Welcome to the blog for Charles Lord, the couture fashion label, and its head designer, Charles Brown. Here you can see what sparks my imagination and read my views on all matters of style and elegant living.
For more information on me or the line please visit the website: http://www.charleslord.com/
Charles Lord "Fortura" Ballgown, Pricipessa Collection 2007
I love this song, regardless of the who's performing it...Frank Sinatra, June Christy, whomever! Its just one of the best songs ever written and composed. But when I stumbled across this version by Johnny Mathis....well, I immediately got visions of Labor Day weekend regatta balls on the North Shore of Long Island or in Newport....diaphanous, ethereal layered Dior-esque chiffon gowns swanning about candelit halls, setting ablaze the crystalline jewels decorating gown and wearer...the orchestra's dulcet melodies wafting through the rooms and out into the faintly crisp night air. Elegance immortalized in song and cloth.....
Dior "Schuman", 1950 ChristianDior, Vertical Line 1950 Christian Dior, Trompe L'oiel Line 1949 Christian Dior "Junon" ballgown, Mid-Century Line 1949
OK.... Its 2:20am . Just got in from seeing the movie with my sister.... I just updated the status on my Facebook page to: "feeling REJUVENATED, EMPOWERED, UNSTOPPABLE, LIBERATED, and GLAMOROUS!!!!" And, Boy, do I!
Isn't it funny how the seemingly least consequential things can really alter your mood, change your perspective, and impact your life?!?! I went to the movie on opening weekend out of professional obligation. Yes, I wanted to see it, but anyone who knows me knows that I don't rush to the theater for anything. I get around to it when I get around to it. But everyone was telling me I HAD to see, I felt the expectation, and I wanted to see it with my sister because thats what WE do and I knew she wouldn't wait long. I even left a very fun party to go see it...and I'm glad I did!
I personally haven't read any reviews, but according to my sister, the reviews were less than glowing. Well, I think they are wrong. The movie was superb! While it was NOT the first movie by any stretch, it WAS INDEED EVERYTHING that the SHOW was!! It was light and witty and urbane and glamorous....it was simultaneously real (the emotion, conflict, and dialogue) and surreal (the costumes and settings)....everything we LOVE about SATC! I guess because I didn't go in with any expectation, I wasn't bound to be disappointed. The goal of the first movie was to tie up loose ends from the show and give a proper send off. In order to do that, there had to be a lot of....well a lot of everything. A lot of drama, suspense, fashion, humor, everything. And honestly, I left the first movie feeling very SPENT- the total opposite of tonight. I understand they had to pack it all in, but it was a lot to digest in just under 2 hours. By contrast, the goal of the current 2nd film, I felt, was to entertain and to let us look into the characters lives 2 years later. There were no dramatic shift in character motivation and trajectory of their lives. That would have been very contrived and dissatisfying. Its purpose was to update and, always, to ENTERTAIN. And that it did!
I won't wax on about the fabulousness of the lines, and gags, and fashions, and set design. Everyone with eyes and ears and any sense of that which is indeed fabulous can clearly comprehend that message. What stuck with me was how simply GOOD i felt leaving the movie. At 1:30am, after being up 15+ hours straight and running non-stop in the heat all day, there was a Carrie Bradshaw-Preston bounce in my step! You know the "bounce"...that souicant little jaunt that she has as she lives her life that simply says "I'm fabulous and I know it and I love it!" And I had it. I can't say I had it everyday this week...even though I looked good everyday. But tonight, it was there and I could feel it....
Then I got in the car, and I thought about my sister's comments about the movie and how great I felt and I realized- or re-realized- that I AM CARRIE! I have a fierce sense of style... I have the same inner monologue.... I have the same insecurities... I make the same kinds of stupid mistakes... I try hard to fix them when I do... I'm introspective... I have marvelous friends I would do anything for and whose opinion and support I treasure... I, despite ALL (and I mean ALL) the crap I am dealt and the lack of certain resources and the yet unfulfilled dreams, I live a very glamorous life that I constructed just for me that NOTHING can destroy... I am utterly and simply fabulous and, as Aidan and John/Big told her in the movie, there is no other man like me...And I LOVE IT!!!!
I hadn't forgotten these things totally, but I had forgotten HOW MUCH they mean to me and how much they make me who I am. In that instant, as I entered onto the interstate, I felt this surge of power and self-possession...that "I AM Erica Kane!...I can conquer the world" confidence that defies ALL that attempts to contradict and say otherwise.
Just then, the 12"remix of "Save The Overtime For Me" by Gladys Knight and the Pips (1983, represent all the way baby!) came on... the windows were down and i was floating down the trafficless 440 bypass...the wind in my non-existent hair... looking and feeling every bit of SATC chic: eclectic, quirky, polished, precise,individual... glamorous as a 70's Vogue covergirl just beaming joi de vivre and exuberance of mind and spirit!
