Sale-ing back to the nineties

The 1990s were all about dressing up. The beginning of the decade was still dominated by power shoulder pads and corseted cocktail dresses. It was the age of the ‘ladies that lunch’, whose ever more extravagant wardrobe needs were catered for by glamorous designers like Isabell Kristensen, shown here on the way to Royal Ascot in the mid ‘90s.











Being amongst the first to realize there'd be a '90s revival, we’ve a simply stunning collection of clothes and matching accessories from the era on sale at ShopCurious. What’s more, now ‘the nineties are vintage’, we’ve decided to slash our Winter sale prices for 1990s fashions from the likes of Isabell, plus many other stars of the decade, like Bruce Oldfield, Julien Macdonald, Celine, Genny, Marni and Voyage.




This lime green satin three piece by Kristensen, for instance, is down from £550 to £350 and there’s a sparkling Swarovski crystal studded Julien Macdonald knitted number (below left) that’s reduced by a whopping £550.


Genny was a very popular label in the ‘90s, and we’ve some curiously classic pieces - including this fabulously sweeping black and white striped, strappy silk petticoat-style dress. There are also some extraordinary shoes by Tom Ford for Gucci, Prada and Vivienne Westwood.















Later in the decade, styles became much less formal and structured - the trend towards more organic clothing being led by the Mazzillis, of Voyage fame - along with other newcomers, such as Christa Davis, who also specialized in bias-cut designs, hand-dyed and recycled fabrics.




I had my own little excursion back to the ‘90s, when I discovered some rather curious photos – including this one of me looking like a startled ostrich in a hat made by Nicholas Oakwell, pictured above with Isabell (and now a talented designer in his own right). I have a feeling this curious creation is still lurking somewhere at the back of my wardrobe, waiting to be retrieved for current day use. On second thoughts, I think some aspects of ‘90s style are just a tad too scary to even contemplate reviving.

Do you?

Golden memories

The latest Ken Loach film, Looking for Eric, starring Eric Cantona, is full of golden memories – rather like a cinematic psychotherapy session – and Steve Evets’ acting is simply brilliant. I love a good tragi-comedy … and this film is to drug and gun culture what The Full Monty is to the dole queue.

It’s true, we need to ‘have danger to go beyond danger’ (and there are bound to be a few bad memories in life's lot) – but legends like Cantona have the ability to influence us - and, with the 'elp of great coaching credentials and a philosophical turn of phrase, can inspire us to better ourselves and seek out happier, more fulfilled lives.



A bit of laughter also goes a long way – and there was plenty when I unearthed this old photograph of me (left) wearing the couture designed gold sequined GoldenEye dress that’s now on sale at ShopCurious.

The legend that is 007 was Pierce Brosnan at the time - and when I wore this dress to the premiere of his first Bond film, he and his wife, Keely, stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of me walking towards the cinema. No, they didn’t break down in fits of giggles, but were simply awestruck at the gorgeous glittering glow of my glamorous designer gown.



The dress was specially created by celebrity fashion designer, Isabell Kristensen, back in the day when structured eveningwear was big on the red carpet, as it is to this day, though apologies for the curiously un-cool colour combo of the floor covering in this shot – it has nothing to do with me, I can assure you!

Now something of a collectors’ item, this dress would be great if you have an awards ceremony, or a special party to attend. The dress also has one of Isabell’s trademark built-in corsets to ensure the perfect hourglass figure.



Funny how fashions have changed: In the early-mid 1990s, it was stylish to dress in a grown-up, sophisticated manner that meant you could end up looking a rather like Krystle Carrington from Dynasty. Around the time of this photo, new trends were evolving and, by day, true fashionistas opted for the cutting-edge and creatively unstructured designs of Prada and Marni, as well as Voyage’s Bohemian hippy chic style. Designs later became even less formal, morphing into grunge fashion, but the trend for recycling and the vintage look that started all those years ago is only just beginning to be taken seriously.






Ooh aah, golden memories and precious pieces of history recycled for future generations to appreciate, learn from and enjoy.

Will you?

Vintage girly gifts

To celebrate Barbie’s imminent 50th birthday, a group of French fashion designers created designs for new dolls, some of them incorporating tattoos and skull adorned head-dresses, worn alongside traditionally feminine and sophisticated clothing and hairstyles. Perhaps tattooed Barbie took her inspiration from Angelina Jolie, or Posh Spice … the one with the skull in her hair bore a curious likeness to Daphne Guinness (see below). I’m sure that no representation was intended, but it’s interesting how those in the public eye become role models whose styles filter through to everyday fashions. At least there wasn’t a version of Barbie that looked like Amy Winehouse – a drug-taking, self-harming Barbie may not be so cool.




