Hagley Museum celebrates 75th Anniversary of Nylon

"Silk Stockings

So soft and so sheer

The dear Silk

Stockings you wore"

Lyrics and music by Cole Porter

Today that should be an ode to Nylon.  With the creation of nylon, silk stockings became a memory of the past. The Hagley Museum in Delaware just opened a new exhibit in April called Fashion Meets Science: Introducing Nylon This exhibit shows how nylon revolutionized the fashion industry and influenced how people have dressed since its launch in 1938 by the DuPont Company.

Fashion Meets Science: Introducing Nylon celebrates the 75th anniversary of nylon’s introduction to the fashion world. On October 27, 1938, a brand new material named nylon was announced to the public. Created in DuPont’s labs, nylon replaced silk in the ladies hosiery industry. Nylon was so popular that its early sales created near riots.

The highlight of the exhibit is the early development of nylon and its impact on the fashion industry, but it includes other uses for the discovery such as parachutes, toothbrushes, and carpet.

Nylon Wedding Dress

Visitors will be able to view the first polyamide fiber sample (basis of nylon) and first souvenir sample of nylon thread, first all-nylon woven fabric, one of the first pairs of stockings manufactured at the Experimental Station, and the first pair of seamless stockings; the first wedding dress made of nylon (1942), first dress made of 100 percent spun nylon (1949), and first nylon football pants will also be on display in addition to other nylon “firsts.”

Nylon Quiana Jacket.

Visitors can see the first nylon overlay lace dress (1940) and a prototype black nylon nightgown from Vanity Fair (1947). Clothing made from Qiana, a silky nylon fiber that debuted in the late 1960s and influenced fashion of the disco era, will also be displayed.

 Featured Qiana items include a Bill Blass Qiana Boudoir Robe (1968-1969), William Travilla Qiana evening gown (1968-1969), Oscar de la Renta Qiana wrap dress (1968-1969), Charles Kleibacker Qiana cocktail dress.

So for all you nylon   and fashion buffs this exhibit runs through March 31, 2014. Hagley Museum and Library is located on Route 141 in Wilmington, Delaware. Call (302) 658-2400 weekdays for more information or visit www.hagley.org.

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Neumann University students walk the runway for a Cause

For members of the Fashion For A Cause (FFAC) at Neumann University their goal is not only to make you look fashionable but to make the fashionista in you help others.

On April 19 students will walk the runway showing off gorgeous looks  at the Mirenda Center Community Hall at Neumann University in Aston. Maria Sotomayor, vice president of FFAC is proud of her hardworking members who come from diverse backgrounds and reach out to others focusing on their community.

“Our fashion show is our major event of the year, the purpose of our show is not to showcase the latest trends, but to use our talents and teamwork to help a special non-profit organization through our show. All of our proceeds this year will go to a program run by the non-profit organization, La Puerta Abierta/The Open Door, which provides mental health services to immigrants in Philadelphia, “said Sotomayer.

La Puerta Abierta created the Youth Mentorship Initiative focusing on meeting the needs of immigrant youth regardless of immigration status. This is a youth driven program that helps create a supportive and therapeutic community for teens and college age undocumented citizens.

“As a group, we know how difficult being a teenager is; the mission of the program caught our attention, because everyone deserves the chance to be treated equally and having mentors to support them and guide them is very important, “explains Sotomayor.

This year’s fashion show will feature clothes from Louella, a women’s clothing store in Wayne owned by Mary Delany. Members will wear their own favorite spring outfits and accessories. The students will be showing off their own uniqueness choosing clothes that tell what fashion looks like to them .

The goal for the club is to use the universal language of fashion to help young people love the skin they’re in empowering their self- esteem and talents. But even more, the members are committed to helping their communities any way they can.

FFAC hosts A Case for Smiles by ConKeer Cancer creating bright cheerful pillowcases for children. Many volunteer at Dress for Success which helps unemployed women find clothes to wow their potential employers. The students participate in the Neumann Cultural Arts Forum and Luncheon which benefits the Mary Kearney Memorial Scholarship Fund at the University.

Along with the ticket price of $10 for guests and $7 for students there will be performances by talented singing Neumann students and light refreshments. The show starts at 7 p.m. You can't beat the price or the causes these young people are dedicated to. Keep Styling in Delco

Spring fashions take on a bold new look

            Spring Fashion is here with a drum roll. Colors are vibrant, even electric: bright oranges, yellows, blues and greens, large flower prints, geometric black and whites.  Metallic and floral accessories are all the rage. Leather, suede and tweed though usually thought a winter look come to the forefront with short sleeves and vibrant colored leather skirts and pants.            

Skirts a little longer, straight pants, a little shorter and cut at the ankle.  

