A lot of people here might not know, but the Quaintrelle Life blog is actually part of a bigger Quaintrelle Life e-zine! Started up in 2008 under the original name Fancy Girl. Covering anachronistic fashions, crafts and lifestyle.
Things got a little quiet on the main site, but 2011 is the year of the quaintrelle and I'll be updating each month with at least one new feature, and making it a higher priority again.
The first new article of the year just went up today! The subject is vanity sets! I hope this months article will have enough tips and advice to get everyone started a vintage, or even antique vanity set of their own!
February and March's articles are already in development, so it's looking like a promising start!
I've been getting that period costume itch again, the little voice in my ear that is always saying "panniers are practical, it's those modern narrow doors that are all wrong!" has been speaking up again.
It's no secret I love my fashion old, not just 1950's old but 1780's old and even further back! One thing I love about vintage fashion is how people, even back then liked to play around with styles gone by.
Hero to vintage fashion fans Christian Dior was a big dabbler in all things old school, even in his day. He had dreams of the Belle Epoch before the 1st world war where the houses and people were opulent and more beautifully dressed than in the world he saw around him. His house created some amazing period costume inspired pieces such as the famous Zumire suit which recalls an 18th century riding habbit.
Digby Morton made a huge splash in 1952 with his Tudor inspired evening ensemble.
"He [Digby Morton] designed a cocktail-into-evening jacket that is almost a replica of the swashbuckling sixteenth century jacket. Only the cocktail hour was then non existent they simply started drinking at breakfast!" 1952 newspaper on the collection
The glamorous Lady Alexandra was mistaken for royalty in 1948 wearing a Victorian inspired gown from Jacques Fath. Balenciaga also produced some stunning bustle dresses inspired by the 19th Century.
"Style that hints at the classic and elegant forms of the past is a characteristic of 1950's fashion"
It's funny how we sometimes think of the current obsession with fashions past as a more beautiful style utopia, to be a modern condition. But I seems people have always idealized and looked wistfully backwards for inspiration. I suppose if any of us really were born back in the 40's-50's we might have been swanning around as fashion eccentrics in Edwardian hats and gowns! I know I certainly like to think so ;-)
Get the look!
Lately I've been getting my fix of vintage period drama with a few of my favorite designs from Candy Violet. My pink silk chemise dress, paired with the drop earrings and necklace in coral. Makes me feel like Norma Shearer! For any one else out here looking to try out a bit of that vintage take on centuries past we have a sale on a few items this month to help you do just that! We have a selection of dresses and accessories on sale here10% off till February 1st ! I hope you'll help us spread the word and celebrate centuries of romanticizing the past!
We all know the teasing beauty of the Sally Rand fan, huge drooping feathers that hide and reveal at the whim of the burlesque star! But before a fan of feathers received this ladies name, a fan of "feathers" received the name of a mid nineteenth century ladies name!
Named after the famous mind nineteenth century opera singer Jenny Lind (the Swedish nightingale) the Jenny Lind fan is made up of "feathers" sometimes real, more often of silk which form a smooth flat leaf over the sticks. It's always been one of my favorite styles because it's so unusual, and I love the way the uniform shapes open up like a rockettes kick line!
My Jenny Lind is somewhat larger than the originals, kind of an 1860's meets the 1900's, but to me that gives it something of the charm of the originals, with the added impact of later fans. There's over 2000 sequins hand embroidered on to it and it flutters like a dream!
Today we tend to think of hand fans as being small, about 8" long when closed, but for the 18th century, and much of the late 19th-early 20th century they were big! The point was display so they were the kind of size that made an impact, about 10-13" long when closed. I love a nice big fan, the movements always look more elegant and deliberate, and they have that great "hide and reveal" aspect of the Sally Rand to some degree that adds a little bit of mystery to them too.
Today I'm opening up a custom salon in the atelier section of Candy Violet! We're now taking orders for custom clothing, accessories, and of course fans! I'd love to get some fans into the wardrobes and hands of today's coquettes and quaintrelle. We'll be designing and making custom fans to fit any style, era, even costume or dress, special to each individual order.
