Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

When I saw the following five ads for Swarovski crystals, I thought of a hundred twinkling stars.  

The first one is a double-sided ad featuring the crystals before they are made into jewellery.  The reverse side of the page are the magical results of arranging them into something beautiful!

 Swarovski Crystals

French Vogue

May 1961

Etsy Listing # 73621301 

 French Vogue

May 1961

Etsy Listing # 73621367

 French Vogue 

May 1961

Etsy Listing # 73622125

 French Vogue

September 1961

Etsy Listing # 73622444

 French Vogue

September 1961

Etsy Listing # 73622499

Daniel Swarovski (October 24, 1862 – January 23, 1956), formerly Daniel Swartz, was born in northern Bohemia (now the Czech Republic). His father was a glass cutter who owned a small glass factory. It was there that a young Swarovski served an apprenticeship, becoming skilled in the art of glass-cutting. In 1892 he patented an electric cutting machine that facilitated the production of crystal glass.

In 1895, Swarovski financier Armand Kosman and Franz Weis founded the Swarovski company, originally known as A. Kosmann, Daniel Swartz & Co, which was later shortened to K.S. & Co.  Wattens, Tyrol (Austria), to take advantage of local hydroelectricity for the energy-intensive grinding processes Daniel Swarovski patented. The company established a crystal cutting factory in Wattens, Tyrol (Austria), to take advantage of local hydroelectricity for the energy-intensive grinding processes Daniel Swarovski patented.

To create crystal glass that lets light refract in a rainbow spectrum, Swarovski coats some of its products with special metallic chemical coatings. Aurora Borealis, or "AB", is one of the most popular coatings, and gives the surface a rainbow appearance. Other coatings are named by the company, Crystal Transmission, Volcano, Aurum, and Dorado. Coatings may be applied to only part of an object; others are coated twice, and thus are designated AB 2X, Dorado 2X etc.

Whatever they're called, the result is absolutely amazing!



 

Killer Shoes

Have a look at one of the ads I've just listed in the shop.  These gorgeous shoes were designed in Paris by Roger Vivier for Christian Dior.  Aren't they absolutely to die for??  I would so wear them today if I had a pair!

 Black Patent Leather High Heel Shoes

French Vogue

September 1961

Etsy Listing # 73622187 

Roger Vivier (1907–1998) was a French fashion designer who specialized in shoes. His best known creation was the Stiletto heel.

Vivier has been called the "Fragonard of the shoe" and his shoes "the Fabergé of Footwear" by numbers of critics. He designed extravagant richly-decorated shoes that he described as sculptures. He is credited with the design of the first stiletto heel in 1954. Stiletto heels, the very thin high heel, were certainly around in the late 19th century as numerous fetish drawings attest, but Vivier is known for reviving and developing this opulent style by using a thin rod of steel.

Ava Gardner, Gloria Guinness and The Beatles were all Vivier customers, and he designed the shoes for Queen Elizabeth II for her coronation in 1953.

Vivier designed shoes for Christian Dior from 1953 to 1963. In addition to the stiletto heel, he also experimented with other shapes including the comma. He used silk, pearls, beads, lace, appliqué and jewels to create unique decorations for his shoes.

In the 1960s Vivier also designed silk-satin knee boots outlined in jewels, and thigh-high evening boots in a black elastic knit with beads. His most iconic design, the Pilgrim pumps with silver buckles (worn by Catherine Deneuve in the film Belle de Jour) received international publicity and many imitations.

Vivier's shoes are on display at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Musée du Costume et de la Mode at the Louvre.

French Chic 1960s Style

This will be a short little post today as I am up to my ears in a couple hundred French Vogue ads from the early 1960s.  Lots of scanning and getting ready for TOMORROW when I actually get to start listing them in the shop.  Here's one of my favorites from the group to give you a little tease of what's coming in the next few days.

 Rose Marie Reid Yellow Swimsuit 

Striped Beach Jacket

French Vogue May 1961
Etsy Listing # 73543852 

If you'd like to know more about Rose Marie Reid, there's a great biography and company history by April Ainsworth at Vintage Vixen.

I seem to be continuing my "happiness" theme from the past couple of days because this yellow swimsuit and multicolored striped beach jacket really makes me smile!  We're just starting into winter now here in Australia so it's an especially bright spot in my day.

Pierre Cardin Pale Pink Wool Coat with Matching Hat

Pierre Cardin
Pink Wool Coat with Matching Hat
L'Officiel de La Couture et de la Mode de Paris
 March 1961
Etsy Listing #69668574

Cardin was known for his avant garde style and his Space Age designs. He prefers geometric shapes and motifs, often ignoring the female form. He advanced into unisex  fashions, sometimes experimental, and not always practical. He introduced the "bubble dress" in 1954.

Cardin moved to Paris in 1945. There, he studied architecture and worked with Jeanne Paquin after the war. He worked with Elsa Schiaparelli until he became head of Christian Dior's tailleure atelier in 1947, but was denied work at Balenciaga.

Cardin founded his own house in 1950. His career was launched when he designed about 30 of the costumes for "the party of the century", a masquerade ball at Palazzo Labia in Venice on 3 September 1951, hosted by the palazzo's owner, Carlos de Beistegui. He began with haute couture in 1953.