Celine Book Contest #1

Thanks for your input about the Celine inspiration book contest and for so many good ideas!

Luckily I picked up several books so at least 2 will be auctioned off for charity. The rest we can use for our contest winners.

Here is the first contest:

Remember when I posted those vintage photos that I bought at the flea market last January?

I think we all loved those images.

I want you to email me an old (nothing later than the 80's) original photo that you feel conveys an inspirational sense of style. It could be from your own family archive or one that you found somewhere like a flea market, garage sale or swap meet. If it is from your family I would love to hear a little about the people in it.

Garance and I will pick a few and post them and then we will collectively name a winner.

I love this idea because it does not cost a lot of money (flea market photos are relatively cheap and family photos are free) and I love looking at great old photos! I hope to see some amazing shots from the 20's, 30's 50's 70's or whatever period inspires you.

This part is IMPORTANT please read before sending me images!

- The subject line of the email should read "Vintage Photo Contest"

- The contest will run from March 24th to March 30th

- Only 1 image per email, please EDIT

- The photos will only be posted here on the blog, so the file size can be very small (no bigger than 700kb). I DO NOT need hi-res images. It takes too long to download them.

- Send your photos to: sartorialistcontest@gmail.com

- Writing a little something about the image you send will make your entry much more interesting for all of us.

The New Sartorialist Contest!!

So the recent Diana Vreeland posts have really been a teaser for the next contest.

For those of you unfamiliar, Diana Vreeland was a fashion editor and writer at Harper's Bazaar from 1937-1963 and later the Editor-in-Chief of Vogue from 1963-1971, after her editorial career she became a consultant to The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

If you haven't yet, you have to find a copy of DV, Diana Vreeland's autobiography, written in 1984. For fashion fans it is a fantastic glimpse of real chic in the last century, . It was the first book I read when I moved to New York twenty years ago and it helped me see fashion and Manhattan in a fantastic new light.

Ms. Vreeland was also the inspiration for the character of Maggie Prescott in Fred Astaire's ( as Richard Avedon) movie Funny Face. Remember the famous "Think Pink!" musical number...pure DV!

She was also the creator of the wildly popular "Why don't you..." column, which she began for Harper's Bazzar in 1937. I love the complete whimsy of these suggestions, they seem over-the-top and crazy, but at the same time they kinda/sorta make sense. What you have to remember is that the suggestions were based in reality, but it was Diana Vreeland's reality!

So, the idea of this contest is to update "Why don't you..." with a modern twist.

Maybe focus on the things that were not around at Ms. Vreelands time; the iPhone, Internet or the modern-day celebrity or just something in everyday modern life that we can all relate to but just a little crazier.....surprise us!

VERY IMPORTANT!

Submissions must be sent to sartorialistvreeland@gmail.com, that is the only way I can confirm the winner and know where to send the Celine book.

Please put "Vreeland Contest" in the subject line.

I will post the top submissions on the blog.

The contest will be open fron now until April 12th.

Contest Winner Announced Tonight!

Wow!
What great participation for this contest!

I loved reading all the posts.

Tomorrow I will post the additional 100-ish posts that I was not able to post because I did not receive the email confirmation (they are also great)

I think this contest thing went really well, I think we should do some more!
I also bought the new Hedi Slimane book "Portrait of a Performer" featuring Courtney Love. I think it might be a good prize for the next contest. Actually, what I really love is that I think most of you really didn't care about the prize but just wanted to share, I could really feel the heartfelt sentiments in your stories.

I have a few other questions that might make for interesting responses but if you have any contest questions that you feel might make for good participation please let me know.

Thanks again everyone

scott

Here is a link about the Hedi Slimane book

"Portrait Of A Performer, Courtney Love / Hedi Slimane"

Contest Update

Thanks to everyone that submitted a photo for the contest!

I thought we might get a few hundred entries but we ended up with over 2,200 submissions.

We've all enjoyed the images and related stories. No matter who gets the book I think we were all winners.

If you like, continue to send vintage photos to this email address sartorialistcontest@gmail.com (and only to that email address)

I still have quite a few images that I will be posting occasionally over the next few weeks.

