Retro Johnny

Johnny Depp - The late 80's / 90's kid through and through

Pretty as a Picture

A 1950's Dior ad, taken by Mark Shaw in the 17th century house owned at the time by the directrice of Dior in Paris Suzanne Luling.

Dear Gentlemen...Dandy Beau Gallants

I was having a chat with my lovely mother last week, and she used the word dandy to describe someone.  It made me laugh, so I had to find out what the true meaning of a dandy boy was, along with vintage variations of the modern version to share. 

It is a male who places particular importance on his appearance, leisurely hobbies and refined language in a bid to imitate the lives led by aristocrats.  They were gentlemen in every sense of the word, well rounded characters full of manners, charm and respect.  

I have kept these gentlemen in mind whilst finding outfits for the Big Band collection, and I will preview some of the treats I have found very soon!

Coloured Cats for Kicks

Tim Walker - Pastel Cats (1998)

Who actually must have thought...pigment powder mixed with talc plus patting of cats of the persian variety equals pastel cats and a seriously good day of photo taking. Touche Tim!

Pretty is Peggy

History of The Hawke I

Long long before Vintage Hawke was dreamed up over a love of vintage clothing & a desire to share it with others, in lands far away from New Zealand, there has been a long standing tradition in certain nationalities to practice hawking, also known as falconry.  It involves training Red Tailed, Harris Hawkes or Eagles to hunt for prey for humans. 

I saw the most wonderous documentary about an 86 year old man who hunted with his Hawk every day, it was just amazing to watch man and bird have such close affinity for each other! 

Until its a reality to live in remote continents with indigenous people and learn the art of hawking, taxidermed Hawke with an e named Herbie is the right hand Hawke and shop name inspiration.  Photos following of the bird who started it all in part II...

The Studd Brothers

Victorian cricket players the Studd Brothers

Vintage Virtuoso - Charles Babbage

Charles Babbage was a mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer who originated the concept of a programmable computer. All in a life's work right?

I really appreciate that these images capture him as so obviously bursting with ideas; and as a character so unique he could never be replicated. 

Pretty As a Picture

How can this photo not make you giggle?  I love that Waimaraners look  like  they  are made  from pure silk,  beautiful.  Another gem from the one and only Man Ray

Roll With It

Dancing is such a charmingly fun past time.  I hope you find time for dancing in your weekend whether it's at home, your favourite bar, dance class, on the street, at your pals place or with a bunch of besties wherever the evening takes you!

Taxidermy for Tuesday

Cai Quo Qiang's work Head On is part of an AMAZING solo exhibition from the Guggenheim in 2006 entitled "I Want to Believe" which used 90 taxidermed wolves suspended in an aerial arc colliding with a glass wall at the end.  I want to believe these wolves died of natural causes. 

Wunderkammer

                                  

Quite possibly my favourite word in the whole world, a Wunderkammer can describe the elusive collection of a cabinet of curiosities filled with treasures; which by nature is personal and full of wonderous things, on any scale.  

Butterflies and insects, taxidermy, sea creatures, wing backed chairs  and beautiful filigree panelled partitions together in a victorian room will one day be in the wonder chamber which houses Vintage Hawke's collection!

Here are photos of some favourite Wunderkammer collected over the years, it becomes blindingly obvious that the curiosity of choice around here is some sort of animal... 

Weekend Wind Up - Good and Late

I was given a CD yesterday of a band called My Life With The Thrill Kill Cult, it is such awesomely fun swingy musical genius which makes you want to jump around; sheer excellence. A real eye opener to a whole new genre of music I never knew existed! 

The first song summed up what fun this weekend could be.  If your plan is to "go anywhere as long as we stay out good and late" you're sure to have fun right?  If you stay out late you should be having a good time!  I hope you have adventurous events planned for some kind of weekend carnage in any shape or form, and stay out good and late with your dancing shoes at the ready.

Pretty as a Picture

The One and Only Man Ray

Dear Gentlemen...Cufflinks 101

As fine gentlemen know all too well, men's dressing is about the detail. This comes into play nowhere more so than when it's time to dress up & look sharper than a shark fin. The cufflink is a subtle accessory which will add the finishing touch to your suave self. Clark confirmed this train of thought...

Clark Gable and his Cufflinks

Cufflinks originated from strings which were used to tie ruffle shirt sleeves together in the 1600's (think the pied piper), and then eventually in the 19th century morphed into what they are today.  The original cufflink was called a bouchon de manchette and were glass buttons joined together by little chains. 

When selecting your cufflink of choice (and some will be available on vintagehawke.com when the store opens yay) the options are limited only to your imagination dear sir, from crocodiles and panthers, to the perfect deco style streamlined jet or a simple silver bar, you can wear your personality on your sleeve.

Hawke's Favourite Family

Who else but the dear Addams, so influential, dark and mysteriously subtly sinister...  Morticia and Wednesday, Pugsly and Fester, and cousin It!  Their house all filled with beautiful decayed details and so very victorian, I could watch this movie over and over.  Last year I did for my final year project to look at the set design, it is absolutely stunning!

The Mods & The Rockers

In 1960's Britian, the Mods and the Rockers were a young subculture at war with each other.  The Mods were the scooter driving clean cuts and the Rockers were the biker leather jacket posse, which as i'm sure you can imagine would have made for some serious school yard style fights!  I think I would put my money on the Rockers....

VS.

Defining the 90's

Victorian Vernacular - Oscar Wilde

A very fine example of the refined, distinguished Victorian gentlemen who would be endlessly fascinating to sip tea with in a secret garden and ponder away the hours. 

Oscar Wilde 1854-1900

Deco Darling - Josephine Baker

Josephine Baker, the first African American woman to star in a motion picture and become a renowned entertainer was an all round lover of super shiny large deco accessories.  Her nickname was Black Pearl, how pretty is that?