I was poking around the web looking for vintage clothing and found todays New York Times article about Foley + Corinna (thanks to a post on Hooti Couture). What an inspiration! I love to hear about multi-million dollar businesses that started out at the kitchen table.

With the help of a friend who could manage a needle and thread, Ms. Foley made more skirts and put them on a table at the old flea market on Avenue of the Americas in Chelsea. The first day, she made $2,000. The kitchen became a factory. “My kids were sitting there eating pizza in a sea of organza,” she said….In many regards, the story of how Ms. Foley and Ms. Corinna turned a flea-market friendship into a fashion company that now has $20 million in annual retail sales is uncommon. Neither one knew much about the mechanics of design or, for that matter, business. They have never been prominently profiled in Vogue or Elle, nor have they sought the Bryant Park runways. But Ms. Corinna has an eye for vintage fashion, and Ms. Foley is intuitive about how to make new versions of those styles for modern women.  (Read the rest of the article here.)

So I was doubly lucky because just the other day I was talking to my mother and we were trying to remember the name of a book I lent her a couple of years ago about Vintage Clothing and there it was right in front of me - Alligators, Old Mink & New Money: One Woman’s Adventures in Vintage Clothing written by sisters Alison and Melissa Houtte of Hooti Couture. Guess it’s time to pick up another copy!

• Hooti Couture
• NYT Article, May 21, 2008 (Foley + Corinna)
• NYT Slideshow (Foley + Corinna)
• Foley + Corinna

You’ve probably noticed the big promotion for KMart’s Style Showoff contest. The entrants  (1) upload a photo of themselves showcasing their “style”, (2) make a style statement explaining the secrets of their style success, and (3) show it off for the judges. Four style show-offs are featured as samples meant to inspire the contest entrants.

Caroline R is one of the “show offs” and her style statement goes like this:

My sense of style is very All-American: clean and classic but with a twist! I’m not afraid of bright, fun colors or prints–I especially love pink. Usually, I put an outfit together around whatever shoe I’m wearing.

I love wearing high heels, a cute skirt or some capris pants, and a fitted top. I just add the finishing touch of a colorful purse…and voila! And don’t be surprised if that purse matches my shoes. I rock my style by adding a headband or a unique piece of jewelry that to me has special meaning.

Fashion is all about making yourself feel good. I say if you feel good wearing it, then ‘You work it!’

Maybe it’s just me, but don’t you think they could have come up with something a little more creative? Any of the hundreds of folks who’ve already put themselves out there on a street fashion photo site like Tricia Royal’s wardrobe_remix, or the Flickr Fruits site, or the new Stylemob can do much better than that.

(And, by the way, All Chic has just launched its own Community. Click on the link to the upper left to join the All Chic Closet. Post photos of what’s in your closet and what’s on your wish list. Buy sell and trade with other members. Let’s get this community off the ground. Email me with any suggestions…. cath at allchic.com….)

In keeping with my historical theme of last week, I couldn’t wait to post these two bags from Pursecution. This Minneapolis-based designer uses hides of leather, fabric and antique brass bits to create beautiful one of a kind bags and leather accessories.

On the top is the Joan of Arc bag:

This is the first of a new line/slate for Pursecution. Who better to start with than Joan of Arc? How does one sum up the life of such a young and powerful woman in this limited space? From the age of 12 until the age of 19, when she was burned at the stake for a trumped up charge of heresy, Joan of Arc followed her own head strong path, making history with every step. This purse has been designed with her strength, beauty and grace in mind. It is 100% genuine leather with a sateen interior. The dimensions are 11″ wide, 7.5″ tall and 2″ deep.

On bottom is the Mary Queen of Scots bag:

Mary Stuart’s life had all the elements of a Hollywood movie 400 years ago. There was romance, murder, scandal and finally her beheading by Queen Elizabeth I. Although Mary Queen of Scots may not have succeeded as the Queen of Scotland, her beauty, strength and grace were world renowned. This purse has been modeled after such assets. The top is made of 100% genuine leather, the interior of cotton, and the bottom half of the exterior is from a fine upholstery fabric.

You can find Pursecution on the web at Indiepublic or MySpace.  

American Idol rock chick, Amanda Overmyer, wore a terrific long knit scarf last night. It was at least down to her knees. So where do you look for a long long scarf that isn’t too bulky to wear in the spring? Etsy, of course.

I found this pretty pink knit scarf at LauraCraft for only $10!

The Telegraph had an article about Stella McCartney at the Paris Fashion Show last week. Although I’m not crazy about this particular frock, I’ve always been drawn to the time of castles and kings.

