If Claire McCardell is my American sportswear designer idol, then Valentina Schlee (more commonly and simply known as “Valentina” professionally) is the American couturier version. I have long been acquainted with Russian-born designer Valentina; thanks to an article in Threads years ago. I was fascinated by her theatrical personality and the gorgeously simple clothes she created. She was considered one of the New York designers from the 1930s to 50s, catering to the wealthy and upper classes of society. Despite being on par with more well known American couturiers such as Mainbocher and Charles James, she and her work have largely been forgotten.
Since I read that Threads article, I thought it was a shame that no one had authored a comprehensive book on Valentina’s work and her life. Thankfully, Kohl Yohannan (who also wrote an excellent book on Claire McCardell), remedied this situation with a large, glossy book filled with pictures of her work and piecing together Valentina’s life and work. Fascinating in her ability to create a theatrical persona and hide her (probable) humble origins in Russia, Valentina’s life story and impact on fashion as a unique personality fill most of the book. Originally an actress and dancer, her early life is quite obscure as she fled Russia during the upheaval of the Revolution and traveled about Europe for a time before landing in the United States. She had already established her own sense of style: more gothic and simple than the glittery-glamorous looks that permeated the fashion world in the 1920s, and created quite a splash in New York society with her elegantly simple and expertly cut designs. She went on to work with some of the most influential and famous women in the U.S. at the time (including Greta Garbo), and her design house lasted into the 1950s before she closed the doors as demand for fine, custom dressmaking began to decline.
The book is dripping with beautifully reproduced photographs of Valentina’s designs, the performers she costumed, the editorials she modeled for (she was notorious for insisting on being the model to photograph and show her own designs to their fullest potential), and early images of the designer. It’s an amazing compilation of a great designer’s work and her aesthetic. My only disappointment with the book is that it neglects to show the garments in a museum-like setting. In Kohl Yohannan’s book on McCardell, it relies greatly on modern photos of McCardell’s work that is owned by museums. I feel like if images like this had been included in the book, it would have allowed the reader a better view and appreciation for the shaping and detail work on the garments Valentina created. (This was done in the Threads article, much to the delight of my curious eyes!)
Still, that being said, it’s a delightful book that I hope to add to my bookshelf very soon. It not only is a beautiful look at mid-20th century fashion, but a fitting tribute to a long-forgotten and marginalized designer who impacted both the design world and New York society in so many ways.
September 30, 2009 ·
15 lovely thoughts
posted in books,casey's musings,vintage inspiration
· tags: 1930s, books, sewing
[ finished train beading and embellishment! ]
My apologies for my erratic posting the past week… I’m deep in sewing and beading mode right now; just about every waking moment has been spent doing something to go towards my Sabrina dress! (Well, I admit: I take breaks to make sure I eat, check the mail, and do a bit of exercise to get my heart pumping!) The beading along the train hem is finished! In addition to the beading along the swag at the bottom, I also beaded and applied sequins to the floral motifs between. To kick it up a notch, I found a little stash of crystal rhinestones I had in my bead box (bought years and years ago–yay for hoarding supplies!) and stitched those to the center of each of the big flowers. I am so excited with how glamorous it looks (and happy it’s done! My hands were starting to cramp from all the handsewing I had been doing…). Other sewing news: the dress itself is almost completed: a hem is the only thing left to do. Hurrah!
[ at the Big Bad Voodoo Daddy concert Saturday afternoon. ]
In the midst of all this sewing madness, Sailor Husband and some friends dragged me away for a day trip we had been looking forward to for months. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy was playing at Epcot this weekend, and since we all had passes, it seemed like the perfect way to spend a Saturday! I have to admit: the set was a bit short (I suspect Disney restricts concerts to a certain amount of time. Boo on them!), but listening to their music in person was exhilarating! I always enjoy hearing musicians perform live, and have had too few opportunities to do so in my life (my sister and I were convinced for a time that our attempts to go to concerts were cursed; it seemed every time we tried, it got canceled or sold out!). Totally worth a break from beading! hehe! What has been your favorite concert-going experience?
I am hoping to squeeze a few posts out this week (despite a continued forcast of Sewing Madness)–and not just about the dress project! lol. I hope you all are having a lovely Monday!
September 28, 2009 ·
21 lovely thoughts
posted in casey's musings,sewing
· tags: life, sewing
[ beading the train! I'm using a combination of black sequins and vintage gunmetal gray beads. ]
You would think in the time that has passed since my initial post about this project, I would have managed to get fantastic amounts done. Truth be told, I lost a few days over the past week that have meant I am faced with a half-finished bodice, skirt still in pieces, and party date looming ever closer (how does a couple weekends off sound?). Between last weekend, a house that won’t clean itself, and the oddball habit of liking to eat (so someone had to go grocery shopping), progress is at a snail’s pace! Thankfully though, Sailor Husband has been most understanding and basically told me to just focus on the dress this week. So hopefully that will abate any middle-of-the-night panic attacks about the project. haha!
Before I delve into the particulars of the dress construction, I wanted to show you a snippet of something I’m really excited about: beading the train! So far I’ve set on doing just the hem, and I’m trying not to dream too big–since my time is running out. I managed to bead half the scallops along the border in about 90 minutes, which is pretty good time, in my opinion. It’s definitely a relaxing thing to do in the evening!
I originally decided to go with the bodice design that incorporated a bit of the train fabric into it. However, after getting more than halfway through that, I decided that I didn’t really like the look of it in real life (drawings are one thing, physical execution is another), nor did it do anything to improve my small bustline. After a mini meltdown, a frantic call to my mom, and brainstorming over this project, I went with the plain bodice style. If nothing else, this will allow for the dress to be worn by itself without the train. Versatility is a good thing, right?
