RED CARPET TRANSLATED

Sunday night was a smashing good time. I don't know about you, but I had a blast at several Oscar parties and am still enjoying the thrills a girl gets from eye-spying the fashion parade on the red carpet. And, while I wish I could wear a ball gown every day, formal attire might be a bit much at say, Trader Joe's.

So, I was talking trend-spotting on the carpet with the gang at our online team and we thought it might be fun to post pieces online that were inspired by what we saw at the 84th Academy awards. Our top five favorite trends: Red Hot, True Blue, Winter Whites, Silver Medals, and Disco Queen (read sequins from head to toe). Want to get the best of Oscar glam that works from the boardroom to the bar from all your favorite designers including Balmain, Dolce and Gabbana, Chanel® and Hervé Leger? Click here!

--Lizzy (I'm the one in the vintage Paco Rabanne gown at Erewon)

OSCARS OSCARS OSCARS

As we recouperate from the madness that Oscars Week is, everything is still hazy. We were thrilled when Jean Dujardin won, happy to see Maryl Streep add another statuette in her collection, weirdly obsessed with Angelina Jolie's black velvet Versace gown..and her right leg...elated to see Gwyneth Paltrow perfect in Tom Ford, but most of all we were happy to see Melissa McCarthy in her custom made Marina Rinaldi gown. The most important thing in a ceremony like this, which always tends to be on the boring/conservative side, is to look beautiful, not the dress or the borrowed jewels or the clutch, but the woman herself. Melissa looked radiant. Her smile was contagious. Her awe of being recognized was visible. She looked like a real beautiful woman who took the time to appreciate a surreal event like the Oscars and the red carpet.

With that said the following are some snapshots from the world of Decades and our beautiful friends celebrating last weekend.

-Eri

Melissa McCarthy in custom Marina Rinaldi gown in her early morning Oscar fitting with Cameron Silver

Actress Rachael Harris in vintage Lanvin Haute Couture with Cameron Silver at the post Oscars Vanity Fair party

Cameron Silver and the Fashion Police

Our very own Christos Garkinos at the Elton John Oscar party looking dapper in John Richmond tux and Teddy Tinson bowtie

Our beautiful friend Christine Chiu (right) in vintage Givenchy from Decades

YOU HAVE NEVER LOOKED THIS GOOD

Congratulations to Meryl Streep in her Oscar win last night!! She is simply one of the most beautiful and talented actresses in the world!! Well, you have by now guessed that we are big fans of her work and how chic and ageless she always looks. Last night was no exception. She looked flawless in the gold Lanvin gown. It reminded us of the vintage Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture piece we posted a while back.

It is said that the Lanvin gown that Meryl Streep wore to the Oscar Ceremony last night, is a custom made Lanvin eco friendly gown, which makes it even more special.

We applaud the efforts of many designers now days using Eco Certified fabrics to make beautiful clothes, but let's not forget that buying vintage and recycling your clothes is eco friendly as well. So if you buy this dress, you are helping the planet to stay green, you will always be reminded of a perfect moment in the history of movies and let's not forget it's haute couture.

-Eri

Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture dress in gold velvet, c. 1980's. Modern size 4. SOLD

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call + 1 323 655-0223. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 1/2 Melrose Avenue (2nd Floor) at Harper Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Please reference the description above, if calling or emailing. For email requests, kindly include your full name and phone number plus City, State, and Country from which you are contacting, so may offer you a high level of personal service.

GOING GRES

Gres godess gown currently in exhibit at the Musèe Bourdelle in Paris.

How many of you fear turning gray? I have surrendered to the gray that creeps up on me and I notice the white hairs near my sideburns and temples. I guess it's a rite of passage?

A preferred right of passage is owning a Madame Gres. I think most people would prefer a Gres hanging in their closet over some gray hanging on their head! This Madame Gres gown is in ivory jersey with spectacular pleating over the bodice which is a signature of Madame Gres Goddess drape technique. The skirt gathers from the bodice and releases so you can spin like a whirling dervish! But what of the optional shoulder swag? One arm goes through the jersey shawl and the excess fabric can be wrapped around the back to gently grace your opposite arm. Another option is keep it hanging off your shoulder just like an ancient statue that so influenced the great Gres.

Madame Gres (Gres Paris label) Haute Couture ivory pleated Goddess gown with arm shawl. Modern 4 to 6

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call + 1 323 655-0223. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 1/2 Melrose Avenue (2nd Floor) at Harper Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Please reference the description above, if calling or emailing. For email requests, kindly include your full name and phone number plus City, State, and Country from which you are contacting, so may offer you a high level of personal service.

