Vivacious Velvet!

Is there a more decadent, sumptuous fabric than velvet? If there is I can't think of it!

Currently, my house is filled with velvet touches that extend past the vintage dresses I own. I've velvet cushions, throws, armchairs and even curtains in various rooms and I can thank the growing trend for velvet in fashion for influencing my interior choices!

For decades designers have chosen to create fabulous gowns and coats in velvet. The denseness of the fabric allows a really deep pigmentation and it just screams luxurious quality!

From the 1920's onwards, costumers in Hollywood knew what they were doing when they chose to dress their leading ladies in silk velvet gowns. Before the days of technicolour, cinema-goers could look on in awe as the starlets glided on screen in velvet lusciousness!

Prepare to salivate over these original vintage velvet creations...

Original Vintage Images 

 Raspberry velvet dress, 1960's image by Helmut Newton

Betty Threatt  by Louise Dahl Wolfe for Harpers Bazaar, 1949 

Dorothea McGown in Marc Bohan for Dior, photgraphed by Irving Penn 1961

 Balenciaga coat, 1951, Image by Louise Wolfe Dahl

 Jean Patchet in the 1950's wearing a sapphire blue velvet coat

 Christian Dior, 1950's. Image by Mark Shaw

 Christian Dior 1958

 Norma Shearer wearing a velvet dress in 1931

1950s fabulousness! 

 Twiggy wearing a JeanVaron dress for Vogue, 1967, Image by Cecil Beaton

 Vintage lavender velvet suit

 Vogue 1948, image by Clifford Coffin, Grey silk evening gown with velvet skirt

 1940's forest green velvet suit

 Christian Dior, 1957

 Joan Crawford in 1930 wearing a velvet trouser catsuit, image by George Hurrell

YES, A VELVET CATSUIT FROM OVER 80 YEAR'S AGO!!!

 A 1940's vintage dress which is really similar to dresses we have in stock!

 1957 Christian Dior black velvet dress

 1956 Jacques Fath blue velvet dress

1950s red velvet dress, image from My Vintage Vogue

Frances McLaughlin wearing a blue velvet gown, 1947

VELVET VINTAGE DRESSES IN DIRTY FABULOUS

1940's sapphire blue velvet dress with shawl collar €290 size 10

1940's wine velvet dress with pink sequin floral detail €290

 Amazing 1950s cobalt blue velvet wiggle dress with cutouts at neckline €290 size 8-10

1960's forest green dress with sleeves and rhinestone buckle €270 size 10

 1960's yellow satin brocade cocktail dress with dark green velvet bodice €280 size 8 

 

1940s cobalt blue cocktail dress with rhinestone detail €290 size 12

Velvet Accents in Dirty Fabulous:

1950's black taffeta prom dress with velvet detailing on neck €290 size 12-14

1950s black taffeta dress with velvet bodice (part of suit) €340 size 10

Velvet Vintage Accessories in Dirty Fabulous:

1940s Mr John Sophisticate green velvet beret €70

1930's dusky blue velvet peaked hat with cluster pearl €120

1950s fushia pink velvet hat with net €130

1950's black velvet beaded bag €140 and velvet and lace 1950's band €85

1940's pale blue velvet brimmed hat €160

PHOTOSHOOTS FEATURING DIRTY FABULOUS VELVET

VELVET ON THE CATWALK

Image Source

Image from Pinterest

ARGGHHHH!!! I must add to my velvet collection right now!!!!

Fashion Icons Through The Ages: The Glamourous 30's - Part 1

After taking a little break, we've returned to our Icon series. If you missed the Beginning of Celebrity or The Roaring Twenties then it's worth catching up on some serious fashion stakes! Now, back to one of the most sumptuous decades in fashion:

You'll be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't drool over the glamour of the 1930's. Even the most cutting edge fashionista can admire the allure of Old Hollywood. In fact this era is so chok full of glamourpusses that I'll have to split it into two parts!!!

Fay Wray
An original 'Queen Of Scream' Fay's career took off after she starred in a series of horror and thrillers where she put her talent for fearful shrieking to great use. She rose to superstardom after she starred in King Kong in 1933. Fay continued to work right up into her 80's.

Look at these fabulous tights!

Carole Lombard

Carole became the highest paid actress of her time and was considered one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood. Costume departments and designers fought to clothe her. She married one of the biggest actors of the early 30's, William Powell. The marriage didn't last long as they were dramatically different: Carole was young and fiesty whilst Powell was more mature and serious. Carole then married Clarke Gable at a time when he was becoming a huge star and they were madly in love up until her death due to a plane crash at only 33.

Jean Harlow

Known in Hollywood as the Blonde Bombshell or Baby, Jean Harlow was as synonymous for her platinum blonde locks as she was for wearing tight, bias cut silk dresses. She was a hugely popular actress of her time who played both comedic and serious roles. It's hard to believe from all of the fabulous photos we see of Jean Harlow that she was plagued by illness. Her "platinum" hair colour was created in a weekly process using peroxide, ammonia, Clorox, and soap flakes! Not surprisingly it made her hair fall out. Jean starred in so many movies with leading men like Clarke Gable and William Powell that it seems like she had a long career in Hollywood, but sadly, she died at only 26, of Kidney failure, whilst filming Saratoga.

Jean's dress was so tight for the film "Dinner at Eight" that she couldn't sit down and the director had this reclining perch made for her to relax between takes!!!

Marlene Dietrich

The sultry voiced diva with bedroom eyes definitely deserves to be on our fashion icon list. Marlene was no wallflower, she was comfortable with who she was an made no apologies if her behaviour shocked. She even said "no" to the Nazi's who wanted her to campaign for their side. Marlene married once and although it didn't last she never divorced. She had endless male and female lovers and totally rocked the androgynous look. I present to you Ms. Dietrich...