Elizabeth Taylor, R.I.P

New clothing items!

Because of The Lpool Design show, I haven't had the time to update the blog with my new items, some of them finished just before the show. I will be posting them in the next following days. I hope you like them.

The first item is a over knee-length dress, with puffed long sleeves. Heavily inspired by the 1940s starlets such as Veronica Lake, this figure-hugging little dark number features a draped neckline and a pencil skirt with an interesting drape on the hip. It is made of two different shades of black crepe-like jersey to add more interest to the garment.




















The second item is another over knee-length dress, with puffed long sleeves. Very 1950s style, I designed this dress thinking of those funny pics of Marilyn Monroe with her do-I-look-smart? glasses and secretary style dresses. It features a square neckline trimmed in velvet with a bow on the side. The skirt is fitted with a slight godet, giving it a sleek A-line shaped, which I think fits better and looks less ridiculous than those very pronounced fish-tail skirts.

Click on the links to see more pics of my dresses.
http://www.theblackwardrobe.com/product/1940s-style-draped-dress-48
http://www.theblackwardrobe.com/product/1950s-inspired-tailored-dress-with-velvet-trims-49

New items!, "High-waist pencil skirt with faux "train"

50s Office by THE BLACK WARDROBE

I am still updating my website with all the new pieces I have been making. This little number is one of my favourites. It is a very pin-up/1950s style pencil skirt with a "train" at the back -remember those tails of fabric they used to wear at the back of the skirts, back in Victorian times?-. You could still wear it at front, though. It would look nice too because the pleated piece of nude soft net is not thick so it doesn't make you look "bulky".
It is below-knee length, in stretch black jersey. You cinch it on the waist with the satin tie. The sophisticated waistline is finished with a black satin trim. It also features a lace bow adornment at the back, which is detachable so you can take it off and use it as brooch for something else!
It is £48 (bargain!) and here is the link to my website for more pictures.
http://www.theblackwardrobe.com/product/high-waist-pencil-skirt-with-faux-train-31

New items!, "Puff-sleeved top with ruffle lace panel"

Here is another new item I made and didn't have the chance to post...until now.

Look sexy...in red and lace by THE BLACK WARDROBE
This beautiful puff-sleeved top is made of red jersey and features a delicate lace panel on the chest with a ruffle and velvet ribbon. It is only £45 (bargain!). Hope you like it.
Here is the link to my top's page: http://www.theblackwardrobe.com/product/puff-sleeved-top-with-ruffle-lace-panel-30

How to get that hourglass shape??

Loulou made a fabulous comment on my last post, she stated; "This (about hourglass shape) is not a matter of being born so, this is a matter of WILL. The Hourglass shape does not make compromises with lazyness".
Which is SO true. When you look at the divas of Hollywood (retro and modern ones) they have amazing bodies under those gorgeous gowns. That is not natural....I will tell you the secret: UNDERWEAR!
If you thought that this was a thing of the past, you couldn't be any more wrong. Bridget Jones knickers never ever left most ladies wardrobes. That includes Hollywood secret boudoirs...
It goes without saying that the boning of a strapless dress is not enough to hide those little "bumps" and it doesn't guarantee you the dress will not sleep down, revealing your intimacies...
The most common "control underwear" pieces are corsets, high-waist knickers (aka Bridget Jones knickers) and bras for all shapes and sizes.
They are use not only to disguise but to reveal and reafirm!

You can find this control underwear/shapewear in retro style, like the ones our mums and grandmums used to wear!!!
Here are some websites, have a look!

www.whatkatiedid.com
www.lamagia.co.uk/retro-lingerie
www.fairygothmother.co.uk/shapewear_and_girdles.htm

The new retro trend: Hourglass shape

According to a british survey, british women prefer to achieve that gorgeous hourglass shape, so popular 50years ago, than being a long thin square (a.k.a size zero).
This is another hint that proves us old fashions are best and they are coming back, hopefully to stay!!

Among 2000 women who were surveyed, 60%percent admitted to being either an "apple" or "pear shape,". 75% percent said they wanted a figure like Catherine Zeta-Jones or Marilyn Monroe.

A top-10 list of female celebrities whose shape inspired women was topped by buxom TV cook Nigella Lawson and actresses Helen Mirren, Judy Dench, and Joanna Lumley.

Another surprising detail found on this survey was that despite being the biggest in the continent, british women don't see themselves as "obese" and only 10% wanted to be "slim". This is a huge contrast with french women, who are the slimmest, and see themselves as "fat" (statistics say that around 6.7% of french women are dangerously thin).

A study last December found that one in three adults in England will be obese by the time London hosts the 2012 Olympics. Ironic, isn't it??

Between 1993 and 2004 the proportion of obese people rose "significantly", from almost 17% to 24.4% among women, according to University College London researchers.

In my opinion, this attitude can have its good and bad sides.
Good things:
-women are starting to accept who they are. Slimness is not synonymous of beauty. Everyone is different, there is no need to followed a certain pattern in order to be "accepted" by the norm.
-It seems that there is an effort to abandon that "sloppy" attitude about looking good and adopt a more positive one by working a healthier hourglass silouette instead of just losing weight.

Bad things:
-Forcing your body to have a small waist while still being "big" in the rest of the body is not a good idea. Have a look at pics of the 50s (Marilyn M., Sophia Loren, E. Taylor...they weren't size 8 but not an unhealthy size 30 either...it was about a well toned body -everything on its place- AND a small waist) That is the perfect silouette.
-Some people in Britain should really really change their diet. I'm sorry but it is the true. There are people out there who are big not because they have been genetically "unlucky" but because they are basically eating rubbish and do not do any exercise. This retro silouette shouldn't be used to justified obsesity ("lets just put a corset on and I will look like La Loren"). Things don't work that way. Being overweight just for the sake of being it, it is not a valid excuse.