Its in the Bag with Enid!

These days the ladies handbag or purse is a just another object turned out by the so called luxury market, usually adorned with a logo or some other recognisable feature that makes it instantly recognisable. For some if it does not have a logo it is not worth having. Coupled with the amazing amount of fakes and copies that flood the market it is very hard to tell in some cases whether you have paid thousands of dollars or a couple of hundred for the object of your desire. Used as a status symbol these bags are seen by the owners, as something which will draw envious glances from friends and passers-by.

There is no question that the material and workmanship in such bags can be of the highest quality, but do we really want to carry around a bag that is as exciting as a loaf of sliced bread, with someone else’s initials on it?

Not so in the mid 60’s if you owned and Enid Collins. For the young American woman in this era, an Enid Collins was the ‘must have” fashion accessory. They were fun and fabulous, the right bag for a casual mode of dress which the Americans championed. The very features and hallmarks of these bags, which spearheaded their popularity back then, are making them just the right accessory for today’s eclectic approach to dress.

Instantly recognisable for their artsy, whimsical handbags, these bags are highly collectible. Founded by Enid Collins and her husband in Medina Texas, they primarily made two types of bags - wooden box purses, and canvas bucket style bags. Each purse was hand decorated with paint, sequins and rhinestones in themed designs. As time went by more ornamentation was added, as this made them more popular.

The design aesthetic was very similar to items coming out of Scandinavia in the 50’s and 60s which gave them a sort of European cachet. Although logos and signatures did appear on the bags it was a discreet reminder that this was a bag by Enid Collins. It was more like the signature of an artist on a painting not the blatant advertising that is apparent today.

Never intended to be fad creations, Enid Collins finished all of her handbags with leather trim, mirrors, brass findings and fasteners. They were intended to be good quality, fun day bags. A bit of glitz on the way to the grocery store!

The designs all had names;--each told a story--each had something special or personal that the prospective customer could relate to. Some of Enid's classic designs are "Money Tree," "Road Runner," "Night Owl," "Carriage Trade," "Cable Car," "Sea Garden," "Love," and many more.

During the late 60s, the Collins company manufactured complete do-it-yourself kits called Sophistikits in which customers could make their own Enid Collins ‘original’.

Enid Collins purses and bags combined a love of art and fashion by their creator. Now one of the most instantly recognisable bags of the current retro/vintage craze, for the young lady about town these are a must.

Savoir Faire and the Cheetahs

Ok, Savoir Faires, I admit it! I am on a bit of a Casati Binge at the moment!

Marchesa Luisa Casati will always be a constant source of inspiration, long after her death in the late 1950’s. Always ready to shock and surprise her public, she had an unusual menagerie of animals ranging from snakes, monkeys and birds surrounding her. These added to her exoticism.
Among this menagerie were two cheetahs. She became famous for her evening strolls around Venice, naked beneath her furs whilst parading these cheetahs on diamond-studded leashes. An unusual sight in Venice at the time, one that was devised to shock the residents and haute monde of Venice.

An unusual pet, no? Well obviously the Marchesa did not think so and neither do the women below!

And yourselves? What would you like as pet full of savoir faire?

We Take Our Hats Off To......

Millinery these days is a rather forgotten part of the fashion scene, not every woman wears a hat and when they do, it is only for special occasions. Not too long ago they were once an essential part of a woman’s wardrobe. Famous milliners are far and few between, and except for Stephen Jones and Phillip Treacy, not many of us would be able to name any other milliners of note. It is also surprising that some of the biggest names in fashion such as Chanel and Halston both started off as milliners. In fact Halson started off his career with today’s milliner featured.

The most pre-eminent and famous milliner in the America’s from the 1930s through to the late 1960s was not even an American. Lilly Dache originally from France immigrated to America around 1924. Apparently arriving with very little money (hey don’t most immigrants), she embarked on a career which would see her become the most famous milliner in the America’s and if not the world for her time.

Her major contributions to millinery were draped turbans, brimmed hats molded to the head, half hats, visored caps for war workers, colored snoods, and romantic massed-flower shapes. By 1949, she was designing dresses to go with her hats, as well as lingerie, loungewear, gloves, hosiery, perfumes, cosmetics and a wired strapless bra.

Using her name as inspiration one of her fragrances was named Dashing and a later line of pret a porter hats marketed towards the young called Dachettes.

