November 22, 2018 marked the record for the coldest Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade of all time, and all around the U.S.A. record lows were recorded, but it didn’t stop Lady Diana Ross from looking glamorous and fabulous as ever!
When I think of cold Thanksgivings, I can’t help but think of one of our favourite films – “The Ice Storm” (1997) directed by Academy Award winning director Ang Lee. With an all-star cast that includes Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Allison Janney, Christina Ricci, Katie Holmes, Tobey Maguire, and Elijah Wood; this is a must-see film for an cinema aficionado, but most especially any lover of vintage style!
Taking place on a Thanksgiving weekend in 1973 in the upper middle class suburbs of New Canaan, Connecticut – this film is a poignant look at the American Family, and its demise to substance abuse and casual sex. There are so many iconic moments throughout this film- some include Christina Ricci boldly shoplifting from the local drugstore, Joan Allen being hit on by a bohemian pastor, a strange make out session involved a Nixon mask, a 1970s key party, and of course….the grand finale (which I shall not reveal).
Production designer Mark Friedberg (The Life Aquatic, Far From Heaven, Across the Universe) and costume designer Carol Odit worked closely with director Ang Lee to bring meticulous period detail to the film. Sourcing inspiration from catalogues, magazines, and photographs from the period.
Most notably is the beautiful earthy 70s palette, and the remarkable use of textures and graphics to create looks. The film itself is a feast for the eyes for knitwear, classic american sportswear, and an ice storm just wouldn’t be an ice storm without – incredible 70s outerwear!
We have been wanting to do a post on this film for a while, so very excited to get this up, finally. Here’s some {style-wise} screenshots for some classic vintage inspiration as well as your viewing pleasure.
?? Copyright 1997 – Twentieth Century Fox – All rights reserved. Titles: The Ice Storm Names: Kevin Kline, Joan Allen Characters: Elena Hood, Ben Hood Still of Kevin Kline and Joan Allen in The Ice Storm (1997)
Lets pray to the Gods that we aren’t hit with anything so strange and devastating, but with how the weather has been over the past few years – who knows what we could be in store for!
We couldn’t help but use this meme from another one of the film’s iconic moments!
Please enjoy, and don’t forget to visit our {SHOP} and use XIXIXI for 25% OFF.
Back in 1999 a quirky cool show came out called ZENON: Girl of the 21st Century and now that we are actually in the 21st century its cool to see they weren’t so far off!
We always say the past informs our future, so when speaking on this idea of retro-futurism its so fun to notice visions of the future from the past, and usually in this context we speak often of a retro-future from the 40s, 50s, even 60s . . .but now we are seeing retro-future ideas taken from the 90s.
Jeremy Scott really took it there 100% with this vibe in his Autumn-Winter 2018 collection from the pastel millenial metallic palette with strokes of neon… to some really quirky weird sci-fi silhouettes.
The wigs brought me back to another 90s sci-fi gem which may be a bit more obscure unless you lived in Canada than guaranteed you watched this show if you grew up in the 90s: SPACE CASES!!!
The show first aired back in 1996, and has since stuck in our minds as a really rad adventure series featuring some cool talent. I think the plot was best summed up by Bethany on IMDB:
One day at an academy, 7 people sneak aboard a mysterious spaceship. The people consist of 5 students, who are Harlan, the athletic leader from earth; Catalina, the Saturnian rainbow-head with a sonic scream; Bova, the negative sour-pus Uranian who can generate electricity; Rosie, the happy Mercurian who radiates heat; and Radu, the Andromedan with super strength and hearing; the other two people are Mrs. T.J. Davenport, the principal at the academy and Commander Seth Goddard, who is their teacher/commander. While on-board they meet an android named Thelma who informs them that they are on a spaceship that is half living and called the Christa. Just when they meet up they become aware that they are approaching a hole that if they get sucked into, they will be stuck in space for 7 years. They eventually do and along their journey they encounter many hardships and enemies that they work together to overcome. They also meet some new people like Suzee (Catalina’s imaginary friend from another dimension who gets pulled into this dimension during a warp, putting Catalina in her dimension; she can read minds and has gills), Elmira (Sponge daughter of Warlard Shank), Warlard Shank (the arch enemy of them), etc.
The wigs immediately gave me some serious Jewel Staite as Catalina vibes; although, hers is just that much more with the multi-colored rings representing her home planet Saturn. Am I wrong?
Oh, and sorry about the strange captions in the two photos there. They are entertaining, nonetheless. Since it is a more obscure show, it was hard to find some great images, but I think you get the vibe, and especially with a few of the looks from Jeremy Scott’s AW 2018 show sandwiched between- I think the inspirations are undeniable!