NOT SUBTLE

Oscar for the Oscars? Yes, yes, yes! This 80s Oscar de la Renta is in the most vibrant Schiaparelli-endorsed shocking pink silk taffeta and it means business. It is more or less impossible to take your eyes off a woman in this strapless gathered bustier dress with bi-level tiers that are shorter in the front (show off those legs) and has a train in the back (watch out for other people's legs tripping over the train). You don't have to be attending the Oscars to wear Oscar since so many many women turn to Oscar when attending an event. Actually, I've heard stories of top ODLR clients blocking dresses from their peers so they can have an exclusive, so avoid the politics of fashion and wear vintage Oscar to the Oscars or anywhere else where the Fashion Police might appear.
-Cameron



Oscar de la Renta shocking pink silk taffetta strapless gown with tiered ruffles, c. 1980s. Marked size 8, Modern size 6 SOLD
For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call + 1 323 655-0223. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 1/2 Melrose Avenue (2nd Floor) at Harper Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Please reference the description above, if calling or emailing. For email requests, kindly include your full name and phone number plus City, State, and Country from which you are contacting, so may offer you a high level of personal service.

Cloak Yourself in Midnight!

Earlier today we posted two Oscar-worthy gowns in black. Of course, we know that black can be a bit overwhelming for less formal events in the spring... might we suggest midnight blue instead? Below are two new arrivals at Decades: the first, by society designer Jacqueline de Ribes, wraps about the body in a delightfully tricky fashion while forming a sleek, sexy shape. (Also check out this Lanvin creation, which features a similar color story.) Beneath it is a fishtail gown by Thierry Mugler Couture fishtail gown with V-shaped hardware at the bust.

Jacqueline de Ribes Creme and Midnight Silk Gown, Crosses in Front and Draped in Back, c. 1980s. Modern 4 - 6 SOLD

Thierry Mugler Couture Midnight Silk Strapless Fishtail Gown with Silver V Hardware at the Bust, c. late 1980s. SOLD

Two of This Year's Serious Oscars Contenders: Nina Ricci Haute Couture and Valentino

The gloom hanging over Los Angeles this week has less to do with the weather and more to do with the ongoing writers' strike, which has already claimed as a victim the Golden Globes--and more than a few of the beautiful gowns intended to grace the red carpet. Despite the impasse, we're feeling optimistic about the prospects for the Academy Awards. Hollywood--and the world--could use a dash of glamour and an evening of celebration.

Decades is gearing up for the festivities with two perennial Oscars favorites (designers, not actresses). The first is Nina Ricci Haute Couture from the late 1970s, a spectacular creation in black appliquéd wild silk with a creme guipure skirt that's only appropriate for an Oscar-caliber event. The boned bodice fastens over one shoulder with a bow and a white organza rose, while the stiffened skirt panels are adorned with vertical bands of appliquéd black and silver beaded spring flowers.

Nina Ricci Haute Couture Ball Gown in Black Wild Silk and Creme Guipure, Adorned with Appliqued Silver Flowerheads in Crystal Beading, c. late 1970s. 74cm at the waist, 91-96cm at the bust.

The next dress, by Valentino, features a similar silhouette with less ornamentation and more accessible fabrication (velvet and satin). The less voluminous design and cleaner panels suit a woman who wishes for elegant simplicty. We also love the contrast between the floor-length bustle and the knee-grazing hem of the dress--what a way to show off a jeweled heel!

Valentino Boutique Spectacular One-Shoulder Black Velvet & Satin Panel Gown with Bow at the Shoulder, c. 1970s. Fits a contemporary size 4 to 6. (Please be aware that the velvet skirt portion features velvet that has impressions with age. The dress has been expertly cleaned, but the velvet is not entirely smooth). SOLD

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO PURCHASE EMAIL BLOG@DECADESINC.COM OR PHONE 323 655 0223. PLEASE REFERENCE THE DESCRIPTION ABOVE.

Who wore Decades?

Hollywood's fashion cognoscenti know that Decades is the only place to shop when the ordinary simply won't do. Just take a look at the leading ladies who showed up in Decades vintage at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party on Sunday:

CHLOE SEVIGNY -- vintage Thierry Mugler white crepe cut out dress, c 80s.

RACHEL GRIFFITHS -- vintage Yves Saint Laurent Spanish collection black chiffon ensemble c. 70s.

AERIN LAUDER -- vintage Yves Saint Laurent strapless dress in midnight with chiffon swag c 70s.

We thought they all looked fantastic! Apparently, so did fashion blog Who What Wear Daily, which went head-over-heels for our vintage-clad ladies. Scroll down the page to catch their rave review.