Canadian Fashion Connection – MAC cosmetics

MAC Viva Glam advert, 1997, with Ru Paul and K.D. Lang

Make-up Artist Cosmetics, or ‘MAC’ was founded in 1985 by Frank Angelo and Frank Toskan, (known collectively as ‘the Franks’.) They began their business making camera-friendly lipstick for professional make-up artists but the general public also bought their products at the first MAC outlet located in a salon in the basement of Simpson’s department store in Toronto.

In 1994 Estee Lauder invested in MAC, purchasing 51 percent of the company,  which allowed MAC to expand internationally. While business success was important, the company was also socially responsible and became known for raising millions of dollars for AIDS hospice care through the donation of all sales from Viva Glam lipstick. The Franks refused to use fancy packaging or a famous model’s face to promote their product. Instead, they chose the famous lesbian cow-punk singer K.D. Lang, and drag queen Ru-Paul to be the company spokesmodels, which rocketed the brand to fame in the late 1990s.

In 1997 Frank Angelo died of a heart attack during cosmetic surgery and in 2003 the company headquarters were moved to New York, but despite the changes to the company, MAC continues to be devoted to social responsibility. MAC cosmetics are not tested on animals, recycles its containers, and continues to support people living with AIDS.

Posted in Beauty & Cosmetics, Canadian dress | Tagged , | Leave a comment

A flattering interview

I always feel uncomfortable talking about myself, but if someone wants to say something nice about me I won’t stop them! I recently did an interview with Joseph Hisey (a friend who I have known since padded shoulders were in fashion…)  Joseph taught design history for years at the International Academy in Toronto, and now hosts behind the scenes tours through major museums in Europe and the U.S., but enough about him… Here is my interview with Joseph.

Posted in Fashion, Fashion History Museum, Vintage clothing | 1 Comment

In Defense of Corsets…

I don’t know how many times I have heard the accusatory statement that corsetting is the worst thing women ever did to themselves in the name of beauty (and that somehow men were to blame…)

Considering we are living in an age when tattoos, piercing, 4 inch heels, hair dying, crash dieting, excessive exercising, botox injecting, and plastic surgery are common in the name of beauty, I appreciate that Valerie Steele has spoken up on behalf of the much maligned Victorian undergarment.

Posted in underwear | Tagged | 4 Comments

As Seen In – Kerrybrooke shoes, summer 1961

Kerrybrooke stiletto shoes, Simpson Sears catalogue, summer 1961

Posted in As Seen In, Shoes | Leave a comment

Happy Robbie Burns Day

This should put an end to the question of what a Scotsman wears beneath his kilt:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shoes and Socks.

Posted in Clothing customs, Men's fashion | Tagged | 1 Comment

2011 Academy Award Costume Nominations

The Academy Award nominations were announced this morning and although I didn’t go to the theatre much this past year, I have been thinking about who would be nominated and who I think should win, so here are my two cents… The nominees are:

Anonymous, costumes by Lisy Christl. This was one of those films that appeared at my local theatre for about a week before it disappeared. It is set in late 16th century England and is about the possibility of Shakespeare not being the author of his plays. I am not familiar with any of the previous work by the film’s costume designer but checking credentials online I see that Lisy Christl works mostly in Germany and did receive a German film award for John Rabe a film about the Nanjing massacre of 1937. The stills for Anonymous depict uneven costuming in  terms of authenticity, but an excellent ability to capture mood. The nomination was deserved, but Christl won’t win.

Hugo, costumes by Sandy Powell. I haven’t seen this film because I hate 3D – it makes my eyes hurt. Looking at the stills I see a fantasy set in a very CGI’d Paris of c. 1930. The costuming is more character driven than historical-recreation. Sandy Powell always does an amazing job – her Oscars for The Young Victoria, The Aviator, and Shakespeare in Love were well deserved, as were many of her films that didn’t receive Oscars: Mrs. Henderson Presents, Velvet Goldmine, Orlando, Gangs of New York… However, Hugo is lovely to look at, and her costuming is great, but it’s not a contender against this year’s other nominees.