Because of the huge response to the contest it will take me a week or so to sort through all of emails myself. I plan to announce a winner next week.

Can you guess what the next contest will be?

The Sartorialist Contest w/ the New, Signed Bruce Weber book as The Prize

I was in Miami this weekend for Art Basel and had the chance to attend the book signing for Bruce Weber's new book "Sex and Words".

Of course I was thinking about my readers and thought "How can I use this opportunity to benefit them and thank them for all their support?" then I got an idea A CONTEST!

A really easy contest that everyone can participate in.

Here it is
in the comments section of this post please respond to the following
"What has most inspired your personal style?"

This could be your Grandma, or a movie, a band, a designer or whatever.

I think it will be really interesting to read what inspires your style plus you can win a really cool book.

IMPORTANT - please leave your response in the comments section and then copy it and email it to me so I can match it up and send the prize to the right person. I will not post a response until I receive the email .
Please put CONTEST in the subject line

The Winner will be announced on Dec. 20th ( in time for Holiday gift giving or receiving)


I will begin with my response

Giorgio Armani ads of the 80's were incredibly influential on my early style development. The ads then were mostly shot by Aldo Fallai and were so beautiful (usually black & white). I could relate to what I was seeing in the ads, they were full of people and place that kinda looked like my life - only better.





This is how the Bruce Weber website describes the book:

“Sex and Words” is a limited-edition book of Bruce Weber photographs inspired by the writings of D.H. Lawrence. In the context of Weber’s catalogue of publications, this delicate volume features a unique construction. Sixteen black and white and three color plates are juxtaposed with selections from “Lady Chatterley’s Lover,” “Women in Love” and “Sons and Lovers.” Adjacent pages within the volume are interspersed with illustrated vellum sheets that play off the naturalism and sensuality of the photos and text.

This is a limited print run of 2000 books


ps for those of you that don't win but still want the book I have two other signed copies that I will auction off especially for The Sartorialist readers on Ebay.
I will place the link here when it is set

Good Luck

Contest Update

We already have over 300 entries!
The photos and stories are fabulous...thank you!
Here is just one of the entries I loved

Hi Dear Scott,

The idea of the contest is amazing, that's why I felt encouraged to send 3 pictures (in different mails) of my father, Jorge Vargas de Andrade.
This one here is my favourite, but I think the others complement this one and the three give a whole idea of his sense of style.
He was born in 1921 and I believe this picture was taken when he was in his twenties. I am a child of his second marriage, so this image is somehow very far from the man I knew.
Despite being from a failed family from the elite of Rio de Janeiro, he has never lost his elegance. What I like most about his looks is his natural style, with a bit of an edge, very effortless and not too worried to show off. For me the way he dressed was part of the charming person he was and the bon-vivant he would become in the following years.

Yours sincerely,
Isabella

The Shot, Vintage Photo Contest

May I introduce you to my Texas Grandma, Charlene Beck, I liken her in my mind to a cross between Rosie the Riveter and Bonnie Parker. This image of her was taken in the 1950's on a road trip from Texas to Tennessee by my Papa, Henry Beck, whom you can see in the reflection of the mirror. What is so inspirational about this image goes beyond the fabulous sense of style my grandmother had (and has still very much to this day). I mean, how cute does she look in her cuffed pants and rolled up sleeves with the scarf sweeping her shoulder?! If you look deeper you'll realize she is a woman in the 50's wearing men's jeans, something women did not do in small town USA back then. She was a style trailblazer, not letting the fact she is a woman stop her from wearing what she wants, when she wants. The outfit in present day is not shocking but I think we can still appreciate her sense of style and take inspiration in that freedom she so boldly stood for back then with what we choose to wear today. Just a side note on this photograph — if you ask my Grandma about it she likes to point out the fact that she's at least drinking milk so no one gets the impression she's as bad as she looks... I think anyone can see why she is my hero.

I found this image packed away in my grandfather's army trunk along with old valentines, pictures of Europe, his family on the farm and mementos from his life after he passed away in the 90's.


ps keep the photos comong. Almost 800 enteries now.
All weekend I will be posting more images from the contest.

Vintage Photos Return!

