Celluloid, Bakelite, and Plastic: What Are They and How Are They Different?

By Paige McKirahan

You walk into Barney’s New York with the intention of accessorizing for a night on the town and come to find bangles of all colors. They’re beautiful, light, and handmade. You wonder how normal plastic could look so elegant and check the tag, realizing it is made of vintage bakelite. What is this gorgeous material?

Celluloid and bakelite are vintage jewelry staples often mistaken for the normal plastics that are usually casted to make jewelry. These materials are among some of the first man made plastics on the market. Celluloid predates bakelite and was created in an attempt to win a contest calling for someone to create a substitute for ivory in the 1860s. Though it did not win the contest, its creator, John Hyatt, chose to begin a manufacturing company that used the plastic to create billiard balls. The problem, though, was that the material was flammable; it would create small explosions on billiard tables if the balls knocked together! It also constantly sparked fires in hot projection rooms on movie sets when used to create movie film. To identify this plastic, you don’t need to wait for it to accidentally catch fire; the easiest way is to rub the piece vigorously and smell it. If it is real celluloid, it should smell similar to a ping pong ball.

Now, when Bakelite emerged on onto the scene in 1909, it made a sort of different explosion. It became wildly more popular than celluloid because of the simple fact that it didn’t quite literally explode and was more lightweight. When it first came into circulation, it was used primarily for industrial purposes until it started becoming available in a variety of colors. This inexpensive material then became a huge favorite of jewelry makers and differs from regular plastic jewelry as it is hand carved or polished into its design. You can check to see if your bakelite isn’t an imposter by using the 409 test. You dip a cotton swab in 409, the common household cleaner, and touch a small area of the piece. Be sure to touch a part of the jewelry that will not be seen! If it is true Bakelite, it will leave a yellow stain on the cotton swab.

As a collector or simply a jewelry lover, it pays to know if you have a piece made with one of these materials as their value has only increased over the past few decades. Authentic pieces can sell for thousands of dollars and are coveted by many in the collecting community. So now that you know the what and how on celluloid and bakelite, we invite you to pull out your vintage pieces and start testing!

From Drab to Fab: The Functionality of Dress and Shoe Clips

By Paige McKirahan

Have you ever wondered how you can change your boring, plain dresses and shoes into something spectacular? Something with character and pizazz? Well, the answer to that question of how lies in the 1930s with Hollywood icons and simple silhouettes.

By the ‘30s, dress and shoe clips were the “it” accessories; in the midst of the Great Depression, many women were looking for ways to emulate opulence and spice up plain clothing for cheap. This era paired with the imminent second World War forced fashion to become rationed, so these clips were an easy way for women to inexpensively adorn themselves to look similar to beloved movie stars like Marlene Dietrich, Tallulah Bankhead, Lana Turner, and Fay Wray. Dress clips were commonly worn as it is shown below, on the straps of a dress, or clipped as a symmetrical pair on square or sweetheart necklines.

 Marlene Dietrich sporting a dress pin

(image credit to deviantart.com)

 The popularity of the dress clip prompted the revitalization of the shoe clip, which originally came into circulation in the 18^th century. The resurgence of the trend in the 1930s aimed to embellish plain pairs of flats or heels with some sparkle and flash, which differs vastly from the feathers and ruffles that were being clipped to shoes at the trend’s conception. Since the rise of hemlines began in the 1920s, these shoe clips were an easy way to accessorize an outfit from the ground up and could even be matched to dress clips to create a complete, cohesive look!

Though expensive jewelry makers were at the front of the line in creating these fun wearables, every costume jewelry maker from America to Europe had a line of clips in circulation. Eisenberg, Trifari, Coro, and Napier were rivaling Cartier and Van Cleer & Arpels in attempt to create a more affordable alternative to luxury pieces, catering to the economic climate of the era. Common materials used in these pieces were bakelite, faux gemstones, glass pearls, and other early plastics. These companies eventually stopped manufacturing this type of jewelry in the ‘50s and ‘60s, but they are still sought out by jewelry aficionados worldwide.

Coro Dress Clip Ad

(image credit to frenchgardenhouse.com)

Shoe and dress clips gave women the ability to sparkle literally from head to toe and that option is still available today. Charlize Theron and Sarah Jessica Parker took notes from old Hollywood starlets and sported dress clips on the red carpet at recent events. To spice up your look in a similar fashion, head over to our collection of brooches and pins so you too can start feeling that 1930s glam!

 (image credits to everthingzoomer.com)

The Laurenficiation of America

By Paige McKirahan

To celebrate the revival of Western wear this fall, it is important to recognize one of the fashion world’s most iconic designers that made Americana inspired pieces a staple in wardrobes across the globe. Can you guess who it is? We’ll give you a few hints: colorful polos, teddy bear motifs, and American flags. If you said Ralph Lauren, the creative mind behind his namesake brand, you guessed correctly! This year, the brand is celebrating its 50^th anniversary, marking half a century of trials, tribulations, and unmatched success.

