Linda Morand from Long Island, New York, was one of the top fashion models of the mid 60's to mid 70's. She was was originally discovered by Eileen Ford (Ford Modeling) and graced the pages of Vogue, Glamour & Mademoiselle as well as many international fash mags. She was considered to be the favorite model of designers Betsey Johnson & Vidal Sassoon and was one of the first ever American models to be booked from New York to work the runway in Paris.
She had an uncanny resemblance to Jacqueline Kennedy when she was younger and even had the opportunity to meet her doppelganger at P.J. Clarke's in Manhattan in 1971. Her modeling career was more successful in Europe than in the United States as she was the muse to Pierre Cardin, Karl Lagerfeld and Paco Rabanne. She was well versed in her craft that took her on travels through Paris, Milan, Munich and Barcelona. She was one of the most photographed models of the MOD era, who was just like her contemporary Twiggy, was an 'it girl' who set the standard of style for her generation...
Her career was short lived and only spanned a duration of one decade as she retired in 1975 to raise a family. She did however, open a small exclusive modeling school as well as an international photography studio. At present day, the vintage haute couture model spends the majority of her time trying to get a two hour television special off the ground...'The Supermodels Hall Of Fame'
Now in her 70's, Morand could still pass for mid 40's as this once super model, super chick of the 60's is still on top of her game which totally diminishes the usual stereotype of today's supermodels with their eating disorders and heroine chic look and totally gives rise to the old adage that 'they just don't make em' like they used to'!
Farrah Fawcett is in the news today in spite of the fact that she passed away close to two years ago. Her ex long time lover Ryan O'Neal has come forward to claim that he believes the stress from their tumultuous relationship brought on her illness and ultimately cost her her life. I personally think that idea's a bit out there, but reading the article gave me my inspiration for todays post.
Farrah Fawcett was an American born actress and stated to have also been an artist although I had never heard of her stating any fame from it. The only art I knew she was involved with, centered around the photo shoot she agreed to do for Playboy when she hit her fifties in the 90's. Having turned down anything that had to do with being nude in movies and the media throughout her career, this came as a complete shock to her fans! That spread was the best selling issue ever, topping out at over 4 million sold.
In her early career, Farrah started out in commercials & she was a spokes model for Breck shampoo, Noxema, Ultra Brite toothpaste & the 1975 Mercury Cougar. She then went on to further her acting career landing a role on the popular hit show of the late seventies, 'Charlie's Angels' opposite Jaclyn Smith & Kate Jackson. It wasn't until 1976 when she posed for the infamous red swim suit poster, that she became an overnight sex symbol. That poster sold over 12 million copies world wide & the only overtly sexual aspect of the photo was that her headlights were on ah ha!
She was also considered to be in the top 100 most influential fashion icons of the seventies with her skimpy clothes, big smile and mass of blond curls. It was even suggested that she deserves some major kudos for inspiring the glamazon Victoria's Secret "Angel" look since her legendary hairstyle has been mega duped on the catwalk.
Unfortunately, I can't help but remember how in the end of her career, she became a bit wacky and eccentric with her flighty antics during talk show interviews & other televised media events. I think this was due majorly in part to the fact that Farrah was having an issue with the idea of growing old. It was evident in the bad nip/tucks, that she was chasing time and wasn't interested in the concept of aging gracefully...
All of that changed in the end as Farrah let go of worrying about esthetics or how the world saw her physical self when she let us all see her battle with cancer in a very raw and intimate account of her day to day struggle with the disease that ultimately ended her life. She redeemed herself in the public eye and left behind her a legacy of strength, dignity and grace that will never be forgotten.
Enough of the Royal hoopla... it's time to get back on track here at Retro Threadz as we bring you Mod Monday once again! Today we're going to talk about fashion icon of the 60's, Edie Sedgwick... Edie was an American born actress, model, socialite and heiress who is mostly remembered for being Andy Warhol's 'muse' & was even considered a 'superstar' after appearing in several of his short art house films. Edie's life was the epitome of the 'poor little rich girl' who had it all but had nothing really being that she came from an extremely troubled home. All of this was said to have led to her battle with anorexia and substance abuse.
