Fraudsters & Tricksters

My friend Jody over at Couture Allure Vintage clothing has a stellar blog post from the other day. Visit her blog, Couture Allure.

Unfortunately, the vintage business is not immune to fraudsters and tricksters. Within our circles, lie the fraudulent labelers...those who sew high end labels in clothes and sell them as originals. There are some great tips in Jody's article about what to look for and I highly suggest reading it if you are thinking of purchasing that Dior piece you can't live without!

For fans of the Antiques Roadshow, some of you may recall the case of the Watermelon Sword. Two of the appraisers were fired and later charged with fraud in regards to an antique military sword.

The popular appeal of Antiques Roadshow relies on those magic moments when someone learns that a relic found at a garage sale or in an attic is valued at tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. Gasps and surprise with great glee accompany their discovery!

The watermelon sword appraisal was a highlight of the first season of Antiques Roadshow. An Alaska man showed a rare Confederate sword whereupon he told the appraiser that he found the sword in his attic and had used it to cut a watermelon. It was appraised at $35,000. Unnamed appraisers who were in attendance immediately reported that the incident appeared to have been staged, and that the man's story was false.

And on public television no less! Buyer beware.

The appraiser who was fired (on the left), Russ Pritchard III, staged the whole forgery.

Rebellious Clothing

Have you ever worn an article of clothing in defiance? Chosen to rebel and expressed it in your outfit? Most likely you were a teenager, and to the chagrin of your parents decided to revolt against that early curfew or their dislike of your choice in boyfriend/girlfriend.

Ah, we have all been there and depending on our current age, you may have rebelled in the 50s as a rock 'n roll greaser, the 60s with anti-war themed clothing, the 70s with punk, the 80s with funk and rap and the 90s with grunge. I find the 21st century bereft of rebellious clothing and leaning more towards fashion collectivism rather than individual expression. That could be do to lack of imagination or a been-there-seen-it-done-that attitude. When was the last time someone's pink hair dye job made you look twice? Not likely, but in the 70s and 80s this was considered quite shocking.

Is it possible to define your own fashion style these days? Is following the trends telling us we have no imagination - leaving the choices up to a select few in the industry, the rest of us following like sheep?

Rebellious clothing seems not to exist as much today, and it's a personal opinion whether this is beneficial or not. What exactly makes one unique and stand out in a crowd? Here are some past examples.

1950s rock 'n roll greasers were anti big business. Leather jackets, motorcycles and a general malaise for their future dominated the attitude of teenagers.

1960s rebellious clothing was anti-establishment and anti-war. Rebeling against corporate suits and the war in Vietnam, military clothing was often worn to emphasize the the enormous resentment to the war.

With the debut of the Ramones, the punk rock/hardcore scene was established. A do-it-yourself ethic and anti-authoritarian ideologies dominated its theme.

Gangsta rap and hip hop was a reflection of inner city violent life. A life to which many of us were not aware of fully. Bringing realistic ghetto life to the masses, it remains a controversial music and lifestyle choice.

Dubbed anti-fashion, grunge was a minimalist style featuring extremely casual clothing. The loose fitting flannel shirt seemed to be the uniform of the day.

There are many other styles of rebellious clothing as well, as subtle as Dior's 1947 New Look. This style featuring full skirts used excessive amounts of fabric that were previously unattainable during the war years. It was a welcome change for most, but was shrouded in conservative controversy.

What was your rebellious moment?

This Just In! Christian Dior Dress with Bolero Jacket

Sometimes a garment will come into the shop and for the life of me I cannot figure it out. The only way to understand some garments is to put it on the mannequin. This dress came into my shop and was a conundrum to me. I enjoyed the colors, but could not understand why a bolero jacket would be attached to a dress. In my chronically practical ways, to me a jacket must be removeable. A lady should have the option of covering up or not.

As much as I love Christian Dior, I think all designers have moments of 'What was I thinking?'. I adore this outfit, but will be honest, the double zippers and attached jacket do not entirely make sense to me. But, that is the beauty of fashion...it is unique and often times, experimental.

What do you think of this dress?

 

Vintage 1960s Christian Dior Dress

Queen of the Cannibals

There are those who do not know the difference between ostentation and extravagance. Ostentation in fashion happens to people when, according to Emily Post, "...no matter what the fashion of the moment may be, are always too elaborate for the occasion; too exaggerated in style, or have accessories out of proportion. People of uncultivated taste are apt to fancy distortions; to exaggerate rather than modify the prevailing fashions..."

Certain amounts of extravagance are perfectly acceptable. I enjoy my glass of port before going to bed....or that piece of chocolate cake after dinner. But extravagance can become dishonest if carried beyond one’s income.
 
"The woman of uncultivated taste has no more sense of moderation than the Queen of the Cannibals. She despises sensible clothing; she also despises plain fabrics and untrimmed models. She also cares little (apparently) for staying at home, since she is perpetually seen at restaurants and at every public entertainment. The food she orders is rich, the appearance she makes is rich; in fact, to see her often is like nothing so much as being forced to eat a large amount of butter—plain."

And I like my butter...should I switch to margarine?

No. Beautiful and valuable items are extravagant for most of us. Not in the sense that they are overdone, but in the sense that they are meaningful. My collection of vintage clothes may be extravagant, but it is a collection, something of value to me.

Emily Post describes extravagance thus:

"To always to wear new gloves is an extravagant item for one with a small allowance—but scarcely vulgar! A laundry bill can be extravagant, flowers in one’s city house, a piece of beautiful furniture, a good tapestry, each is an extravagance to an income that can not easily afford the expenditure. To one sufficient to buy the tapestry, the flowers are not an extravagance at all.

To buy quantities of things that are not even used after they are bought is sheer wastefulness, and to buy everything that tempts you, whether you can afford to pay for it or not, is, if you can not afford it, verging on the actually dishonest."

It is so refreshing to read that wastefulness was not appreciated back in 1922. Just as the war made people realize that luxuries can be taken too far, so too our recent global recession has scaled back our tastes. Sales in luxury goods are down - not because we do not like them, but rather, is it necessary?

Well, if you insist on buying that ballgown, just don't wear it to breakfast.

John Galliano's Christian Dior's 2007 Fall Couture Collection