Color of the Season - Vamp

Hello Kittens!

I hope your October so far has been fabulous!  As happens every month, I've spent the first week of the month working long hours, so I have yet to start enjoying the fantastic month of October.  Well, that is, until this weekend.

I know that in the past few years, there has been this nail art fetish thing happening.  And it's not something that appeals to me in the least.  While some might call it boring, I call sticking with non-bedazzled nails painted in solid traditional colors, classic.  And I have established some season-driven rules for myself when it comes to nail color.

The color that I've always associated with fall is Chanel's Vamp.  It's absolutely fabulous!  And yesterday afternoon, I went and got a mani/pedi using this color and it now officially feels like fall.  The shot below is a little deceiving because it REALLY makes this look like a brown, but look at this shade in different lighting and it looks completely different.  Oh Vamp, you're so mysterious!

Obligatory 'see how the shade looks on my nails and in the bottle' shot.  Please excuse my short chubby fingers.

Originally called Rouge Noir, this color was created in 1994 when a makeup artist mixed red and black polishes together for a Chanel runway show.  It was originally meant to be the same color as dried blood - an intense dark brownish reddish black, which doesn't sound like something that would appeal to many people, but it created such a buzz that they started selling the color and it flew off the shelves.  The premiere episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer series actually knocks this shade a little bit.  Airing in 1997, Cordelia is trying to establish how cool Buffy is and this exchange happens:
Cordelia:  "Vamp Nail Polish?"
Buffy:  "Um, over?"
Cordelia:  "So over."

In a certain respect, it IS very reminiscent of the 90's and that decade's obsession with goth and grunge, so it's not completely surprising that it was discontinued at the end of the decade.  Though after a few years, the demand was so great that in 2003, Chanel really had no choice but to bring it back  and since then, this cult color has become a classic.  And I'm SO happy about that!  Who wants to fall in love with a color only to have it discontinued?  That would ruin October just a little bit for me, and we can't have that.

Unfortunately, our Book Club Meeting picnic today had to be rescheduled, so I'm off to grab my first pumpkin spice latte of the season and run a few errands to truly celebrate fall - even though it's far warmer than it should be in October.  Welcome to L.A.!

Have a fabulous October Sunday, Kittens!
XOXO!!

This Charming Dame Lesson 2 - Own a Little Black Dress

Or two.  Or three.  Or...you get the idea.

I have heard said that a TRUE Little Black Dress can be worn to any occasion.  A wedding.  A funeral.  A cocktail party.  The opera.  Work.  I disagree.  While I believe black works everywhere and at any time, I don't believe one dress can work for all of the occasions above.  Besides, what fun would ONE Little Black Dress be? 

Chanel is credited with 'inventing' the Little Black Dress as we know it.  It was unveiled on October 1, 1926 in the pages of American Vogue.

Fantastic LBD history!

In a time when women dressed with the idea that more was more and black was reserved for mourning, Coco Chanel did what she did best...went against established ideals.  She stripped all the adornments and all the colors and patterns away.  She went black.  Simple.  And invented classic.  As far as I'm concerned...Perfect.  Though it wasn't until Audrey Hepburn and the Givenchy dress in Breakfast at Tiffany's in 1961 that the LBD truly made its mark.  That particular dress was so influential that it was auctioned off for charity in 2006 for $800,000.  Impressive, no?

photo credit

Today the LBD is a beloved staple in essentially every woman's wardrobe.  I have several and love them all!  As I said before, I don't believe there is one dress that can work for every occasion.  The good news is, you've got options!

photo credit

I believe that between two or three, you can cover all your bases. Here is how I cover mine.  I would have donned the dresses to give you a better idea of what they look like on, but seeing as how I live alone and haven't been feeling very well the last few days, these photos will simply have to do.

First is my favorite.  This classic wiggle dress is simply fabulous!  In it, I feel like I stepped right out of the late 50s.  It works for almost any occasion, though it can be a little much for some situations due to the va-va-voom factor.  I've worn this dress to a funeral (with a sweater) and numerous cocktail parties.

I wish I had a photo of what this really looks like on, but I can't find a full body shot.  So this photo of cocktails in the library of the Los Angeles Athletic Club will simply have to do.

The next dress is also inspired by the 1950's.  I consider this my vintage-inspired party dress.  This one is super fun and with the fact that it's in satin and has a great back, it's a lot more dressy than my other LBDs.

The upper back is opaque with a button closure and gives the dress an interesting element.   I've worn this dress for a New Year's Eve bash, a charity benefit, and a movie premiere in New York - it worked fabulously for all of them!

The third dress is a really light and gauzy summer dress that is perfect for those hot summer evening parties.  Comfortable, cool, and flirty, yet there's still a dressy element to this one.  I've worn it to summer evening birthdays, cocktail hours, and art shows.

This last dress might not look like much on the hanger in this photo, but I was invited to a casual outdoor November wedding this year and I needed a warm dress.  Though I did not set out to buy a black dress to attend a wedding, it shouldn't be a surprise that I ended up with one.  The fit on this one is similar to that of a wiggle dress - for some reason, I felt like I belonged in a Robert Palmer video.  I think this might become my go-to winter dress for occasions that are a little less formal as it also worked really well for my friend's holiday party.

So if you don't have a Little Black Dress for every occasion, you should really rectify that immediately.

To see my inspiration for the 'This Charming Dame' series, please visit Quite Continental Charm School.

Happy Shopping Kittens!
XOXO!!

The Cinematic Experience - Coco Before Chanel

Happy New Year Lovelies!

I hope you rung in the New Year with fabulous people around you and fabulous bubbly in your glass!  Mine was spectacular - one of my oldest friends and her husband came into town for a few days and on New Year's Eve, I had a small gathering at my place.

After my guests left this morning, I put the apartment back together, pulled out a movie that I received as a gift and not not yet watched, and settled onto the couch.  I felt that kicking off The Vintage Project with Chanel was appropriate.  Coco Before Chanel or Coco Avant Chanel is a 2009 French film chronicling how Gabrielle Chanel transformed herself into the Coco Chanel that made history.  Before seeing this film, I had no idea just HOW fabulous she was.  Or that she held so many feminist ideals which led to us having her to thank, at least in part, for corsets not being part of our daily uniform. 

'Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury.' -Coco Chanel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvDFPjx-uBU

If all you know is the Chanel suit, I highly recomend this film.  Even if you know more, this is still one worth watching.  Just be aware that there are subtitles.

Bonne Nuit Kittens!