competent and beautiful first feature by a new major talent,” Alexandra’s ethereal film was recently awarded Best Cinematography at the Brooklyn Film Festival Awards.

It tells the story of two sisters who return to their childhood home after their mother’s death for one last summer together and who become entangled in a steamy love triangle. And yes, one of those sisters is Alexandra herself, who not only took on the roles of Producer, Director and Co-Writer but who also Co-Stars with Alana Kearns-Green.

With a professional fashion photography and filmmaking resume that includes a recent stint as director of a short film for Suzanne Rae’s Fall/Winter 2011 Collection and film fashion projects with Vintage Mavens, Jill Lindsey, and Vanidades Magazine, Alexandra still clearly sees that “wearing vintage is a choice that supports not only fashion, but the environment.”

And while she’s busy promoting her film as it continues to show at festivals, she graciously found time to talk to Zuburbia about why she felt it was important to use vintage clothing in Mary Marie, how vintage fits into her own life and how important costume choices are for both actors and directors.

Tell me a little about your fashion background and how it influenced your decision to use vintage clothes for your film.

I have been an avid thrifter since high school and finding amazing vintage pieces for just a few dollars is something that makes me very, very happy. When I think about the amount of thrift stores out there that are full of tons of clothes, it seems so wasteful to keep buying new to me…and it’s so great to find pieces that you know won’t be in other films or on other people. When you find a random dress from the 60’s you will probably be the only one wearing it. I’ve always been into fashion and paid attention to fashion photography and I used a lot of fashion photography as visual references for this film.

We made this film on a very, very tight budget and with a very specific look in mind and using vintage pieces fit into that budget and look. The house we shot at is full of antiques and family heirlooms and we wanted the clothes to reflect that so vintage seemed like a natural choice. We also wanted to create an ethereal, timeless vibe that you couldn’t quite place. Vintage clothes lent to that feeling of timelessness.

The film includes scenes that are familiar to many a fashionista like scavenging closets and playing dress-up. How do these scenes add to the story you’re trying to tell in Mary Marie?

The girls in the story are revisiting a family home full of history. There is something very nostalgic about going through family closets…it’s a way to tap into history. When we shot the film we went through Alana’s grandmother’s closet. I still have some beautiful purses that Alana gave me that belonged to her grandma. And we’d open the purses and find little notes, dance cards, relics…In the film they are finding bits of history and symbolically bits of their own history as they pull on clothes and create a little world for themselves. They put on fancy dresses for outdoor picnics and campfires — it shows their childlike nature and accentuates the innocence that quickly is changed.

The cinematography of the film has been described as lush and dreamy. How did you select costumes to help add to this effect?

Yes, Magela Crosignani (our DP) and I worked hard on the feeling we wanted to create with the cinematography. Tim Linden, the production designer, and I also made decisions about color and texture in each location. And the costumes fit with that. In the bedroom of the two main characters, Mary and Marie, we decided to go for pastels and flowing white curtains, and it just so happened we had two vintage nighties that were pastel pink and blue. Most scenes are like that…the film is very, very visual. It’s a quiet film and the production design, camera work, and costumes set the foundation for a simple story to take place in a very beautiful way.

You not only produced, directed and co-wrote the film but you are one of the leading actresses as well. As an actress, how do the costumes you wear help inform the character you create?

With the character of Marie I knew that certain dresses would be very important in certain scenes. For instance, my favorite costumes, I think, were the nightgowns that the girls wear. They wear the pastel blue and pink soft nighties in their bedroom and it’s all a very soft and gentle feeling that informed the characters in those moments. Mary and Marie feel safe and soft in that bedroom…and those costumes create a childlike feeling and also an intimacy. I chose each costume carefully knowing that the choice could inform the scene and character quite a bit. But really my mind is more of a director’s mind — so choosing a vintage bright green dress with big blue flowers to use in a scene in the lush forest where Marie and Peter go was more of the decision of a director putting visual pieces together.

Finally, where are your favorite places to shop for vintage clothing and what’s the favorite vintage item in your own wardrobe?

