The Disciples of Shirely Russell: Kelly Brook Pin Up/ Vintage Reproduction Collection for New Look: User Review

(The Disciples of Shirley Russell Blog posts review costumes and Vintage reproduction clothing. To see some of the greatest vintage 1950's dresses ever reproduced (and worn by the master singer/dancer/actress hourglass Ann-Margaret) please check out this piece I wrote on Shirley's unparalleled work on Ken's film of the Who Rock Opera Tommy. Shirley Russell smiles down on all vintage repro fans.)

KELLY BROOK NEW LOOK COLLECTION SUMMER 2012: AN INDEPTH USER GUIDE AND INDEPENDENT REVIEW BY SUPER AMANDA

(Kelly Brook on Brighton Pier- enviably personifying the ultimate British Pin Up life)


(Sophia Loren and Jack Hawkins in "Judith". The fine art of vintage short shorts and crackin thighs!)



(Beautiful inky florals and poppies from "Scandal in Sorrento" were borrowed for Kelly's New Look Collection)

I admire Kelly Brook's personal style and charm so I was very excited when I read that following her well received and quality Christmas, lingerie and swim wear collections for New Look that she was finally releasing a full ready to wear line. For my American friends, New Look is a UK High Street store that has no real comparison in the states for such great quality at such a great price. They manufacture mostly in Romania and even have a Green line of Fair Trade dresses. This thus far 30 piece collection for New Look is officially the first large scale High Street Pin Up inspired line ever produced.

Finally I might add!

            (It Started in Naples. Believe me folks, it really did.)

Kelly's promo has been that this collection is for 'curvy girls to showcase their assets" and that the designs are inspired by her style icons ; Gina Lollobrigida, Sophia Loren and B. Bardot. I should add, that those three woman are not only my style icons too but my everything- especially Sophia Loren. As a Southern Italian woman she perennially personifies our culture in so many ways that go far beyond beauty. As an actress I've seen most of her 100 plus films and love Sophia's rare records as well. Bardot born a few weeks after Sophia is of course an entirely different icon and cultural figure but nonetheless is still beloved by millions. Gina Lollobrigida, like Loren, also speaks to me as an Italian woman.  A very talented actress and photographer, her style is of a very elegant Gran Signora even frequenting the same corsetier as Queen Elizabeth once did during the 1950's. Both women were a mind boggling 36-22-34.

(La Lollo: Italy's First Female Film Goddess)


   (Bardot in a daisy/sunflower print dress very similar to Kelly's collection)


So I really wanted to see if Kelly Brook went beyond just skimming coffee table books and the most well known films and was able to capture the style essence of all three mythic goddesses. More importantly, I wanted to see how and if the items were structured for curvy women. Many lines make this claim and never deliver either coming out with dowdy designs or simply cutting them for a narrow figure who just happens to be busty. Kelly (alongside Sofia Vergara) has currently the world's most perfect hourglass figure. And like Vergara, her flawless figure is down to fantastic luck and thus unrealistic for most women to use as an inspiration. She's very slim, very fine boned and yet wondrously buxom and shapely hipped at the same time. It is hard to believe that such a perfect looking woman (one who can beautifully wear skinny low rise jeans with thigh high boots as well as vintage Pin up dresses) could also create a clothing line that's would look good on a Neapolitan Amazon or just the average shapely UK woman.

All my doubts were cast aside-this is a wicked line of clothing which made almost none of the same mistakes previous designers have! And while the clothes are not specifically sized or designed for an ultra curvaceous figure the way say Shoshanna Lonstein used to cut her clothing back in the day, the collection will flatter many with curves as well as those who are slim. So far I have 7 pieces (a birthday present from my husband) 4 dresses, 1 playsuit, and the shorts/crop top set and I plan to get almost the entire line.

First things first:

Made in Europe: I'm phasing out buying anything made in China. Made in the USA and Made in the UK and Europe is where my money is going. Enough said.

The Poppy Print: A variation through out the line was lifted to glorious vintage repro- effect  from Sophia Loren's famous sweetheart swing dress from Scandal in Sorrento (see above). Inky florals, poppies and sunflowers are all lovely. I preferred prints that were smaller and the solid dark periwinkle blue. The bigger prints are still very wearable though even in the sometimes troublesome colour of satsuma.

Fit : Running very true to size with the playsuits coming up a tad smaller on taller gals (5'8 and above) as they usually tend to. For US shoppers, British sizing at New Look is roomy so when you do your conversions check the size chart first to the letter, er, number.

