The ball finally dropped recently (what an unfortunate phrase, but its 1am as I type and it'll do). I am a shopoholic. Even though I am mostly just spending the loose change I find at the bottom of my bag in a charity shop. I undeniably get a buzz from shopping. I have been making efforts in the past year or so, to curb that spending, to turn high street spending, into sustainable spending (Being more selective, buying vintage or second hand when possible). Even when I don't have the funds necessary to feed my habit, I find myself spending hours on etsy longingly favouriting dresses I will never afford or own.
While I do love the acid prints and colour palette of 1960s and 1970s clothing, the man made materials of some of these dresses isn't as much to my taste. The materials can be itchy, uncomfortable and sometimes don't hang right on my shape. I try and buy natural fabrics as much as possible, but these cost that bit more. When it comes to materials, you do pay for quality.
1920's Antique Vintage Ecru Embroidered French-Lace & Irish-Crochet Dress
Linen and Lace Heart Dress
1970s vintage 100% pure Irish linen knit skirt set
60s vintage Blue Apple and Floral Print Irish Linen Skirt and Blouse Set
mustard saffron yellow high waist shorts made of irish linen
1960s Irish Linen Dress
UK Vogue 1958 Magazine Advertisement
Antique Early 1900's Ulster Spinning Company Irish Linen Thread
What is linen?
Linen is a yarn or fabric made from the cultivated flax plant. Dating back more than 5000 years, it is one of the oldest textile fibres known to man and weaving cloth is man's oldest manufacturing activity. Flax fibre is soft, lustrous and flexible. It is stronger than cotton fibre but less elastic. The best grades are used for linen fabrics such as damasks, lace and sheeting.
Why Irish Linen?
The Irish Linen industry was mostly concentrated in the North of Ireland, particularly in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Since about the 1950s to 1960s the flax fibre for Irish Linen yarn has been, almost exclusively, imported from France, Belgium and the Netherlands. It is bought by spinners who produce yarn and this, in turn, is sold to weavers (or knitters) who produce fabric. Irish linen spinning has now virtually ceased, yarns being imported from places such as Eastern Europe and China.
See Irish Linen
I've been meaning to blog about this film for the longest time. As is the case with many of my favourite films, I caught this on TV one night about 3 years ago, as the late late movie. I switched the channel halfway through the 'Life Lessons' segment, obviously my attention was peaked when "Life Without Zoe" appeared on screen. Its rare enough to see my name on screen, obviously, two minutes in and I was enraptured by the energy and cultivated je ne sais quois of the young narrator.
Life Without Zoe is the second of three shorts, featuring in the anthology film New York Stories (1989). It is a sort of film noir spoof for kids, or those of us young at heart. Its a movie for girls, of all ages. You're not supposed to take it too seriously, just enjoy it with a youthful naivety. The sometimes condescending tone of a poor-little-rich-girl in New York is overshadowed by the limitless bounds of Zoe's imagination and eagerness to share her zest for life with everyone she meets, the name 'Zoe' being greek, for 'life'.
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, it was styled and written by his 18 year old daughter Sofia, well known to us now, of The Virgin Suicides and Lost in Translation fame.
Zoe is a 12 year old schoolgirl, who lives, frequently unsupervised by her jet-setting parents, in the Sherry Netherland Hotel in Manhattan (where the Coppolas stayed while Mr. Coppola was making The Cotton Club).
Zoe's father in the movie is a flautist, like Sofia's own grandfather, Carmine Coppola, who passed away a year after its release, in 1990.
I wonder if Sofia drew these!
Zoe has a serious penchant for Chanel. Fun fact: Sofia interned at Chanel over two summers when she was in high school and they custom made some of the costumes for this film, based on Sofia's designs. I love the hint of a grunge aesthetic in this outfit, with the classic two tone pumps and ripped jeans.
So many glorious hats, why has hat wearing become relatively obsolete post-90s? Actually, I think the hats are my favourite part of the movie, so many bows, ribbons, netting and obnoxious Chanel logos!
Little rich girls like to play around in their mothers wardrobes too!
We all made invites/cards that resembled these, and the glitter remained in the carpet for years after, or fell out of drawers and pockets for months afterward much to our mothers' collective despair - but wasn't it worth it?
The prodigal father returns, suitably attired in a dapper panama hat.
Oh the costumes, the costumes! This is how upper east side girls do costume parties!
I dreamt of costume parties like this, almost, in fact this is just too perfect, too extravagant for my country girl imagination. This scene calls to mind the Masquerade Ball scene from Marie Antoinette (2006).
I adore this tongue in cheek pop culture reference. Mini Warhol and Sedgwick! Note the Campbell soup can prop!
This is one of my favourite sequences! Some of the girls are so shy during their mini dance routine. Its all so fantastical, especially with the tight rope walker in the background, and their co-ordinating dresses!
Correct me if I'm wrong but I think the cute matador on the left may be a young Adrien Brody in his first film role! Oh and that's Kid Creole playing in the background. Seriously, do parties like this exist?!
This metropolitan fairytale has a Princess too!
A family resolution, upper east side style, in the Russian tea rooms, oh my. I only wish we could have been introduced to the luxe interior that this scene teases us with.
Sincerely embarrassed for the quality of this photo, but this was my most coveted item in the whole movie: the Chanel veiled boater. Perfection in hat form.
For such a colourful individual, Zoe's palate is chic monochrome. In the true spirit of Chanel, darling.
The premise of the story is frothy, childish, but it gave Sofia a chance to show off her inherited aesthetic talent, her eye for colour and inclination for the dramatic.
You might like...
Sofia Coppola at Senses of Cinema
"The Teen Who Co-Wrote A Movie Script", 1989 Chicago Tribune article
I have screencapped the film, .png format, in two .zip files of approx 200 images each. Password is the first word of my blog name.
