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Showing posts with label 30s-50s Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 30s-50s Books. Show all posts

Sunday, 8 April 2012

Marchesa Luisa Casati

'She became a being of her own invention - not one of any particular sex, or time, or size, or shape.'


Marchesa Luisa Casati has been the most entertaining part of Italian High Class. The most innovative and creative woman ever lived! Even though her most spectacular years were 1910 - 1920 and when 20s brought new flapper style and ready made dresses she still kept her style of past splendor and sparkled.
Much less understood and accepted by the crowd Luisa couldn't care less about disapproval she caused.
' Count Etienne de Beaumont had planned a ball and the Marchesa Casati decided to appear as an electrically equipped Saint Sebastian. She was to wear armour pierced with hundreds of arrows, each studded with glittering stars that were to light up when the Marquesa appeared. In the morning of the ball in a little side room (...) she arrived with her host's permission, bringing a fleet of servants, an electrician, and stoves for boiling water to make cups of tea or coffee while the elaborate preparations for her appearance were in progress. At last, her maquillage complete, her hair fixed in an aureole of ringlets, the Marquesa was pulled into tights and the armour was fixed on her with padlock. But at the moment of being plugged in a disaster took place; the costume was shortcircuit and instead of being lighted up with thousands stars, the Marquesa suffered an electric shock that sent her into a backward somersault. She did not recover in time to appear at the party, leaving a note (...) "milles regrets".' 
Yes. It was in 20s.


Once she attended a mask ball where she arrived and dined dressed as a serpentine having on her side naked woman and naked man - Adam and Eve, those two were just and only part of her costume.
With time she went 'mad'.
' Eccentricity is tolerable only in it's first freshness. Cherished until it has gone stale, it becomes unbearably pathetic and at the same time alarming.' Maurice Druon.
But once it was fresh...
Luisa Casati had a Style. 




Some say that she just poped out from Gabriele D'Annunzio's head, Italian poet and novelist, her lover and friend for few dozen of years until she's sent him last note asking for money and that note has never been answered until D'Annunzio's death. 
Luisa went a step forward. She not only created herself, she created from basics, her surroundings. 


She liked to:
- have servants dwarfs, usually black, and paint them in white and dress in gold clothes
- dye birds, black pigeons or white peacock
- all animals, she basically owned a zoo in her villa, in her every single villa
- stuff her beloved animals that reached the time of death
- choose dogs to suit her dress, f.ex. grey or black foxhound
- electronic toys, she had an electric tiger welcoming guests, lightning and making sound
- do some drugs
- stay in bed, in full make up and fully dressed having drinks for breakfast
'she found Marchesa in bed, fully made up in the old vamp style, covered with a rug of black ostrich feathers, eating a breakfast of fried fish and drinking straight Pernod while trying on a newspaper scarf.'
- wear heavy make up; black eyes - sometimes she glued pieces of velvet to her eyelids, red lips, white skin and all this with red burning hair - till the end of her time
- visit unexpectedly first painters, then photographers and ask for a portrait or a photo
- dress in orient, Alladin pants, gold and huge pointy hats.
- have plenty of lovers who never compete with each other
- have her interiors all in white or all in black 
- organize amazing balls ended with her I'm-naked walk through her gardens with fleet of guests fallowing her
- occultism, source of beloved Black and purple flowers together




Her marriage has been only a fiction. Her only daughter has spent her life first in catholic school, later busy with her husband.
Luisa's granddaughter knew it's forbidden to title her grandma 'grandma'. Luisa divorced in her 40s and fought successfully for her title and name; Marchesa Luisa Casati.
'She wasn't beautiful - she was spectacular.'
She became a Muse of her epoque. 
Never predictable; 'if the public can predict you, it starts to like you'. That's the last thing she wanted. Her goal was to incite. And through all this extravaganza she was very shy person. 
Never had a good hand for money. She ended in poverty and tried to squeeze money from all friends and people she's met. 




'The Marchesa seemed to have a genuine horror of money. One day , one of her younger friends, Cecil Beaton, admired the collages that she amused herself by making out of old engravings. Like everything the Marchesa touched, these 'scraps, had a strange charm. He proposed that she prepare an exhibit of them ... but the moment she had to work toward a lucrative end, inspiration fled, and the Marchesa touched her scissors no more.'