Boy, Canadian television in the 90s was wicked…and man, Jeremy Scott’s interns must have been binge watching some serious shit, because you can’t deny that the painted ladies of Jeremy Scott’s Moschino Autumn-Winter 2018 show really give me crazy Rosie comparisons!
Granted, Jeremy Scott’s inspiration for this collection was Jackie-O, Aliens, and Conspiracy Theories so its not that far off…
Some other designers you can’t deny took a very similar route were Prada:
And, Maison Margiela Couture Autmn-Winter 2018 which was a symphony of hologram! Our jaws were dropethed watching one look after another walk down the runway.
If you have a chance, watch the actual show so you can see how magically these fabrics react to light- its magnificent and really shows the art of textile design and the incredible things being engineered today.
Since we are on this topic, I wanted to throw in some pics of a few more Canadian 90s aliens from the cult show ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK? – episode: “The Thirteenth Floor”!!!
Two kids get lured by stylish 90s aliens to a strange toy company that just happened to open on the 13th floor of their apartment complex where they usually play floor hockey…moral of the story is, if you think its weird a toy company opened overnight on the 13th floor of your apartment complex then just stay away!!! Especially when they’re dressed like that!
Never would I have imagined in 20 years I’d be talking about Are You Afraid of the Dark or Space Cases in the context of fashion and style…its actually kind of shocking how many designers landed on this vibe, but nevertheless its really interesting to have this kind of nostalgia prevalent in the scene, and no doubt we will be seeing more and more of this as time goes on.
The {past} repeats itself, even if that {past} is imitating the {future}!
Something about this vibe has always been in us, and we have been tending to lean towards this style many times – from metallic foil shirts, to PVC jackets, and definitely anything hologram! I guess, we like to be ahead of the curve, and it really goes to show the power in staying relevant with the past.
Here are a few pieces in our {SHOP} right now that epitomize the 90s Back to the Future vibe that is taking over!
The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams.
-Oprah Winfrey
Since the Golden Globes, Oprah is on everyone’s mind after a poignant acceptance speech for the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s ceremony which has gone as far as having people saying “OPRAH FOR PRESIDENT!”
The model for elegant maturity and refinement for most, it has come to our attention that this Queen of the Screen really fought hard against something we totally take for granted – GRUNGE STYLE!!!
That’s right people. I think Oprah hates GRUNGE; that iconic style that emerged from the late 80s which rejected the gloss and polish of mainstream fashion for a more relaxed, tattered and easy vibe and was popularized by designers Marc Jacobs and bands like Nirvana, R.E.M, and Pearl Jam to name a few. . .
from ‘Grunge & Glory’ shot by Steven Meisel {US Vogue / c. December 1992}
Flannel plaid, cardigans, army boots, ripped jeans – you’d have to be living under a rock to not be able to characterize this style, especially considering every mainstream fashion brand from Los Angeles to Seoul are touting the trend . . .
We say it time and time again, but style is absolutely cyclical. That’s why we always promote our mantra of seeking the {past} to influence the {present} and shape the {future}. I really wonder what Oprah would be crusading against these days . . . there would definitely be plenty of material for her to draw from.
Enough said, however, let’s take a look at just how much Oprah hates GRUNGE!
Makes me wonder what she would say about Grunge now? She really seemed to be not into that. Like, when she questions those cool black leather witch boots the teenage daughter gave her Mother in her own 90s Grunge Makeover.
The worst part is – they never look better!!! I totally prefer their personal sense of style over the manufactured cookie cutter that Oprah seems to be tied to, sadly.
Fun, nonetheless! Tell us what you think in the comments below!
That’s right kiddos…everyone’s favourite mystery solving duo is back today with all new episodes! So happy they brought this back. It was awesome to get the revamp last year, but the season was rather short (only 6 episodes), so this 11th season will undoubtedly add something special to the X-Files canon.
[ SIDENOTE: X-FILES Promo Shots are legit THE BEST]
11 is our lucky number so we have FAITH that Chris Carter and his team will be creating something for fans to remember with this one. . .
1. a social gathering of invited guests, typically involving eating, drinking, and entertainment.
“an engagement party”
Hope you all had a wicked holiday season this year! New Years was a blast for us hosting Karaoke for Risky Business 80s NY Beach Bash, and if I know you guys like I think I do I bet you did plenty of partying.
Always a great excuse to let off some steam and harness your energies with the people in your life who matter the most! Whether its with family or friends- sometimes, you just need to give it up to Dionysus and have a time…
So with this in mind, we gathered 35 wicked vintage party photos to remind us of the long lineage of PARTY PEOPLE who came before us and who have left their legacy for us to muse and admire.
