Thursday, December 17, 2009

Dorothy Lamour

This dress was worn in film she made with William Holden named " The fleets in". The dress is beaded and has long slit up the leg. A beautiful movie star that made many comedies with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby...the "road" movies. And became more famous by wearing sarongs not dresses like this.
 Dorothy Lamour movie star 1941 beaded gown vintage portrait.

Fashion 2010 winter

BOSS Black Fashion Show Berlin Fall/Winter 2009/2010

Victoria's secret fashion show 2009

Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2008 with Heidi Klum, Adriana Lima, Marisa Miller, Karolina Kurkova, Miranda Kerr, Alessandra Ambrosio, Doutzen Kroes and many other hotties.

50's Dresses - Affordable Glamor That Really Dazzles




50's Dresses - Affordable Glamor That Really Dazzles
By David Tymon



Glitz and glamour, two words that can be associated with 50's dresses. This decade saw a resurgence in the fashion industry as people began to be more interested in clothes again after the Second World War. Young people began to develop their own fashion trends and many of the clothes designed throughout the 50's began to shine as luxurious fabrics began to be used again.


Bright colours and dazzling patterns were the order of the day, which could be easily seen from the 50's day dresses and 50's evening dresses that were popular at the time. Design wise, many of the women's styles followed an hourglass shape with a small waistline, fuller skirts, and high heels. These shapes can be seen in full effect with such examples as a 1950's Dyanne day dress or a 1950's Petiteen day dress.


Many of the evening dresses from the 1950's followed a slender silhouette. The majority of these 1950's evening dresses had small waists and were of a longer length. Alongside the traditional blacks and dark greys, bright colours shone through. Designs such as a vintage 1950's Ricci Michaels of Mayfair gown or a 1950's Hawaiian bombshell dress are extremely good examples of this.


Around the mid 50's, designs began to change. The 'A' line skirt began to become popular, as did looser fitting 'sack' dresses. Women's suits started to follow a more boxy appearance as characterised by the obligatory Chanel suit. These suits were collarless, had a contrasting trim and small pockets with contrast buttons.


Movies in the 1950's helped shape women's choices in dresses. Influential actresses of this decade such as Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, and Marilyn Monroe, all became style icons that were emulated universally. Music too, played its part as the 1950's bore the age of rock and roll. This led to American fashion styles being worn here in the UK by young people who wanted to achieve the distinctive look.


1950's style can be just as wearable today as it was in its heyday. The right combination or inclusion of key pieces of period vintage clothing can extra that little extra pizzazz to your existing wardrobe or if desired, why not opt for the full look and buy a full 1950's vintage outfit such as an evening dress or 1950's vintage dress. The important thing to remember is that whatever items you choose, your individual style should shine through.


Why settle for what the high street has to offer when you can grab a slice of history instead. After all, those gorgeous 1950's actor's iconic status remains today so why not go for the look yourself and dazzle your friends with some 1950's glamour.



Retro Clothes Shop


Vintage Clothing - Devoted 2 Vintage.co.uk


230a St Johns Road


Boxmoor


Hemel Hempstead


Herts, HP1 1QQ


United Kingdom


Tel. 01442 234400


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Tymon
http://EzineArticles.com/?50s-Dresses---Affordable-Glamor-That-Really-Dazzles&id=1651470





1940's Men's Fashion - A Time of Transformation Toward the Swing Era

1940's Men's Fashion - A Time of Transformation Toward the Swing Era
By Jackie D.


As the Great Depression came to an end and World War II was descending onto the globe, the 1940s became cemented in human history as a pivotal decade.  This time period brought on a dramatic shift in men's fashion.  In fact, some people consider the 1940s as one last great hurrah in the elegance and style of men's fashion.

Influence of World War II

Because World War II was taking its toll on Europe in the early 1940s, Italy and Paris were no longer the fashion leaders.  It was during this time that strict rationing was the norm in many places, including the United Kingdom and the United States, which meant that fashion designers had plenty of challenges when it came to making clothes.  Fashion quickly became more about substance and functionality than style.

During the early 1940s men's fashion was to be transformed forever.  In wartime, natural fibers were reserved for uniforms and military wear.  Practical, sturdy clothing became the norm.  It was during this time that men's suits actually lost the vests, pocket flaps, and trouser cuffs to conserve material.  At the end of the war, men's fashion changed again, and perhaps became one of the most iconic periods in recent history.