The feelings of despair and vagueness evaporated. The negative refrain of not being worthy of or able to find real love and understanding stopped repeating in my mind. The doubts about my career and financial success dissipated. All that was present was PRIDE in ALL that I am... a renewed sense of purpose in life... a regained faith in myself to be more than able to make my dreams come true... a determination to stay true to myself and not be dismayed nor persuaded to alter who and what i am...
And as the song played and ended, and moved onto "Adventures in the Land of Music" by Dynasty (1980), followed by Chaka Khan's "I Know You, I Live You" (1981), a DELUGE of creativity fell, and in a rapid-fire stream-of-thought, idea after idea flowed regarding how I in my own, creative, glamorously unique way could actualize my dreams and goals, but in a emphatic and altruistic way, so that not only I, but many prosper. And all of this sprang forth from the deep, incessant well of immoderate and innate style, artistry, and soul that GOD placed within me at creation.
I got home and knew I had to write...to share this incredible experience with you, my friends and supporters... To, unapologetically and without repentance, affirm who and what I am, to myself and to the world... To proclaim and establish this personal RENAISSANCE. And while this is an occasion worthy of note, I trust and hope, for you and I, that such a renaissance will occur daily...that our spirits, individual and collective, and GOD's grace may be renewed in us, every dawn and dusk.
And to think, all this from a trip to the "moving picture show"!
Semper Chic and Love!
Save the Overtime for Me (Remix) by Gladys Knight and the Pips
So my friend Oscar has been on me for a minute about having not posted anything lately. Unfortunately, I cannot come up with an original thought! LOL!!
I have been so busy lately with so many projects, that my creative juices for writing or personal expression are stymied. I can't even get my thoughts together to plan my birthday party for goodness sake!! And planning a soiree is usually the most effortless of endeavors pour moi!
In my absence from blogging, I have designed my next collection. It is an amazing fall collection that I am hoping I have the wherewithal to actually begin to produce. I am sorda at a "build it and they will come" place with it, because I don't know exactly how or what to do with it after it is made. But it felt good just designing it... playing with the fabrics, editing the ideas, doing the croquis. Its been too long. I'm glad to know I still got it. But the common sense, logical, "man" side of me makes me hesitate in going into production until I have a clear vision of where to take it from there. And because I am stymied in my personal expression, as aforementioned, I can't quite get that clear vision I need to go forth. I feel as Diana Ross would sing/ask "Do you know where you going to?? Do you like the things that life is showing you??" Which makes me think I should write a blog about Diana Ross... Excuse me for rambling. But isn't that kinda what blogging is about?
In the meantime, here is a pic I found that makes me warm inside. I just love Sable!!!...
I was talking to a new friend the other day (shout out to Oscar!) and he asked me what was my seminal fashion moment. I told him several things. But the one that I left out that I think had more impact than anything else at a very young age was daytime television, particularly the character Erica Kane on All My Children, played by Susan Lucci.
As a child, I worshiped Erica Kane. My face would light up every time she was on screen. I replayed her scenes over and over til I could quote them line for line. I had her picture in a frame in my bedroom. She was the epitome of glamour and allure. Even today, I still have a very special place in my heart for Susan Lucci and Erica Kane. I even have that same picture, in the same frame, in my sewing studio.
The picture I have framed. I actually have a signed one and a copy that is framed.
Erica was always so stylish. From the opening credits that ended with her looking over her shoulder in a red, crinkled silk blouse with that kilowatt smile, hair feathered back in her own late 80's version of a Farrah Fawcett.
Before she spoke a word, her presence in the scene was known by her stunning wardrobe. When I first met Erica Kane it was 92 or 93, and she was the Founder and CEO of a multi-national cosmetic conglomerate called Enchantment, thus there were plenty of power suits and major evening gowns. The hair was always big...only challenged by the size of the clip-on earrings. Mmm, such good times!
But as I became a fan, not only of her but the show, I'd find older episodes from the 70s and 80s. (and thanks to that wonderful place called YouTube, there is no end to my pleasure!) As I unearthed this rare treasures, I really began to understand not only how Erica Kane became the cultural phenomenon she was/is, but how the character became a fashion icon. That lithe, petite figure of hers wore everything beautifully and that thick long, black, shiny hair was so full of body and life. It seemed that she had 2 or 3 wardrobe AND hairstyle changes an episode! All the while she is seducing every man who looks her way and is making her way to the "pinnacle of success" in the fashion industry. How on earth could a young boy who loved all things beautiful NOT be totally mesmerized by someone like Erica Kane?!?!
~~
This clip shows Erica at the peak of her modeling career, but the beginning of her career as fashion icon... (forward to 3:50 mins)
This next one is one of my favorite episodes and a STELLAR example of Erica Kane at full Ericanity! And the gown and jewelry is so dead on right now...looks like something Rhianna might wear. Even the hair seems like it would appropriate today, but maybe not all together as a look...
