I wish I could find a shareable version of Richard Avedon’s starkly chic portrait of Gloria Vanderbilt wearing Mainbocher for Harper’s Bazaar. Fortunately, Gloria herself posted it on Instagram. CLICK HERE. Vanderbilt died Monday aged 95 from stomach cancer. She was born into fame thanks to her father, a wealthy and dissolute great-grandson of 19th-century…
Fashion
I Need to Put Ossie Clark on My Calendar
Thanks to vintage goddess “Timeless Vixen” for pointing out that yesterday, June 9, was the late designer Ossie Clark‘s birthday. He would have been 77. View this post on Instagram Happy Birthday🎂to the late, great Ossie Clark🎉 Having over 100 designs of his in my personal collection, it’s safe to say he is one of…
Throwback Thursday: Sheila Has a Vintage Toga Party
In April, I did a video about a vintage Stephen Burrows toga-type garment that I had never worn. I didn’t want to give it up because Burrows is an important designer, and whenever I considered selling the piece online or at a consignment store, I imagined it eventually landing on a thrift-store rack, forlorn and…
Wendy Brandes Jewelry X The Style Crone, Part 5
Here’s the fifth look from my “Immortal Style” brand campaign starring 76-year-old model Judith Boyd, aka the Style Crone. She’s modeling my Queen of Scots snake necklace and earrings. Shout-out to my stylist Shannon Stokes for putting Judith in this blue sweater — it really brings out her beautiful eyes. Plus, I’m allllll about the…
Fancy Floof Meets Masstige
I’m not sure how I feel about Giambattista Valli’s collaboration with H&M, which is coming out in November. Valli is the king of floofy red-carpet dresses, a trend I’ve been obsessed with since Rihanna launched a thousand memes in a Valli gown at the 2015 Grammys. Embed from Getty Images “Masstige” fashion — prestige +…
What Wendy Wore: Columbia Spectator Slow Fashion
The Columbia Daily Spectator — the undergraduate news organization of Columbia University in New York — had its annual fundraiser last Friday. This was a pleasant change, because the dinner has been held in January or February for ages. Last year, the students told the board of alumni trustees, of which I’m a member, that…
Wendy Brandes Jewelry X the Style Crone
Just in case you missed her yesterday on the blog (and Instagram and YouTube!) I want to be sure you take a good long look at the new face of Wendy Brandes Jewelry: Judith Boyd, aka the Style Crone. Behold — and click to see the full horizontal image on my website)! In this photo,…
Wednesday’s Video: How to Cast a Model
If you’ve ever wondered how and why particular models get cast in fashion shows and ad campaigns … well, I can’t answer for anyone else, but you can find out what my process is in this week’s video. I’m excited to introduce my new brand images featuring OG blogger Judith Boyd, aka the Style Crone,…
2019 Met Gala: Best of the Rest
Have you ever had that experience where you’re trying your damndest to get a life-changing opportunity, and you’ve put in your best effort, and you’ve been your best self, and you’ve gotten to the final round — and the people in charge pick your fucking Tether? Whether it’s a school admission, a job, or a…
My Best Dressed at the 2019 Met Gala Is …
I’ve had an eagle eye on the attendees of tonight’s Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Só Observando GIF from Robertdeniro GIFs As I wrote earlier, I wasn’t convinced that the celebrity guests were going to live up to the theme of the exhibition the Met Gala is promoting, which is “Camp:…