Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Time travels

I started adding to my Flickr some pics i wanted to share: my passion for vintage clothes and atmospheres brought me to find some RL or virtual backgrounds where I was able to show the wonderful dresses by the best SL vintage fashion designers.
Just some samples here, by Donna Flora, Sonatta Morales, Bella Tu, but enjoy the complete series of my time travels on my Flickr:

The Twenties
From 30s onwards

Enjoy them!





Saturday, August 4, 2012

A Vintage lovers' Paradise: Vintage Fair 2012


Vintage is a wide and somewhat ambiguous concept: who isn't a young girl or boy wonders how 1908s could be thought as "Vintage" times. Those years appears fresh and young to them, but this is only 'cause THEY were fresh and young, then! ;)

 
It's right, indeed: timelines aren't static, and the border between Past and Present is changing everyday, according to the distance we feel from past times. So, today's meaning of "Vintage" can be widened to include decades between 1920s and 1980s. These are the limits that Chic Management, leaded by the tireless Keira Seerose set up for the Vintage Fair 2012, an event that will open today, August 4th, at 4pm.



Three regions, 250+ shops, 9 official sponsors, a 6 people team and a crowd of bloggers, who are wandering since one week around the cityscape made by Cory Edo to host the event.
(see details at Chic website)
It's a mesh-built labyrinth of ancient buildings that I, as one of the designers involved in the Fair, had had the chance to see still empty and untextured. It was impressive and weird, but even more impressive has been seeing it being populated by most of the best brand's shops in SL. 



No wonder, however, to find there great and famous brands of the SL vintage, from Donna Flora to  Eclectica, from Old Time Prims to Bella Tu (sorry for the others, they are so many that I can't mention them all); the nice thing is that many other great designers put their skills and experience in making retro clothes, poses or objects.
It isn't the first time they do it, but is always exciting seeing a retro tuxedo interpretated by the Gizza's fantasy or how the Purplemoon style can create wonderful vintage dresses.

Otherwise, Vintage inspired many of the most talented creators in RL modern fashion and design, and this is its worth, besides the pleasure of living again past and glamorous times. How couldn't it be, if among the names that made those times great are those of Poiret, Vionnet, Chanel in fashion, Tamara de Lempicka, Erté, Gruau in art and design, Ruhlman, Chareau, Printz in furnishing, Lloyd Wright or Ferris in architecture? 


 Designs by Gruau, Ferris, Ruhlman, Vionnet

Another amazing thing is that a Fair can make emerge some new and talented designers who deserve to be known by quality stuff lovers: the skills shown by the less known designers who take part in the Fair make me think that there is a great nurse for SL vintage creation.
Not only fashion, at the Fair, however. Yes, dresses, skins, poses (how many!) and make-ups creators hold most of the booths, but we can find even nice furniture or gadgets shops. This is the reason 'cause I'm involved in it, with my own brand Melu Deco.


Before telling what Melu Deco proposes at the Fair, I want to stress another amazing feature of it: since I'm a furniture creator and an interiors decorator I've been specially curious of the shops' decors. And i did love them a lot!
I won't deprive you of the surprise to discover how designers made original and stunning their little or big booths, but I can't avoid to remark how much fun can you get just watching shops decorated like old railway stations or simulating 50s family houses' rooms, or even showing few great furniture pieces or rugs to enrich their creations' display.


 
My shop, Melu Deco, is crowdy with new releases: Fair pushed me to be less lazy and to make vendors for a lot of pieces I've created but never shown in my shops. I made two new sets, a nice 1920s styled living room with table, chairs, and standlamp in two woods and galuchat (shark's skin) covers; a 1940s bedroom, made by bed, sidetables, chest and screen in wood, brass and opaque glass.



But maybe the new thing i love much to offer to my customers is a series of Art Deco styled posters, celebrating train's speed and powerness. They are made from SL pics I took in different places and show slightly rethorical slogans like the famous Cassandre's train or ship posters in the 30s.


Poster by Cassandre, ca. 1930

Last things I love to recommend aren't brand new, but it's the first time they're sold "normally", being it sold until now through a gatcha. I'm talking about a collection of perfume bottles inspired to 1920-1940s shapes and taste. They are almost 50 pieces, sold in sets of 5, and each of them has the name of a famous woman of those times: writers, actresses, dancers or painters. I hope you'll take them to your home with the same love I made them, to celebrate those great women whose intelligence, skills and charm made the Swing Era!