From: highlowvintage Subject: Fwd: High Low Vintage Dispatch #007 Date: November 5, 2012 at 10:34:55 PM EST To: jonathan walford Cc: carolyn gray ...and here's the Dispatch.  Thanks so much and have a terrific week.  cag ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: High Low Vintage Date: Mon, Nov 5, 2012 at 7:20 PM Subject: High Low Vintage Dispatch #007 To: Carolyn Located in beautiful Pasadena, CA    High Low Vintage is a purveyor of fine vintage clothes plus hand picked antiques & collectibles for your home.  1031 E. Green St. Pasadena CA 91106 USA Mon-Sat 11:30-7:30p   DISPATCH #007 Email not displaying properly? View it in your browser. Jonathan, you have such a breadth of knowledge on all things vintage, where did it start? How old were you when you first discovered fashion as a subject? Thank-you... Honestly, I would have to say the first time I twigged to fashion being interesting was when I was nine or ten years old and I wanted to watch the Six Wives of Henry VIII on television. I had seen the first episode and the clothes appealed to me and I wanted to see more. I remember my parents weren't happy because it was on after my bedtime, and I remember pouting and whining, which usually never worked on my parents, but they must have realized that this was important to me because they let me stay up to watch the rest of the series. I was thereafter drawn to historically-set films - Cabaret, The Sting, The Great Gatsby... Is there one piece you remember seeing or buying that was your epiphanous moment? There were a series of smaller events that encouraged my interest in historic dress. Despite my hoarding tendencies, my family were not keepers. I grew up in a post and beam mid-century modern home built in 1959, with Danish teak and Italian glass. My mother had a trunk in the basement with her wedding dress and old photo albums from her childhood, but that was all that wasn't contemporary in our life. When I was about 13, and a choir boy at the local Anglican church, there was a church picnic where everyone dressed in 'old fashioned' clothes. One of the parishioners wore her grandmother's wedding dress, which amazed me. I was delighted to discover that museums weren't the only places in the world that had examples of old fashions. Since the late 1960s vintage clothing boutiques had been opening and I soon discovered where those stores were! With my first paycheque from a summer job in 1978 I bought a black net dress from the 1890s and so began my collection, and a full turn towards historic dress as my lifetime passion.    Your new book "1950s American Fashion" is wonderful.....why did you pick the focus of the 50s? Was there a sea-change in world fashion in the 1950s that was different than previous or subsequent decades? In this case the topic picked me because Shire publications was looking for an author on this topic -- my previous books have been more of my choosing. However, that doesn't mean I don't like the 1950s, in fact it is one of my favourites. It was a odd era in many ways - both demurely conservative and conspicuously modern at the same time; a mix of futuristic materials and Victorian silhouettes - liberating sportswear and debilitating feminine styles. It was also an era when Paris was a its strongest influence and under a growing threat as American designers became more important and drew attention and sales away from the great Paris couturiers of the day.   HLV always has your book "Shoes A-Z" on the desk. It's a great reference for anyone interested in shoe designers. Could you name a few of your favorite shoe designers and why? Maybe lesser known.... If I mention who my favourite designers are I might be shooting myself in the foot (so to speak) because prices on their shoes will go up! A perennial favourite of mine is Beth Levine - her shoes are a great mix of wearability and design fun. Moya Bowler, who designed under the Jerry Eduoard label, has a great eye and sense of novelty. David Evins produced some beautiful shoes for the high-end American market, and I have to say for consistency, Charles Jourdan has created wonderful shoes for decades. My favourite contemporary designer is probably Nicholas Kirkwood. Thanks so much!  And to all HLV'rs, be sure to check out Jonathan Walford's newest book "1950s American Fashion". Do you know fashion? GREIGE (GRAY) GOODS: Textiles products before color is added. Do you know design? DORMER: A vertical structure, usually housing a window, that projects from a sloping roof and is covered by a separate roof structure. DIANE VON FÜRSTENBERG - The word 'iconic' is thrown around quite a bit, but Diane von Fürstenberg is truly that.. Growing up in Europe, her mother gave birth to her only 18 months after being in Auschwitz.  This gave Miss von Fürstenberg a strength that has carried her through a failed marriage, the launch of her own design house, a second marriage to media mogul Barry Diller and the relaunch of her company in the late 90s to become what DVF is now: a worldwide brand. Her famous wrap dress (she's seen here wearing it on the cover of Newsweek in 1976) is legendary for it's style and practicality just when women were becoming a force in the workplace.  HLV is lucky enough to have an original DVF wrap dress with an abstract green and white print much like what Miss von Fürstenberg is wearing above. “I always knew the woman I wanted to be.” -                        Diane von Fürstenberg MILLS ACT  - Enacted in 1972, the Mills Act is a California law which grants local governments the authority to give property tax relief to owners of qualified historic buildings who actively restore and maintain their properties. (HLV assumes there are similar laws in other states.) Here in Pasadena, only properties that are designated landmarks or historic monuments, works of hometown architects Greene & Greene, buildings listed individually in the National Register of Historic Places or part of a designated landmark or historic district listed in the National Register of Historic Places will be considered for Mills Act relief. It's a fantastic program since the money saved in property taxes helps the homeowner to afford the restoration and the City gains in buttressing its profile as a place where history and continuity matter. It's the definition of "win/win"! THE COCKTAIL DRESS - Ah, the Cocktail Dress....the term is just so, well, 'loaded' isn't it? What girl doesn't want to wear a special dress to a fun, social occasion?.. Mix in a cocktail or two or four and you have the modern, semi-formal Cocktail Dress. Christian Dior is credited with first using the term in the late '50s, but during the '20s, any flapper with a martini in hand probably had a Cocktail Dress on. Cocktail culture, as we would think of it today, started to blossom before WWI but took root during the time of prohibition and the flapper.  No longer would a girl dress for afternoon tea -- she could go out on the town, kick up her heels and lift a glass and enjoy.  And she sure needed a festive dress to match. After WWII the need for a pretty but sophisticated dress apropos for a cocktail party continued to grow and reached into every level of society... especially with the advent of the 'burbs. With the coming Holidays, double check that you have a few in your wardrobe for those last minute party invites.... Dispatch #007 Happy Holi....no, not quite yet actually.  HLV will definitely be celebrating the coming Christmas season but it's just a bit early. So this time of year gives us all a chance to check that we have our wardrobes up to snuff and our homes ready for all of the visitors and parties. We have been bringing in new, pretty things almost every day and are stocked up with a great selection of dresses from cotton day dresses to party dresses.  Because of the terrific Q&A with Mr. Jonathan Walford above, this week's contest is for his newest book "1950s AMERICAN FASHION". So be sure to leave a comment on Facebook (and not a like) and you may be the winner. It's a fabulous reference for anyone who loves design. This contest will be posted on Tuesday, November 6th. Hope everyone gets a chance to take a deep breath and relax a bit before the coming Holiday season....it'll be a busy one! Thank you to everyone! XO High Low Vintage Green St. Village @ Catalina Pasadena, CA Facebook Twitter Etsy Pinterest Yelp Copyright © *2012* *High Low Vintage*, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: 1031 E. Green St. Pasadena, CA USA 91106 forward to a friend | unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences  Sent to carolyngray1@gmail.com — why did I get this? unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences High Low Vintage · 1031 E. Green St. · Pasadena, CA 91106