She met Warhol, the avante garde filmmaker/artist in March of 1965 and he immediately took a liking to her and set out to make her a star however, none of Warhol's films were commercially successful.
Edie may have failed on the big screen but she left her mark as a true fashion icon for her era as she was the epitome of the swinging 60's scene and a true founder of the beatnik style. She was young and definitely hip and no one had ever seen anything quite like her daring to wear nothing but a leotard, with opaque tights & a sweater! This fashion trend took off like wild fire!
It was reported in 1971 that Edie stopped abusing drugs and alcohol for a short time however, on November 15th, 1971 at the ripe old age of 28, she was said to have died from what was noted as 'undetermined/accident/suicide'. She was definitely the life of every party and lived hers in the fast lane...
She became a vintage legend style icon and even today, women try to emulate her fashion statement with a more contemporary flair.
*Random Fact: Actress Kyra Sedgwick is Edie Sedgwick's cousin
We've decided here at Retro Threadz that every Monday we're going to be doing a flashback of popular vintage fashions or fashion models from the era of the 60's because seriously...we 'love love love' the fab & funky mod styles of that era so with that being said, when it comes to mod, "what goes around comes back around" as this colorful, versatile style isn't going anywhere soon!
Mod fashions and the models who wore them were brash and daring and definitely ahead of the times! The styles of the 60's were owned by England but it wasn't too long before Americans hopped on board!
The term 'Mod' is derived from the word 'Modernist' and is defined as... mod 1(md)
n.
An unconventionally modern style of fashionable dress originating in England in the late 1950's & early 1960s.
adj.
1. In or characteristic of this unconventionally modern style.
2. Fashionably up-to-date, especially in style, design, or dress.
In and around the 60's, two youth subcultures became ground breaking for mod fashion; the bongo beating bohemian beatniks with their berets and turtlenecks...
And the Teddy Boys with their spiffy dandy narcissistic style that made a man having interest is fashion socially acceptable...
From the mid 60's and on, the term mod was used to describe anything that was thought to be 'popular' & the 60's will always be known as defining Mod as the 'cult of the super cool'. Today's fashion trends still continue to incorporate that concept into designs.
There is a bevy of 60's styles, fashions, fads, icons and trends to cover and we look forward to bringing them all to light for you... So make sure you stop by next week for our MOD Monday 60's retro rewind!
Women have always been in love with hats as a fashion accessory. In the 1920's the cloche hat was one of the first modern styles of the 20th century. Cloche is the french word for 'bell' as these caps were form fitting to the head in that shape. These hats were considered 'sexy & mysterious' because the hat sat right above the wearers eyes...
In the 1930's there was a trend in the U.S. for wearing hats when Spring was in bloom and they often did so with a sense of rivalry involved as to whose hat was the biggest and the best! In the midst of the great depression, a new hat at Easter or a refurbished old one was a simple luxury for most women...
There's also a rich history of African-American women and hats, in that the act of covering your head during worship has its roots grounded in scripture. It has since become a firm tradition for many women who want to show respect for God while adding pizzaz to their presence!
The 1950's saw a decrease in the popularity for hat wearing in general by women, and were no longer a 'must have' for every outfit but have since regained popularity in the 21st century since this is one of the most flexible times in fashion history and everyone is pretty much following their own impulses, especially when it comes to what they're topping off with.
Remember the floppy colorful shade hats in the 70's? We're starting to see them again...
When talking about 'hats' you cannot forget to mention the huge hats women have been parading around in at the Kentucky Derby for ages. Styles of course have changed so much throughout the years that now the Derby event is more like a red carpet who's wearing who and what!
Just like everything...'what goes around comes back around' and hats of pretty much every style are being seen worn again these days. Here at Retro Threadz, we pride ourselves in selecting only the most quality of vintage hats for you to choose from so make sure you stop by the shop regularly as we are always stocked with a variety of beautiful vintage styles ranging from the 1940's to the 1980's.
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