'In today's age, everyone must be useful, independent, practical. To that I say, 'What a tremendous bore!'' Quentin Crisp.


Galliano, in his great times, inspired by Casati created most amazing pieces for Dior.











Friday, 13 May 2011

The 1950s look - Recreating the Fashions of the fifties. Mike Brown.



I like both periods, 1940s and 1950s but if it's about this book definitively I'd buy "the 1950s look" only. 
The 1940s part I already described HERE.


There's so many chapters and details. Men, gloves, belts, cases, children, teenagers... too many to show in one post. That's why I recommend to buy this book!
...and skip 1940s.




The book starts with so famous 'New Look' by Dior from 1947.






Of course everyone knows two main directions: pencil and wide skirts.




In the book you can find description how to make your own swing skirt.






There are two kinds of coat which I really like with pencil skirts.






This 'bum - freezer' jacket looks like the one worn by Elisabeth Taylor in 'What's my line' show. And she looked fabulous !


The main point of this figure look was underwear. Specially designed undergarments gave you what's the most important. Tiny waist and perfect uplifted breasts closed in bullet bras. Without the whole engineering it wouldn't be possible.
'Remember the fashion is under the fashion'









The ultimate solution is obviously a corset. And it always works.




However shaping underwear is really hard to find. Charnos looks good and bras fit perfectly but there's not much of shaping. What Katie Did has great bullet bras! stockings! and some corsets! but shapewear... Charnos doesn't even pretend it's shaping but What Katie Did is trying without any significant effect. 6 straps belts are really good but waspies press you everywhere but not in the waist. 
I'll never shop there for shapewear any more.


Accidentally I've found Valisere and their, already sold out, Body Perfection:
- shorts with adjustable, elasticated waist


- and suspender/waspie which is constructed in such an amazing way! 
It presses only where it should so you will never look like a sausage with your clothes on which is quite possible in What Katie Did.


When you put two together... it's like a gentle corset in your waist.
...and about going to the toilette then...well, I admit it's not so easy but still possible. 
Now when I think about it... it's like a totally different skill which you need to eventually improve.
Perhaps somewhere it's possible to find it. If you know where!! Let me know!!
I have few belts and shorts in beige and black but I would get more.
I've never tried but the belt has detachable straps so I assume it's possible to work on your waist without stockings. But who would like to do that?


I have no idea how  was it possible that Marilyn Monroe looked like this!
 You can't see any corset marks. Nothing.




Knit wear created The Sweater Girl look achieved by using special bra - kind of bullet bra.



There's plenty of cardigans on ebay or etsy. Very good is vintage Laura Ashley.
I got mine from eBay or second hand shops. This cashmere one was really cheap. Maybe because using these crazy buttons is really annoying. And because it's yellow...colour of sickness.


Another one I found in Reykjavik. It's made from angora and wool and should be dry cleaned. So seems to be a trouble unless you find out how to clean it by yourself.


Nightdresses. Very fashionable Shortie Pyjamas.

I love long nightgowns and babydolls.
These few I have from Agent Provocateur I like a lot but my Love says:
...that I look like a curtain in this one.

...I'm like disabled because I can not really quickly tie this one up on the back.

...I look like I dressed up as a little girl.
However the photo doesn't make you think of this comparison.
Well...I don't like few of his clothes and although I never say it loud I think we're even.

About furs...


I know furs look so glamorous! But nowadays, when there are so many artificial fabrics imitating real fur why not to use them? Why is it good to still support animals killing? And why stinky smell together with saprophytes is considered elegant? My friend will finally receive this nice photo on her facebook wall...
when I'll be in my mood.

Anyway... there is a lot of advices!
Hats.

Stockings.

Fortunately we have stay ups.


Never wear ANY nylons for more than one day without washing them !!!
...this Vintage hygiene problem...

Bags.

Gloves.

Shoes.


Glasses.


Jewellery.



It's very easy to find brooch like this on eBay for few GBP only.



Plastic surgery started to advertise.


And the strangest 1950s thing I could imagine.