cathy of california

poodle print fabric, 1969

this is post is a plea to all of the fabric designers out there that read my blog. please knock this print off!

(from simplicity sewing book 1969)

sneak peek #2

i've whipped up a few ribbon straw brooches that i'll be selling at felt club on sunday.

jean varon maxi dress, 1970s

each morning i look forward to the VPOD (vintage pick of the day) in my inbox. mary of zuburbia selects a great vintage fashion item for each of her blog posts. if you sign up for her mailing list you get a fantastic little email from her (almost) every day.

the other day VPOD was all about the new online vintage department from the english store topshop. they have some unbelievable pieces from the 60s and 70s from jean varon, mary quant, biba and radley (designed by ossie clark). you know how nuts i am about english fashion from that time period so i was just blown away by the selection.

pictured here is a jean varon maxi dress designed by john bates. john bates also designed the clothing for the mrs. peel character on the avengers TV show. please watch mrs. peel in action below. (and for all of you who know me and always ask who i named my cat after i hope this answers that question!)

(image via topshop archive)

my new favorite store of all time

i have to say that the highlight of my trip was the ohio knitting mills store in brooklyn. they carry sweaters that were produced by the ohio knitting mills between 1947 - 1974. the owner of the shop is an artist who incorporates industrial objects into his work. while searching for things to use in his art he ran across a factory that had gone out of business and was offered their archive of sweaters.

everything is in pristine condition and very well priced. if it had not been so darned hot that day i would have for sure been trying everything on. i had so much fun looking at all the of sweaters and had a very nice conversation with the girl working there.

they also have a delightful selection of buttons, trim and spools of yarn that they also got from the factory that they use for their displays. you could imagine how bummed i was that i couldn't buy any of the trim!

if you're in the area you have to make a point of stopping by
ohio knitting mills
231 smith street
brooklyn
718/596-7103
mon thru sat 12-8, sun 12-6

(images via ohio knitting mills website lookbook)

lilly pulitzer's little cotton shifts, april 1964

it's pouring rain right now here in los angeles. even though we're in a drought and desperately need the rain, i'm really just not one of those people who loves a rainy day. i prefer warm weather. in fact i'm sure i'll probably end up living in the desert some day. there i could wear my flip flops and lillys every day (paired with an enid collins bag, of course).

if you've never worn a vintage lilly shift you really don't know what your missing. they are very well made, super comfortable and very flattering - they look great on all sorts of different body types. and don't let the preppy socialite sterotype fool you. lilly designed these dress for everyone - both jackie kennedy and her housekeeper wore lillys.

i am so inspired by lilly's story. i think it just shows you that if you have something creative going on inside of you that you just have to let it out.

lilly pulitzer came from a wealthy family and married very well. she lead a happy life and had 3 children. but then things took a turn for her and she suffered a nervous breakdown which was attributed to a mix of exhaustion and boredom. she sought treatment and while in the hospital the doctors told her that there was nothing really wrong with her and that she just needed to have something to do. one thing lead to another and by using her creative energy she created a fashion empire.

(image of "palm beach matrons & their daughters modeling lillys around a fountain on ocean boulevard, april 1964" from vanity fair magazine july 2003)

cardinali, 1971

the LA times has a new section on sundays called "image" that covers fashion and the "L.A. lookback" column caught my eye.

in the 1950s marilyn lewis and her husband opened hamburger hamlet. then in 1965, marilyn (the lady in the center of the photo with that killer hairdo) started her fashion collection. cardinali had many devoted followers including marlo thomas who wore it on her "that girl" TV show. i'm sure it will come to no surprise to you that "that girl" was one of my favorite shows when i was little and of course had a huge influence on me!

marilyn was considered a a maverick at the time since the LA fashion industry was dominated by male desingers such as james galanos and rudi gernreich.

(image via the los angeles times march 18, 2007)

paper dress, mid-1960s

here's jane asher wearing a paper dress designed by ossie clark & celia birtwell. everyone from andy warhol to hallmark came out with their version of the paper dress.

trivia: in the 1960s jane asher was a famous model/actress/rock star girlfriend. she is now known for her recipe books and beautifully decorated cakes that she sells from her bakery in london.

(from "boutique, a 60's cultural phenomenon" by marnie fogg)

ossie clark quilted coat, 1965

here's another fabulous mix of patterns. but this time it's quilted which makes it even more inspiring.

working with his fabric designer wife celia birtwell, ossie clark was at the pinnacle of british fashion from the mid-1960s thru the mid-1970s. he's shown here with model chrissy shrimpton (mick jagger's girlfriend) in a david bailey photograph.

(from "ossie clark 1965/74" by judith watt)

rudi gernreich "kabuki" dress, 1963

living & working in los angeles, rudi gernreich was considered to be one of the most original and controversial american designers of the 1950s, 60s and 70s. he is probably best known for the topless bathing suit.

here is his muse & model peggy moffitt wearing a wool knit dress from the "kabuki" series. i am so inspiried by the mix of black + white with color and the checks and stripes.

peggy moffitt was a customer at one of the stores i used to work at. i would (secretly) get so excited every time she came in. she still wears her hair & make up pretty much the same way she did in the 1960s, keeping very true to her signature style.

(from "the rudi gernreich book" by peggy moffitt and william claxton)