Decade Hopping

Style.com...

Tommy Ton's weeks on fashion's front lines have made him a keen observer of subtle shifts in the sartorial landscape. The change he clocked at the last round of shows? A movement away from thw aggressive eighties looks that have been so dominant for the last several seasons toward a softer, more feminine style with echoes of the 1970s. "It was refreshing to see a new romantic take on minimalism on the rise," he told us.

I couldn't agree more.

Some are sticking with the aggressive eighties...

While others are moving backward in time to the softer 70s...

Personally, I'm much more a fan of the softer 70s look.
What about you all?

Catch.

Romany

[photos courtesy of style.com]

Vintage...

Catch.

Romany

[photos courtesy of eightyonedesign.co.uk]

Simply Iconic...

As I was perusing through the pages of an early 2009 issue of Vogue UK, I came across a particularly intriguing story on the continued success, and 'trendiness', of the smokey eye/nude lip beauty combination. Created around 40s years ago, the Sixties Face has maintained its astounding popularity due to the fact that the emphasis is on the eyes. Makeup artist Barbara Daly believes the eyes are so attractive because they emphasise communication. "They are how we see expression in each other," she explains. "Eye contact is one of the absolute markers of human connection, and it's part of our body language that we pay the most attention to. Widening the eyes, accentuating that part of you, is saying, 'This is who I am; this is how I feel.' I see the Sixties look as disarmingly honest -- the whole person laid bare."
If only the Sixties Face was as common place as it was during its heyday.

In an homage to the aforementioned Face, I've compiled a little list of my favourite sixties beauty icons, starting with...

Sophia Loren
Actress
Sophia epitomises classic glamour. I dare anyone to try and out-class her...

Brigitte Bardot
Actress

Raquel Welch
Actress
Raquel effortlessly embodies feminine strength...

Jane Birkin
Actress/Musician

Penelope Tree
Model

Françoise Hardy
Musician

Pattie Boyd
Model

Britt Ekland

Actress

Twiggy
Model
Twiggy remains one of the most famous, iconic models to this day...

Celia Hammond
Model

Jean Shrimpton
Model

Did I mention any of your favourites?

Catch.

Romany

[photos courtesy of askamakeupguru.com, desfilenalaje.wordpress.com, girlwiththeafro.blogspot.com, ana-lee.livejournal.com, uknet.com, thestylepage.blogspot.com, allposters.com, nytimes.com
, lezouth.free.fr and media.photobucket.com]

Everything Old Is New Again...

Sometimes, inspiration comes in the form of nostalgia for the old days. Lately, magazine editors have been inspired out-of-sight by decades passed, and the result is a wide variety of retro photo shoots.

1940s

It's A Madcap World
Jourdan Dunn and Karlie Kloss in Vogue US Feb 09

1950s

Lady D

Diane Kruger in Amica Germany Jan 09

1960s

Mommie Dearest
Siri Tollerod in Numero 97

1970s

wild.

Behati Prinsloo and Alyona Osmanova in Russh Aus Jan/Feb 09

Astrology 2009
Alice Rausch in Russh Aus Jan/Feb 09

1980s

Milla Jovovich in Vogue Paris Jan 09

What do you all think? Love it? Or leave it?
Personally, my favourite era of fashion is the 70s. But I love all these shoots, so I can't decide which is my favourite. Which is your favourite?

Catch.

Romany

[photos courtesy of thefashionspot.com, fashionising.com, beautygirlmusings.blogspot.com, fashion-ation.net and fashionchips.com]

Bring It Back: Old school glamour

Fashion at it's best. Celebrities have been trying their hardest to try and re-create classic hollywood, but as we can tell from this, they cannot be trusted. Unfortunately, some celebrities today are giving a bad name to old school glamour, by making it look trashy and contrived. What ever happened to the good old days (ok so it was quite a few years before I was born) when makeup looked smooth, sexy and effortless? Why have we said goodbye to timeless Oscar style dresses and a smouldering smile, and replaced them with mismatching bags, trashy-red lipstick and impossibly high platform shoes? Why are the high-waisted jeans making a comeback when an even better era of fashion is calling our names, just waiting to be pulled out of the history books and back onto Page Six?
Designers are doing their bit to recreate old hollywood looks at their fashion shows, featuring cherry stained lips, Veronica Lake-esque hair do's and even the clothes being designed bear striking resemblance to those of yesteryear.
Bring these back:

Big Hats

Such a classic style. Sure, we get to see these kinds of hats a few times year at the races, but this would also be perfect for a Sunday brunch, no?

Classic LBD

The LBD (first invented by Coco Chanel herself in the 1920s) is, and always will be, the epitome of class. The trouble is, LBD's are becoming just too complicated. Yes it's great to mix it up once in a while, but every woman should have at least one simple, black cocktail dress at the back of her closet.

Empire Waistline Jackets

I love this look. If I could, I would wear this every day (but that's just tacky, lol). An essential for winter, and an essential for self confidence. Empire waistlines flatter everyone, so it's good to know they don't just come in evening gown form.

Voluminous Evening Gowns

I wish for this more than all of the others. It's so feminine, fun and spectacularly intricate. Honestly wouldn't you rather see the stars wearing something like this at the Oscar's, rather than, say, this:

I like Jessica Biel a lot, and the dress itself is very pretty, but come on...this is the Oscar's we're talking about! The one day a year when one can dress completely majestically and blame it on the spirit of the occasion, so why not take advantage of it, and wear something more interesting to look at (e.g. Vivien Leigh, above)?

The wheels are in motion. Somewhere, a designer has just been struck by the incredible idea of re-creating old hollywood style for his/her new collection, and dreaming that soon Jennifer Aniston will be walking down the street wearing a big hat or an empire waistline jacket (not together though, that's just common sense) that he/she designed. You can thank me later. Lol.

Catch.

Romany

[photos courtesy of hayazg.com, alabasterbrow.blogsome.com, worth1000.com and thedollpalace.com]