Forget about leggings, liquid or lace, they are beyond boring now that they have become a stand-by that's a bit too easy, even banal. Yes, for easy layering they do make sense, yet we think in lieu of them nothing could set you apart from the packs of mall-rats in leggings than these sophisticated sheer GIVENCHY pants from the 80's. Like leggings they are quite comfortable, offer an alternative to bare legs and are a perfect mate for all your tunic length options, yet these pants have that elusive French notion of easy chic, where you don't have to sacrifice beauty for practicality. They are high-waisted, wide-legged & chalk full of ready-to-go high-voltage drama. 80's GIVENCHY Sheer Wide-Leg Pants-$134
Another label we truly admire yet can't get our hands on stateside is ARMAND BASI, the Spanish line designed by Marcus Lupfer that always seems to channel the street with a very spare approach. The house's Fall 2009 show smartly delivered it's own voluminous take on the early 80's Japanese invasion with it's pleated dhoti and dropped crotch pants, oversized punk bombers in men's flannel and dark, moody knits. In terms of day dressing, Lupfer hit all of our urban warrior marks with his minimal approach and sober viewpoint. Forget about Topshop, forget about Alexander Wang, this show summed up how we want to look walking the streets next fall. Visit: ArmandBasi
Taken from the punk era, studs & grommets have made an indelible impact on fashion over the past decade,with every designer that's keen on keeping-up with what's cool plastering them all over their creations. From Balmain to BeBe, it's one of those trends that one could call a constant now, and with the urban warrior trend continually gaining momentum, it makes total sense. The key trick with studded hardware is to keep it sophisticated, keep it subtle and mix it up with items that are substantially luxe, yet low-key. Take this crazy-collectible sharp-shouldered black crepe boyfriend blazer from the early 90's by mad-maximalist GIANNI VERSACE that to us, looks so contemporary even almost 20 years after its production. Consider the streamlined shape, those structured power shoulders, and those genius ultra-luxe punk brushed Medusa pyramid studs on the cuffs and pocket flaps, it's not punk gone uptown, instead one could almost call it punk does minimalism.
Happy Earth Day! With fashion today moving so fast that you can't even digest it, and with a new brand being born every two minutes only to push out the past and create more items to pollute the earth with, we at VagaBondnyc.com think one of the smartest ways to combat this epic problem is by buying vintage. This is what you could call a no-brainer of a thought!
Robert Longo's Untitled( Home, Earth 3) 2005, Charcoal on Mounted Paper, is pictured above.
From 70's socialite go-to New York label MARY McFADDEN comes this lilac streamlined version of a Grecian gown that boasts delicate Fortuny style pleating, a pleated, ruffled hemline and a thick rope wrap belt that's over 10ft long. 70's MARY McFADDEN Lilac Fortuny Pleated Dress-$758
Working with vintage, we at Vnyc consider ourselves quite lucky because all of our buys come with a sense of history that not only reflects the fashions of past times, but the history of the world at large, the tales that come with these finds are built in. This in turn gives us an endless window of inspiration to reappropriate, a forum for us to take our favorite notes from the past, be it related to music, film, art or any part of everyday life and create what you could call a collage, with the best of the past remastered and refigured in what we consider the spirit of today. And since this blog is basically another extension of our collage, we wanted to take a moment and start sharing our current aesthetic inspirations.
Artist MARNIE WEBER, wife of artist Jim Shaw, has had us mesmerized by her own collages that seem to channel our own play on the past with her mix of the bourjeoisie and the banal, juxtaposed by haunting visions of Americana and a delicate, sensual sense of femininity. At first her work seems to be a bit jarring in a light-hearted mischievous sense, but like our buys, it's her provocative use of symbols, of things we have always cherished, that we find so special and captivating. Weber has built an aesthetic world around this ideal that we find refreshingly cool, and if we could say anything, it's that we simply love her taste. Her band, The Spirit Girls, also happen to put out some painfully addictive albums, perfect for listening to while shopping Vnyc!
Marnie Weber & The Spirit Girls perform "I'm not a bunny"
In time's like today's, making a bold statement with an irreverent, hilarious, yet tastefully done piece like this WILD & LETHAL TRASH sweater sends an instant message of calm, collected coolness. Its bold flouro lime green sleeve lends a softer counter-point to it's penis color blocking and large bold felt lettering. Its naughty, its gutsy, but its done in such a classic way that it looks grounded, preppy even, and most obviously, its genius pure & simple.
While we at Vnyc obviously adore vintage we must admit that we are highly cautious when it comes to looking TOO vintage, after all, there is nothing cheaper or more banal than looking too retro, too costumey. And with "Mad Men's" Betty Draper making a vibrant yet sophisticated splash on today's fashion scene, serving as muse to many, we couldn't think of a better way to channel her aesthetic strengths than with this divine 50's inspired MOSCHINO party dress. Its an ultra-femme couture-like MOSCHINO party dress that is made out of a sumptuous almost foamy feeling iridescent red/pink abstract tone-on-tone printed taffeta. It boasts an elegant dropped waist with a pleated bottom half and a dramatic sweetheart neckline with an off-the-shoulder collar complete with a large off-set bow. It may scream 50's drama, Betty Draper and what not, yet something about it's composition in this heavily filled decade of revivals feels crisply modern, and totally fresh. MOSCHINO 50's Inspired Red & Pink Abstract Print Party Dress-$330
With Stuart Vevers smartly redirecting the profile of venerable Spanish house LOEWE we couldn't think of a chicer addition to our Smart Buys feature than this graphic mod-inspired take on the classic shift dress with it's sumptuous cashmere composition and decadent tan leather grid trim. You can take it uptown with some crisp gathered white leather gloves and a fur stole, take it cocktail hour with a beaded bolero or take it downtown with some thigh-high platform boots and the requisite amounts of off-kilter layering. LOEWE Camel Cashmere Go-Go Shift w Leather Trim-$324
Since one of our earliest fashion memories was learning who Oscar De La Renta was thanks to a mid 80's collaboration with Barbie at around the age of four, we couldn't be more thrilled with the roster of designers that are set to celebrate Barbie's upcoming 50th birthday celebration with a slew of new collectible collaborations. This provocative get-up for Barbie comes by way of genius Martin Margiela who incorporated his signature infatuations with covering the face, nude nylons and of course playing with the frivolity of wigs. We don't think Barbie has ever looked any cooler than this.
We at Vnyc have been all about the early 90's for quite a few years now and are looking high and low for anything PAM HOGG, and we were so excited to find this career highlighting video. Our dramatic contrasting bodysuit happens to smartly channel Hogg's aesthetic to a T with its brazen graphic construction and cut-out back.
Forget about leggings, liquid or lace, they are beyond boring now that they have become a stand-by that's a bit too easy, even banal. Yes, for easy layering they do make sense, yet we think in lieu of them nothing could set you apart from the packs of mall-rats in leggings than these sophisticated sheer GIVENCHY pants from the 80's. Like leggings they are quite comfortable, offer an alternative to bare legs and are a perfect mate for all your tunic length options, yet these pants have that elusive French notion of easy chic, where you don't have to sacrifice beauty for practicality. They are high-waisted, wide-legged & chalk full of ready-to-go high-voltage drama.