I love shopping for vintage when I go to Georgia (where I grew up) for holidays. It’s usually the first thing I do when I get there. I don’t like going to vintage stores; I like going to thrift stores. The thrill of finding an amazing piece amidst a sea of clothes is my favorite part. My favorite item….well I have a few! Last year I randomly picked up a purse at a thrift store and it was a new Bottega Veneta….worth $3,000 and completely real! I didn’t even know when I bought it. It just felt like leather and so I threw it in my cart. It was from a recent collection and thank God the person pricing things at the thrift store didn’t notice! I also found a beautiful handcrafted-in-London trench coat last year that I had shortened for just a few bucks. And then there’s the Italian red leather pencil skirt….I could go on and on!!! Finding well-made, beautiful things for just a few dollars is amazing. Such a better feeling than going to the Gap or Urban Outfitters…which I sometimes do, but it’s not nearly as satisfying as thrifting, or as cheap.

Thanks so much Alexandra. I couldn’t agree more!

If you’d like to view Alexandra’s debut film for yourself, you can catch it this Friday, July 22 at 8pm at Cinema Village in Manhattan as part of NewFest, NY’s premiere LGBT Film Festival. Click here for ticket information.

Or visit Alexandra’s website at alexandraroxo.com to see her short films and photography work or the official Mary Marie website to watch the film’s trailer.

Now for our GIVEAWAY!

Alexandra has signed a Mary Marie movie poster suitable for framing. All current Vintage Crusaders are automatically entered in the giveaway as well as anyone who leaves a comment or likes this post on Facebook. Contest ends Friday, August 22 at noon PDT.

(Know a Vintage Crusader who should be featured in the Spotlight? Nominate them with an email to [email protected])

Written on July 20, 2011 by Mary Kincaid in Films, interview, Interviews, spotlight, vintage, vintage clothes, vintage clothing

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VPOD: Vintage 1980s Chanel Haute Couture Suit and Signe Chanel

I’m a bit bleary-eyed this morning as I stayed up until the wee hours totally engrossed in the last 4 episodes of Signe Chanel that I had saved on my DVR.

This fascinating documentary series by Loic Prigent gives an inside look at the creation and execution of Chanel’s Fall/Winter 2004-2005 collection. Watching Karl Lagerfeld sketch was watching true genius at work. Watching the talented seamstresses tirelessly execute his vision was inspiring. But I thought the 75-year-old woman, who lives on a horse farm far from Paris and creates the exclusive Chanel braid on two hours of sleep a night, stole the show.

And now here’s a little treat. While Sundance isn’t currently airing the series, I did discover an entire list of YouTube links at SassyBella that claim to make-up the entire 5-part documentary series including Anticipation, Doubts, Rituals, Sleepless Nights and finally, Collection.

Yes, the documentary is in French with English subtitles, but that just adds to the feeling of being a fly on the wall at the great House of Chanel.

And after you see the final Collection on the runway and hear Oprah talk about the expected price tags for these haute couture masterpieces, you’ll appreciate today’s VPOD all the more.

This vintage 1980s Chanel haute couture suit in beige and tan boucle features the famed braided trim, the signature weighted chain jacket and lionhead buttons.

And it’s an absolute steal for a vintage fashionista!

Available at Madison Avenue Couture. | 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.)

Written on March 16, 2011 by Mary Kincaid in 1980s, Chanel, Films, haute couture, Uncategorized, vintage, vintage clothes, vintage clothing

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VPOD: Mod Vintage Courreges Shift Dress and Vidal Sassoon The Movie

For my Artist’s Date** this week, I’m planning to see Vidal Sassoon The Movie. The film’s trailer played before 127 Hours last week and I was thoroughly enthralled. Watch it yourself here and see what you think.

This inspiring rags-to-riches story tells the tale of how Vidal Sassoon “changed the world with a pair of scissors” and became the most important person in the world of hairdressing.

But he didn’t just influence hairdressing, he influenced fashion.

Who can forget his amaaaazing geometric cuts which went so well with the space-age styles of the 1960s? Or how he gave bobs to Mary Quant’s store window mannequins? Or how he worked like a modern-day Michelangelo chiseling masterpieces from hair instead of marble?

I, for one, adore the space-age era and the mod designs of Pierre Cardin and Courreges and I couldn’t imagine all the iconic photographs of these dresses without the bold space-age hairstyles that complimented them so well.

Today’s VPOD, a mod mini shift dress by Courreges, is a slightly more modern take on the iconic space-age styles of the 1960s and I promise you can wear it without shearing off your locks into a geometric bob! (Though if you decide to do just that, please consider donating your locks to Locks of Love.)

For information on when Vidal Sassoon The Movie is playing near you, or to find out how you can watch the movie on demand, click here.

Both the movie and the frock are special treats for a vintage fashionista!

Dress available at Stated Style.

**For more information on Artist’s Dates, read Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way.