Fashion In Film Friday

The 1959 movie 'Some Like It Hot' starring Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and the legendary Marilyn Monroe was a controversial film for it's time due to the fact that it ended up being banned in several states, Kansas, Memphis & Tennessee.  This was due to the lead male characters played by Lemmon & Curtis, wearing women's clothing which in turn sparked an 'adult entertainment' restriction because of the idea that it was promoting cross dressing.  That was not the case at all as the plot centered around two struggling musicians in the 1920's, on the run from the mob hiding out with an all girl band, disguising themselves as women to fit in...

The movie showcased an amazing costume wardrobe of styles beyond befitting the vintage days of the roaring 20's.  One dress in particular worn by Marilyn pushed the boundaries of that prudish era of what was allowable on screen, when in one scene she wore a dress considered so 'barely there' that it was said to have been her first on screen nude scene!  The dress was made of sheer chiffon and the bust was adorned with two appliques placed appropriately to hide certain parts of her anatomy.  Isn't it amazing to think this was considered risque?  

Besides Marilyn's questionable fashions in this film, 'Some Like It Hot' was said to have been a movie that inspired or promoted rather, cross dressing.  If you look back in history, cross dressing in film as they refer to it, or rather men dressing as women and vice versa, goes back to the early 1900's with silent films.  Truth is, there is always going to be an air of taboo where the subject of gender bending on any level is concerned but I don't really think that movies or music for that matter really has anything to do with promoting that degree of change in anyone and the idea that it can or does, is pretty much ridiculous!  What do you think?...   

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Handsome Girl

Women have been trying to wear men's clothes for ages and seriously, how many of you have found it extra cozy to slip your man's tee shirt or hoodie on?  And what about the boyfriend jeans style for ladies?  Or how about when it was popular to wear the top to your guys pajamas?  James Brown sang "It's A Man's World" & I guess he was on to something, as women have been trying to incorporate the power status of their male counterpart's attire into their wardrobe since the 1920's when vintage silent film star Marlene Dietrich frequently wore tuxedo's & suits and thus began the birth of sexual ambiguity in regards to the usual 'boy/girl' social norms regarding clothing.  

Her idea, borrowed from the boys staples (i.e. fitted jacket, trouser slacks, neck tie & maybe even a fedora) has trailed into present day designs as women seek to continue the attempt to feminize men's styles.  The style is now called, the 'handsome girl'...

Designer's such as Yves St. Laurent & COCO Chanel have been tailoring suits for women with a dude appeal for decades...

Back in 2008, the eccentric designer John Galliano touted that if YSL can put women in men's suits, he was going to go out on a limb and fashion a man skirt and not just for the Scottish bros!  I don't think it took off as well as he'd expected.  There's just some instances when gender neutrality in fashion has a cut off point dont'cha think?

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Vintage Maven Shareen Mitchell's Run On New Reality Show

The queen of second hand clothing and owner of 'Shareen Vintage' located in both New York and Los Angeles, is soon going to be featured on the Discovery Channel's spin off Planet Green's new reality show 'Dresscue Me'.  The show is set to run for eight weeks beginning on April 19th at 10:30 p.m.

Each week,  'Dresscue Me' will follow the self taught vintage fashion maven on her quest to change women's lives forever by connecting them to style.  The show will also get up close and personal into the behind the scenes of the vintage fashion business.  Before there was ever a 'Shareen Vintage', Shareen Mitchell was a self proclaimed jack of all trades and did whatever she had to in order to make ends meet.  This included everything from cleaning houses to babysitting round the clock for neighbors.  She even tried her hand at being a thespian for awhile, and has a lengthy resume on IMDB as a bit part actress on quite a few t.v. series.  In 2003 she decided to go into vintage retail and began her search for rare clothing finds as her passion for fashion grew.  She opened her shop Shareen's Vintage in a warehouse in downtown L.A. and set it up like a home with furniture which rendered a comfy vibe to the aesthetics.  A lack of dressing rooms is the reason she put a 'No Boys Allowed' sign in the front shop window...

   

In Shareen's vintage warehouse there are no two pieces alike and the really good stuff is said to get ripped from the racks rather quickly.  Everyone wants first dibs on her one of a kind gems! She hand picks each new 'old' piece and brings it back to life by cleaning, steaming, mending and sometimes altering to bring each find up to par with current trends. I was really surprised after visiting her website online at www.shareenvintage.com  to see that even given her cult status as vintage fashionista extraordinaire, her goods that range from the 1920's to the 1990's are extremely affordable!


Being proprietors of vintage couture, all of us here at Retro Threadz are looking forward to the first episode of 'Dresscue Me'!  Make sure you check it out!       


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Hats Off To Spring!

Women have always been in love with hats as a fashion accessory.  In the 1920's the cloche hat was one of the first modern styles of the 20th century.  Cloche is the french word for 'bell' as these caps were form fitting to the head in that shape. These hats were considered 'sexy & mysterious' because the hat sat right above the wearers eyes...

In the 1930's there was a trend in the U.S. for wearing hats when Spring was in bloom and they often did so with a sense of rivalry involved as to whose hat was the biggest and the best! In the midst of the great depression, a new hat at Easter or a refurbished old one was a simple luxury for most women...

There's also a rich history of African-American women and hats, in that the act of covering your head during worship has its roots grounded in scripture.  It has since become a firm tradition for many women who want to show respect for God while adding pizzaz to their presence!

The 1950's saw a decrease in the popularity for hat wearing in general by women, and were no longer a 'must have' for every outfit but have since regained popularity in the 21st century since this is one of the most flexible times in fashion history and everyone is pretty much following their own impulses, especially when it comes to what they're topping off with.


Remember the floppy colorful shade hats in the 70's? We're starting to see them again... 

When talking about 'hats' you cannot forget to mention the huge hats women have been parading around in at the Kentucky Derby for ages. Styles of course have changed so much throughout the years that now the Derby event is more like a red carpet who's wearing who and what!

Just like everything...'what goes around comes back around' and hats of pretty much every style are being seen worn again these days.  Here at Retro Threadz, we pride ourselves in selecting only the most quality of vintage hats for you to choose from so make sure you stop by the shop regularly as we are always stocked with a variety of beautiful vintage styles ranging from the 1940's to the 1980's.

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