Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's day to everyone!, hope you are all having a good relaxing Sunday.

New items!, "1930s style LBD"

Hello everyone! I hope you haven't lost your nerves over the stressful christmas shopping. I have been posting new items on my website. Here is one of the latest ones.
It is a LBD (I will never get tired of making them, they are timeless and practical!). Made of black punto de Roma jersey. So it is completely elastic. It is very flattering and classy, very very heavily inspired by the 1930s silouettes.
It is only £70 (absolute bargain, remember that I offer free UK p&p)

The top is fitted, with a squared neckline that sits just above your bust (very flattering to your neckline but without revealing cleaveage at all).
Short puffed sleeves (perfect to uneven the overall shape so the hips don't end up overpowering the silouette).
Graceful bias cut flared skirt with trumpet shape that evens out from your knee. (This shape is "the one" for hourglass and pear shaped bodies as well as shapes with small hips that desperately need to create a smooth curve).
Ages ago, I spotted Dita Von teese wearing a dress that reminds me a lot of my dress. It is a gorgeous piece made by the incredible Roland Mouret (although, Mouret's dress is a pencil skirt not flared). I created a polyvore set with both items. I hope you like it.

Here are the links, enjoy!
Don't forget to join my fanpage on facebook! The link is on the left side of the page.
www.theblackwardrobe.com/product/1930s-style-dress-with-trumpet-skirt-38
www.polyvore.com/cgi/profile?id=714772

Vintage beauties: Public Enemies's film locations

As well as the fashion and the gadgets (oh god, what cars!) another great beauty of the film Public Enemies are the locations. I had the pleasure to find pictures of some of the buildings featured in the film.

You can find more pictures at the flickr set Movie set for Johnny Depp movie "Public Enemies" (Columbus, Wisconsin)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/56091178@N00/2329575843

Mobs, gangsters, mafia and Johnny Depp!

Being a big fan of Film Noir and the 1930s, it was a no-brainer that I had to go to watch this film: Public Enemies. All reviews I had read were...hmm...not so good, however I was still tempted to watch it for several reasons: it is based in The Great Depression, it is about an interesting story (mafia), great actors, among them, the incredible Johnny Depp (who is astonishingly talented, in my point of view). If another actor would had played this role, I don't think the film would has been as good as I think it is. Specially if the chosen actor was Leonardo Di Caprio.........aaaaaghgh!
Marion Cotillard is absolutely great (powerful, dramatique! and somehow unconventional which makes the character even more attractive). I had already had the pleasure to watch mademoiselle Cotillard in another great film: "La Vie En Rose". That woman is seriously talented!
Another great piece of acting in this film is, without a doubt, Christian Bale, whose toughness and elegance adds a bit of spice to some scenes. Although, I have to say, in some scenes I didn't know if I was watching Bruce Wayne or Melvin Purvis...
I don't know if people knows this but the film is based on a true story. The characters WERE real and aparently, it seems to be historically accurate (at least, that's what my boyfriend -mafia aficionado- says. He knows a lot about mob history). The film is an adaption of Bryan Burrough's non-fiction book Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34.

In conclusion, I enjoyed the film, I wasn't dissappointed.

Fashion tips for: draped front soft-jacket

Hi everyone! After years of enjoying and getting inspired by Polyvore, I have decided to add my bit to the Polyvore universe and create my own "moodboards". I thought that it would also be good way to inspire customers and readers and help them with the little dilemma of what to wear with what.
This stunning draped front soft-jacket (£60) has a beautiful waterfall of drapes at the front than can be worn either loose or cinched with a satin ribbon. The neckline is adorned with a discrete frill of satin (lined with jersey).

This type of shape will work wonders with a well structured or tailored bottoms such suit pants or a pencil skirt. It will look perfect on a pencil skirt or any other fitted bottoms. Never something baggy on the bottom as this will hide and destroy your shape. In one sentence: it will make you look big.

In the first set I've decided to pair it with a par of well tailored high-waisted pants, skin-tone shade accessories. It is a very classy combination of colours that will work with any skin tone and in any ocassion (work, daywear or even a quite evening out)

The second set is about pair this beautiful dramatic piece with a simple pencil skirt. The beatiful drapes will draw attention to your waist which will look tiny! thanks to that ultra-feminine satin tie and that long sweetheart ruffled neckline will elongate and stylise your neckline. (That's the reason I kept it simple and naked).
As you can see, pastel gray or just gray is another "neutral" colours that would work wonders for your everyday wear specially, workwear. It is not harsh, goes with everyone and goes with every other single colour.

As you can see, my polyvore sets have that "somehow retro/vintage feel", trademark of TheBlackWardrobe... ;)
I hope you liked my "polyvores"

Check out the jacket on my website:
http://www.theblackwardrobe.com/product/draped-front-soft-jacket-with-frills-15

1930s, the decade of Glamour

After the "tomboy" look of the 1920s, there was a return to a more grown-up and sexier look that will characterize not only the 30s but also the 40s and 50s.
In the 30s clothes were still simple but feminine and became even more sophisticated and glamorous at night.
Feminine curves were highlighted through the use of the bias-cut in dresses (this technique allowed the fabric to drape better and therefore the garment would fit like a glove, similar to the effect that jersey/stretch fabric offers).

Through the mid-1930s, the natural waistline was often accompanied by emphasis on an empire line. Short bolero jackets, capelets, and dresses cut with fitted midriffs or seams below the bust increased the focus on breadth at the shoulder. By the late '30s, emphasis was moving to the back, with halter necklines and high-necked but backless evening gowns with sleeves. Evening dresses with matching jackets were worn to the theatre, nighclubs, and elegant restaurants.

Skirts remained at mid-calf length for day, but the end of the 1930s Paris designers were showing fuller skirts reaching just below the knee; this practical length (without the wasteful fullness) would remain in style for day dresses through the war years.

ACCESSORIES

Gloves were "enormously important" in this period. Evening gowns were accompanied by elbow length gloves, and day costumes were worn with short or opera-length gloves of fabric or leather.

Another key piece in the 30s was fur: extravagants pieces of fur decorating the garments or worn as wraps or coats were the final touch to finish that sophisticated look.

HAIR

Short hair remained fashionable in the early 1930s, but gradually hair was worn longer in soft or hard curls.

Hats were worn for most occasions, almost always tipped to one side and decorated with bits of net veiling, feathers, ribbons, or brooches.

Info taken from this link: wikipedia

Retro is back!

After having apeek to the last catwalks, I'm so thrilled for this winter to come! (I've never been a summer person ayway....maybe 'cause I'm spanish and sunlight is not a big deal to me).

Anyway, after last winter's doom and gloom we will still expect more drama but this time with a stronger vintage "allure". As I said in my previous post, the current crisis shares too many similarities with the Great Depression (hence the strong 1930s influences in next winter's collections). If you look carefully at some collections the silouettes, textures and colours are very depression like. Even so more than the characteristic opulent Old Hollywood style of the same era. If you don't know what 1930s fashion is exactly, I will explain it in my next post.

For the moment, enjoy this very 1930s-Film Noir dramatic picture on the left.

(picture of the gorgeous burlesque performance Lydia LoveLace, photographed by Nik Pickard). (Hope they don't mind that I use this stunning picture)