Twiggy, born Lesley Hornby, is without a doubt one of the biggest fashion icons to emerge from the 1960's. Her thin frame and big blue eyes became the envy of fashionistas everywhere. The look of drawn on lashes (anything to make the eyes look bigger) and pale lips became a Twiggy staple as girls copied her look to fit in with Swinging London and everything Mod. The geometric patterns and straight cuts of fabric in 60's fashion fit the Twiggy's frame as clothes did in the sketches fashion designers put down on paper--making her the perfect model. In a way, Twiggy and her "twig-like legs" (as you'll see in the video above) brought designs to life in a way other models hadn't done before.

Twiggy took her style around the world, landing numerous jobs in Europe, the US and Asia. Her success also came with numerous awards including being named "The Face of 1966," "Woman of the Year," and a variety of Vogue covers. While the 90's ushered in the era of the supermodel, including fellow Brit Kate Moss, I think it's safe to say Twiggy revolutionized the British modeling and fashion scene and inspired girls across the globe to cut their hair short and challenge their own sense of style.

Read the full post

Remember when flying was fun? Living in the post-September 11th world not everyone does. Security measures have changed the way we fly. With tedious carry-on and travel restrictions as well as economic hardship, airlines have cut travel benefits like in-flight meals and free baggage check-in. But at the height of the aviation world, flying was a special occasion that called for you to dress to impress. Full meals were served with real silverware in coach and the flight attendants were expected to fulfill certain physical (read: beauty) requirements.

If you worked with Braniff airlines as a flight attendant, you would be wearing uniforms designed by Emilio Pucci. The Italian designer, known for his colorful prints, made everything from convertible dresses to bubble-like helmets to protect flight attendant’s impeccable hairdos from rain on the tarmac. The airline’s tagline was “The End of the Plain Plane” and that philosophy trickled down from it’s engineering right to the crew. Braniff Airlines featured bright yellow airplanes and commercials with plenty of star power. Even artist Andy Warhol promoted the hip airline company that was all about taking air travel to the next level.

Read the full post

One way to ease into retro fashion is via accessories. You don’t have to commit to a vintage Dior dress (or even a vintage look-alike) to get the look. Don’t worry about making the perfect pin curl or finding the right shade of red lipstick either. If you want a little bit of retro style in your everyday wardrobe, Le Colonel, an accessory design company created by Julia Gonnet, brings accessories inspired by the burlesque, rockabilly and even military clothing styles to fashionistas around the globe.

Le Colonel’s gorgeous accessories are handmade, one of a kind pieces by Miss Gonnet and inspired by fashions from the "La Belle Epoque to the ‘50” and feature and feature hair clips, hats, bands and ribbons for all kinds of personal style. Whether you fancy a feather clip in your hair or a red, white, and blue nautical ribbon/cocarde on your blouse, Le Colonel has something for you. Julia Gonnet has even designed special Le Colonel accessories for the famous burlesque icon Gentry de Paris and dancer Julietta La Doll.

Gonnet’s company designed a gorgeous costume for La Doll, which involved pasties, a hair fascinator and a corset that showed Le Colonel’s creative diversity and skill. If you would like to see more of these great designs for yourself, click here to visit Le Colonel’s English-language site. This French company may have drawn inspiration from the golden age of fashion, but Le Colonel lets you experience retro style in the 21st century.

Dishwashing liquid commercials vary in their subject matter. Either they take an eco-friendly approach, tug at your heartstrings by demonstrating how they save animals affected by an oil spill, or they show the product’s grease-cutting power. The Palmolive brand has come a long way from its origins as a beauty product.

The above ad from the 1950’s pushes Palmolive as a beauty product promising better skin for all ages and skin types. In current times, where skincare is usually sold as a complicated system featuring many products for day and night, the original Palmolive bar advocated simple “soap facials” that would “bring new complexion beauty to 2 out of 3 women.” Today, most beauty magazines caution women to avoid soap all together, warning of their harshness on the skin and problems that could arise with residue the soap bar leaves behind. But in the 1950’s, where efficiency was key, the little green Palmolive bar was pitched to members of the entire household. There were smaller-sized bars geared toward the women using it for their skincare, and larger sizes of the bar for use in the family bath.

Read the full post