(image credits to Vogue.com)

Ralph Lauren, born Ralph Lifshitz in 1939, is a Bronx native that studied business prior to his arrival to the fashion world. He began his long career as a designer and businessman during his secondary and post- secondary studies; he would upsell handmade ties to his peers and eventually became a neckwear salesman at Brooks Brothers. After he grew tired of selling others designs and being inspired by thicker European tie styles that contrasted the popular thin ties of the time, he attempted to persuade his employer to allow him to create and sell his own pieces. Upon Brooks Brothers refusal, he approached a multitude of other manufacturers before Beau Brummell, an upscale NYC neckwear boutique, eventually accepted his proposal in 1967. Lauren begin selling and creating pieces right from their Empire State building showroom with nothing but a single drawer to work out of.

His success in Beau Brummell prompted the expansion of his products into other small boutiques and eventually brought on a deal with Bloomingdales. Lauren decided to continue with this growth and came to the conclusion that it was time to form his own company; with the help of his brother Jerry and with support from Manhattan clothing manufacturer Norman Hilton, Polo Fashions, Inc. was born in 1968. The polo name was incorporated because of Lauren’s love for athletics and the style that came along with it, despite the fact that he himself had never participated in the sport. Four years after the brands conception, he decided to introduce what can be considered the label’s most iconic design: the short sleeved collared shirt with a polo pony on the chest. 

After the release of this cult classic, the brand grew substantially over the following decades and expanded into women’s wear, fragrances, and home goods. The name was changed in 1987 to the Polo/ Ralph Lauren Corporation and it was around that time that the rise of streetwear iconography took hold of some of the label’s most emblematic figures. When the brand released its first American Flag sweater in 1989, it prompted toy maker Stieff to gift Lauren with a teddy bear wearing a mini Polo outfit. He loved the bear so much that he began selling the it in stores and put its likeness on sweaters and shirts, a design that is still overwhelmingly popular in the streetwear community today. 

(image credits to highsnobiety.com)

 In 1993, Lauren decided to step away from ivy league style and walk a more rugged path with the creation of Double RL (RRL). Though he had country-inspired collections that preceded this new design channel, he wanted to create something completely separate that would allow to fully explore the vintage Western motif away from his parent brand. This sub-brand broke out of the constraints of the Polo aesthetic and its source of inspiration lied in the prairies with early 20^th century workwear. RRL, which is named after none other than the Lauren’s over 15,000-acre ranch in Colorado, includes a full line of shirts, denim, flannels, sweaters, jackets, and chinos that emulated the designer’s love for Americana in an entirely new light.

(image credits to heddels.com)

The brand’s commitment to recreating accurate representations of heritage is evident by its careful selection of fabrics, construction, and color. With the use of leather, fringe, and Navajo style patterns, he conveyed this vintage feel with ease. One of the true embodiments of Western workwear is blue denim; the denim line in this collection is coveted with each pair being cut and sewn from the meticulously created East-West denim, making the Slim Fit Selvedge Jean a fan favorite. The pant has a five pocket construction and can range from mid to low rise with a button fly and leather waist patch. A rare feature of this denim is that it offers three options for inseam- length, allowing buyers to choose their perfect fit.

Today, Ralph Lauren is still headquartered in New York with over $2 billion in annual revenue. The story of its creation is truly a rags to riches display of the American dream; he took his ideas from a small drawer in Manhattan to the drawers of clothing lovers all around the globe. Though Lauren himself is no longer the brand’s CEO, for 48 years he was the driving creative force behind his beloved fashion house that made the prep aesthetic a cornerstone in the fashion community. Let’s all be sure to pull on our boots and polos to commemorate this golden anniversary the right way and for a little more inspiration, head over to our collection to get 20% off Western styles for this weekend only!

From the Rodeo to Rodeo Drive
by Paige McKirahan

For those from the country like me, Western wear has always been the norm worn by people in the community, on trend or not. Full denim outfits, leather, cowboy boots, fringe, large belt buckles, and flannels can be seen at any county fair on full display but now, those trends are stepping off of dirt roads and onto the runway.

This Western revival began a couple of years ago with a few '90s favorites coming back into circulation; black leather belts with shining horse buckles and suede for skirts and shirts alike were taken back out of the closet along with many other '90s trends as vintage became the “it” style. This fall, fashion is taking this Western interest and running with it after its success on the Spring/ Summer runways. Raf Simons, the new creative director of Calvin Klein, chose to go West for his first show with the label and it paid off in a big way. This nostalgic Americana look grabbed the attention of the public as Simons created a collection that embodied dark American history and horror inspired by films like Carrie and Midnight Cowboy. His full denim outfits adorned iconic public figures like Solange and A$AP Rocky, putting Britney and Justin’s 2001 American Music Awards ensemble to shame.

A$AP Mob for Raf Simons Western Calvin Klein Campaign

Celine, Versace, Chloe, Tom Ford, Alberta Ferretti, Coach, and Hermes are just a few of the other big names that saddled up and incorporated prairie aesthetics into their fall lines. Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar both go as far as naming Western one of this season’s most prominent trends. Capped cowboy boots, denim and plaid button downs secured up to the neck, saddle bags, snakeskin, and fringe are back, but always remember: keep it chic and keep it you.