Galoshes ca. 1911 via The Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
I see these and all I can think of is James Joyce’s The Dead. Damn dirty old man.
Simply Beautiful but Irrelevant
"There is nothing truly beautiful but that which can never be of any use whatsoever; everything useful is ugly."
Jean Paul Gaultier did the costumes for the 1997 sci-fi classic, The Fifth Element. Seriously, was there a single costume in that entire movie that wasn’t ridiculously fabulous?
I’ve been thinking about class and fashion a lot lately. Essentially, the concept of “good taste” is something that is wielded by the upper class to separate themselves from the masses. It goes back to the industrial revolution, when factory production of textiles along with the invention of the sewing machine and synthetic dyes meant that the excessive ruffles, lace, and bright colors that had previously been displays of wealth could now be afforded by everyone. Of course the rich of noble and “old money” families will have nothing to do with this. The wealthy began to favor finely made over excessive, and continued to separate themselves from the unwashed masses with their “good taste.”
Gianni Versace turned this idea on its head by creating a couture line that is unrelentingly, unabashedly, joyously tacky, trashy, and fabulous. Has anyone seen the episode of Big Fat Gypsy Weddings where the (comparatively) well-to-do Irish Traveller woman goes shopping for furniture and says she goes for “the Versace look?” Yeah. That kind of sums it up. Versace’s colorful and frisky creations were not only embraced by the nouveau riche they celebrated, but by mainstream fashion as well, leaving a stong, indelible mark on couture.
Tragically, in 1997, Gianni Versace was shot and killed outside of his Miami home. The shooter was found several days later on a boat, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A motive was never established for his murder, although it was rumored that he had fallen afoul of the Italian Mafia. Since then, the Versace brand has been kept alive and thriving under the creative control of Versace’s sister, Donatella.
Andrej Pejic
Andrej is probably the most popular male model out there right now. Because, well, it’s scientific fact that if you don’t find Andrej hot there is something deeply and profoundly wrong with you. Andrej is unique as a model in that he does *both* men’s and women’s fashion (and anywhere in between) and is incredibly fucking beautiful no matter the gender. So yeah on top of being the prettiest Disney princess/ hottest disney prince that never was, he’s a genderqueer hero and has actually proven to be rather intelligent and aware of just what it means to do what he does. So go, Andrej!
Man, he is like the only male model I know. That and the zombie guy.
I didn’t even know there was such a thing as Publr. Case proven, I guess.
(via fuckyeahmeangirlsmacros)
fyeahhistorymajorheraldicbeast:
http://omgthatdress.tumblr.com/
http://defunctfashion.tumblr.com/
among many many others. I like it when people walk in on me though.
Awkwardness reigns for the House of Dior
The House of Dior recently fired John Galliano for being a drunk, pill-popping racist asshole. The only problem is, Galliano was a damn good designer and he’s proven difficult to replace. Rather than relying on the bold silhouettes and general luxury that previous Dior designers had relied on, Galliano played up the fantastical elements of the Dior aesthetic, creating elegant gowns and edgy day wear. He’s hardly the first major designer to have his career go down in a boozy, drama-filled mess (Paul Poiret and Roy Halston are the first to come to mind), and he’s not even the first Dior designer to become a major drug addict (Yves Saint Laurent was known to stagger down the runway after his shows in the 80s), but he’s still an immense talent, like him or not.
So, to see what the head honchos at LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton should be looking for, we’re going to take a look at the history of the House of Christian Dior.
I don’t think you necessarily meant this, but Galliano’s designing skills shouldn’t outweigh his racism. Even if it’s really because of publicity and sales, I think it’s good that Dior dropped him. Even if it’s just the semblance of morality, it’s better than saying, “Oh, but he’s really good at designing dresses, so, you know, it’s okay. S’not like he’s killing someone.”
I don’t really care about drinking and doing drugs so much, as long as they’re not hurting anyone else, but racism does hurt other people and it shouldn’t be tolerated, regardless of any other skill a person might have.
Again, I think what omgthatdress was really talking about is the future of the company now that someone so important to it is gone, not so much bemoaning Galliano’s loss as unfair, but I still felt like it’s worth talking about.
11 months ago - 
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Late 1960s- early 1970s skirt via the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
So tacky it wraps back to fabulous.