[ the dress thus far--excuse the bit of wrinkliness! I've been hauling it off and on the dressform for fittings... ]
I’m using a combination of techniques I’ve read about in Bridal Couture and Couture Sewing, and less time consuming shortcuts that I use on a regular basis. I’ve had both those books in my shelves for years, and have been itching for a project I can utilize the couture way of doing things. Although I am realistically picking my poison since I’m on such a time crunch. But things like underlining, hand basting, etc. are coming in to play. The bodice is almost done, and I’m really pleased with the fit and shape. It’s got 11 bones in it (I plan on wearing a foundation garment underneath, otherwise I’d be making some custom bust pads to further shape and support), all of which are stitched to the cotton underlining. That has been hand basted to each matching piece of the bodice around the edges. The underlining and dress fabric pieces are treated as one, and stitched together. I’ve left 1″ seams at the side and center back to allow for adjustment (both now and in the future. It’s always good to have a little wiggle room!).
The skirt has been pretty straight forward: I decided to fully line it to allow the skirt to lay smoothly and glide over the legs, rather than get caught to bunch up. Initially I went back and forth about whether to do pleats in the front, or darts. I decided on darts in the end, although they need to be slightly adjusted (I’m finding that there are little tweaks that didn’t show up in the muslin, but are very apparent in the satin!). Thus far, I haven’t gotten very far past fitting the skirt and marking adjustments–hopefully tomorrow I’ll get to it!
September 24, 2009 ·
35 lovely thoughts
posted in casey's musings,sewing
· tags: sewing
My apologies that I didn’t have a post up in time for Monday… We spent the weekend helping a relative move; by the time I got home Sunday evening, I was too exhausted and sore to do much besides go to bed. lol. I hope you’ll enjoy this little post I put together though–I’ve been planning a little inspiration post like this for a week!
[ 01. Gay age 7, 02. beautiful lady, 03. holding hat. ]
Whenever I start to get just the tiniest bit bored with high fashion photography (of the vintage or contemporary kind) or just feel the need of finding some new looks, I always find hunting down vintage snapshots a great way to recharge my style inspiration banks. I could go on about how it’s possibly because the shots aren’t staged, don’t show designer clothes, or are a bit less glamorous than the movie star pictures from back in the day. But honestly, I love these just as much as the high fashion, contrived photography. Women seemed just as glamorous mucking around in everyday frocks then–or maybe it is just me wishing a little glamor into the frozen moment?
[ 04. 1940/45 donne di guerra, 05. photobooth, 06. Hazel Cyrus. ]
I’m not a terribly high maintenance gal when it comes to the retro look. Well, a lot of people think I am with my vintage makeup and hair, but I think I spend just as much time as most style conscious gals to get ready. I prefer a bit of a softer, girl-next-door look. That is why I love these old photos so much: they were the girls-next-door, the sweethearts and wives, homemakers and gals with career aspirations. None of them look too perfect, if you know what I mean. I love glamor, but like these women before me, keeping it up on a daily basis with toilets to scrub and errands to run in 95 degree heat means that stepping out looking like a fashion plate isn’t terribly practical. Plus, a face of half-melted makeup ain’t that glamorous after all…
[ 07. lady sitting, 08. Diane June 1955. ]
September 22, 2009 ·
23 lovely thoughts
posted in casey's musings,vintage inspiration
· tags: style inspiration, vintage inspiration
[ click for a larger view of these wonderful images & sources! ]
How has your week gone? Mine has been at break neck speed: lots and lots of sewing! I’m trying hard to focus on my ball gown project (just a couple weeks to go ’til the event! Yikes!), and not get distracted by all the pretty inspiration I’ve seen popping up online this week (I fully blame NY Fashion Week for this. *ahem*). I know I’ve written about this before, but I go through periods of not being able to stay on target with just one project. This would be one of those times! haha! I have loads to show y’all on the nitty-gritty construction aspects of this project, which I shall post about early next week!
This weekend is my Mom’s birthday! It’s making me somewhat melancholy that we won’t be able to do our usual birthday thing: go out to afternoon tea. But I keep thinking of the memory of the lovely tearoom we visited when she came down in March. That shall have to suffice for everyone’s birthdays for now, I suppose. Happy Birthday, Mom!
- Sal wrote an excellent article titled “Defending Dressing“. I wish I had read that years ago when I started dressing up more!
- This beautiful, Asian themed party decor looks straight out of a storybook. Love!!!
- What an excellent idea for post on photographer Mike Disfarmer really caught my eye this week.
- Fabric flowers are popping up a lot on my radar lately, and I found another tutorial on making some fun Poppy Boutonnieres!
[ click for a larger view. ]
The vintage image for this week hails from the 1920s. I’m sure you all are thinking “she doth protest too much that she isn’t that into the 20s” considering my frequent mention of it lately. lol! I think it was the “Spell” video over at Lula Magazine that got me really into a 1920s mood today; I adore the silent film quality to the piece and it got me dreaming about 20s clothes (if only it was a silhouette I could pull off!). Though this page isn’t full of gauzy, dreamy wonderfulness, it’s the coat that got me. I love those big, loose, wrap-yourself-up style coats. I’ve dreamed for several autumns past of making a luxuriously warm 20s coat (obviously not happening this year). I’ll take one of the jaunty and “stylish gros-grain [sic] ribbon tam” too (lower left)!
I hope you have a glorious weekend!
September 18, 2009 ·
20 lovely thoughts
posted in casey's musings,links,vintage inspiration
· tags: 1910s, vintage inspiration, weekly inspiration
