February 9, 2009

“I hate fashion!”

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Top: Valentina label.
Bottom: Valentina (Valentina Sanina Schlee), 1933.

“Fit the century. Forget the year.”

Valentina: American Couture and the Cult of Celebrity opens February 14 at the Museum of the CIty of New York and runs through May 1. A book of the same title (by Kohle Yohannan) is being published by Rizzoli.

posted by in advice, aesthetics, archives, beauty, clothes, fashion, history, museums, quotes | * | 7 comments 

comments

  1. Cooper Renner on February 9th, 2009 at 4:41 pm

    I think she could pass almost for a Pre-Raphaelite as well as a Modernist.

  2. Amy Mabli on February 9th, 2009 at 5:21 pm

    love her logo.

  3. Sheila Ryan on February 9th, 2009 at 7:33 pm

    Every now and again it’s possible to buy a Caswell-Massey reproduction/recreation of Valentina’s ‘designer fragrance’, introduced in 1950 as “My Own”. I stockpile the stuff. No idea how it stacks up to the original, but wearing even the imitation makes me hot for myself.

    And I’m happy to see that someone has decided Valentina is due to be rediscovered, even if someone turned out not to be me.

  4. Lucy Foley on February 9th, 2009 at 7:48 pm

    It is good to be hot for oneself. It is also good to be hot for one’s elf. Being in the presence of a hot elf while wearing imitation Valentina perfume is probably the golden mean. I also know a Caswell, who plays tuba.

  5. Sheila Ryan on February 9th, 2009 at 9:02 pm

    Why, Lucy! Thank you (falettinme be mice elf agin).

  6. Lucy Foley on February 9th, 2009 at 9:05 pm

    You’re elf come.

  7. Rick Neece on February 9th, 2009 at 9:21 pm

    Sheila?
    c’mon! whoselfwuldubeifnoturselfs?
    udon’thaftanserthat.
    aloud.
    XOR