Showing posts with label mary quant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mary quant. Show all posts

Thursday, 15 April 2021

Sartorially Sixties

 










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Dress: Sister Jane spotted lurex, organza
Heels: Jo Mercer leather, laces
Bag: French Connection vinyl with chrome hardware
Hinged Bangle: Wallace Bishop silver
Corsage: Kitten D'Amour silk

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Feeling like I've just stepped out of a time machine in this gorgeous little polka dotted lurex mini dress with black organza back bow from whimsical British label Sister Jane; ideal for an event in the city celebrating all things "Swinging Sixties" fashion including esteemed "youthquake" designer Mary Quant. Truth be told, I'm still a little bit disappointed that the Quant exhibit won't be coming to Brisbane despite visiting Melbourne, but I suppose this was the next best thing... I've styled it up with a pair of black leather lace-up heels from Jo Mercer for added height, a boxy black vinyl handbag with chrome hardware from French Connection to carry all the essentials (hand sanitizer, mask etc), a chunky silver hinged bangle from Wallace Bishop & a pink silk rose corsage from Kitten D'Amour for that sweet finishing touch.

Scroll down to see more, including the back...










Tuesday, 17 February 2015

Mary, Mary









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Dress: Kontessa woven cotton
Heels: Emerson @ Big W suede with gold zipper
Bag: Sportsgirl vinyl
Hinged Bangle: Adorne gold

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Mini dresses have been around since fledgling fashion designer Mary Quant sparked a revolution with her far-above-the-knee designs in "Swinging Sixties" London & they haven't lost any of their charm or popularity 50 years later... And for good reason: they are the ultimate in nostalgic, cutesy-sexy "dolly-bird" chic & moreover, a great way to "get your legs out," as British journalist turned television presenter, wife of the hilarious Chris O'Dowd & all-around-vintage-fashion-guru Dawn O'Porter is wont to say... I may have been watching yet another episode of her awesome 6 part retro-style-upcycle series "This Old Thing" (renamed "The Vintage Clothes Show" for Australian audiences) as I type this, but that's neither here nor there really...


Anyway, today I am rocking a quirky Kontessa dress that I picked up from the late-lamented Paddington fashion store, Mood. The thick, woven cotton holds shape really well & gives it that A-line effect that I find so appealing when the hemline is super-short as it's easier to remain "appropriate" when sitting/bending down/reaching up etc. 


What is amazing is the way that the textured cotton molds to the body as you are wearing it, starting off tight & then gradually loosening to create a super-flattering fit. What is REALLY amazing is the way the designer has kept everything simple - a slashed bateau neckline, simple boxy shape with short sleeves & a slight extension of the sides closer to the hemline & a muted pattern of beige, green, brown & teal circles - so that the intricate red & teal beading around two of the aforementioned circles takes centre-stage.

Scroll down for a close-up of the dress' statement-making beadwork:



When one part of the dress is as "out there" as the beading on this one, it can be difficult to decide on accessories that will enhance - rather than detract - from this feature. I decided on a "pop" of matching colour with the red suede peeptoe platforms, a funky statement in themselves with the gold zipper down the heel, mixed with a neutral beige handbag & a chunky, plain gold hinged bangle to match the hardware on the shoes. 


A 4 piece outfit; nothing else required. Easy-peasy yet undeniably effective. 
I would like to think that (now) Dame Mary Quant would approve...

www.oneherald.net

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Wednesday, 29 October 2014

Style Spooktacular: Part 1


With Halloween fast approaching, it's fun to see what items in your existing wardrobe can be fashioned into quick & easy costumes. With a mere $20 worth of props from the dollar store, I have managed to put together 6 stylish amalgamations of popular characters - both real & imagined - suitable for any "fright night" party...

 




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Franny Gets... 
CREEPY & KOOKY
as Wednesday Addams from "The Addams Family"

Dress: Chisca lace
Heels: Emerson @ Big W patent
Stockings: Dollar Tree

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A favourite black lace dress, a pair of stripy tights & a dour expression are all that's required to create the spectre of Wednesday Addams, only daughter of Gomez & Morticia from the 1970s television phenomenon The Addams Family, created by cartoonist Charles Addams as a gothic-horror-comedy. A cult favourite, the show was made into a movie starring Raul Julia, Anjelica Huston & Christina Ricci in 1991 which then spawned a sequel two years later. Thus is the power of the Addams; interest in them NEVER DIES. In fact, stand in a crowded room & click your fingers on both hands twice & GUARANTEED someone will start humming the theme song:

They're creepy and they're kooky,
Mysterious and spooky,
They're all together ooky,
The Addams Family.

Their house is a museum
Where people come to see 'em
They really are a scream
The Addams Family

(Neat)
(Sweet)
(Petite)

So get a witch's shawl on
A broomstick you can crawl on
We're gonna pay a call on
The Addams Family

www.filmdatabase.com

www.cultclassics.com

www.adamsfamily.wikia.com

As the Addams share a love of all things macabre, the look is finished off with props in the form of the headless doll that serves as Wednesday's dearest childhood companion & disembodied "hand-servant" Thing, usually tasked with lighting cigars & putting the needle down on the gramophone to start the tango music that Gomez & Morticia love to "romance" to; now content to be sitting on my shoulder...

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Franny Gets...
FASHIONABLE
as Mary Quant, "Swinging Sixties" designer

Dress: Liz Jordan lurex & lace
Heels: C'est Bon glitter
Shoulder Bag: C'est Bon glitter
Chrome Bangle: Autograph
Silver Etched Bangle: Tree of Life
Clear Bangle: Adorne
Ring: Vintage, 1960s

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A silver lace mini-dress & glitter heels & shoulder bag are all that's needed to channel iconic London fashion designer Mary Quant, known for the inimitable "Chelsea" look that she created (simple designs, strong colours or patterns) as well as her poker-straight bob, the product of a collaboration with lauded celebrity hairdresser Vidal Sassoon. Opening a boutique called Bazaar at a time when "fashion wasn't designed for young people," Quant is often credited as the instigator of the "youth quake" movement. 

www.grandmastolemycloset.com

"A woman is as young as her knees."

www.varn.ac.uk

www.shapersofthe60s.co.uk



Completing this "groovy" look are chunky mismatched bangles & a clear resin ring... & the right ATTITUDE, of course! Check out that peace sign! 

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Franny Gets...
OUT OF THIS WORLD
as Judy Jetson from "The Jetsons"

Dress: Acorn Hostess Gowns elastane
Heels: Wildfire @ Payless
Hairband: Lovisa

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The "space age" moulded collar on this vintage mini-dress conjured up only one image: Judy Jetson. The only daughter of George Jetson - patriarch of the Jetson family from the 1960s Hanna Barbera animated sitcom set 100 years in the future & full of robotic contraptions, alien interlopers, holograms, flying cars (as well as misbehaving canines) - Jane is a typical teenage girl, loving all things floral & all things pink. The florid print of the dress & hot pink, pointy-toed pumps are testament to that & evoke her instantly recognisable sense of style. 

And yes, I know I'm not blond, but I've created a similar look to the one she favours with a large black hair bow... 

www.thejetsons.wikia.com

www.vegalleries.com

www.wiffle.com

Meet George Jetson.
His boy, Elroy.
Daughter Judy.
Jane, his Wife.

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Stay tuned for Franny's Style Spooktacular: Part 2!