REDEFINE CASUAL

It is very hard to find a Clair McCardell piece in perfect condition. Women wore their McCardell pieces to shreds since they were so comfortable and made of wash-and-wear fabrics that she often would advise mills to produce. As summer approaches, wearing comfortable fabrics is as important (or perhaps more) as being fashionable. This sleeveless cotton plaid in plum, gray and white dress has side pockets and sewn down pleats on the skirt. The way the fabric is cut to match all the plaid lines is creating a cone shaped bodice, gives the body a tailored focus and attention to detail superior to any day dress you can find available in today's market.
Claire McCardell was determined and ambitious and achieved great success in the 40's and 50's with her comfort-first philosophy. Her ideas were simple and revolutionary at the same time. Just as you will feel in one of her designs, sexy and comfortable.
-Eri

Claire McCardell sleeveless plaid dress in cotton with side pockets, c. 1950's. Modern size 4. SOLD TO A VERY BEAUTIFUL WOMAN

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call + 1 323 655-1960. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Please reference the description above, if calling or emailing.

DECADES DAILY FASHION FACT: FEBRUARY 7

It goes without saying that design is influenced not just by those who create it and those who wear it but by those who manufacture the fantasy of fashion. We're talking of course, about the visionaries who through shooting, styling and scribing, create mood, tone, and aesthetic morés; oftentimes new and evocative worlds of image and dress.

Deborah Turbeville is one of those seminal taste-makers. So, when we read today on style.com that Turbeville is releasing a tome of her inimitable images on Rizzoli, Deborah Turbeville: The Fashion Pictures, we were filled with glee.


Turbeville has had an impact on fashion since her first foray into the industry when she was a fit model for seminal American designer, Claire McCardell. McCardell wound up letting Turbeville go as a human hanger because she wanted Turbeville to serve as her assistant. Turbeville's turn behind-the-scenes at McCardell's lead to a styling position at Harper's Bazaar in the early 60s, where she edited, styled and ran around with photographer Bob Richardson. The two's jaunts are still legendary - of course, they were arrested in Texas.


Sadly, the Texas incident lead to Turbeville's dismissal from Bazaar. After leaving the magazine, Turbeville worked with iconic photographers such as Diane Arbus and Richard Avedon before someone suggested that she pick up a camera and start shooting herself.


Which she did. While styling at Mademoiselle, with encouragement from Avedon, Turbeville was able to shoot her sittings for the magazine. Using a Pentax with soft-focus lens, Turbeville developed the jolie-laide style for which she is now renowned. Her images, often haunting, showcase what fashion usually shies away from: the blemishes of the image, an off crop, grainy slightly out-of-focus exposures, color bleeds, scratches, rough-hewn edging, perfect imperfection.


Now on the other side of the camera, Turbeville was able to work with the great stylists of the industry, famously collaborating often with Polly Mellen. Lucky for us, Turbeville continues to work today. Below is a recent campaign for Valentino.


Are you going gaga over Turbeville's work? The Valentino pictures make us want to do nothing but drape ourselves in delicate dresses from the Italian designer's house and wander aimlessly through the moor. Are you having a similar impulse? Well . . .


Shop vintage Valentino here and . . .


. . . modern Valentino here. Now, all we need is that moor. Topanga may have to suffice.

*Deborah Turbeville's images courtesy of style.com; be sure to read style.com's compelling and in-depth interview with Turbeville as she recollects anecdotes from her fashion career and discusses the images above.

THE REAL 4TH OF JULY LOOK

Helo Everyone!

I am leaving tomorrow for Paris to attend the Haute Couture shows and I will blog about everything for The Huffington Post (y'all better ream them!), so my personal blogs on the Decades blog may be few and far between, but Eri and Jarred will be blogging while I am away. I will be spending the 4th of July in Paris, but if I were hosting a BBQ in Los Angeles, I would be so happy if someone arrived wearing this amazing Claire McCardell swimsuit. Actually the swimsuit is quite Parisian as the print references Fernand Leger in name and style. What you don't see under the romper are the matching print panties, so feel free to do cartwheels and really romp in this romper without shwing too much. Click on one of the pictures below to see the print up close. It's quite charming. The neckline is ultra flattering and this is a true collectible. I am always mad for McCardell...she created modern American sportswear for women in the 1940s and 50s and her designs are totally relevant today and this is totally appropriate for Monday's 4th of July whether in Paris or Peirora.
-Cameron




Claire McCardell Leger print cotton romper summer playsuit with matching panties, c. early 1950s. Modern size 4 SOLD

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.comormailto:todd@dtwo1.com or call + 1 323 655-1960. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 1/2 MelroseAvenue (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.

PICNIC

Tomorrow is the first official day of summer and we got ya covered in a 50s lilac picnic plaid Claire McCardell from the 1950s. However, as I look outside the windows of my house where I remain lazily in bed at 11 35 AM. it looks more like winter. The June Gloom in LA is always a major bummer, but within the next hour I am sure the sun will shine and this fantastic day dress will be perfectly appropriate to wear to brunch your Papi on Father's Day.

McCardell invited American sportswear and most women really wore her clothes to shreds, but the previous owner of this McCardell (who is also the original owner) was meticulous with her clothing and this is absolutely flawless. I love the feminine neckline, the exaggerated bow, the fitted waist, and the pleated skirt with requisite pockets. It has an early Patou sportif quality and I could see one of our clients wearing this with a pair of Superga sneaks or an espadrille while on vacay in Provence.

