Favorite Label Friday Nov. 16 2012

in label world.... 60s and 70s labels became very fun, very playful, and even silly...like the rest of society, the 60s and 70s relaxed the uptight Name Only style of labels that came before...and back then,  often the only hint of art or happiness in the life of the label's artist, might have been a fanciful script or interesting font.
The hippie/natural/playful/crafty times influenced labels and we see extravagant fonts, highly stylized, and lots of little symbols, pictures and a real sense of humor....Cute 70s dress...has a classic style, but the name of the dress company told you a thing about the times they be a'changing.... 

New Discoveries. yes, sir, the 60s and 70s brought us to new directions. Protest the war, protest racism, protest environmental destruction...aka, our ecology...Civil rights, animal rights, voting rights, new ways of living, new kinds of foods....man it was cool !!

and look Butterflies Are Free!! Here's a 60s dress, Flutterbye, the label has a cute little yellow butterfly.
The pattern of the dress was Marimekko-inspired.

and here's another Flutterbye dress that mimics Lilly Pulitzer prints.

Very fun font and a very fun name for this Laguna Beach California dress maker. All Two Potato dresses are fun, and funky, and very casual.

A cute print of scattered feathers....but the label.... 

Mmmmmm ! It's GAILORD. yep. it is. Look at the tiny spy in a trench coat, a fedora, and big sunglasses. James Bond....The Pink Panther....the Cold War brought spy culture and spy intrigue to artists in the labels they designed.

And Fashion Conspiracy! Was this also inspired by James Bond movies which were immensly popular in the 60s and 70s .   Mmmmm look at that daisy...that was very popular as a motif in the time period, too.

It's on a 70s knit sweater, inspired by Italian knitmaker, Missoni.
this one has sparkly lurex threads.

Oh yes! late 70s/early 80s and the Rainbows!! The Hearts !! and if this sweater isn't cool enough......

Yes !!! Party !! CELEBRATION  YEAH!!!

The safari look was a popular look in the 60s and 70s....here's a version of the classic Geiger or Abercrombie & Fitch (old school) safari jacket in shiny black nylon windbreaker material.

....so you know the label has to be fantastic right? It is!
Curly Top For Young America.
not for old ladies.
Cute font and such a statement!

Swingles? yes. I think you can see the rainbow threads....and the Swingles name was a mash-up of Singles Swingers Separates .  Swingles by Character.  This tweed jacket is packed full of neat details... It really has character!

My favorite label of the week.....Tomboy.
The 70s labels as the clothes, often had a 30s feel because of influences from the 1976 Oscar-winning movie Bonnie and Clyde. Theodora Van Runkle designed the clothes.  In the movie of  Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, there was a huge  fashion influence.....and none other than Ralph Lauren was on the design staff.


And....the move, The Sting, with swoooooooon, Paul Newman and Robert Redford, took place in the 30s...another influence...The costumer designer? none other than the stunning Edith Head. 

pic from 

So, not a surprise that some labels have a Art Deco 30s movie marquee look with the oval frame and the font...and the fun name........Tomboy !!

  pic from

It's New to You....

Quite a few vintage separates this week ...including a weird and wonderful fringe sweater jacket from the 70s....and quite a few vintage dresses....and oh my! sizes from XS to XL...

60s jacket with fabric roses....

with fringe and crochet balls....a 70s extreme textures thing going on....

Oooh shiny! 70s mini-trench in shiny black nylon....like a windbreaker, but with STYLE !

70s boho pink plaid top...

and Vintage Dresses! are you ready for Spring? Cause it's ready for you!

cutwork halter with BUTTERFLIES !

MOD. dress.

all of these are in the etsy shop, Right Now! well, you know, unless they are sold...wink.

Crazy metallic wild print dress....with rhinestones......cause it just needed a little bit more....

Malia Hawaiian dress........Bright and Happy !

70s calico peasant dress.......

Black silk party dress !!

Rockabilly 50s style Halter dress..........pretty pink flowers !

Mad Pop Art Mod 60s Cocktail Party

Wanna have a party as Wild as Marisol Escobar's mid-60s artwork?
This ain't no Mad Men party! The mid-60s was sophisticated, artful, mod and intoxicated not only with crazy cocktails made with liqueurs, but with the ever-rising income and prosperity because of the New Deal that placed emphasis on workers income, health, and opportunities for minorities and women.