The white blazer makes a comeback. So does the suit.

So it's time to revamp the wardrobe. Bring out some of those old favorites you might have in your closet or go to Target. Kohl's or JCPenney for designer looks at great prices.  Here is glimpse at some of the new trends seen at a fashion show at the Community Arts Center in Wallingford sponsored by the Delaware County SPCA. Puppies and kitties are always in style when adopted. Premium outlets of Philadelphia dressed the models gathering the best of the best trends.  

 So all you out there ready to think Spring: forget the pastels think bold, think color!

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Delco takes to the Red Carpet

                                       

Delco was showing off  their Hollywood looks on the Red Carpet at Cawley's Irish Pub and the Llanerch Diner in Upper Darby. It was glamour and glitz and lots of Eagle attire.  So here's a look at how good we looked the night of the Academy Awards as we cheered on our favorite actors Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook. This movie brought the stars to the towns of Upper Darby, Lansdowne and Ridley and on Oscar night we were Styling in Delco darling.

                                                                        

Ways to save on Designer looks

It's that time of year to go through your Spring wardrobe looking for ways to fill in the gaps. So what  about designer looks. We all know we love the new looks but can we afford then. When was the last time you paid $500 for a pair of shoes or $4000 for a all cotton tee-shirt. If you are like me the answer is never!
So where do you go for something delicious to wear,  soft to the touch and show stopping.

Girl Talk at Haverford Square

 

Come to Hope Chest of Haverford Square for some tantalizing girl talk tonight beging at 6 p.m.  Author Karen Jayne  will be apppearing  to talk about all things intimate at this Lingerie Boutique. Here's your chance to get into the spirit of Valentine's Day with the ladies so that big night is extra-special. Jayne, writer of 3 Down Pillows is a professional life coach. She helps clients attain their personal fulfillment by attracting what they truly desire.

Jayne's book takes you through a three-month life coaching journey for Vivian, a middle-aged, married, mother, who finds she is disconnected from herself, from her husband and from her sexuality. Her life feels devoid of pleasure and passion. Intimately experience the process leading to her transformation as she learns how to connect to self-love and inner fulfillment by shifting perceptions, interpretations and language while becoming present and empowered.

Hope Chest has been aa premiere lingerie store in the Main Line Philadelphia are for 20 years.  They feature the finest lingerie from Europe and America for over 20 years,specialing  in bras, sleepwear, shapewear, and sexy lingerie. Hope Chest was  voted  top lingerie store in the world by Travel and  Leisure Magazineson what they want, and identify how current patterns of behavior are encouraging or inhibiting them Leisure Magazine.  For more information, please visit www.hopechestshop.com and Facebook.com/HopeChestHaverford.  If you want to take part in this thought provoking night of girl talk  RSVP via Facebook, click here: tinyurl.com/girltalkhaverford

Women in Paris can wear pants legally



Photo by Brisbane Times.com au



The French have finally allowed women to wear trousers. The French Minister of Women's Rights, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem repealed the law which is over 200 years old. and was created during the French Revolution.  The French government amended this law allowing women to wear trousers while riding  a bike or a horse.  Before this repeal police could arrest women for dressing like men according to the Telegraph, a British publication. 

Fascinating especially when you think it was a French designer, Paul Poiret who was the first to design pants for women.  In 1913 Poiret was inspired by Eastern culture and created Harem pants. Then came Coco Channel. a fashion icon who liberated women with her trends of casual looks and created a new silhouette for women out of jersey materials  in the 1930's. She created the riding pants so women could ride without wearing dresses and riding sideways. In the 1950's she introduced pea jackets and bell bottoms for women.

 But as all things come out of necessity, women wore trousers to work on farm work and then to help during World War I in the factories. So trousers on women though a novelty were worn.

Actresses Marlene Dietrich and Katharine Hepburn were often photographed in trousers from the 1930s. Looking fantastic they  helped make trousers acceptable for women. During World War II, women in Britain wore their husbands' trousers while  working in factories and serving in the war effort. Who can forget Rosy the Riveter standing proudly dressed in a shirt and trousers showing her  loyalty to her country and working to free the world. Little did she know she was freeing herself to put on trousers. Trousers became acceptable for casual wear, for gardening,  at the beach, and other leisure pursuits during the post-war era.

 With the fight for equal rights, women wore  trousers more and more in the work environment during the 1970's.  In the United States the passage of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which made public education treat males and females equally. Dresses could not be required of female students and dress codes changed in public schools across the United States. Today we have the right to wear pants, long skirts, short skirts and shorts.  So let's open a champagne bottle and toast  Najet Vallaud-Belkacem for taking a step forward and letting go of a law no one styling would take seriously. " Bravo!!!"
Keep Styling in Delco.