November Vogue 2012 - Items of Interest.

In his Vogue essay Bidding Farewell relating a lifelong fondness for objects (and the journey through refining the collection) Hamish Bowles offers this example:  "I feel that I can confidently say that I may well have been the only nine-year-old in the country who knew what a calash was - let alone possessed one." (p.112.)

The calash is a good example of a phenomenon which occurs sometimes in fashion - that what we wear may mimic or borrow characteristics of other objects around us.  For example, the fifteenth century hennin - with its towering conical shape - mirrored the spires seen in architecture of the time.

In the case of the calash, or caleche, the ribbed bonnet that was worn to protect the elaborate and large hairstyles of the eighteenth century mimicked the collapsible canopies of carriages of that age, and also shared characteristics of the hoop or crinoline.

Coincidentally, the November 2012 Vogue also offers a very pretty Chanel ad featuring a model wearing a bonnet that quite resembles a calash.

Chanel advertisement with model wearing a calash-like bonnet.  November 2012 Vogue.

Grace Notes, the excerpt from Grace Coddington's memoir - is fun to read - recounting the Vogue Creative Director's genesis of a modeling career, at age eighteen.

Coddington's fashion anecdotes are sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant, and easy to relate to... as she reveals her innocence, creativity, and even self-consciousness adjusting to the world of modeling, travel, and dating.

For the record, we owe the mod look of drawn-on babydoll lashes to Coddington, who tells us models were responsible for styling themselves and providing an entire arsenal of cosmetics, wigs, falsies, and other props in the mid-twentieth century.

Thought this beautiful 1971 Norman Parkinson spread was great.  Thanks to its inclusion in the Grace Notes article, I was able to enjoy it. 

According to the caption the shot was styled by Coddington on location in the Seychelles.  It reminds me of the word "murmuration" - which is used to refer to a flock of starlings, although these birds seem to be gulls.

Norman Parkinson / Grace Coddington fashion photograph accompanying November Vogue 2012 Grace Coddington memoir excerpt Grace Notes.

And now - time for input from two of my favorite Toile La La employees, Fleur and Number One Good Luck Employee Cat - who have cast their vote for the best fashions in the November 2012 Vogue.

Fleur is my small-scale toile model who has appeared on the Art Fashion Creation header.

Fleur in her dotted pantdress / scooter suit toile. 

These Oscar de la Renta (left) and Celine (right) ensembles really suited her fancy.

Toile La La Fleur's Favorites of November Vogue 2012.  Oscar de la Renta at left, Celine at right.  From What to Wear Where:  Night Moves, photographed by Craig McDean, fashion editor - Alex White. Page 281.

Toile La La's Number One Good Luck Employee Cat.  Art Fashion Creation.

Number One's favorite fashion in the November Vogue is that of Marc Jacobs, photographed by Juergen Teller in this advertisement.  I'm pretty sure her selection was based on the fur hats and the full-body tabby-speckled look.

Marc Jacobs fur hats and tabby-pattern dresses in November Vogue 2012.

Marc Jacobs fur hats and tabby-pattern dresses in November Vogue 2012.

And in response to the International Fur Trade Federation's "We Are Fur" advertisement campaign, appearing in the first third of the magazine, Number One Good Luck Employee Cat responds:  "I am a pre-furred fur aficionado."