Designer Spotlight: Mary McFadden

Mary McFadden, “design archaeologist,” “a high priestess of fashion,” and “an American fashion icon.”

As a young girl, Mary McFadden lived on a cotton plantation in Tennessee, then moved to Long Island, NY. She was schooled in New York and Paris, and studied sociology and anthropology at Columbia University. After working as a publicist for Christian Dior – New York and as an editor for Vogue South Africa, she launched her first collection in New York in 1973. She quickly became known for her exuberant use of color and her signature pleated polyester fabric, “Marii.”

Mary McFadden won a Coty Award in 1976 and entered the Coty Hall of Fame in 1979. Since then she has received many honors, including the Neiman Marcus Award for Excellence, the President’s Fellow Award of the Rhode Island School of Design, and the Fashion Week of the Americas Lifetime Achievement Award. She has served as President of the Council of Fashion Designers of America. McFadden collections have been shown all over the world – including New York, Paris, Rome, Milan, Tokyo, St. Petersburg, Russia, India, Thailand, Central and South America, and the Middle East.

Mary McFadden draws ideas and expressions from other cultures into her couture designs. One writer said that “the art of ancient civilizations is literally woven into her fabrics.” Her designs celebrate ancient Near Eastern, African, Classical Greek, Javanese, Pre-Columbian, Dynastic Chinese, Japanese and Korean cultures ...and give an art form to dressing.

Taken from: http://www.museum.upenn.edu/new/events/treasures/mcfadden.shtml

All dresses are available ar www.back-in-style.com

Carlos Falchi Handbags - History of a Creative Brazilian Designer

Carlos Falchi was born in Minas Gerias, Brazil and got his start as a handbag designer at the age of 6 when he made handbags for his cousin. He moved to the United States and worked nights at a Manhattan bar and would wear his own clothing designs, which the patrons noticed and wanted!

Carlos continued to design and experiment and, in 1974, he came out with his Buffalo duffel bag and it was an immediate hit. The 1970’s embraced his relaxed ( and futuristic) vision of the handbag. These bags were secure, soft, and in non-traditional colors but were big enough to carry everything that you needed. In 1983 Carlos won the prestigious Coty Award for design and his bags were almost instantaneously copied.

His handbag philosophy can best be summed up by a quote “I want to be able to squash and trash a bag and still see it keep going." -Falchi

Taken from: http://www.fashion-and-style.org/page-4/carlos-falchi-handbags.html

Are you ready for Oscar night? How to dress like the stars

Didn't get invited to the Oscar's this year? No problem, just bring to party to you. Roll the red carpet out on your door step, & invite friends over for a black tie dinner and screaning. So what should you wear on this festive occassion? Well, let's review what the stars have been wearing at this awards this year.

Length- Cocktail length dresses seem to be very popular, especially those with a strapless sweatheart neckline. Reese Witherspoon looked stunning in a beautiful yellow one. Renee Zellweger wore a green one with gathered bodice, Julia Louis-Dreyfus & Sarah Jessica Parker both wore brocade cocktail dresses with spaghetti straps.

Color- Lots of white- Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, Kyra Sedgwick, Teri Hatcher, Kate Winslet, Nicollette Sheridan, Jennifer Garner, Emily Blunt, Salma Hayek, Heidi Klum, Ali Larter, Hayden Panettiere, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Sienna Miller, Ellen Pompeo, everyone is wearing white!

Style- Strapless of course, Edie Falco, Drew Barrymore, Jenna Fischer, Cameron Diaz, Renée Zellweger, Angelina Jolie, Kate Winslet, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Nicollette Sheridan, Katherine Heigl, Reese Witherspoon, Toni Collette, Heidi Klum, Vanessa L. Williams, Rachel Weisz, Hayden Panettiere, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Mary Lynn Rajskub

So there you have it, cocktail length, white, and strapless is the award show uniform this season!

The History of Gucci

1921-The hosue of Gucci is founded in Florence, Italy by Guccio Gucci as an equestrian leather goods shop and saddlery.
1938- Gucci opens a boutique in Rome and begins selling luxury leather goods like ladies handbags and shoes
1947- Bamboo handle handbags are introduced
1950s- Gucci begins to use their signauture red and green striped webbing, never forgetting his roots, the webbing is derived from the saddle girth
1953- Guccio dies leaving the business to his four sons, intra-family fighting beings
1960s- Gucci introduces the GG logo
1960-s Gucci creats the flora pattern in a scarf, which soon expands to handbags, shoes, and other accessories
1970-1990- The house of Gucci goes thought a lot of turmiol, changing ownership many times and almost going bankrupt
1989- Gucci hires Tom Ford and the revival of the brand begins.
1995- Gucci goes public on the AEX and NYSE for $22 per share
and the rest is history!

Although Gucci has gone through a lot of changes, good and bag, they never forgot their roots. You can still see the equestrian influence on the label today, in their frequent use of the hourse bit and stirrups, and their signature green and red striped webbing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gucci

Retro glam, old hollywood... Vintage peignoirs are the way to go

Try something different this Valentine's Day. Stay home and order in. That doesn't mean you don't have to dress up for the occasion, it just calls for a different kind of attire, equally as extravagant, if not more...
Put on your wedding song and imagine yourself dancing with your husband in your living room in a lavender peignoir, sheer enough for your silhouette to show through, layers of flowing chiffon trailing behind you. How sexy and romantic at the same time! Vintage is the look of lounge wear this year, evoking a sense of old Hollywood glamour and subtle intrigue. Long silk nightgowns with lace inserts in just the right places... An abundance of sheer layers hinting at your silhouette... Soft colors and touchable fabrics bringing back romance.
So put away the cheeky thongs, and garter belts, and try something different this Valentine's Day. something a bit more classy, but equally as sexy, and leave the rest up to your imagination...
All of the items above are available at www.back-in-style.com