Disco Darling: 70's Halston Jumpsuit

As all the fashion folk out there wait in anticipation for Marios Swchab's debut at the once highly influential American label Halston for Fall/Winter 2010, we at VagaBondnyc have unearthed one of the house's great legacies with this fluid tone on tone disco era vertical striped jumpsuit. And with the in-house design team's recent Spring/Summer 2010 outing(shot by our good friend/collaborator Garen Barsegian) featuring a somewhat disappointing(read banal) take on the of-the-moment jumpsuit in a similar glossy hue, we couldn't help but cherish ours even more.

Our's of course is from the ultra-luxe yet brash disco era of the 1970's and is composed out of a fluid, ultra-femme tone on tone vertical striped silk which ultimately elongates the body while it's sheer abbreviated kimono sleeves give the harshness of a jumpsuit a romantic, voluminous silhouette. It also comes with a smart 96" long sheer chiffon sash that gives this piece loads of extra styling options.
Above: 70's HALSTON Tone-on-Tone Jumpsuit with Sash-$878

Below: Halston's Spring/Summer 2010 Jumpsuit, Photo: Garen Barsegian courtesy of Halston

Rachel Zoe in 70's Yves Saint Laurent

Over the past decade the importance or prominence rather of stylists celebrity or not has risen exponentially. There are now books about stylist's, scores of t.v shows dedicated to their insights and no one can argue that many stylist's are now household names. And then there's Rachel Zoe, at the center of it all.

We have to admit that being stylist's ourselves and having a profound interest in fashion like we do, Zoe was not someone we were immediately ready to listen to. First off, we aren't fans of celebrities using stylist's, and more importantly, it's that L.A attitude towards fashion that turned us off. That was all until we saw the Rachel Zoe Project, yes her sound bytes are a little flamboyant for us, but we also have to admit that Zoe does her job very, very well and does have a great instinct for fashion.

So we were excited when we saw Zoe wearing our same 70's era YVES SAINT LAURENT coated wet-look wrap blouse. It looks great on her styled with a sequined beret and it's coated surface and rich jewel tones make it easy for us to see why she'd sport such a smart blouse. What's even better is that we're sure Zoe picked hers up at one of those overpriced vintage shops in L.A while ours is only $144!!! Snap it up ladies!

Our 70's Yves Saint Laurent Coated Blouse-$144(above)

Getting Dressed with StyleCaster & Vagabondnyc

Being an online entity like VagaBondnyc is, and being internet junkies ourselves, we are quite aware of how finding the right informative fashion/shopping websites isn't normally the easiest thing, in fact it's daunting to say the least. But we also know that when you do find them, it's like you've uncovered some sacred revelation, one that offers you a payback of endless information. The problem is that there are millions of blogs, fashion devoted networking sites and so on, so we understand how easy it is to feel lost/overwhelmed.

But then this summer we came across StyleCaster.com, a newly launched multi-media site that's devoted to fashion, shopping, and the joy of getting dressed. At first sight we were caught not only by how beautifully crisp the overall look of the site is, but also by it's lighthearted tone while offering what we think is some great, well-edited advice. The thing is, a lot of the other sites we have come across of this nature aren't really catering to our kind of girl, one that's style is sincere and street smart, there's no "old Hollywood" b.s with StyleCaster. We like their taste.

Stylecaster offers everything you want, and every corner they cover, they do very well. It offers cool street style shots, shopping advice, fashion news & updates, music notes and features hundreds of well picked items with full shopping details, all with a warm communal vibe.

What's exponentially beneficial is that when you become a member, each morning you are offered a line of well styled dressing options based on your area's weather, complete with shopping advice. And with New York's unpredictable weather, we couldn't think of anything more helpful.

VagaBondnyc has gotten to style about 35+ looks for their daily "Style Line" feature which for us is a treat because we get to go into their high-tech studio space that's stocked with everything from Etro to Giambatista Valli, and mix it up with our favorite vintage finds from VagaBondnyc.com.

Four of our "Style Line" looks are featured above and to check out all of our looks visit StyleCaster.com

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

Tauba Auerbach Here and Now/Nowhere

Last Thursday New York's Deitch Projects hosted a double-whammy of openings with the genius Kehinde Wiley presenting Black Light, an exhibition of photographs that plays with the black male image, and Tauba Auerbach's Here and Now/Nowhere, a multi-media effort composed of paintings, photographic works, sculpture and a custom musical instrument that are all structured around the threshold between order and randomness. We always admire Auerbach's work with it's rich abstract beauty and conceptual depth, and it was a very special treat to see Auerbach playing her Auerglass organ, a two-person wooden pump organ designed by the artist with her friend Cameron Mesirow of the band Glasser. If you are in the New York City area we suggest you visit Deitch Projects where the organ will be played daily at 5pm, Tues-Sat, September 3 to October 17, 2009.

Above: The custom Auerglass & two works on display at Deitch
Above: Tauba Auerbach, Crumple VI, 2009
Above: Tauba Auerbach's S/S 2008 Ad for Comme Des Garcons

Wherein V harp on Holly Harp....

"I'm not trying to do tasteful little uniforms. Being dressed in perfect taste is very aging. I still have a sexy little girl in me that won't quit."-Holly Harp

80's HOLLY HARP Sheer Layered Dress

Vnyc has scored very few Holly Harp pieces in our time and this one puts those to shame. The shape, the ruched elbow length sleeves, the frothiest silk mesh overlay, the muted embroidery at the hem, & that it is Black makes it a perennial. Past scores were lovely of course but they were more L.A, maxi's likely accessorized with a fairy crystal hair band.

This one is dark and flou, more New York or Paris, more Lou or Charlotte and best with Demuelemeester boots and messy hair. Most important to us is that it is absolutely signature Holly. And Holly, come to find out, was a bit of a rebel. A California girl who's designs were intentionally counter-culture and worn by Janis Joplin and other tough hippie chicks of the me-generation.

In 1977, she recounted that one of her poppy hued shifts reminded her of a flame, and so to enhance this effect she blow-torched and charred its edges. She abhorred conventional dressing and had no regard for "age appropriate" clothing and uniformity in dressing. She is, to us at Vnyc, a sort of Baudelaire of fashion: Her designs are beautiful and romantic but also inherently defiant. Stevie Nicks mixed with Patty Smith. Very Vagabondnyc.