If anything a hat by Dache was distinctive. Never one to shy away from creating an impact, her hats were dramatic and were the final accessory to a woman’s wardrobe. Ideally, she believed that each hat should be custom fit for the woman and the occasion- It needed to enhance the wearer’s physical features, so size, style, and fit were important; but the hat also needed to show off each woman s personality and inner beauty.

Daché is reported to have said, "Glamour is what makes a man ask for your telephone number. But it also is what makes a woman ask for the name of your dressmaker."

Like Helena Rubinstein in later years Daché would often conduct business from her bed, "dictating letters, buying supplies, designing, and interviewing employees while wrapped in a leopard-skin rug." Occasionally meetings were held in her bathroom, where Daché would give orders from a deep bubble bath.

At her Salon in New York brunette clients were guided to a fitting room decorated in shimmering silver while blonde clients were ushered into a dressing room of gleaming gold. Wholesalers were treated to a circular room swathed in tufted pink satin. Bells adorned Daché's leopard-skin slippers, perhaps "to warn her girls of her approach, a job later undertaken by her armful of jingling bangles."

Daché retired in 1968, and her New York millinery business was taken over by her daughter Suzanne Daché.

"I like beautiful shoes in gay colors, with thick platforms and high heels. I like splashy jewelry that clinks when I walk, and I like my earrings big. I am Lilly Daché, milliner de luxe."

Vive la Montreal!

Montreal is one of those unusual cities. For all intents and purposes it looks like a typical North American city, with towering office buildings and all the physical trappings that go along with this. However on the street you could be forgiven for thinking that you are in Europe especially in Old Montreal and other areas in the city. We try and get there at least once a year. It is the trip to Europe you have when not going to Europe.

We stayed at a fabulous new hotel called Zero 1, which was startlingly modern with black walls and white Saarinen inspired furniture.

A re-occurring theme which ran throughout the hotel was the below picture which appeared on a mural in the lobby and the Do Not Disturb signs. Tres Chic? no?

Montreal also has a fabulous array of restaurants. This was brunch one morning. Caussolet of eggs, tomatoes and chorizo.

Where else but in Montreal would people line up to dine at a chain restaurant? The food is that good! Specialising in Steak Frittes in a wonderful chic busy and vibrant atmosphere, Steak Frittes-St Paul is one such chain. Other restaurants could take a note out of their book. With 11 restaurants through Quebec, this is a must eat!

One of the main things on the agenda this trip was to see the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibition at the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal. In the wake of Savage Beauty the McQueen Exhibition in New York, the Gaultier Exhibition does not disappoint. I cannot help but think that the popularity of the McQueen exhibition was as a result of his tragic and untimely death last year.

The Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal may not have the reputation or fame as the Met in New York, which made this exhibition very personal. One could view the creations up close and personal, without other people jostling for position. If one wanted to break Museum rules, one could touch these magnificent creations.

One of the most striking features was the use of animated mannequins. They have faces projected onto their heads and at times appear to be speaking to the visitor. The mannequins wink, blink, move their jaws and speak. The effect is a little creepy at times, however brilliant. Life has been given to what would generally be a static display.

“What will happen, what will happen? What to do, what to do,” one mannequin murmurs. Another, in a parrot-feather bolero, sings an aria. We even have Jean-Paul himself introducing himself and welcoming visitors to the exhibition.

Another wonderful feature was a moving catwalk with mannequins moving along it just like in a real show.

The workmanship was just wonderful. Thousands of ostrich feathers, sewn onto net, appliquéd 3-d pictures on another, sequins sparking in the light, caught ones eye on various outfits. Hearts of sequins flowed red sequined blood down the fronts of dresses, fabric printed with flesh and muscles, sequined tartans for the punk deluxe. Post-apocalyptic bikers in studded leather, elegant travelling outfits delighted the senses. It seems that it was all here before McQueen.

If one does get a chance to see this exhibition on its stops after Montreal, do! You will not be disappointed. Then again if one gets a chance to visit Montreal do!

Making Movies with Savoir Faire!

Well, Savoir Faires I have returned from Montreal and am compiling a report, and downloading pictures etc! So while you are waiting..........

Before we had video cameras, digital cameras and the high definition Flip, we had Super 8s and fashion!

And at the time advertising these cameras might have been a bit politically incorrect!