Alexander McQueen Retrospective Part 7: Fall 2005

In tribute to Lee Alexander McQueen, I have been posting a retrospective of past collections, from a SwingFashionista perspective. The best of Alexander McQueen for retro-loving folk. May he rest in peace. In part 7, my top picks from the Fall 2005 ready-to-wear show. More to come…

Louis Vuitton Fall 2010: Top Picks

With Marc Jacobs (*swoon*) at the helm, the Louis Vuitton Fall 2010 ready-to-wear show was all about an unabashedly vintage silhouette. Balconette bosoms, wasp waists, lined 50s circle skirts, sweater girls, fur collars, bows, long gloves and clutches. Also so nice to see a retro-inspired collection trotted down the catwalk, without terrifying abstract makeup or surrealist hair, to ‘balance out the old-fashioned’. Of course, I would have preferred red lippie and pincurls, but the preppy ponytails and fresh-faced ingenue makeup is a welcome relief after some of the absurdist hair, makeup (and shoes) of the season. Here are my favourites:

The Lovely Lina Romay

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Lina Romay was an actress and singer in the 1940s and 50s, with Columbia and MGM. Though she was born in New York, she was daughter to the Mexican Consul to New York City and was typically cast as a Latin American beauty. She sang with Xavier Cugat’s orchestra in the early 1940s. You may have seen her singing with the band in the Fred Astaire/Rita Hayworth flick You Were Never Lovelier (1942) or in Stage Door Canteen (1943). In the clip below, she could be singing about herself…

Taking Fashion Inspiration from Dolls

I wasted a whole lot of time on this doll blog, so that you don’t have to! Check out these retro doll fashions, can you believe it? The downside is, you can’t buy any of these outfits… you know, unless you’re 6″ tall.  I’d wear all of these outfits! If anyone out there is a wizz with a sewing machine and wants to recreate one of these for me, just let me know!!

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