Past Collections: So Long Mid 90's Gucci Column

We are happy to report that one of our favorite pieces on our site, this ultra-chic & sleek Gucci column dress from Tom Ford's iconic mid 90's collection for the house, has finally found a home!

Christie's Ups The Vintage Collectors Ante

Yesterday legendary auction house Christie's announced that it will now be offering a virtual online appraisal service for all vintage goods from another legendary house, Gucci. It's a unique idea where users can submit photos of their Gucci objects for appraisal(online primarily), and it makes sense since like any form of collectible art, Gucci has helped shape the world in it's own way in terms of luxury and quality craftsmanship. A team of Christie's and Gucci's own appraisers will inspect your goods where you can then auction them off or submit them to Gucci's archives, or hold on to them. It also has us, vintage collectors ourselves, excited about what's in store for the world of vintage this decade since vintage came so far the previous one. Such a good idea in fact, Chanel & YSL should hop on board too.

At the same time, we wonder if this will inflate prices drastically, after all, many forget that collectible designer vintage was quite expensive when it originally came out. Take a 70's Bill Blass or Geoffrey Beene dress, did you know that those retailed for $750+ back in the day? While that's a See by Chloe number today, $750 then is equivalent to $2,400 today, or your average Chanel day dress.

Vnyc's 80's Gucci Canvas Logo Purse-$158

Visit Christie's.com here

Channeling Style: Carolyn Bessette Kennedy

We at Vnyc have been thinking a lot about the future of fashion after the recent shows, and with the economy, the end of the decade approaching and the flamboyance of Balmania and Wassonism moving out of fashion, there's a lot to think about indeed. This week's bad news about Yohji Yamamoto, our recent desire for pared-down elegance and Phoebe Philo's brilliantly clean return at Celine, makes Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, a hardcore purist who also happened to wear lots of Yohji, seem like a smart muse to reflect on, even ten years after her death.

Way before Carrie Bradshaw and Michelle Obama, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy was able to create a strong, singular sense of style so innate and pure, while championing new designers and lesser knowns, that there is still no one quite as severely glamorous as her today. Looking back, her minimalist tendencies are still fail-proof for today. She was tall, sleek, always impeccably groomed with an arsenal of simple black numbers from the likes of Yohji & Prada, preferring maxi's & clean, unadorned shapes. Never one for jewelery and excessive make-up, her austere look was heightened with a sleek chignon and classic red lipstick. Everything was refined, nothing too tight, too short, or sheer. In her understated floor-length Yohji's, Manolo Blahnik stilettos & black leather gloves, C.B.K was and still is the epitome of modern, citified elegance.

We've included some of our own C.B.K minded Vnyc scores but her sense of style was so innate, beautifully executed and well studied that it's a daunting act to follow.

The ultimate thing to remember is that Carolyn Bessette Kennedy's style was genius because she was able to create & maintain a style that was so her own that it placed her outside of fashion.

From top:
Issey Miyake Brown Tie-Back Blouse-$128
Mid 90's Gucci Ivory Column Dress-$294
90's Gianfranco Ferre Textured Maxi Skirt-$88

Tom Ford "A Single Man" Trailer

Tom Ford's much talked about and highly anticipated film's trailer has been released, here is some info on it:

"Set in Los Angeles in 1962, A Single Man is the story of George Falconer, a British college professor (Colin Firth) who is struggling to find meaning in his life after the death of his long-time partner, Jim (Matthew Goode). We follow George through a single day, where a series of encounters, ultimately leads him to decide if there is a meaning to life after Jim. George is consoled by his closest friend, Charley (Julianne Moore), a 48-year-old beauty, and is stalked by one of his students, Kenny (Nicholas Hoult)."

Directed by Tom Ford.

Smart Buy: Mid 90's Gucci Jersey Column Dress

With the state of the world today, fashion's recent forays into maximalism sound out of the question at the moment, and we find that now more than ever is the time for understated, refined and quietly sophisticated pieces. So long Balmania, bye-bye ethnic prints & new rave and all of the other over-designed accoutrements that came with those heavy-on-the-eye trends. Take our latest Smart Buy for instance, this mid-90's white fluid GUCCI jersey column dress from one of Tom Ford's earlier blockbuster collections for the house, we find it to be a perfect example of beauty in it's purest form.

We like to think of it as a palette cleansing essential, where the true beauty of this piece is reduced to the simple impact of shape and silhouette, giving it that pure, therapeutic ease that we find necessary for today. And since it is so simple while being quietly dramatic, think of how many ways you can wear it year-round! After all, streamlining your look with this languid length & sinuous silhouette sounds like a rather refreshing way to approach the end of this decade.
Mid 90's White Gucci Jersey Column Dress-$294

Tom Ford wants Tom Ford...Surprised?

Tom Ford for GUCCI Cher Dress @Vnyc

It's always a hoot to hear about what Tom Ford is up to. Whether it's humping blow-up dolls, art-directing porno-chic perfume adverts (Estee Lauder's turning in her grave...), or designing monogram slippers in cheetah skin; he's always deliciously outre, self-promotional and absurdly well manicured. Basically, he kind of annoys us... No matter, we recognize what he did for Gucci & YSL. How he injected (and injects) sex into everything. How his best collections projected louche, smoky, powerful femininity.

SEX! SEX! SEX!

In this spirit of admiration without snark we offer an item from one of our favorite TF for Gucci shows. It is a black, pure cashmere, fringed-hem, cut-out gown from his late 90's American-Indian/ Cher collection. It is an exceptional base for layering (Olsen style, perhaps) and, as such, allows you to go from the office to a Holiday party w/o a trip home. In fact, its so versatile, it'll stand up to a consecutive day in the office, since you're likely to have slept at someone elses house the night before.