When I first saw this episode a few months ago, I sent it to my friends Aaron and Caroline along with this message:
"This is what living in NY and being in the fashion industry is supposed to be...or at least what I thought it would be! Watching this makes me so nostalgic and it makes me see how much Erica influenced me as a child! The way she was sitting on her couch telling Mark all about her dreams and plans, despite how unrealistic they were, was and is so me. I used to do that all the time with that same Erica gleam in my eye that I could conquer the world and no one could persuade me other wise. How things have changed... I still have a bit of that, but the sheer naivete that goes with it that makes it real, that makes it all seem within reach, is gone. :-(
One of my all-time favorite pieces: Charles James' "4-Leaf Clover" Ball Gown in white silk satin, black silk velvet, and white silk faille. Besides being absolutely gorgeous, its an architectural marvel. The book "The Genius of Charles James"- long out of print, but thankfully at the public library- details the 20+ layers of lining, interlining, interfacing and boning, necessary to achieve the pure form of the undulating waves that make this gown truly a remarkable example of garment design and construction.
To accompany this work of art, I am showing it to the melodic tune of on my favorite Quiet Storm classics, appropriately titled "Touch A Four Leaf Clover" by Atlantic Starr...
C.Z. Guest in Mainbocher at her home Templeton in Old Westbury,NY
Opera Coats
There is nothing so elegantly extravagant in a woman's (or man's) wardrobe as an Opera Coat. As is true of all design (being differentiated from art), the opera coat is essentially a utilitarian concept: a cover-up long enough to protect the wearer and their fine evening garments from the elements. But the beauty of the coat is how it goes about protecting. It does its job while retaining its own unique air of regality and decorum. And nothing makes for a grander entrance than a voluminous sweep of duchese, faille, ottoman, petersham, gazar, radzimir, brocade, matelasse, or tussah.
Far better than just a top coat and even more preferred than a fur (Hell just froze over!), an opera coat is so beautiful it can really stand on its own merits. But combined with a gorgeous evening gown or a man's or woman's tuxedo, it makes a striking complete evening look. Unfortunately, we don't see nearly enough of the opera coat these days. I hope to rectify that by including an opera coat in every collection I do. Its an essential for me, without which a collection would be incomplete.
Here are some of my favorite stylistas in some of my favorite examples true couture opera coats...
Deeda Blair in Chado Ralph Rucci in 2004
Hamish Bowles at the Met Costume Institute Gala
Andre Talley at the Met Costume Institute Gala
The Leontyne Opera Coat from Charles Lord's Principessa Collection (left) and Audrey Hepburn in a similar Givenchy number fromt he mid 60s (right
Sometimes I feel redundant. Redundant isn't the right word. Repetitive maybe?
What I mean is I keep coming back to certain things as a designer and a passionate observer of all things stylishly aesthetic. In this instance, I am referring to my obsession with the trapeze line and the shift.
I keep trying to move past it, but every time I see it I become intoxicated allover again with it. There is such a purity of line that, to me , compasseth all understanding (as the Bible would say). Its so effortless, so serenely elegant. I feel like fashion today has lost that completely. Yes, there is a panoply of easy to wear clothes out there, but the say NOTHING! As Kay Thompson said in DV style in Funny Face, "It doesn't SPEAK! And if doesn't speak to me, it won't speak to anyone." They maybe simple, but its not emphatic. I LIVE for emphatic simplicity in design. Even if there is a degree of exuberance, there still must me a simplicity about it. Like a Pucci shift or a jewel encrusted swing dress.
The opposite of this, which is also very prevalent in the market, is fussiness. I remember Polly Mellen in Unzipped saying "Fussy. Finished." LOL! And its so true. All the ruching, wrapping and furbelows...its just too much sometimes. There is no cleanness to it. Now don't get me wrong. I love the extras and the excesses of fashion. Anyone who ever saw a picture of me dressed up, would know that. But there has to be a balance in the market and in the consumers' wardrobes. For every ruched sheath,with epaulets, blouson sleeves, and asymmetrical neckline, and for every cotton t-shirt dress, you need 2 or 3 utterly simple, but strong shifts. I guess I feel there's not enough of that out there for me.
So even though I find something interesting about most of what out there today, and get tingles when I see something new that resonates with the inner "vainglorious vanguardist" in me that is always on the hunt for something marvelous and new, when I see the ineffable glory of a Norrell or Mainbocher or Balenciaga or Simonetta, everything else falls away and disappears from view and I want only it. What I am learning is to, as a designer, be ok with that. To do what feels right, what resonates, what speaks to me on that deepest, truest level and not worry about being a sensation or giving them the latest. To just do what I know and what I do best. And if that means I can't dress everyone, ok. The few I will dress, will be stunning and will be fulfilled by what I bring to them.
.JPG)
.jpg)
+3+-+Finale.jpg)