Stand-outs: The 39.99 dresses and the structured bra tops. The colours, the fabrics, the fit...magnificent!



The off the shoulder inky flower dress (above) is my favourite. Really flattering to a larger bust without cleavage showing while working almost any occasion.

                                                         

The Hawaiian Print was designed with both Bardot and La Lolo in mind and keeps a 50's shape while having an off -shoulder ease and drape that works on all figures.

                                                         

The satiny cotton periwinkle blue structured bust dress is very Roman Holiday. Enough bust showing to look sexy but long enough to still look classy. Comes with a nice wide belt for waist cinching. The red polka dot skirt has a vintage pencil shape and nice fit. The Black Body Con dress will work on all figures but the mega endowed may have button up issues as I did. The red polka dot structured bust top is fantastic for bigger busts though (see below for a more indepth review)

The Satsuma sunflower, daisy print dress is cut with the same structured bust as the blue dress (only a thin belt is included here) and is a lovely day time, popping down to Broadway Market/Columbia Road (I do this often, not an affectation) sexier take on the British Tea Dress.



The Peplum dress is a very popular look in the UK this entire year, popping up in digi prints, ditsy florals and scarf print silks. While the print was a tad too big for my tastes, this dress will look beautiful on all figures..

The Bust is a MUST: The structured busts on two dresses, one playsuit and two tops are fantastic and Kelly and her team created a great fit that works beyond an E cup with great support. Due to the versatility of the design smaller busts are not left out either and will actually look bigger. The secret is that the back is partially open (accommodating nearly all figures), coming up at the neck and shoulders into a semi halter shape with the wide straps opening into a sweetheart bust in the front. It feels like a harness effect which means you don't need a bra. I'm a 34G/32GG and the fit is wonderful. With the zipper closure at the lower back you've got fit. And joy of joys! The cups are not wired. So no wire to eventually poke out at you. Howard Hughes could not have done a better job if he tried. If you are going into an Hcup or bigger than a 34/36UK under bust sizing than you may have fit issues. If so then stick with the other dresses. (See below trio photo to get an idea of the back)

The skorts with attached skirt:  A clever retro look that few (if any) Vintage Repro lines ever have attempted. These are roomy but tad too short for my tastes. Still very cute for pottering around the house and garden or dog walking of course.

Shoes and handbags: All are very cute and of a very decent make. Kelly did not do any wide widths in the two espadrille wedgies and four wonderful court shoes so sadly no shoes for me but I can still wholeheartedly recommend.



Minor Criticisms:

Button down closure The crop top (see very top pic and trio centre below), the peplum camisole and the Black polka dot Body Con dress are not possible to close on big breasts but still very cute. If you are say a size 10 or 12 with a 28 or 30F or even 32G you may be in luck but 14-16 34Gs like me should stick with the aforementioned dresses. I'm getting my crop top altered professionally.

Playsuits: The two in the collection are fab but may not be long enough if you are tall. Though they are cut well and sized perfectly for larger busts, at almost 5'10, my red dot playsuit which is really mostly a bathing suit (above) just fit. And it is cotton with almost no stretch (possibly translucent when wet? Update: Yes, it is!). The New Look website incorrectly stated "100% polyester" which means "swim suit material" and "four way stretch" so when I got home the shop I was a bit disappointed as it looked very roomy on the rack. The floral playsuit was almost all gone so I never was able to try it on in my size though it looked adorable and I love the darker take on the poppy print.

Red Polka dot trousers: Were very cute but running a bit small all around and actually cut with a slight late 90's low rise making them the one joker in the pack. They'll look the best on super skinny legs like Kelly has.



High waisted jeans, shorts, tie front blouse and T-shirts (above) were cute but seemed out of place at least in fit as far a briefness was concerned. The shorts were short enough to be inspired reproductions of what Sophia Loren wore in "Woman of The River" or "Judith" (see above second photo) but those were films! I think vintage reproduction hot pants and denim is an exact science that takes a historian of fashion (like say vintage clothing expert, designers Freddie of Pinewood) to master after trial and error. I hope Kelly takes them down a few more inches in her next collection with black or raw denim and adds some blue and red floral dresses perhaps. Wide width shoes and more bags of course. And here's to her next collection!  More, more, more!

This is a WONDERFUL range and Kelly Brook and New Look should be proud of the High Street's first vintage reproduction line which can be worn by a wide range body and bust types. Looking forward to the next collection with baited wallet!

