Make Me Beautiful

Marchesa’s Fall 2008 Collection paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth 1. It is mainly composed of evening gowns and cocktail dresses. The colour palette was mostly black, purple, red and ivory, with the one pale blue one-shouldered gown. Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig used ruffles, rosettes and lace.

The gowns were gorgeous, aren’t they? But I’m sure you’ll love them more after visiting Trendinista blog. Jill Sherman, author of the blog, studied the designs of Machesa’s gowns and she was able to compile photos of the gowns with spires and pagodas that somehow looked like them. You’ll never believe this, at first glance you’d probably think that the gowns were inspired by these architectural designs.

To view the rest of the compilation, visit Tredinista blog.

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Damage in the cellular level is the main cause of aging. Humans do tend to repair the damage caused to body cells. Cellular damage is caused predominantly by free radical attack among many other causes. At the end of each cell’s chromosomes are spirals of DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid). The main role of DNA molecules is the long-term storage of information. DNA stores genetic information that is unique to each person.

Every time cellular damage takes place the DNA too gets damaged. Human body is capable of repairing DNA damage and passing on the DNA information to new cells that are formed. Defects in DNA repair process makes people more susceptible to cancer and other degenerative ailments. DNA repair process declines with age while damage accumulates. This could explain why cancer is so much more common among older people. Even within a single organism, repair rates can vary among cells, with the most efficient repair going on in sperm and egg cells.

Each DNA contains as much as 30,000 genes which control complex functioning of body and mind. Most of these genes are responsible for passing on hereditary traits to offspring. There are an important group of some 4,000 which control any particular cell’s function. When large number of these genes becomes damaged we begin to experience multitude of subtle health effects. This could be something as subtle as dry skin (if the genes that control skin oil output are not functioning properly), to catching colds easier and having them for a longer duration etc. When the damage to genes become really chronic the consequences could be uncontrolled growth of cells, otherwise known as cancer.

By Andy Kahn

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Just when I found the perfect winter nail shade (just in case you were wondering, it is the Essie Sole Mate. It is the perfect rich deep dark purple, with just a hint of red!) , spring comes around. Not that I’m complaining, I can’t wait for the weather to get warmer and the sun to shine. Although now it means my nail colors will have to change along with it- to get into the spring mode you know. But I am kind of tired of the pale white pinks that I usually favor for warmer weathers. As classic as they are, it does get a bit monotonous after a while. AND it is super hard to apply properly (this might also be due to my lack of nail varnish applications skills- though I’d like to point out that I have no trouble with the darker colors! Odd, I know).
So I started to consider other colors suitable for spring. Flicking through the Essie advertisements (Yes, I have a preference for Essie!) bright pink crossed my mind (left: Secret Stash). As much as I wanted to try something new though, bright pink does seem a bit too much. I AM 21 now. Not quite Barbie. Then I considered pale purple (right: Looking for Love). It is subtle but still quite different from pale pink. But then I quickly rejected the idea- that is just TOO weird. Its just not a color one would relate to nail color! Kind of like how it is odd for people to put pale blue/purple lipstick on their lips!
After much consideration, I finally found the perfect color, Ball-timore (left). It is the perfect coral pink, with the sharpness of a super bright pink but toned down by orange/coral tones. I simply LOVE LOVE LOVE it. It is youthful and fun with a hint of sophistication. The other color I bought is Hard to Get (right). A more intense version of my usual pale pink hues, I thought this would just be fun and girly to play around with.I also wanted to get a nude color, like this (above: bags to riches). This one is the definition of sophistication and simplicity. But alas, it was getting rather expensive (they hiked the price up in the place I usually go to!!!).

Image Source: Essie

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Have you seen the April issue of Flair magazine? Well, it has a spread featuring model Flavia Oliveira with an editorial title “Hollywood Dreams”. Flavia portrayed an image of an aspiring model who seeks stardom, finds rejection, romance, publicity, boredom and personal epiphanies along the way.

In these photos, you will see Flavia smoking Nat Sherman Fantasia cigarettes in bright, spring-colored hues and holding a bottle of whisky. Do you consider cigarette and whisky as glamorous and fashionable accessories to an outfit or they’re just self-destructive ?

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We love runway jewels and if there is one trend that has emerged in contemporary fashion as of late, it’s the return of great costume designer jewelry. Certainly Chanel has always been one of the great proponents of outstanding costume jewelry and Decades has been one of the great purveyors of vintage costume jewelry, especially from Chanel.

This dramatic gold cord sautoir is a runway piece likely from 1990. The original owner was a vendeuse at Chanel Haute Couture and she explained that the piece is one-of-a-kind (we’ve featured other pieces from her collection in previous posts). The super long necklace can be worn, well, super long, or it can be doubled around the neck. It can also be layered with tons of other jewels, too. The fantastic poured glass and delicate filigree pendant is really unusual, but then again, this is ONE-OF-A-KIND.

Chanel Haute Couture gold cord and filligree pendant necklace, c 1990
For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call (323) 655-0223. Please reference the description above. For email requests, kindly include your full name and phone number plus City, State, and Country from which you are contacting.

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When it comes to spring, we have you covered…literally. Below please find four delicious dresses that are perfect as we transition from winter to spring. The dresses below represent a great mix of design talents: from Chloe by Karl Lagerfeld, Malcolm Starr, James Galanos, and Geoffrey Beene. There is something for everyone so put some spring into your step and let Decades cover you up appropriately as the sun shines from above and al fresco becomes a reality!

Chloe by Karl Lagerfeld butter yellow drop waist long sleeve silk dress with clear crystal trim and cooridnating slip, c 60s. Modern size 4 to 6

Malcolm Starr yellow long sleeve dress with silver beaded stripes and concealed hip pockets, c 60s. Rayon, wool, silk blend, deadstock labeled size 14, contemporary 8 to 10.

James Galanos spaghetti strap cocktail dress in navy blue polka-dot lurex silk with velvet textured panels, c 1960s. Modern size 4

Geoffrey Beene floral print hippie silk dress with puffy sleeves and cummerbund, c 60s. Modern size 4

For additional information, please email blog@decadesinc.com or call (323) 655-0223. Please reference the description above. For email requests, kindly include your full name and phone number plus City, State, and Country from which you are contacting.

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