The Artist, costumes by Mark Bridges. I am familiar with some of Mark Bridges work. There Will Be Blood expertly captured that look and feel of dust and sweat you see in pictures of the old west, and Boogie Nights was exceptional, and surprisingly overlooked by Oscar when it came out in 1997. However, I just don’t see the 1920s when I look at stills from The Artist. I know part of the problem is the hair and make-up – it doesn’t capture the era, but the clothes all look a bit clichéd to me, and not what was being worn in real life or on film in the late 1920s. Maybe I will change my mind when I see this film, which I hope to do before the Oscar ceremony.

Jane Eyre, costumes by Michael O’Connor. I raved about this film when I saw it. The attention to period detail is perfection. Michael O’Connor won an Oscar, among many other awards for The Duchess, which was set mostly in the 1780s – a flamboyant, colourful and elegant era. Working against O’Connor for the award this year is the era when this film was set – the plain and dreary 1840s.  I hope voters will recognize the degree of excellence Michael O’Connor achieved in this film.

W.E., costumes by Arianne Phillips. I have been a fan of Arianne Phillips ever since I saw A Single Man, but she also did great work in Walk the Line and the much overlooked Tank Girl. Now here’s the problem – from the images I have found online, Arianne Phillips costumes for W.E. are exceptional. She has recreated, line for line, Dior and Molyneux (among other designers) couture dresses actually worn by Mrs. Simpson. However, I doubt I will see this film because the reviews I read summed up what I had already surmised from the stills, that this is a sumptuous looking hot mess of a film. Madonna tells the story of two young, beautiful, misunderstood lovers, when in fact, the real Edward and Mrs. Simpson were middle aged, self-centered, manipulative users.

So, who do I think will win? Lisy Christl for Anonymous is this year’s long shot and Sandy Powell for Hugo is unlikely. Mark Bridges for The Artist, who I don’t think should win, might get swept up in the hysteria that is growing about a silent black and white film with a French star that has good odds for winning this year’s Oscar for best film.

Which leaves me with my two front-runners. Michael O’Connor for Jane Eyre, and Arianne Phillips for W.E., however, they both have hurdles to overcome: O’Connor did an exceptional job of costuming a dreary period in yet another version of a classic tale that was released at the beginning of the year and has been largely forgotten; while Arianne Phillips did an exceptional job recreating real garments from a glamorous era in a disaster of a film that nobody likes and is still not in general release. If I had to choose, I think I might bet on Arianne Phillips, only because she hasn’t won an Oscar yet for her work, and she deserved one for A Single Man.

Upon further reading I have discovered that many of the dresses in W.E. were hired or made for the film by others: Dior made three gowns, the revived house of Vionnet made four gowns, and the famous Molyneux wedding dress was already in existence from another film and hired from Cosprop. So my vote goes back to Michael O’Connor.

Added Jan 30: I just discovered that one of the costume suppliers to The Artist is the company Leluxe that makes ‘recreations’, or rather contemporary dresses based on cliche styles of the 1920s. Once I saw their website I recognized why I didn’t like the costuming of The Artist.

Posted in film costuming | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Put a sock in it!

Apparently this British phrase involving hosiery dates from the early 20th century when gramophones were popular. The early gramophones didn’t have volume control, so to deaden the sound a sock was put in the horn (speaker.)

I thought this sounded like an urban legend definition, but nobody has  proven it untrue. The phrase would have started as colloquial slang before being coined. The earliest use of the phrase in print dates from 1919.

Posted in underwear | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Bound for Beauty

Happy Year of the Dragon! In keeping with the Dragon year for unpredictability, I thought I would post about something other than Western fashion.

For about a thousand years in China, gin lien or ‘golden lotus’ feet distinguished women of high status. The origins of the practice of binding feet are obscure, with stories ranging from an empress with a club foot to palace dancers who bound their feet to emulate the buds of the lotus (a beautiful flower that grows out of mud.)