Delius and The Artist as Survivalist

(Due to the world events of the past few days, I took a few days off to try to make sense of the senseless. I am thankful for the peace and sanctity that myself and my friends and family enjoy. If you live in London then Amy Winehouse is like family and we lost a daughter on Saturday. If you believed as I once did that Northern Europe had attained within it's borders the most peaceful society in the world then Norway is a paradise now lost. So much freedom was just shattered for so many and yet through art and the examination of what great art is, we begin to find solid ground amidst the unravelling of the human experience. A way to regroup away from the static via a journey through the artist's way. Back now to Ken Russell who is our guide.)

(Contains film plot spoilers)

If "Delius, Song of Summer" conveyed one important lesson to me it was that certain artistic geniuses are survivors and others are not. We think of all the great artists dying young but this simply is not the case. I think the single focus will to continue onward in the face of depression, self hatred, heart break, addiction, hounding and even being rejected by the public is perhaps preordained by nature. It is at least unexplained as much as being gifted is.

Delius was willing to live through the horrible and debilitating disease of Syphilis so that he could continue composing. His living spirit was bolstered by being demanding, rude and annoyingly honest. A German minder would haul his usually ungrateful ass upstairs to comfort and safety when he said so. He never faltered when it came to composing. He never faltered when being a supreme and wholly charming egotist too. I believe it was Delius's super human focus on his art that led Fenby to be such a harsh critic of his own work. Perhaps he felt he could never measure up to Delius or perhaps he simply felt his talent was put to better use as an amanuensis par excellence. This is a shame, as Fenby sadly destroyed many of his early compositions which would have undoubtedly found an audience today.

Jelka Rosen, Delius's wife proves my recently made point about gender differences in artists. Unlike Delius, Amy Winehouse was alone when she died. Yes, a minder was in the house but no one lay next to Amy in bed to perhaps realize she'd stopped breathing in time to save her life. Delius lived to be 72 and Amy 27. Male artists have women who will do anything for them and be there till the end, NEVER walking away or leaving for too long. Few female artists get that luxury as most men are too selfish and yes, too sensible to live in the shadow of a crazed genius.

But if art knows no frontiers than it also knows no pity and no vanity in death. We cry, we mourn, we pity but subconsciously we know they were in part geniuses because they were not afraid of death. All great artists have regret and fear-fear is an essential component to life and even lust and romance-but when faced with paying the highest price of all we want our artists as heroes or anti-heroes, never as martyrs. After a quick review I realized that for my most cherished icons of artistic genius, a long life has been won. Paul Robeson, Pete Townshend, Sophia Loren and Ken Russell.

Robeson faced down the destruction of his global fame, his art and then his personality via electroshock at the hands of four doctors all later proved to be CIA contractors. He lived the last decade of his life in Philadelphia, a melancholy and weakened man but a defiant and unapologetic one. Outliving all the henchmen of the red scare including J.Edgar Hoover and Joseph McCarthy himself. As far as battles go that would kill the less hearty, Pete Townshend has competed only with himself to all manner of results. Looking astonishingly younger than his years despite suffering many of the same addictions Winehouse did (and recovering) one never knows what he'll do or say next. I do think he'd like to live forever if he could.

Sophia Loren continues to break new ground regarding how sexually enticing a woman can be as she ages in the eyes of media and a global patriarchy that still wants women terrified of ageing. As a very young child living in extreme poverty she living through the bombing of Italy and the Four Days of Naples uprising. War and death was a daily reality of her childhood not an imagined concept as it is for most of us.

Ken too has survived and at 84, looks to outlive everyone. He drinks champagne, enjoys his chocolate when his wife Lisi says so and seems to have magical genes. I think he's survived because as he's put it, he's always been a voyeur. Watching and not joining in is a lifesaver. Some make the back ground music for the soundtrack of the world while Russell has made the actual films that accompany the music. It sounds simplistic but hear me out. Ken said himself he never pushes his working class background, does not appear too political or to esoteric. His genius is to bring the world, it's follies and it's colours to life; the geniuses like Delius back from past, the human experience eyeball to eyeball with our own. I could see Ken being just as feisty today as Delius was, with a line of hopeful amanuenses stretching around the block were he making a new film.

One last key element of all truly great artists (survivalists or not) is mystery. Despite my devotion as a loyal uber fan there is a great deal I will never know about the lives of the artists I revere. They will remain people whose "coats have thousands of pockets". It goes without saying or explanation why this is so critical.

Amy Winehouse had that too.