Monday 23 July 2012

The Vintage Summer Maxi Dress...

Thanks to these iconic images taken by 1960s photographer Henry Clarke, the billowing maxi dress is a summer staple for women who want to look glamorous even by the pool. From the pages of Vogue to the images of socialites like Talitha Getty, the 1960s and 1970s spawned a new kind of traveller: the stylish bohemian. Model Veruschka was its poster girl:


Fashion editors fell in love with exotic locations... 


The hypnotic designs of Emilio Pucci became 
a motif of this new kind of lifestyle...



Veruschka hanging out in Genaro de Carvalho's studio




Barbara Carrera in a poppy-print organza dress, 1971


Twiggy tries out the luxe-hippie look...  
(I can't find the credit for this pic - let me know if you recognise it!)

British designer Anita Quansah makes beautiful tribal-inspired jewellery - the perfect accessory for vintage summer dresses. This purple necklace is from a recent collection:


Socialite Talitha Getty in Italy

Model on steps of Marqueza de Santos' house in Rio, 1966




This 1970s toucan-print dress is incredible... 


This style of dressing was documented in Gypset Style 
by Julia Chaplin, published in 2009:


Chaplin describes members of the so-called gypset (gypsy-jetset) as 'refugees from Hollywood or Parisian winters... part of an elusive set of people who influence celebrities but are consciously hidden from the tabloids and mass media'.

Byron, Hemingway and Frida Kahlo are the pioneers, according to Chaplin. She names their descendants as Jade Jagger, Nathalie and Sophie Laurence Mignot (in Mexico, below) and champion surfer Sofia Mulanovich, amongst others. We have this book in our Kings Cross studio - customers are welcome to borrow from our library at any time. Get in touch via this link and let us know when you want to come in for a browse. 


The influence of 1970s bohemian exoticism is frequently seen in designer collections. This dress from Emanuel Ungaro Resort 2012 captures the mood of the era: 


Bold prints in luxurious fabrics were a signature 
look for Naeem Khan's Resort 2012 collection:


Juno Says Hello sold a similar dress a while ago, a beautiful 1970s silk maxi with tropical plant print:


Australian designer Camilla Franks dedicated 
her entire SS12 collection to 'gypset' style


The corals and fuchsias of 1970s make-up are still popular:




21st century socialites and celebrities continue to embrace the look:

Nicole Richie

A bride-to-be bought this 1970s silk chiffon one-shoulder maxi dress from Juno Says Hello to wear on her honeymoon:


One of my favourite finds was this 1960s silk bamboo print kimono, sold to a customer last year:


We recently sold this 1970s polka-dot maxi dress to a customer who wanted to wear it as a glamourous cover-up at the beach:


Miranda Kerr was recently photographed wearing 
a beautiful floral-print maxi dress


We sold something very similar last summer...


Another customer bought this 1960s jungle-print 'hostess gown'... perfect for poolside:

 

This blue floral appliqué maxi found a new home earlier this year:


Not forgetting the accessories... These beautiful 
Musa sandals are from Net-a-Porter

Click here to view in their online store 

Peacock feather swimsuit by Matthew Williamson

Bracelet by Bex Rox

Juno Says Hello is offline for the summer and will be relaunching in November. To be the first to hear when our new collection goes live, please sign up to our newsletter by clicking on this link. In the meantime, if you're looking for travel inspiration I recommend Kirsty Hathaway's brilliant Beach Tomato. Don't forget the sunscreen.. x


Next blog post: Dresses from Studio 54 

EDIT: An exhibition of Thea Porter's bohemian 1970s designs is currently on display at the Fashion and Textile Museum. For more details click here

Moyra Swan wearing a Thea Porter kaftan, photographed by Barry Lategan, Vogue 1971

Sunday 15 July 2012

Sequins & Style: British Couturier Nicholas Oakwell and the Influence of 1970s Nightlife

A few days before Paris haute couture fashion week started, British designer Nicholas Oakwell presented his own collection in the ballroom at Claridges Hotel. 'We're flying the flag for British couture. It's all made in Britain and a lot of the models were British, too'.


I am completely in love with his designs -  inspired by the jewellery house Grima, established in the 1960s. Andrew Grima created the beautiful jewellery for 1967 movie Casino Royale, starring Ursula Andress...


Other points of reference include the New York nightlife of the 1970s, the work of artist Franz Klein and 1978 movie Eyes of Laura Mars starring Faye Dunaway. Have a look at this amazing promo clip for its original release. The costumes are unbelievable... 



This particular sense of glamour comes through in Oakwell's collection. The designer is noted for his heavily-beaded evening gowns. 


Here is the back of the same gown. Love the disco-luxe hairstyle... 

Photo: Reem Kanj

Here is the video of the entire AW12 couture collection, styled by Gianluca Longo. The beaded evening dresses begin around 4.20...




If you love this look but can't quite justify the couture price tag, we have something very similar in the boutique at the moment: an original 1960s silvery-blue sequin gown by Harrods Atelier. 

Click here to view this dress in our online store.

We have another vintage sequin gown in stock, Dark Side of the Moon. 

 Click here to view this dress in our online store.

I'm going to post about Studio 54-inspired eveningwear later this month - in the meantime enjoy the stunning finale from Oakwell's SS2012 show: 

Tuesday 10 July 2012

Wearing vintage for your wedding...

When it comes to The Big Day, sartorial decisions are the focus of almost every bride and the choices can be overwhelming. Online wedding boutique Ruby & Diva condense the best dresses into their weekly blog, and we're proud to say that Juno Says Hello was featured on their latest edition. To read the post in full click here

Bridalwear was never a focus of Juno Says Hello until we realized that more and more brides wanted to wear vintage as an alternative to the traditional big white dress. One of our most popular blogs was about vintage and vintage-inspired wedding dress designs... you can read it here

We recently acquired a wedding dress dated from 1927, in unbelievably good condition with no flaws: 



This dress will be uploaded to the online boutique very soon. If you want to make an appointment in our Kings Cross studio to try it on, please get in touch via this link.

Here are a few new additions to the boutique that would look fantastic as alternative wedding dresses. 

1960s Audrey Gown - click here to view online 

1960s Wanda Gown - click here to view online

1950s Bernetti Dress - click here to view online

Here is a behind-the-scenes snap of our model Nora Mixova wearing the Bernetti dress at our shoot with Dani Riot last month: 


For a more informal or city wedding, short dresses can look beautiful:

1960s Lace Shift - click here to view online 

We also have a stunning 1960s pale pink shift with embellished bodice (modern UK size 14-16), uploaded to the boutique very soon. Please get in touch if you would like to come in and try it on.


Earlier this year Valentino created a beautiful floral-printed maxi gown for their couture collection:


We have something very similar in stock at the moment: 

Click here to view in our online boutique 

Over the last three years we have sold several beautiful vintage gowns to brides, including this 1930s silk dress: 


Finally, we have an original 1920s ostrich feather cape in stock that would be a perfect bridal accessory. Click here to view online.


If you have a specific vintage look in mind then I recommend Love My Dress, a superb vintage wedding blog with links to all sorts of suppliers. 


'Grow old along with me... The best is yet to be'