I'd love to collaborate with any performers and pin ups and bring a real variety of fan to the scene today as well as costume and accessories, so please pass on our name if you can think of anyone who might be interested!
For right now though I leave you with the lovely Virginia Bruce as Jenny Lind....
In my current search for all things vanity lately, I ran into the concept of the lipstick holder! These pretty little vanity table pieces come in all shapes, sizes and materials, and are a great way for a gal to organize her lipstick collection (and what quaintrelle doesn't need a bit of that?)
I' had been looking around to see what kind of styles they came in, and was just about sold on a gold bar affair with cupids on it (understated I know) when an even more unusual one turned up in the shape of a tulip. I put it on the back-burner looking for what else might be out there when along came a second one, this time a little shinier than the 1st. I opened the page and found this super glitzy tulip lipstick holder used to belong to non other than Hollywood legend Lana Turner! I'll admit I wasn't quite ready to drop the $130 for the Lana Turner estate lipstick holder, but did get lucky enough to snag one exactly the same, just showing it's age a little more, for a song.
The 2nd one I jumped on is currently sitting on my vanity with my favorite 3 lipsticks in it for easy use! I love the style and it really is a great way to keep those tubes in check! Plus it's kinda nice to know that once upon a time a Hollywood great was pulling her lipsticks out of a holder just like it.
I'm still looking to add a few more to my vanity collection, so I'm sure there'll be more on here later. The thing I love about this one though is that the tulips are kind of flexible, so they can hold the newer larger lipsticks as well as the good old fashioned Besame style smalls these things were originally designed to hold. I'll let you know how any future holders take to my bigger lipsticks when I get them!
Have you ever noticed when you pick up a new album there are a few songs you love instantly, and a couple you either hate, or just think are a bit "eh", but then after time end up loving the most and loving them forever? I find myself the same way with style periods. I used to think the "romantic era" was dumbest period of fashion EVER! But something happened and now it's one of my favorites.
The same thing with vintage fashion. My personal rule is once hats and gloves cease being the norm, then it's all just too modern for me. Out of the "styles before gloves vanished" I used to kinda find the late 50's/early 60's styles borderline to disliked till recently...
I don't know why but lately I've been loving a bit of late 50's/early 60's style (maybe Madmen madness has struck me too?) I kinda like how everything is a little bigger, brighter and super feminine. It all seems really playful, still smart and a formal, but with a little bit of girlyness.
Over the weekend I took my silver brocade cocktail dress out for a spin with a full parure of paste gems, and big up swept hair. It felt great to wear and very "me" somehow. I don't know maybe as much as I love the serious 40's styles and admire those elegant 1930's sylphs I was just born to be a bouffant and bright pink lips kinda girl? We shall see!
One thing for sure, I'm on the hunt for some polka dot gloves and bigger lashes in the mean time! ♥
What about you guys? Do you always stay faithful to one particular period or like to play around? Are there styles you used to hate but came to love? I'd love to read more about every one elses love affairs with fashion of the past!
Yesterday was Dusty's and my 8 year wedding anniversary! Every year we try go out for one crazy meal to celebrate, and this year he took me out to Cityzen at the Mandarin Oriental in Washington DC, We got a nice quiet table, and spent a whole evening being brought tiny but insanely delicious food, including a 3 course dessert! I always feel lucky that we're both just as excited this day of the year as the day we got married.
It was nice being a December bride, because each anniversary we can look to the new year together and hope that it will continue to be even better than the last one.
"Style that hints at the classic and elegant forms of the past is a characteristic of 1950's fashion"
Named after the famous mind nineteenth century opera singer Jenny Lind (the Swedish nightingale) the Jenny Lind fan is made up of "feathers" sometimes real, more often of silk which form a smooth flat leaf over the sticks. It's always been one of my favorite styles because it's so unusual, and I love the way the uniform shapes open up like a rockettes kick line!
Today I'm opening up a custom salon in the atelier section of Candy Violet! We're now taking orders for custom clothing, accessories, and of course fans! I'd love to get some fans into the wardrobes and hands of today's coquettes and quaintrelle. We'll be designing and making custom fans to fit any style, era, even costume or dress, special to each individual order. 