Swing Era in Full Swing

In the mid-1940s, the Swing Era boomed onto the scene and so did the Zoot suit.  Designers began to create more stylish outfits meaning that men's suits were full-cut again.  The double-breasted suit, wider trousers, and oversized longer jackets quickly became in vogue.  The pants were particularly different from decades past with low crotches, high waists, and narrow ankles.  Additionally, shirts and coats began to be made in a full range of vibrant colors including peach, blue-grey, cedar, and putty.  This exciting change also influenced the neckties, which were previously traditional and almost boring.

Flamboyant Neckties

Men's ties of the 1940s were something to be seen!  Hand-painted shaped silk neckties were all the rage and were made to appeal to every taste and style.  The designs ranged from elegant to quite exotic and borderline strange for the time.  It was not shocking to see brightly colored geometric designs or even pin-up girls painted onto neckwear.  They were secured with equally flamboyant tie pins and clips.  Neckties became a personality-defining accessory that many men took advantage of. 

Men who chose not to wear the more flamboyant neckwear opted for solid colors of red, blue, or white stripes.  Regardless of pattern or color, neckties were quite wide and fairly short.  However, all of them were worn mostly in Windsor knots. 

Accessories that Make the Man

It was during this time that accessories began to really make the man.  Aside from ties, hats and shoes became quite influential.  It was during this decade that the wide-brimmed fedora made its mark on history.  The shoe of choice quickly became the wingtip, reminiscent of the 1930s with one sure difference - two tone designs.  However, black patent leather dress shoes also became quite popular.  Other popular accessories for men in the 1940s included good cufflinks and tricked out suspenders.  Suspenders are a direct throwback to wartime when all the leather went to the military rather than to the public for belts.  

Conclusion

Though the decades leading into the 1940s were quite desperate, men's fashion became more exciting, flattering, and opulent during this time.  We often think back on men's fashion and the daring styles remind us of swing-dancing and gangsters.  Today, we can see the influence of the 1940s in the most elegant and classy of men's fashion design.


Jackie D. is the owner of Ties2Pillows, an online resource for Designer Neckties with the largest selection of Vintage 1940's Men's Ties for sale on the web.

Ties are separated by era (1920's through today's), by style (wide, extra long, square end, knit, silk) and by pattern.

The site carries every novelty theme imaginable, including hard to find vintage unique novelty ties.

Get 10% off your entire order today! Just type in the code TAKE10 on the order page and get and instant 10% savings!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jackie_D.
http://EzineArticles.com/?1940s-Mens-Fashion---A-Time-of-Transformation-Toward-the-Swing-Era&id=3124369

