Perky and vivacious, colorful and bubbly – designer Kristy DeCunha is as vibrant in person as her clothes are on the catwalk.
She’s full of effervescent laughter and enjoys nothing more than to dress up in her Sunday best – everyday of the week.
Ranjit Rodricks caught up with her for discussion on vintage fashion and here’s what she revealed to him over copious glasses of wine….
“With the dawn of the new hipster revolution in mainstream fashion and culture, we have seen a definite influence and passion for all things vintage and retro; especially from the periods ranging from the 1920’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s.
The charismatic fashion trends of these decades were soulful, and their magical spell has widely surfaced through fashion and art globally.
In India, with the birth of a generation so exposed to intelligent art and culture through the social media boom, we most definitely see vintage theatrical statements reflected in the works and creations of many Indian designers. What makes vintage fashion so immensely enchanting and captivating is the integration of two worlds – the old and the new – magically seamed together to form a more contemporary style of Vintage old world charm.
Check out this video to find out more about Seams For Dreams last Garage Sale:
Like they say, ‘OLD IS THE NEW NEW’
When you think about vintage fashion, many aspects come to mind from decades that defined sartorial silhouettes, textures and fabrics. These flavors are now seen in contemporary vintage fashion.
Adaptations of the trends that were revolutionized by the iconic Coco Chanel is undoubtedly responsible for paving the way of women’s fashion with variations of her signature androgynous trousers, suntan colors, costume statement jewelry of pearls, diamonds, blush kissed flowers and of course the little black dress, being seen on catwalks across the globe.
Some other vintage trends we observe today are short, fringed dresses in loose fitting, sensuous fabrics and women with boyish bodies sporting androgynous silhouettes inspired by the 30’s where the sounds of Jazz and art influenced styles.
We also see a profusion of tea-length dresses and skirts from the 40’, the high empire cuts of the 50’s with its saucy pinup girl style and its preppy nautical design, to the florals and the blast of colors and prints of the 60’s. All of these elements have mapped their way into trends of today.
Personally, my collections have always been inspired by art and culture.
Through my tribute to 1940’s revolutionary Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, I drew inspiration from her paintings, emotions and lifestyle by and creating fashion through art. I used silhouettes that were significant to that decade and her ethnicity, with the long tea length skirts, dresses and capes.
The artwork also depicted on the ensembles were my poetic interpretation of a life of someone so iconic, independent and progressive of her time.
With my more recent collection, I played homage to the colors of Gay Pride on silhouettes that were a blend of androgynous silhouettes of the 30’s to the pop of colors and dramatic influence of the raging love puppies of the 60’s.
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Here are a few of my tips to incorporate vintage elements into your wardrobe:
- Men can wear thick framed glasses, buttoned up dress shirts, with cardigans and thick knit sweaters (not in India, however), bow ties, thin slim ties, suspenders, butt-hugging skinny jeans, slim cut chinos in bold colors and cuffed pants to reveal your nicely tanned brogues / oxford shoes.
- For a
vintage casual look, try out the undersized hoodies with
skinny jeans, or distressed skinny jeans with loafers, desert boots or skate boarding shoes. Hats and fedoras for the Amish look are uber cool. And let’s not forget about ‘socking it right’, in fancy colored socks in bright colors, prints and designs. - Throw on a chic leather satchel or a man-purse for all those important keeps.
- Light billowy scarves, to keep away the cold winter breeze.
- And finally, keep that moustache and beard trimmed and shaped in a gentleman style.
- To channel your vintage hipster-chic vibe as a woman, find yourself a knee length or thigh friendly shift dresses or snug fitted trousers with a buttoned up dress shirt. Team them with an androgynous style oversized blazer. Throw on a pair of booty cut stilettoes and chunk up the statement jewelry pieces.
- Unisex hats, fedoras, scarves, satchels, or the mademoiselle lock handbags or purses are must-haves
- For the vintage casual vibe, try the high waisted pinup girl style denim shorts or circular doll like skirts or tutus, with crops and bralets teamed with an open shirts.
- Distressed boyfriend jeans are also a favorite.
- Slip in to a pair of sneakers, or high tops, or desert boots.
- Dig your inspiration from hairstyles of the 60’s with headbands, flowers and braids.
- Shade those pretty eyes with winged sunglasses or broad gentleman frames.
And finally, Sir Winston Churchill once said “We make a Living, by what we get…
But we make a Life by what we Give.”
Seams For Dreams is a fantastic initiation to raise funds for the less fortunate, and I would be more than happy to support Evelyn and her team in every way.
by Ranjit Rodricks
