I dream of Lilly.  Particularly the Lilly of the 1960s photos by Slim Aarons. They conjure a life of leisure I will never know—and a mood/attitude/way of life that no longer exists…

“Once upon a time, life was not better. It was different. Once upon a time everything was optimism, because nothing was bad for you.”

If you watch Mad Men, this statement by William Norwich makes perfect sense.  The early 1960s were heady times–innovations in business, fashion, culture and lifestyle were occurring exponentially and the nation embraced modernity with open arms, with no time to consider the consequences.

As simple a garment as the ’shift’ dress actually reflected a big shift in womens’ attitudes!  No more “foundations”, ie no more girdle.  The easy, casual shape represented a relaxation of dress standards–even among the upper class, who were early to adopt, much as the flappers did in the 1920s.

These simple shapes were executed brilliantly by Lilly Pulitzer, a free-spirited socialite who quickly went from juice-making to dress-making.

The Lilly Story

“The Lilly” label became the first lifestyle brand–the original resort wear for the burgeoning leisure class. Her prolific original fabric and dress designs (not found at Marshall’s) are still cherished today.  Lilly Pulitzer closed her business in 1984.  The presently ubiquitous “Lilly Pulitzer” label and “In the Pink” stores are produced by a new company formed in 1993, after purchasing the name.

Yes, once upon a time, life was different…

Visit our collection of Original Lilly designs for men & Women at currentVintage, 4 Easy St, Nantucket.

Lilly Pulitzer

Lilly Pulitzer (right)/Slim Aarons-Getty Imges

April 1968: Mr and Mrs Donald Lease with their Rolls Royce and two pet dogs outside their home in Palm Beach, Florida. (Slim Aarons/Getty Images)

Kelly modeling Victor Costa at currentVintage

Born in Texas in 1935, Victor Costa grew up enthralled by the glamour of Hollywood and intent on working in fashion. He sold sketches to Oleg Cassini and Ciel Chapman before joining the Suzy Perette label in 1965, where his photographic memory was dispatched to the Paris runways.  It was during his eight years at Suzy that he became known as “The Copy-Cat King” for his meticulous line for line copies of European couture.  This was back when copy-ing was actually considered a good thing—couture was skillfully replicated for the masses, but in a respectful, high-quality way.  Not just made to look similarly, couture copies were made to endure, and Seventh Ave designers, such as Hattie Carnegie and Norman Norell, were celebrated for their quality imitations.

Victor Costa dress details

Costa went on to form his own label, taking the design secrets he learned and interpreting them into fabulous, wearable pieces that are highly collectible today.  According to Costa, “A woman has to walk into a store, and [a dress] has to speak to her. It has to say ‘buy me’ or ‘try me on.’ It has to have color, it has to have shape, it has to have design secrets built into it that make her body look [outstanding]. You have to do lines that are flattering.”  And they did—the colors!  The fabrics!  The elegance!  The cut!  The pieces are at once distinctive, yet classic.

ABS does Jason Wu

The “dress has to say ‘buy me’” philosophy may be shared by today’s reigning “Copy King”, Allen Schwartz of ABS, whose rapid, literal imitations infuriate modern designers.  In fact, “copy-ing” designer fashions is a broiling controversy;  no sooner are the runway shows or red carpet over, stores such as H&M and Zara are rolling out the cheaply-made knock-offs at a fraction of the cost.  Designers such as Diane von Furstenberg and Jason Wu (whose Michelle Obama Inaugural Gown was promptly replicated for prom-wear) have lobbied Congress for copyright protection.  Currently, clothing design, no matter how artistic, is not protected by intellectual property law, as are books, music, etc.  Trademarks are obviously protected (eg the Lacoste croc), but not the designs themselves.  While it may be maddening—and costly—for modern designers to see their works poorly constructed in bad fabric on the Forever 21 rack, there will always be demand.

Kelly in Victor Costa at cV

Rosie in Victor Costa at cV

Victor Costa closed his company in 1995, but still designs bridal and evening wear today.  Fortunately, his prolific works of the 1960s-80s have longevity similar to their couture inspiration.  They are expertly constructed and flattering, as promised.  Look for the vintage Victor Costa label(s)—they are Pre-disposable fashion.

Rosie in Victor Costa at currentVintage

Kelly in Vintage-Inspired Owl T

Vintage Owl T

When is a designer a not a designer but a cheating copycat?
I “design” dresses using a 1950s pattern and modern fabrics.  I tweak the proportions for a modern figure sans foundations, but I’m not so sure it is “designing” so much as it is “re-imagining”…
The dresses are stunning, wearable and I am proud of the work nevertheless!

One day last summer, a film crew swept into currentVintage while following Hamptons personality and “Real Housewife of NY” Kelly Killoren Bensimon around Nantucket.  She is a real glamazon—tall, big-boned and tanned—and it was exciting for her to come in and make a fuss over the store, especially the dozens of cool vintage owl and animal necklaces we have hanging from our shelf (currentVintage has been owl-crazy for the last three seasons and people marvel at our collection).  She modeled several pieces for the camera and settled on a funky ruby-rhinestone-eyed horsehead medallion, which was fabulous.
What’s interesting a year later is the controversy over her new line of Owl jewelry.  It seems that Kelly and a stylist at Elle “designed” some Swarovski crystal embellished Owl pendants, only Kelly took the idea and ran with it and the mad stylist is now suing her.

I find it fascinating that:
A.  Someone can be sued over stealing an idea to copy vintage jewelry and
B.  That people pay $300+ on the Home Shopping Network for a mass-produced knockoff when the original one sells for $78 at currentVintage.

But maybe that’s why I’m not yet a famous designer or a real housewife of  Nanucket.

http://tinyurl.com/l4cwxf KKB Owl Scandal link

Vintage Original

Vintage Knock-off Owl Necklaces