100 Unforgettable Dresses

Stuart Mesires and Hal Rubenstein

I just finished reading Hal Rubenstein's book, 100 Unforgettable Dresses. Rubenstein is a fashion writer and a founding editor of InStyle magazine. His book was published this past October but he was in Chicago a few weeks ago for a book signing event in conjunction with the Chicago History Museum's Costume Council.

The book and his talk were like a trip down memory lane. Where were you when you first saw this dress....

Elizabeth Hurley wearing Gianni Versace, 1994

or this one...

J Lo wearing Donatella Versace, 2000

Other dresses from the book are imprinted in our brains as iconic even if we weren't around to see them when they first made an appearance such as...

Diane Von Furstenberg 1978 in her own wrap dress

or this..

Marilyn Monroe wearing the "Happy Birthday" dress by Jean Louis in 1962 

Rubenstein said that the criteria for including a dress in the book was not if the dress was beautiful. He explained that the book was not called "100 Beautiful Dresses" and that he didn't even like all of the dresses in the book. Instead he decided to include dresses that changed our perception of beauty. The book is a great read and doesn't just include pretty pictures, it also contains amazing stories of some of the century's most significant fashion moments.

What's your most unforgettable dress?

Thanksgiving Hostess

For those of you who plan on entertaining this Thanksgiving, why not take a page from eras gone by and dress to coordinate with your Thanksgiving table? I ran across the two images below in a book from 1956 titled, Coat's and Clark's Hostess Book. In true Betty Draper style, it was de riguer in the 1950s to coordinate one's outfit (which usually included an apron) to one's table linens.

Coat's and Clark's Hostess Book 1956

Coat's and Clark's Hostess Book, 1956

In the 1960s/1970s the hostess dress came into fashion. Usually it was a maxi dress that coordinated or matched one's table linens and sometimes even one's china. In the photo below, the lady's dress also matches the curtains in the room!

The image below is an advertisement for a paper hostess dress with matching paper table linens, plates, place mats, cups, and even wrapping paper.

 

Diane von Furstenberg may be trying to bring this trend back with her recently launched tableware collection. 

Diane von Furstenberg 1970s

Below, is a photo from the November 2010 issue of House Beautiful.  It's Furstenberg's take on decorating a table for Thanksgiving. It uses pieces from her tableware collection which includes plates, glasses, place mats, coasters, trays, table linens, serving pieces and more. It would be so fab to host a Thanksgiving dinner in that room while wearing a coordinating DVF maxi wrap dress! Happy Thanksgiving!