Tuesday 15 November 2011

Here's Looking At You



Joining the IFB community comes with its many advantages, not least the fun and frivolous fashion projects concocted by  the clever IFB  team  -  Such as Project #21’s  ‘What’s Your Favourite Style Decade’.
Having been presented with the list below, I chose a combo of 40’s and 70’s (although I am also quite partial to the 50’s and 60’s era)
  20′s: Flapper girl.
        30′s: Introduction to nylon and zippers.  Art deco.
       40′s: Old Hollywood Glam.
       50′s: Rockabilly/housewife/sweater sets.
        60′s: 60′s mod/mad men.
        70′s: Hippie/Bohemian.
        80′s: Neon, shoulder pads, electro-chic.
        90′s: Flannel, doc Martens, denim, grunge.
For 40’s Hollywood Glam one cannot go past the triple Oscar winning feature film Casablanca and its seriously glamorous female protagonist, Ilsa - played by the magnanimously alluring Ingrid Bergman.  Bergman oozed a certain grace, elegance and charisma like no-one else could possibly have dared.  If I could borrow just a pinch of her magic for a day, I would hot foot down to every Gin Joint in every town in all the world feeling undeniably smug.







Fast forward 30 years to the ethereal 70’s  and we have the pleasure of  encountering  the delectable Fay Dunnaway – a woman who’s leading men were almost as fine as her large collection of  hats. Miss Dunnaway is a true perennial style icon who even as a septuagenarian continues to grace us with her immeasurable sense of style and sophistication.









I vow, from this day forth, to take the oath of sartorial and millinerial style.... and aspire to grow a collection of hats that would do Miss Dunnaway proud!

Thank you IFB for the challenge x

Miss Bergman Picture credits:   
www.femalefirst.co.uk
www.guardian.co.uk
www.zenithal.net

Miss Dunnaway picture credits:
www.fanpop.com
www.Allposters.co.uk
www.Askasctor.com
www.Fanpix.net




Thursday 3 November 2011

Treasure Hunt


TB is very fond of maps, especially those leading to the 'Secret Treasure' or to Sleeping Beauty’s gilded castle. 
With this in mind I was very pleased, on our recent visit to London’s Affordable Art Fair, to encounter the most wonderful array of  maps, envelopes, sheet music and newspapers that I have ever had the good fortune of finding. But these were no ordinary artefacts for they were in fact  the wonderful   ‘re-workings’ of  talented artist, Jennifer Collier.

 Tucked away unceremoniously within one of the AAF gallery booths were a selection of  these framed intricately designed dresses, gloves, aprons and shoes (and even a telephone!), all fashioned from maps, letters, newspapers and sheet music.








By incorporating methods such as bonding, waxing, trapping and stitching, Miss Collier is able to produce
unusual paper 'fabrics' which can then be easily shaped without tearing or splitting. She describes the inspiration for her work as such:“The papers themselves serve as both the inspiration and the media for my work, with the narrative of the books and papers suggesting the forms”. 
Selling at around £250 a piece, the works are considerably reasonable for the showmanship and detail involved in their making. I am already planning on taking TB to Miss Collier's upcoming exhibition in Hereford....if only I could find a map!



Jennifer Collier