Sydney’s Vintage Fashion Runway

After posting a few days ago about the upcoming Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show, I was contacted with more inside information on the upcoming event.

NO MORE COOKIE-CUTTER BRIDAL GOWNS!

 TODAY’S SMART BRIDES GO VINTAGE

Find Your Own Personal Statement at the Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show, Feb. 8 & 9The passion for a special wedding gown has been every bride-to-be’s ultimate goal.  Now more than ever, the dress must also emphasize the individuality of the bride.  What better way than to shop vintage! 

As contemporary designers such as Vera Wang, Reem Acra, and Lela Rose experiment with color and over-the-top design, vintage remains a treasure trove of inimitable, one-of-a-kind gowns.  Vintage is timeless with the result that today’s bride-to-be can find the individual, personal style she seeks in a vintage selection.Editor Linda Hirst gives a nod to the influence of vintage, writing in the February/March 2007 issue of Modern Bride that “When a bride designs her own dress using assorted Victorian lace petticoats she scooped up in London, you can be sure that her passion for vintage craftsmanship is serious.”  It is the beautiful customized look of vintage gowns that is attracting more and more fashionable brides worldwide.The Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show returns to the Metropolitan Pavilion on February 8 & 9, 2008 with a special exhibit titled Old, New, Borrowed, Blue:  Yesterday’s Modern Bride, curated by Elyce Tetorka, Master’s Degree Candidate from the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Fashion and Textile Studies:  History, Theory, Museum Practice program.

Old, New, Borrowed, Blue:

Yesterday’s Modern Bride showcases beautiful antique and vintage wedding gowns perfect for today’s modern bride. Exquisite examples from the 1900s to the 1970s will be featured, many on loan from the private collection of designer Jana Star and vintage dealers including Arianna Adele of Tahir Boutique, Katherine Manzini of Trappings of Time, Elaine Klausman of Vintage with a Twist, and Joseph Sipos, among others. Visitors will see firsthand how bridal fashions have changed in the last hundred years – from the tightly corseted S-shaped silhouettes, to the Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel inspired short gown and extravagant haute couture of the late 1970s.Wedding gowns were designed to reflect the height of fashion with the most lavish, finest materials money could buy. Exhibition highlights will include a magnificent turn of the century Irish crocheted and c. 1903 silk two-piece gown that show an Art-Nouveau aesthetic, which valued flowing and curvilinear lines. Originally worn with a confining corset that protruded the bosom and derriere while cinching the waist to form an S-shaped curve, it represented the ideal silhouette of the time.Also on display is a late 1920s intricate bias-cut short gown inspired by the look that famous designers Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel and Madeleine Voinnet made fashionable, an early 1930s gown completely encrusted with diamond-shaped sequins, and a luxurious late 1930s velvet gown with a tremendous eight-foot train. 

Representing the post-World War II period of bridal style is an elegant gown from 1948 with a sweetheart-neckline and full-length ballroom skirt, two features that have come to embody traditional wedding fashion.  The most recently designed gown on display will be a late 1970s Vicki Tiel Couture mini-maxi gown.

The best place to find your own special wedding gown is at the Manhattan Vintage Clothing & Antique Textile Sale where dozens of dealers will be showcasing bridal fashions and accessories. A discerning bride-to-be will happily discover confections in white and pastel, rare handmade laces and veils, distinctive headpieces, trims and petticoats — all under one roof.The Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show takes place on Friday, February 8 from 1 – 7 P.M., and on Saturday, February 9 from 10 A.M. – 6 P.M. at the Metropolitan Pavilion – 125 West 18th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues.  Admission is $20.  For more information, call 518/434-4312 or visit the web site at www.manhattanvintage.com.The following are some of the show highlights on vintage bridal gown specials:

Wedding  Dress, c. 1903

This dress was designed with an art nouveau aesthetic that valued flowing and curvilinear lines. It was worn with a confining corset that protruded the bosom and derriere while cinching the waist to form an S-shaped curve.  Here the elegant wedding gown is pictured without the corset or petticoats to accommodate today’s modern bride. Not only is the natural silhouette beautifully revealed through the delicate silk fabric, but the skirt breathes new life with the excitement and interest provided by increased movement.White silk charmeuse with elegant decorations of machine lace insertions in the skirt; cape-like lace trim draped from shoulder to the bust; high neck and puffed sleeves.