The Cocktail Party  by Marisol Escobar

"The group consists of free-standing figures and a wall panel with painted wood, cloth, plastic, shoes, jewelry, mirror, television set and other accessories. It was executed in 1965-6 and had a modest estimate of $400,000 to $600,000. In the mid-90s, it sold for $912,000, including the buyer's premium, shattering the artist's previous world auction record of $131,200. In the 1960s Marisol quickly catapulted herself onto the New York art scene , armed with a precocious talent and an aura of mystery and cool chic that mesmerized her earliest admirers, but which would later became a catalyst for her critics.
Even the typically laconic Andy Warhol quipped that Marisol was 'the first girl artist with glamour.'...Marisol's sophisticated aesthetic immediately linked her to the new Pop Art movement, but her work remained in a category of its own, displaying a myriad of influences from sources as diverse as Pre-Colombian art and Surrealist imagery. Even today, Marisol's art resists any linear curatorial reading."





Wild hot Pink floral print vintage dress is sassy with its black empire waist and Huge bell sleeves. Unusual colors in a big print, make this vintage dress an eye-popper!

Big bold red and brown flowers and tree pods make a fantastic fall dress. Marimekko-style print vintage dress is a wild jungle print with a spare modern style.

60s green Party Dress Vintage Mad Men style

Cocktail recipes....

The Old Fashioned Cocktail

Prepare and serve in a short chunky glass
1 lump cube sugar
1 or 2 dashes Cocktail Bitters
1 dash seltzer
Muddle sugar until dissolved
1 jigger Rye, Bourbon or Scotch Whiskey
Chunks of cracked ice, add a splash of soda water
Garnish with twist of lemon peel, 1 slice of orange, 1 maraschino cherry.
Serve with highball spoon.



The Classic Martini

2½ oz gin
1½ oz dry vermouth
3 green olives

Rinse martini glass in dry vermouth and pour out. Shake gin with ice until chilled. Pour into martini glass. Add olives...like 4 or 5 on a pick.
I like a Vodka martini, with a twist of lime...no gin, no vermouth...OK..wave the bottle cap over my drink.

and this is so yummy...

The Brandy Alexander


¾ oz cream
¾ oz brandy
¾ oz dark crème de cacao
Nutmeg

Pour the liquors and cream into a mixing glass. Shake and pour in martini glass. Garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg on top.

bad bad cocktail invitations.....the early 60s were not culturally sensitive...yet....
so let's watch some sexist I Dream Of Jeanie !

Some pretty new things can brighten a day...

Here's what's new in funkoma world.....I decided the shop needed some skirts, and there will be more coming soon.... Here's a cream pure cashmere skirt...50s or 60s...Ballantyne from Berks in London. s - m.


a sweet 60s plaid skirt of a cotton blend. the waist is 38".





Hippie chick! she made herself a skirt from indigo-dyed zipper fly big bell bottom 646 Levis jeans. Cute hummingbird in the faux-patchwork godet.


an adorable favorite with the prettiest flowers in a shiny chintz. s- m.


I really love this Starry Starry Night skirt...made from a 70s dress. It will fit a range of waist sizes from about 32" - 42".



A fantastic tiki tropical metallic print in a Circle Skirt ! yes, and it's quilted. s -m.

OK, this is a suit.one of a few I have in the etsy shop right now. This is a lightweight black and white houndstooth check. Superb quality, and the skirt can be made about an inch or two larger in the waist and hip. With quality, it is worth the extra money for professional alterations.

And a gal doesn't live by skirts alone...so here's a few of the freshest dresses to appear in funkoma-land........



Fun fun 70s Japanese face ! oversized tshirt dress has snappy sleeves! m - l or xl.

Beautiful daisies all over this vintage Lanz sundress. s - m.




A charmer! Black eyelet 50s-60s shirtwaist with metal buttons. m - l.

I've added much more in the last few days........
I need to make another post and you know I will!!
Or just pop on over to my etsy shop.......the link is wayyyyy up top ...