Holly Fowler's Hand-Painted Amazingness

London-based fashion designer Holly Fowler believes that every article of clothing is a work of art. And by that, I mean she literally paints directly onto her garments to create one-of-a-kind three-dimensional paintings.

It isn't terribly often that a modern fashion designer stops me in my tracks but I stumbled upon Fowler's site recently and was blown away by her pieces. Her regal images of snakes, jewels, roses, peacocks, panthers, golden chains, and sashes decorate clean (and often brightly colored) satin dresses and suits.

Fowler has also recently started decorating handbags, leather jackets, and shoes with her work (the snake flats are my favorite). Here are some snaps from her recent collections.

 

Vintage Designer: Gunne Sax

Source

Anyone who knows me knows I love a good easy, breezy bohemian dress and Gunne Sax always fits that bill. The brand, a highly collectible vintage line, is known for its super cool peasant dresses, usually featuring lace and ruffles. Its name actually developed out of the “gunny sack,” a burlap trim used on their first dresses. Many of the styles sport a renaissance and medieval look, typically full length cuts with floral patterns. Jessica McClintock invested in the brand in 1969 while it was still a small San Franciscan line. She now remains the head of the business, and has since joined it with her company: Jessica McClintock Inc. In the 1980s Gunne Sax, originally a junior’s line, took on a more prom dress style, with tight bodices and full skirts. In 1989 The New York Times reported that it was the lead seller at Macy’s for prom dresses. Though the brand is still churning out gowns, the earlier pieces from the '60s and '70s are my favorites. Here are some lovely styles from around the web and check out the Gunne Sax frock I have currently in the shop!

 Source

Source

 

Source                                                                             Source

Source

Source

Source

Source

Vintage-Inspired Gucci

 

I used to be really into fashion shows, scrolling through the thousands of photos on Style.com every season. Lately though, I've tired of it a bit. There are so many collections to keep up with now: spring, fall, resort, couture, pre-spring, pre-fall! Anyways, I happened to stumble onto these photos from Gucci's pre-fall collection and loved them. Combining vintage inspiration with modern styling is not easy but Gucci pulls it off. 

All photos from WWD.com