Hey Fellow Fumeheads,
Having adored it all my life I studied Fashion in the 1980’s and there is a thrill still left for me in the words Yves Saint Laurent, Vivenne Westwood, Hermes, Donna Karan, Gucci, Thierry Mugler, Louis Vuitton, Gianni Versace and of course Christian Dior. There are many more names that could have been in this list but these names are the ones that have stuck in my head and which I associate with the longing I felt for high fashion while having neither the budget, body or where with all to be it. There was a spate of label purchasing through my 20’s and 30’s of usually off beat, unwanted, ready-to-wear pieces that had found their way to the discount stores in Europe and the USA, some house store sale shopping and the very rare in-season piece that I couldn’t live without. What I did do through these years though was buy ties, shoes, belts and fragrance from the big guys, giving me a taste of my dreams without losing the shirt off my back.
Photo Stolen from gatshfros.blogspot.com
For the rest I have stolen runway ideas and thrown them into my costumes; a collar, cuff, colour or treatment that moved me each season. Not to be up to date but because I was inspired by the bevy of amazing things done. Most of it was grown out of and handed down to the next generation and sometimes I see a newbie in bits and pieces of something I made 20 years ago.
Photo Stolen from internationalposter.com
My favourite designer purchase I ever wore was a gold/orange and dark coffee Thierry Mugler footed catsuit with the Thierry Mugler TM as the LV in open mockery of Louis Vuitton luggage. It was funny and silly and I wore it a lot. Its first ever wear was at the Cannes Film Festival to be interviewed by Ruby Wax while we were there promoting Priscilla: Queen of the Desert in 1994, or 1995? Cool huh?
Photo Stolen from egodesign.ca
Why have I included this long and seemingly pointless preamble? I came across this awesome video of the Shanghai DIOR show from March and realised that I am completely without a fragrance from Christian Dior in my Wardrobe. I love Diorissimo, Dune, J’Adore, Poison, Eau Savage, Fahrenheit and Dior Homme but have not purchased any of them for years, maybe because it’s so easy to go to a counter and get a squirt when the mood takes me, maybe not. It seems a glaring omission and I think I’ll have to rectify it during the week.
No reviews or anything today. Sorry. It’s Sunday and sunny and I want to be out among it. Wearing Soivohle; Rosa Sur Reuse and am quite liking it though. Maybe I’ll review it for you someday.
Have a super lovely day,
Portia xx
Please enjoy this short and sweet look at Shanghai DIOR Spring/Summer 2012.
Posting vs. enjoying a sunny day in the fall? I’m with you, I’d be outside. I just picked up a bottle of pre-reformulation Dior Homme, and right now I’m wondering why I don’t own Dune yet. Not a fashion maven myself, but those dresses…. sigh.
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WOW! Is it much different to the current Dior Homme? How do you find such treasures?
Yes, sunny autumn day and the frocks. I was lost before i began,
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I was at a local department store with Archimedes, my 16yo, and we were having a grand time spraying ourselves up. The tester for DH was pre-reformulation, which has a lot more iris (how to tell the difference: the older DH has a silver tube inside instead of black) and we both applied it.
Got home and the boy said, “Mom, if you can find some of this and share it with me, I’ll let you make samples from my LADDM.” Went on the ‘Bay and voila! Found a mostly-full bottle and off it went to my US scent mule – that’s the secret, find someone in the States who’ll send stuff your way.
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