inspiration - british pathé vintage fashion film archive

i spent a large part of this past weekend combing through the fantastic british pathé vintage fashion archives on youtube. there are so many amazing little videos in the collection highlighting vintage 40's, 50's & 60's trends in accessories, makeup and fashion of all kinds from wigs & shoes to swimsuits & swim caps. i love the footage of vintage fashion shows and all the strange & quirky newsreel type films like the "girls with sexy eyes" holiday camp contest or "battle of the bulges - 1940s style" which features all sorts of oddball exercise equipment & maneuvers. but, my absolute favorites are the clips of vintage shoe, hosiery, and even umbrella fashions - check out the video above featuring the most fabulous trends in 1950's spectacles. but be warned… you will quickly become addicted to these quirky & charming old films!

xoxo

☆ emilia ☆

inspiration - hearts & crafts

last week, i watched the lovely documentary film hearts and crafts: the people that make hermès, a 47-min look into the behind-the-scenes world of hermès directed by frederic laffont and isabelle dupuy-chavanat and available for direct streaming on the hermès website. as an artist and a huge admirer of quality craftsmanship, this quiet and intimate look into the studios & artisans that make up the hermes family completely knocked my socks off. my absolute favorite part was the feature on the silkscreen studio and the process behind the printed designs - i was truly amazed witnessing the creation of a finished silkscreened scarf from its initial inception as a detailed drawing. nothing makes me happier than mixing colors & printing in a studio all day - this film really made me miss art school & working in that kind of immersive environment.

beyond the impeccable craftsmanship, i was incredibly impressed by the commitment of each and every person to their craft and their love & devotion to the job, despite it's inherent difficulties and down sides. the pride each artisan takes in their product - the years devoted from apprentice to master under the watchful guide of the more experienced - it all made me yearn for an opportunity of my own to take all my little at-home, one-off printing projects to another level and think about printing some of my own custom fabric in a real silkscreen studio someday. right now, i'm reading mastering the art of fabric printing by laurie wisbrun and am learning so much about fabric design... together with this documentary i'm feeling pretty inspired to take my craft to the next level!

xoxo

☆ emilia ☆

inspiration - bill cunningham new york - the "designing diplomat"

last night i finally got around to watching bill cunningham new york on netflix instant, a film that's been on my "to watch" list forever. the documentary chronicles the life of new york times photographer bill cunningham - the 80+ year old grandfather of street style photography and the man still responsible for two weekly new york times style photo columns. 

this incredibly charming film about the obsessive artist and prolific street fashion chronicler follows him as he bikes his way through the streets of manhattan - day in an day out - relentlessly searching for fashion trends with the energy of a man half his age and a passion so undeniably pure and contagious it can't help but inspire. bill cunningham is a rare kind of artist - the kind that creates an absolutely exceptional body of work and single-handedly manages to document street style from its inception to its present wildly popular incarnation, inspiring thousands to take the streets to document street style in their own cities in the process. "he who seeks beauty, finds it" is his mantra, his way of life.

one of bill cunningham's most eccentric subjects - a former UN official from nepal whose style earned him the title "the designing diplomat," has an interest and passion in fashion as undeniable pure as bill cunningham's. look at those incredible outfits pictured above - an "alphabet" outfit, a "light bulb salesman" outfit, and one simply called "awning stripes." these are just a fraction of his entire eccentric wardrobe, which he describes by saying things like, "this one makes people smile and cheers them up a bit." don't you just love that fashion philosophy?

xoxo

☆ c. emilia ☆