TREND: Ballet Pink (as seen in Black Swan)
The New York Times beat me to it. I wanted my first post-hiatus post to discuss the ballet influences in late December’s Pre-Fall 2011 collections. I planned to demonstrate the trend using images from Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan. Alas, Ruth La Ferla has already come to the conclusion that the movie “both reflects–and anticipates” the ballet trend in fashion.
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However, I think the article relies too much on the use of feathers in a small handful of Spring 2011 shows (Chanel, Alexander McQueen, and J. Mendel) to draw the ballet-inspired conclusion. Although feathers are relevant to the Black Swan movie, they aren’t representative of ballet in general (and what dancers wear on a regular basis). It is ballet, not the story of Swan Lake that is on the pop culture radar:
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Kanye West’s “Runaway” video
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Despite the fact that feathers may become popular, I believe the bigger trend will be the color light pink as it is commonly associated with ballet (i.e. the leather slippers, satin pointe shoes and light pink tights).
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BEHOLD… ballet pink:
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Ballet pink was used in the Pre-Fall 2011 collections of Phillip Lim 3.1, Burberry Prorsum, Doo.Ri, Hervé Léger by Max Azria, and Oscar De La Renta:
Phillip Lim 3.1
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Phillip Lim 3.1
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Burberry Prorsum
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Burberry Prorsum
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Doo.Ri
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Hervé Léger by Max Azria
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Oscar De La Renta
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Oscar De La Renta
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Just for kicks… here are some more examples from the earlier Spring 2011 collections of Chanel, Proenza Schouler, D&G, Azzaro, Diane von Furstenberg, Jil Sander, Christian Dior, and Chloé:
Chanel
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Proenza Schouler
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D&G
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Azzaro
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Diane von Furstenberg
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Jil Sander
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Christian Dior
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Chloé
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Chloé
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Boo-ya.
^This word is cruelly underutilized
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Photo Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4.
LOVE: Edie Sedgwick’s Abercrombie Rhino, Wallow
I was watching Factory Girl the other day (I’d rather not hear about how it was an awful, superficial movie in the comments section), and became interested in the leather rhino named “Wallow,” that Edie bought from Abercrombie.
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I wondered if Edie really owned said Rhino, and it turns out she did.
Actually, I had seen Wallow many times before and never noticed him:
“Edie Sedgwick arabesquing on her leather rhino to a record of The Kinks.
In the background her sketch of a stallion” -Vogue Magazine, 1965
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Danny Fields mentions Wallow in the biography “Edie: American Girl”
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“Edie moved from her grandmother’s late that fall of 1964 to an apartment in the East Sixties between Fifth and Madison. Her mother came to town and took Edie shopping to furnish the apartment. Suddenly this empty room was full of the sort of ornaments prosperous people have who’ve been living in the same place for year and years…solid crystal paperweights, great fur scatter rugs, fabulous embroidered pillows, one of those enormous leather rhinoceros from where?…Abercrombie and Fitch, wasn’t it?” (pg. 163)
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Wallow arrives at Edie’s new apartment. Jimmy Fallon as Chuck Wein in Factory Girl.
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The rhinos were manufactured for Abercrombie by the London based company, Omersa & Co. I found one online at Aspire Auctions with the following description:
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“This rhinoceros child seat was commissioned by Abercrombie & Fitch, NYC as a display piece in the store. Children were allowed to sit on these pieces while their parents would shop. This rhino measures apprx 31″ x 8″ x 11″ Made from cowhide that has been treated with a mahogany dye and then treated with a wax coating.”
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The company was very successful in the 60′s.
Here’s a photo of Sharon Tate on what looks to be an Omersa & Co rhino:
Who knew stuffed leather rhinos from Abercrombie were so popular?
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Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
LOVE: Fashion’s Dirty Little Secrets
PostSecret is awesome! But you already knew that.
Check out the below compilation of fashion/image related confessions from PostSecret:
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And here’s my favorite:
^Even more so for fashion week
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On a side note, this morning I noticed @Glamour_Fashion’s tweet “just walked by the bryant park tents–they’re decorated with quotes and love letters to the NYFW space in honor of our last season here!” So of course I stopped by the park to take some pictures of cute fashion love letters. But alas, this is what Glamour was referring to:
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