Who doesn’t remember those wild 90s makeover episodes of trashy talk shows ?? Well apparently, this is the first thanks to the one and only Jenny Jones!!!
We get so many nostalgic feels watching these bad ass teens rep their individual style to the conservative masses who just cannot fathom a lady wearing a leather jacket to a daycare, or cut-off jean shorts, and don’t get us started on baggy clothes!!!
The best part is – all these styles have become a normal part of most people’s daily style repertoire.
Punk, grunge, gang styles, urban vibes, valley girls, hippie vibes . . . its everything that we yearn for NOW!
It’s absolutely ridiculous how people try to control you through fashion (especially when they obviously lack the knack for it). It’s insane to think how people could get so offended by what you wear!
People like that need to take a hard look at themselves and realize what they lack is their own individuality. Choosing not to travel with the pack does not make you evil, no matter how many times society is trying to tell you otherwise.
I do have to say, there is one thing these ladies need to pipe up about:
Those bitches just don’t get fashion!!!
The best part is the ladies who are so pissed AFTER their makeover into what I guess was acceptable trendy teen clothing at the time (on loan from Urban Outfitters nonetheless) – these looks are just as much in style now, also – but definitely lack the originality and zest their true selves were invoking on the day to day.
This is the cyclical nature of our realm of course – {PAST} / {PRESENT} / {FUTURE} – all the same, really. The biggest challenge really is being true.
Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Be it to the max!!! You’ll be better off that way.
I promise!
In the meantime, enjoy this crazy video and feel the outrageousness of 90s teen fashion!
Girl, you really rock that tattered Victorian vibe . . .
Nobody does it quite like you.
If you haven’t seen this movie…such a shame.
Don’t forget; although, we got the 90s thing going on – “CASPER, THE FRIENDLY GHOST” is a certified vintage cartoon staple who first appeared in book form in 1939, and later became the beloved animated ghost we know today in 1945!!!
Vintage inspiration….it’s where it’s at! I said it before, and I’ll say it again.
We wanted to start right out with the juice on this one, and take us straight into Part 2 of this disturbing segment from 20/20 back over 20 years ago. “The Exorcism” was the very first time the controversial rites of exorcism had ever been documented and aired on network television causing quite the stir.
20 years later the footage is as raw and disturbing as ever. Definitely beats the crap out of the Horror they try to feed you today. This kind of evil only exists in the twisted realms of our own reality.
Forget what you’ve seen – real life is always better {scarier}.
Question is: What do you believe?
Could the young 16 year old girl seriously be possessed by evil souls living deep in her body, or is this a battle of her rebellious teenage subconscious? This timeless battle between science and religion is carefully crafted by ABC correspondent Tom Jarriell with vintage appearances by the show’s anchors Hugh Downs, and the always stylin’ Barbara Walters.
Thanks to videoholics90s for the fantastically freaky clip! We’ll need to get our head back on straight after that, is for sure! Link from Youtube for the rest. Hope you enjoy!
Despite its crisp resolution, the composition and palette have given the photograph a painterly quality. Captured by a painter, that is not very surprising.
The photograph features Kirsten Owen, Canadian model, and after nearly 20 years a burgeoning icon in the modelling industry. Her unique look catapulted her to the pages and covers of every major editorial magazine in the 90s, and now nearly 20 years later her career is seeing an influx of work in the high fashion industry; much like Kristen McMenamy (another 90s Model Queen) who graces runways and editorials with a fierce mature edge.
Just a little summertime sadness to kick off the day….
Prepping for Supercrawl 2016, we have a lot of exciting things coming up the woodwork!
Just want to give a huge thank you to our friends and fans for all the support and love over the years, and especially the dedicated readers who have been there since day one! Its hard to believe we are creeping on five years….
From the modest blog we began to explore the past, and the things we love, to where we are now, is just mind blowing.
So, THANK YOU.
This year has been especially busy, so its been really hard to keep up with writing articles for the website, as well as do all the amazing creative things we have been afforded the opportunity to do in our community, but hopefully we will get a breather soon, as there is a shit load of inspiration we are dying to share with the WWW.
We are especially amused by this classic music video for Nirvana and their iconic song “In Bloom” circa 1992!!!
A perfect example of the {past} influencing the {present} and shaping the {future}. In this case, its a double whammy of {past} influence with 90s style icons Nirvana taking on that classic 50s Buddy Holly vibe.
Also, a pretty sweet chill-out summer jam.
Can you believe, the summer might almost be over?!
XIXIXI gets you 25% OFF 