I am a big fan of both your blogs. I am Alexandra, french but living in Germany, Berlin since 2000.

It was quite difficult to make a decision on which photo I should send you because I have several which could be perfect for the contest.

The one enclosed is from my grand-parents. "Biarritz_1936" They lived normally in Reims, north-east from France.

This photo was taken just before the war in 1936 in Biarritz. They are on their honeymoon. I like this photo a lot because they just feel happy and they look incredibly elegant and stylish even if they are at the sea... it would never happen nowdays ! My grand-father was half english and until his death very elegant, a real gentlman. I also like the contrast of the perfect hair for my grand-father and the wind blowing through the hair of my grand-mother.

Until their death, they had 6 children and about 35 grandchildren... they were very important to me and my family, and were very implicated in helping others who needed it.

I could not resist sending you a photo of them both in Bandol on the same vacation because I find them so beautiful even though they are just wearing the minimum: a swinsuit. The photo reminds me a little bit of Man Ray photo.

Best,

Alexandra H.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Remember those great vintage photo posts we were doing back in the spring?

Let's start that up again!

Below are the details.

- The subject line of the email should read "Vintage Photo Contest"

- The photos will only be posted here on the blog, so the file size can be very small (no bigger than 700kb). I DO NOT need hi-res images, they take too long to download.

- Writing a little something about the image you send will make your entry much more interesting for all of us.

- Email your photos to: sartorialistvintagephotos@gmail.com

CONTEST UPDATE 12/17

I have about 100 responses to the contest that I have not posted because I did not receive an email from the responder.

Getting the email with the text is the only way I could think of to make sure that the right person got the prize.

I have not deleted any of the unposted comments ( they are really great) so if you don't see your comments posted then make sure to email me.

Any unposted responses will be posted once the winner is announced.

Thanks again for everyones input!!

This went so much better than I expected and I have received so much positive feedback. It seems people really enjoyed reading the wonderful, heartfelt comments.

CONTEST UPDATE 12/12

Other bloggers I know are a little jealous of the amount of participation I have on my blog and it is one of the things that I am really proud of, so again thanks to everyone who has left a response to the contest.

I think what we learn about each others dreams and influences will be even more rewarding than the prize (but the prize is still pretty nice).

Contest UPDATE

I love all the responses to the contest!!

Thank you all for your input - it is fascinating to read these personal little stories

IMPORTANT NOTE
I have quite a few posts that I have not received an email for. I can't post the response without the email so I can make sure to match the response/person.
If you just want to just add to the discussion without trying for the book just mention it in the header of the post.

If you have left a comment but you don't see it posted then email me with at least the exact first couple of sentences so I can match it up.

I didn't mention this before but the value of most Bruce Weber books skyrocket quickly. I would not be surprised if a limited-edition, signed Bruce Weber book would be worth a couple of hundred bucks very soon

Tailored Outerwear, Vintage Photo Contest

This photo is of my Grandpa, Richard Waltham (on the left) and his work friends taken in the late 1930s. My Grandpa was a banker and in his spare time he was an artist and photographer. I am a fan of the tailored look, not only do they have a very interesting sense of style, but it gives you an idea of what it was like back then, there is a lot of depth to it, from the water on the road, the advertisement to the left of them and the crowd of people behind them. My Grandpas story.

Hope this is of some help.

Peggy-Sue

A Single Man, Vintage Photo Contest

Sartorialist note - notice the button placement on his DB jacket

We don't know much about the gentleman on this picture, despite the fact that he always wore something in his breast pocket.

The photo reads something in the back in a mix of french for the title "Le Leme "(North of France, near Paris), and Italian for month "Aprile".
1922 - it was bought at a flea market in Florence.

The Friends, Vintage Photo Contest

Please find attached a photo of my grandfather and a friend from 1939. My grandfather, Sidney Foulkes, is in the dark polo neck on the left.
He sent this image to my grandmother just after they had begun courting and they had to wait till the end of the war till they were married
Here you can find my grandfather and some friends. He was born in 1908 ! in Valencia, Spain and later come to live in Barcelona.

He was from a country family but he always had a special sense to dress. I remember he looking himself at the mirror always before get out of home to have a walking with my brother and me. We think that these pictures are from around 1930 or before, because after that the things changed a lot in Spain because the civil war, etc..