The practice is looked upon today as cruel but its really just a form of body modification that includes the use of lip plates amongst Amazonian tribes, neck rings in traditional Burmese culture, scarification in East Africa, the ancient practices of tattooing and piercing found around the world, and the Western practices of body building, dieting, and tight corsetting, as well as the contemporary use of botox and plastic surgery.

When the Manchu (Qing) dynasty was founded in 1644, the foot binding practice was outlawed, but the edict only had effect upon the ruling northern (Manchu) Chinese. In southern China it was already a well-established tradition for a woman to have bound feet because she was more desirable and could marry well. Her tiny feet meant that, although she could walk, she could not work and was more ornamental than useful, becoming a status symbol reflecting her husband’s prosperity.

The smallest surviving examples of gin lien were never intended for wear, but were gifts at weddings or New Year. The ideal bound foot size was supposed to measure no more than three inches but this was as elusive as the 18 inch waist in Europe and most bound feet measured around six inches in length.

The process for binding feet started when a girl was about five years old. The process differed according to family tradition; sometimes bones were broken but most times the toes were curled under the foot with tight bandages. Eventually, the foot grew into a permanent club shape, with the arch compressed so that the heel touched the ball of the sole, and the big toe pointed downwards.

Not all Chinese women had bound feet – perhaps the oldest, or prettiest girl in the family might be selected for the honour. The practice generally ceased at the time of the founding of the Republic of China in 1912. However, the tradition lived on in rural pockets until the 1940s.

Posted in Beauty & Cosmetics, Clothing customs, Shoes | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Wearing the Web

Spider silk cape currently on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, image courtesy of the V&A

A few days ago I heard about a remarkable garment on disply at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. It is a cape woven from spiderweb silk. It takes something like a million female golden orb spiders to produce enough silk for a cloak, however, the spiders are ‘milked’, and not killed. About 80 feet of silk thread are extracted from each spider per milking, with 96 threads then spun together to create 80 feet of thread thick enough to weave.

The process was invented by Jacob Paul Camboué,  an eccentric Frenchman living in Madagascar in the late 19th century. Spider web silk was first shown at the Paris Exposition of 1900. Here is a great blurb about the history and process on Youtube:

Posted in Textiles | Tagged | 1 Comment

Haute Couture – a century old

Maybe I completely missed it, but I never heard of any celebrations or mention of the 100th anniversary of haute couture. I know… all the costume history books say that ‘couture’ was invented by Charles Worth in 1868 when he founded the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture et de la Confection pour Dames et Fillettes, but that’s not quite correct. This first organization was a trade association of bespoke dressmakers, tailors, and makers of ‘ready-made’ women’s fashions (which in 1868 consisted mostly of makers of mantles (capes) and underwear.)

Problems arose over the years amongst its members, the worst being design piracy. So, in 1911, Paris’ top dressmakers reorganized themselves into a smaller association called the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. This syndicate of design houses guarded the interests of the best dressmakers in Paris by negotiating with labour unions, standardizing wages, settling member disputes, and setting standards of excellence for production and quality of original design.  Members had to produce a minimum number of original designs twice a year and debut those fashions at shows set by the organization. They also had to maintain a certain amount of profit from their products, and they could not buy sketches from freelance designers.

Members of this elite group were called haute couturiers (top dressmakers) and in 1911 the leading haute couturiers were Worth, Paquin, Doucet, Callot Soeurs, Redfern, Madelaine Cheruit, George Doeuillet, Bechoff-David, Martial & Armand, Georgette and others… A publication done at the time of this reorganization was called ‘Les Createurs de la Mode’, by Roger Miles. I wish someone would do a reprint because it is now out of copyright and finding a copy of this book is impossible (only 175 were ever printed.) Fortunately, someone copied many of the images and posted them into a very nice Youtube film, and you can read the entire book online here. This is a great resource for the look of fashion for fall 1910/spring 1911 as well as the interiors of the salons and their workrooms.

Posted in Designers/Couturiers, fashion industry | Tagged , | 4 Comments