Wedding Dress, c. 1928

This dress is a stunning example of 1920s fashion. Made fashionable the famous couturière Gabrielle Chanel, short dresses such as this made their way down the alter for the first time. The bias-cut skirt and horizontal dagger-like panels of the torso also show the innovative cutting techniques pioneered by the designer Madeleine Vionnet. Here the superior dressmaking skills required of a couture gown are wonderfully expressed, while the handmade rosettes emphasize the simplicity of the bodice. It proves to be both modern and feminine for brides of both yesterday and today.Cream silk satin; appliqué of handmade rosettes on bodice; bias-cut skirt with dagger-like pattern on torso.\

Wedding Dress, early 1930s

The minimal and pared-down lines of this bias-cut dress feature the longer, leaner 1930s silhouette. Sumptuous texture, the type fit for a bride-to-be, was painstakingly achieved by the all-over ¼” diamond-shaped sequin embroidery further dramatized by the luxurious\r\ndrape of the skirt. This dress echoes Hollywood glamour and silver screen goddesses of yesteryear. It also provides an exquisite alternative to beaded or lace gowns for today’s modern bride.

Wedding gowns and veils courtesy of Jana Star

Jewelry courtesy of Day Break Antique

Also new 2008 Bridal Couture Gown Unveiling: Special Emphasis on Vintage Bridal Gowns Coincides with the Unveiling of New Bridal Couture Collections for 2008What do Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, Anna Sui, Marc Jacobs, Tommy Hilfiger, Miuccia Prada, Betsey Johnson, Calvin Klein, Kenneth Cole all have in common?  They’re high on “retro”! 

Understandably so!  The hottest fashion looks for 2008 take their inspiration from the past.  Where to find absolutely the best retro fashion around?  At the MANHATTAN VINTAGE CLOTHING SHOW, February 8 & 9, 2008 at the Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues.Hands down, this is the vintage clothing event that tops all others.  This spectacular exhibition and sale brings together  over 80 of the country’s foremost vintage design resources for a two-day frenzy of buying.  Everyone from celebrities, stylists, to magazine editors head to the show to dig through the decades for something different. They’ll find it here!

Who wears vintage?  These days everyone!  Drew Barrymore collects vintage.  Winona Ryder and Julia Roberts are often seen wearing vintage dresses.  Sharon Stone has collected vintage cashmere sweaters for years. The 2008 Golden Globes® and Oscar celebrations are certain to be a showcase for vintage designer couture.   Reese Witherspoon, Keira Knightley, and the radiant Kate Beckinsale have all worn vintage on Oscar night.  The Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show is also where designers from all over the world come to shop for that one piece that could spark their next season’s collection.What will we be looking for as Spring approaches?  Beautiful bridal gowns from the Victorian era through to the 50sand 60s when gowns reflected a more modern silhouette.  The Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show will present a special exhibition curated by FIT graduate student Elyce Tetorka, , called “Old New Borrowed Blue:  Yesterday’s Modern Bride.”   The exhibit couldn’t be more timely, coinciding with the showing in February of designer bridal collections for 2008.  Dealers will also stock a wide selection of bridal gowns from all eras for those shoppers planning their Spring/Summer 2008 weddings.  Vintage wedding gowns from top designers have all of the appeal and intricate styling of modern day creations without the enormous price tag.

With the new demand for fashion from the 60s, 70s, and now 80s, showgoers will be shopping for signature silhouettes from these decades.   The boyish, unisex look popularized by such cult figures as Twiggy and Edie Sedgwick is back with  short-cropped hair, rakish newsboy hats, oversized sweaters and shirts worn with tights, mini-skirts and flat knee-high boots; in vogue.  A line dresses and smart suits worn with pearls, a la Jackie Kennedy is another popular, returning look.Showgoers will also find outstanding fashion from cutting-edge designers of the 50s- 80s’ “British Boutique Movement,” among them Thea Porter, Ossie Clark, Mary Quant, Bill Gib, Sandra Rhodes, Jeff Banks, Galliano and Vivienne Westwood.  The show is also the place to shop for designer suits and evening gowns from all eras, terrific buys on vintage jackets, belts, shoes, handbags, lingerie and more.Exhibit Contact:Leigh Infield Associates