From the Telegraph:

McCartney offered an ode to the modern medieval woman with long cloaks and cardigan coats in wool-felt, handmade by village artisans in Somerset, which were printed with heraldic symbols and faux coats-of-arms. Blanket-inspired knits, in earth-toned stripes enfolded the body. Suits and coats with wide, kimono-sleeves were in the same wool-felt, in muted charcoal and metallic silver… (more)

Need accessories? Here’s a chain maille dice pouch bag for dungeons and dragons fans. I’d use it for money, lipstick and car keys.  You can see more of Janine’s metalwork at her shop - Athena’ sArmoury.

Turn any outfit into a regal affair with this ”Young Elizabeth“ collar made from a mix of soft mohair yarn and chenille yarn. It comes from the studio of Ellita, a group of artists skilled in all crafts of life. One is a dreamer and another is a weaver. One is a thread knitter and another is leather knotter. See more at their shop - Ellita’s Flying Snail.

Ever since I discovered Etsy, I’ve been checking in on The Storque to read news stories written by users. A quick search on DIY Street Fashion led me to this Trends piece which features Tricia Royal’s Flickr site wardrobe_remix.

Over 7000 members have posted close to 31,000 head-to-toe shots sharing their everyday style sense and DIY creativity. Tricia then features her “fashion remixers of the week” on her blog at Bits and Bobbins.  Besides being a terrific business model, wardrobe_remix helps get those creative juices flowing when you look into your closet and think you have nothing to wear.

Here’s what Tricia has to say -

wardrobe_remix is a deliberately positive community which has from the beginning had one overarching aim: to celebrate the amazing personal style of oneself and others. Handmade, secondhand, and new (of mass or designer origin) clothing and accessories happily meet and mix on the backs of hundreds of creative dressers…and the results are, simply put, inspirational.

Read the rest of the article here and visit Tricia’s blog here.

This jacket was featured in the latest issue of Altered Couture and included the how-to by designer Jude Mowris of StrawMountainStudio.com.

This repurposed jacket, size medium, has been dyed raspberry and has vintage lace on collar, shoulders, cuffs, jacket front and back. It is further enhanced with pearl-like beading.

Recycled…Always one of a kind.

I love this jacket! You can see purchasing details for this jacket here. However, I recommend you pick up the magazine if only just to see the lovely lace “New Mexican Sunset” design on the back. 

I couldn’t resist posting ths pretty coral vest, also from StrawMountainStudio.com.  This just makes me want to get my hands on some lace and dye.

Isn’t this a great skirt? It comes from Poltock & Walsh, a London based design duo.  They were New Gen winners at London Fashion Week (applications only accepted from those designers who’ve been in business three years or less.)

For more inspiration you can visit them on the web at poltockandwalsh.com. 

This dress was owned and worn by Janis Joplin and sold at auction  in October for $14,340.00. I love the long bell sleeves! According to the article, she had the same dress in beige which she wore for her performance at the Monterey Pop Festival. Only that one she wore with matching pants. Makes me think this purple dress came with pants also.

Laura Joplin includes quotes from her sister about clothes and fashion in her book Love, Janis —–

 “FASHION NEWS: I went out & bought myself a $35 pair of boots. Oh they are so groovey!! They’re old-fashioned in their style-tight w/buttons up the front. Black. FANTASTIC! When I get back, I’m going to rent a sewing machine & make myself some sort of beautiful/outlandish dress to go w/them.” (September 1966)

 “I have an old lace curtain-very pretty that I want to use for sleeves & make some sort of simple dress to go w/them.” (March 1967)

As you can tell from my list of ’street chic’ links at the right, I like street fashion. All I’ve done is take my armchair travelling one step further. Rather than just surfing the tourist websites looking for places to stay and things to do in a foreign country…for example, Prague…I can people watch, just as though I were sitting with my Coffee Alfredo espresso at Kavárna Obecnídom.

Newsweek features ”The Sartorialist“ in the recent article “The Rise of the Real People.”

Fashion-industry folks say the trend of using real people to sell clothes attests to a fatigue with skinny, expressionless models in ads and on runways. As proof, they point to the negative publicity surrounding the painfully thin models at last spring’s Fashion Week. “I definitely think there’s some backlash amongst people who see fashion shows, then read stories about how the models have to smoke themselves to death and only drink lemon water for six weeks,” says Simon Rogers, head of Ugly New York, a casting agency for “real”-looking models. “People would like to see somebody up there who reflects how people on the street really look.”

Read the entire article here.

The story in the Daily Mail is about JK Rowling’s technicolor coat, but I just love Twiggy’s “mod” jacket with the lace from the blouse at the wrists.

It reminds me of this great Ermina “reinvention” jacket by fofolle.  

I found inspiration from this photo from Fresh Fruits by Soichi Aoki, a book I have in my Music Studio waiting room. I put it there hoping some of the creativity shown by these Japanese kids would rub off on my piano students but it turns out I’m the one who made my first jeans bag.