The fashion we know and love today has been created and evolved over many centuries, from the practicality of simply covering the body to the durability needed for difficult working conditions. Our clothes are no longer simply a functional requirement but in fact one of the greatest ways we have to express ourselves and our personalities to the world. In 2021, fashion can be anything you want it to be and there are so many options for so many different budgets. The internet means you can find almost anything that your heart desires and have it delivered straight to your door!
At the heart of the fashion we know and love today are the iconic fashion designers who have influenced so many of the garments we know and love today. As a vintage seller, collector and enthusiast, I can tell you there is nothing quite like the feeling of seeing and holding an original vintage piece from one of the great icons of fashion - it's incredible! I could talk for hours about my excitement but instead I thought I would begin a fun little series with some facts about Iconic Vintage Designers.
COCO CHANEL
Top Five Facts about Chanel...
Chanel No 5 is the best selling perfume of all time and also boasts the most expensive television advertisement ever made.
Coco Chanel pioneered and designed suits for women, having only previously been worn by men.
In a sobering reality of the times, Coco Chanel never had full ownership of the House of Chanel.
It is thanks to Chanel that we now have our much loved wardrobe staple, the little black dress.
After a trip to Cannes, Coco Chanel made tanned skin fashionable and desired for the first time. Before this, pale milky skin was seen as the epitome of glamour and beauty but her golden tan changed this forever.
YVES SAINT LAURENT
Top Five Facts about Yves Saint Laurent...
Yves Saint Laurent was once sacked by the great Christian Dior
Yves Saint Laurent was one of the very first designers to use POC on his runways which was a huge leap for ethnic minorities at the time and a real statement in the fashion world.
YSL was the victim of horrendous and viscous bullying as a young boy which lead to his drug and alcohol addictions later in life.
YSL liked to play against gender stereotypes. He brought a relaxed air of femininity to men's fashion as well as bringing more androgynous looks to the international catwalks.
Yves Saint Laurent himself was photographed naked by Jeanloup Sieff for YSL Pour Homme in 1971 - the brand's first ever male fragrance.
ZANDRA RHODES
Top Five Facts about Zandra Rhodes...
Zandra Rhodes is the founder of The London Fashion and Textile Museum.
She is most famous for her bright pink hair but in the 60s and 70s it was actually green.
Zandra always sleeps with her makeup on! "I sleep with my makeup on, I wash it off in the morning and then make myself up again." Sounds good to me!
She shares her London penthouse apartment with fashion students who come to the capital for work placements and internships.
Told for many years that her designs were 'too extreme', this iconic British designer was actually given her first big break in fashion by American Vogue.
CHRISTIAN DIOR
Top Five Facts about Christian Dior...
It's never too late for success - Christian Dior didn't launch his first couture collection until he was 42 years old.
He was a firm and unwavering believer in luck about anything else. He attributed his success to nothing other than fortunate luck and destiny.
During the second World War, Dior dressed the glamorous wives of Nazi officers.
Christian Dior was a natural born entrepreneur. As a young child he would sell his sketches and paintings on the street to passers by, for 10 cents.
Dior's designs are normally made to accentuate the hips and waist of a woman. This is due to his fascination with architecture and structures; bringing these lines and proportions through to his fashion.
GIANNI VERSACE
Top Five Facts about Gianni Versace...
It was thanks to Versace that Google introduced their Image feature! Following the media hysteria of Jennifer Lopez wearing that dress to the Grammy Awards in 2000, they introduced Google Images as a way to search visually and find desired photos.
Versace was the brand that created supermodels. They were the first to pay enormous sums of money for each of their fashion shows.
On July 15th 1997, Gianni Versace was shot dead on the front steps of his Miami Beach home by serial killer Andrew Cunanan.
Gianni Versace was a friend to a huge list of A-list stars including Princess Diana, Madonna, Sting, Michael Jackson, Cher and Elton John so they would always be invited as front row VIPs at his shows.
Before he was assassinated, Gianni Versace suffered with a rare inner ear cancer. He left the company for around 2 years to receive treatment and he beat the disease. He was declared cancer-free and six months later was brutally murdered.
Hopefully you will have found a few gems in there that you didn't know before! One of my favourites has got to be Zandra Rhodes sleeping in her makeup - she looks great for it! I think I will make this a regular series, so there will be more Vintage Designer facts coming your way soon.
Until next time
Emma x
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