In no time, the sun will shine and the summer's arrival is imminent so dress appropriate!

Happy Papi's Day...

-Cameron




Claire McCardell lilac picnic plaid day dress, c. 1950s. Modern 4. (I love this so much and the condition is as spectacular as the original owner - we became fast friends in her closet).SOLD
For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or todd@dtwo1.com or call + 1 323 655-1960. You may also visit us in person at Decades 8214 Melrose Avenue 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.

PURE GENIUS

The other day, my very fashionable friend visited the store and we were admiring the Claire McCardell dresses currently available at Decades. She looked amazing in all of them. I am a huge McCardell fan. McCardell is regarded as the Queen of American Sportswear. Back in the 1940s and 50s, women really wore their McCardell pieces so they can be difficult to find in wearable condition, but when we do, I am a very happy camper!

This McCardell is in a terrific cream textured cotton that feels like gauze but is much more substantial in weight, yet has the benefits of being pre-wrinkled so travel with this and leave the steamer at home. Can we talk about these amazing sleeves? Fully fabulous and designed 30 years before Ossie Clark would capture romantic sleeves in his collections. McCardell was a fan of chemise dressing (still such an integral part of a modern women's wardrobe in the 21st century) and the pleated front bib almost reminds me of a men's tuxedo shirt. McCardell was a brilliant manipulator of fabric and truly an engineer of design as rationing of fabric during WWII necessitated very astute decisions in the design process. The smooth back frames your torso in a very flattering and slimming manner (who doesn't want to look longer and leaner?) which is only further enhanced by the belted full skirt (with pockets of course!). This is completely effortless day dressing that is as relevant and modern today as this dress was over 60 years ago when it was first presented to the public.

Claire McCardell cream gauze belted and pleated chemise dress, c. late 1940s. Flexible size 4 to 8. 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.

MAD AT YOU

We are really not mad at you. Rather, we are madras at you and we hope you might be a little madras at us, too. You should be mad and madras about this Claire McCardell by Townley madras dress that is so perfect for this time of the year when cotton is your friend! McCardell's iconic hook and eye closure is evident at the front of the dress and the modified dolman sleeves have a beautiful fold over at each shoulder. Although the red belt is not original, we quite like it together and picture the 21st century owner wearing the dress with Lanvin ballet flats or Christian Louboutin Delfin Platform Espadrille Wedges, our personal favorites. Come to think of it, the delightful Chanel wicker bag we posted yesterday would by the perfect should accessory to accompany this dress, along with some large sunglasses, of course.

Claire McCardell clothes by Townley madras print cotton day dress, c. 1950s. Modern size 4 to 6. (sold with red belt that is not original) 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.

SUNDAY BEST

One need not be particularly religious to enjoy the beauty of dressing your very best on a Sunday and particularly on Easter Sunday. Between the egg tossing on the front lawn to the brunches on the beach, the Decades client always makes an effort to look appropriate and chic at any venue and Claire McCardell is thankfully there to make sure you look amazing on any and all occasions. This "American Look" ensemble is far cry from the Lacroix we posted earlier today and was the direct opposite of what McCardell's European contemporaries were doing at the same time (think Dior's New Look). Claire McCardell became one of the first American designers to have name recognition when the Claire McCardell Clothes by Townley label was instituted (McCardell designed for Townley in the 30s, until the brand shut town in 1939. It was revived quickly by Adolph Klein in 1940 with McCardell at the helm). McCardell prospered during WWII and accepted the challenges of fabric rationing and her American Look particularly prospered as Parisian fashion ceased production (and any global influence) during the War years. Now on to our Sunday Best look. This two piece McCardell features a sleeveless scoop neck A-line dress composed of a top of orange natural "burlap" twill with a mini geometric square print cotton full skirted maxi skirt with requisite pockets. The coordinating maxi coat of orange has spectacular gathered sleeves and a dramatic old-Hollywood gathered and pleated skirt to its coat. Add in the natural formed faux pearls and beautifully contrast stitched button holes and the democratization of McCardell is evident not only in her style for all but her also in her all time style!

Claire McCardell orange and cotton geometric maxi dress with coordinating coat, c. early 1950s. 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.

Classic McCardell

If are a fan of Claire McCardell you will love the details in this dress. Everything about is a signature of the line. The fabric choice, a lace top and light weight textured cotton skirt are classically Claire. Her signature brass hook and eye closures dot the front of the dress. If you need a casual yet elegant LBD this little ditty would be the perfect choice.

Claire McCardell LBD with cotton skirt, lace top and signature closures, c. 1953s. Contemporary size 2-4 (dress likely shortened) 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.

An American Master

Spanning over three decades, Claire McCardell has earned a spot among the 100 most important Americans of the 20th century (according to Life magazine). She has also been called "America's finest designer", "the force behind the ready-to-wear revolution" and the inventor of "American Style." Decades is proud and honored to offer to you, our loyal blog readers, this perfect little black dress. It is a fine example of what McCardell became known for, simple yet amazingly constructed pieces that anyone could wear.

The piece below is a shritmarker style evening dress, with an oversized collar and five brass closures just below the V shaped neck line.

Clair McCardell black evening dress, c.1940's. Contemporary size 8.

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.