Last week there was lots of talk in the media about feminism and the changing role of women in society. When I looked up the word ‘feminine’, the alternatives offered by an online Thesaurus included ladylike, womanly, delicate, soft, gentle, girlish and pretty – not the sort of terms we usually associate with the 21st century female. I rather like a bit of good old-fashioned femininity myself, so I thought I’d pick out a few original vintage girly gifts that are currently available at ShopCurious. If nothing else, they might give you a few gift ideas for Valentine’s Day.




Vintage powder compacts make a great unusual gift. We’ve got a selection, including a darling romantic enamelled 1950s original with a handpainted picture of the Eiffel Tower. Even if you don’t use face powder, these unique accessories look so pretty when you take them out of your designer vintage handbag – and they’re useful for the mirror alone. What’s more, they're very reasonably priced and well made compared to the nasty-plastic-cased modern day equivalents.



If you’re looking for something girly to wear, or perhaps as a Valentine gift for yourself, how about this luxurious Chinese silk and Mongolian lamb jacket? Perfect for chilly winter evenings out. Or what about a totally individual hot pink and orange embroidered vintage Voyage skirt – go on, be bold.






By the way, how would you define femininity? I bumped into the very girly looking neon-clad Pudding (click on the pic to enlarge) as she was about to board a train for London … she looks curiously cute, but are those clompy platform shoes, nose and multiple chin studs really feminine?

I'd love to hear your opinion, so do leave your comments.

Will you?

Invest in the original

Back in what seems like the year dot – probably the early 1990s, Voyage opened a rather exotic looking shop on the Fulham Road. It was much talked about for its quirky door policy. Initially, if they liked the look of you, they let you in, but later on they issued cards and operated a strict ‘members only’ rule that famously excluded the likes of Madonna, Naomi Campbell and others.






I was one of the first regular customers - lured by the new and unusual nature of the clothing - which was totally different from the fashion of the day, with its power-shouldered, structured design. The prices were pretty toppish (that’s an understatement by the way), with tiny little cardies costing around £500 plus, figure-hugging long dresses at about £1500 and stylish coats up to £3500. However, all this paled into insignificance when offset against the reality of something that was completely unique, beautifully handmade and wildly trend-setting. What’s more, whatever the price-tag, Voyage also had the competitive edge of using old fabrics to create recycled clothing with a vintage feel.


Like many talented artists, the Mazzillis appear to have been challenged with the day to day business of budgeting and finance. I do recall writing cheques out to an establishment called Organic Clothing at one stage – all very progressive at the time – but an accurate description, since they were recycling vintage cashmere and silk, hand-dying the fabric and adding fancy trim embellishment to create individual and truly original pieces.


Tiziano and Louise Mazzilli were passionate about their work to the point of being slightly loopy. They virtually lived in their shop with their two young, charming and designer-named offspring: Rocky and Tatum. They worked with a close knit, probably poorly paid, group of artisans to produce the most wonderfully creative and unusual pieces that set the trend for silk petticoat dresses, velvet and marabou trimmed knitwear and comfortably creative clothing that endured for more than a decade. Or, have we just turned full circle?


The strapline that was added to later Voyage labels reads ‘Invest in the Original’. Only now am I beginning to realise just quite how original they were. At the time, all my friends, who were still wearing power suits and Chanel earrings, were appalled at the strange turn my taste had taken. For several years I was frowned upon when I rocked up in my double-layered flouncy dress-over-petticoat, tight fitting furry trimmed cardie and Prada wedges – or whatever Voyage’s latest collection dictated.

Of course, there were some who were also ‘early-adopters’ and shared my fondness for the label – like the youthful Jemima Khan and the late Paula Yates. Maybe the Voyage that became synonymous with being ostracised - for me, by the 'ladies that lunch' (I am eternally grateful!) and for celebrities, by the 'mad Mazzillis' - was actually the zeitgeist for the 21st century approach to dressing?


Now that Voyage is gone, the original is still available at ShopCurious. What’s more there’s plenty of lace, fringing, feathers and stuff that still looks current. And, of course, this is recycled not just once, but twice - so in today’s eco-friendly environment, it’s got added street-cred.

Do you?