All that Jazz! Irish Independent Weekend Magazine Saturday 2nd of April 2016

1930's black sequin crop jacket (part of set)

 Laura: Hat by Dirty Fabulous

Faye: Earrings and Necklace by Dirty Fabulous

 Faye: 1940's Dress, necklace and earrings by Dirty Fabulous

 Earrings by Dirty Fabulous

From the Irish Independent:

This week, our shoot took inspiration from the new Guinness TV advert, Intolerant Champion which was set in 1930s' New York and tells the story of music scout John Hammond who overlooked racial segregation to champion great jazz. The shoot brings to life the vibrancy and energy from the ad, transporting us to a 1930s' club scene.

Stylist Roxanne Parker says: "Miuccia Prada took inspiration from the 1930s for her Autumn/ Winter 2016 show, held in Milan. This is a hot trend that is only going to intensify as the season progresses. For this shoot, we took inspiration from the masculine trend that started to filter into the 1930s with wide-cut trousers and brogue-style shoes offering women the freedom to enjoy the jazz age and move more freely.

"There was also a very feminine trend running through the 1930s, with cut-on-bias dresses, tea dresses and T-bar sandals, which was a nice antidote to the masculine trend.

"The fashion-led man is moving away from the structured hipster look into a relaxed and casual style with Henley tops, authentic Levi jeans and workman's boots," says Roxanne.

Styling & production: Roxanne Parker

Photography: Daniel Holfeld, danielholfeld.com

Hair: Stephen Kelly, Zeba, 60 South William Street

Make-Up: Ken Boylan, kenboylan.com

Models: Faye Dinsmore & Laura O'Shea @ AR Model Management; Carl Shaaban, Morgan The Agency; James McDonald, Lockdown Models, Cork

Double bass player: Cormac O'Brien

Shot on location at the Guinness Open Gate Brewery, St James's Gate, Dublin.

Adrian... Hollywood Designer Extraordinaire!

You may not have heard of him, but believe me you know his designs!

Gilbert Adrian was a major Hollywood costume designer from the 1920's to 40's.

He designed costumes for Rudolph Valentino and Cecil B. Demille, eventually moving to the mega Hollywood Mecca that was MGM.

It was here that he became know as one of the greatest film designers having designed costumes for over 230 films.

Courtesy of Fashion Encylopedia

Fully beaded gown worn by Joan Crawford in The Bride Wore Red

Jean Harlow in Dinner At Eight

Katherine Hepburn in Philadelphia Story

Greta Garbo in Inspiration

Hedy Lamarr in Ziegfeld Girl

Courtesy of Pretty Clever Films

Lana Turner in Ziegfeld Girl

The Wizard of Oz

Adrian became a favourite collaborator of icons such as Greta Garbo, Ingrid Bergman, Jean Harlow and Lana Turner to name but a few.

He is the man responsible for giving Joan Crawford her legendary strong shouldered silhouette in the 1939 movie The Women.

I recently watched this movie and was blown away by the costumes and in particular the technicolour fashion show in the middle.

He was also the designer on The Wizard of Oz and Philadelphia Story. (Two more personal fav's!)

Unfortunately he never won an Oscar for his work but that was because "costumes" weren't added as a category until after 1948.

Hi costumes were extravagant from angular, crisp, tailored suits to Ostrich plume and crystal embellished gowns. They were just what the depression era audiences were craving. Full-on indulgent glamour!

They actually went crazy for his looks, Macy's sold half a million reproductions of the frothy shouldered gown that Joan Crawford wore in Letty Lynton. A staggering number at that time...and what were all those ladies wearing that dress to???

Joan Crawford in Letty Lynton

As a designer he wasn't afraid to experiment. He used bold colour blocking, unusual prints, elaborate beading and he even showcased some Gothic themes!

 courtesy of My Vintage Vogue

Adrian's most famous legacy the "coat hanger" silhouette became a key look of the 1940's: padded shoulders, a slim jacket with details that emphasised the shoulders and a pencil skirt. Pretty much an inverted pyramid!

So now you know who Adrian was, or at least what he did.

He is one of the reasons we adore watching vintage movies:

Their jaw dropping and extravagant fashion; make us wish we lived in Old Hollywood, a land of make-believe glamour and opulence...

To see a few more instances of his work check out these YouTube videos:

Here

This one is particularly informative:

Adrian

In celebration of all things horsey!

I love the atmosphere evoked by these glamorous shots styled by Evie B Styling.

It's the perfect time for sharing them what with the Dublin Horse Show in full swing!

The model is wearing a black heavily sequinned 1930's skirt from Dirty Fabulous which actually has a gorgeous matching jacket with little cream button cuffs.

It's one of my favourite pieces in the shop!

Credits:

Photography: Lucy Nuzum

Viktoria Panik

Stylist: Evie B Styling

Model:  Joanne Northey, 1st Option Models