Friday, December 4, 2009

History of Wrangler jeans brand

Wrangler is one of the three most popular American jeans brands. And here is the story of how this brand was born.
It all stated in 1897 when a 20-year-old young man called S.S. Hudson came to a small textile town of Greensboro, North Carolina, to find a job. The first job offer Mr. Hudson managed to find was sewing buttons on a factory for 25 cents a day. And in seven years the factory went bankrupt. 1904 S.S. Hudson bought a couple of sewing machines, rented a room on the second floor of a grocery shop and registered his own company under the name of “Hudson Overall Co.”. The company turned out to be quite a success and 15 years after its establishment it opened the first jeans manufacturing factory. Railroad men liked Hudson’s creations to such extent, that they even presented him with a bell, which in course of time became blue because of small particles of indigo color. S.S. Hudson was inspired and renamed his company, which was then called “Blue Bell Overall Co.”. 1926 he sold a successfully running company to a textile manufacture “Big Ben” for a hatful of money – 585 thousand dollars.
Six years later the new owner of the company presented new overalls “Super Big Ben Overalls”, which would practically not shrink after washing. The overalls didn’t lose their form and didn’t become shorter, which caused a sensation in those days! It is not surprising that this event laid a foundation for modern standards of textile industry.
1943 the company bought another firm manufacturing overalls, “Casey Jones” together with the rights for a rarely used trademark “Wrangler” (which means “rancher”). The idea was to manufacture special cowboy trousers surpassing all competitors on the market. However, the conception was realized only in 1947, the official year of Wrangler jeans creation.
The breakthrough happened thanks to another textile innovation – broken twill denim. Such texture provided balanced structure of the fabric, which from now on no longer intertwined around cowboy’s legs while wearing. Besides the new customized denim cloth turned out to be softer than traditional herringbone one. The jeans were designed by a famous cowboy tailor Rodeo Ben – Ben Lichtenstein – and were for the next two years advertised for by American rodeo celebrities like Jim Shoulders, Bill Pindermann and Frekless Brown. Three of them constantly appeared wearing 13MWZ jeans model by Wrangler, which happened to be the best advertising campaign ever and the most convincing argument for quality and originality.
Peculiarities of these designer jeans were dictated by their cowboy nature – they were meant for those who ride a horse. Waist cut prevented a shirt from riding up and trouser legs were a bit longer than normal which prevented them from coming up as well. Triumphant progress of new trademark started. 1974 custom tailored jeans by Wrangler were recognized as official clothes of “Rodeo cowboys association” in the USA.
However, the brand didn’t want to limit itself with American market only. 1962 Blue Bell became the first American clothes company to open a denim factory in Europe. Wrangler jeans become here no less popular than in the USA: a year later “Newsweek” magazine calls European teenager “a surprise in Wrangler cover”.
In 1996 each fifth pair of jeans sold in the USA was manufactured by Wrangler. Today the brand exploits not only the cowboy theme, but also Western roots and tradition. Besides, nowadays the trademark manufactures a line of clothes for hunters and sportsmen called “ProGear”. A “W” letter embroidered on the back pockets has become to one of the most recognizable symbols in the world. In Europe the brand is represented in 22 countries. In the same way as before Wrangler embodies the spirit of explorers and pioneers, bright individuals, hardworking, free and self-confident – the true values of Western civilization (see getwear.com custom jeans articles).




Little Black Dresses

Author: Styleshake

The little black dress is a timeless classic, pioneered by Coco Chanel, who liberated us from corsets and frills, so it’s a statement of independence and elegance. Coco intended for the little black dress to be long-lasting, versatile, affordable and accessible and to the widest market possible, which it is without doubt what it is deemed today.
The little black dress is easy to wear and easy to style, an elegant black dress can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion: for example, worn with a jacket and pumps for daytime business wear or with more ornate accessories for the evening. Wearing your dress with a blazer or sweater and some knee length boots is a great look for work or an interview.
A girl must always have the perfect LBD in her wardrobe as it will always make you look elegant and glamorous. One can never go wrong with a little black dress. They add versatility to your wardrobe making it well worth the purchase. Black never fades, it always goes with the trends and you can mix and match it with anything. You can choose your perfect LBD to suit your size and shape. You don't have to be a skinny stick to wear one. More voluptuous girls can wear them
too. The LBD is perfect for that slimming affect.
Your dress can also go on holiday with you and will be perfect for a stunning look quickly. Whether you're heading off to a class reunion or walking the decks of a cruise ship, the little black dress is a no-fail option. Look for details that flatter your shape (strapless to show off great shoulders; waist details to optimize an hourglass shape) and pick a length anywhere from mini to right below the knee for the most versatile look. Be sure to choose a material
that resists wrinkles and dries quickly and you are ready for any fashion emergency. An LBD is a wardrobe staple that will go with all your new fashion finds from magpie antique jewels to colourful shoes and jazzy tights. Black fashion is a staple on the international

catwalks and is a shade that people will never tire of seeing it’s poetic and romantic with a hint of sensuality.
Famous little black dresses include Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, who epitomised the style of Coco Chanel, adorning her LBD with pearls in the film. Wallis Warfield Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, was known to own several little black dresses and said much in praise of the garments. She was quoted saying: “When a little black dress is right, there is nothing else to wear in its place.”

Edith Piaf, the French folk icon, performed in a black sheath dress throughout her career, for this habit she was nicknamed “little black sparrow." It was thought that the dress helped audiences to focus more on Edith Piaf's singing and less on her appearance.

Black is slimming and is great when we don’t have the time or inclination to go to the gym. Great for the more fuller-figure lady as it will create a more svelte silhouette. It is the answer to every, ‘what should I wear to the’ question, from cocktail parties, night-clubs to the theatre.