This image comes from a collection of old photographs that belonged to my great-grandmother. It was taken sometime in the 1920s in a small country town in Australia. The subjects were family friends, most likely farmers or labourers with very little money. I particularly enjoy the individuality in the way they wear their hats.

Floppy Hat with a Tailored Coat, Vintage Photo Contest

The lady on the right looks like something out of a Yohji fashion show.

Cool Girls on Motorcycles, Vintage Photo Contest

This is a photo of my Great-uncle Frank's former girlfriend taken in the early 1930s on my Great grandfather's ranch in Sun Valley, CA. I "borrowed" this photo from my Grandpa about 5 years ago so I could take it to my hair stylist for inspiration for a new haircut. I don't know anything about this woman other than she dated a family member and she liked to ride motorcycles, my Grandpa was only about 7 around this time so he doesn't remember much about her. Still I love this picture and everything the girl on the bike embodies.
I’m used to walk in the small markets of antique dealers and I found this pictures.
I paid attention to it as I liked the woman personality, riding the bike in an unusual or not so femenin way for the times it was done, but at the same time because she appears kind of “daring” style.

Swimwear, Vintage Photo Contest

I have sent you some pics of my Dad who simply embodies the essence of Southern California style. Being a 5th generation Californian, I have always been in entranced the beautiful beach boy and girl myth and I love this picture. The West Coast really does have the sunshine and a certain style of it's own, No?

To me, my grandmother, Françoise Gerondeau, is the most elegant and the funniest woman in the world.

In fact, that photo was taken during the Algerian War, in the late fifties. My Grandfather, who is French, had been mobilized. And just before his departure, he told my grandmother (they were dating for a year) that he didn’t love her and that he would never marry her.
But she’s very stubborn, and she asked her brother to take photos of her during their vacations, so that she could send them to my grandfather, and he would fall in love again.
The photo you see can testify.
Isn’t it childish? To me that story defines exactly my grandmother.
That photo must have a great power, since when my grandfather came back, they got married.
I wish I had a picture of my grandfather, he was very alluring and elegant too. I think that my aesthetic taste comes from the observation of my grandparents. Both of them really represent a model to me.

Little Rascals, Vintage Photo Contest

This is our Uncle Matt circa 1925 in Hannibal, Missouri. After school baseball game. Uncle Matt is the one with the shiner. Love those socks!

I Need Your Help....

...with the Celine Inspiration Book Give Away






The last two seasons Phoebe Philo/Celine created beautiful inspiration books that were placed on the seats of each person attending the fashion show. I assume these books are reasonably rare since I don't think you can get them in the shops or anywhere else.

Of course not everyone took their book so Garance and I picked up a few of the extras for you, but we can't figure out how to get them to you.

A contest?

A Ebay auction for charity?

A raffle?

Instead of letting another season go by without getting these books into the hands of real Celine/fashion fans, I thought we should just ask you for ideas.

The trick is to create something that can have everyone participate (like yesterdays "versus" post) AND be able to identify and verify the winners (not so easy)

Remember that the least complicated ideas are the best for everyone involved.

PS just to be clear...the ideas do not have to relate to Celine at all

Alejandro & Mom, Vintage Photos

I love the idea of the contest, of sharing and being able to see other people's vintage photos. We tend so much to see fashion as something idealized and this really connects it with people's lives, it's great.

This a picture of my mother Willy van Rooy and me in Paris, I'm guessing the year must be 1970 or 71 at the most (I was born in 68). Apart from being an iconic model in the 60's and 70's who worked with the best photographers and designers, my mother was, and still is, a person with an amazing and very individual fashion sense (which later in life led her to become a successful fashion and shoe designer). I never remember her following fashion or buying clothes off-the-rack.

What I love about this picture is that it really shows her style, the mix of old-Hollywood glamour (the 30's vintage coat, the red lips, the short snake-skin jacket), with absolute freedom (the embroidered dress, the hand-made spanish boots, the Ibiza basket, the scarf and the flowing hair). And... don't I look like the cutest little hippie?

All the best,

Alejandro