The Incorruptibles Down Under

6a00e5508e95a988330120a7824ef6970b-320wi.jpg

It was somewhat comforting to find that quite a few readers shared the same 90s memories as myself but also, the point was to enlighten everyone with their own perception of the 90s and it's interesting that a lot of the tidbits people recalled are intertwined with popular culture (tv shows, music) and 'street' fashion as it were.  Looking at the 90s as an era of 'vintage', I guess if a lot of us were born in the early 80s, or in fact, not swanning around going into designer stores, few of us are going to have encountered these gems courtesy of Claire Incorruptible.  You might have vintage showroom based in Adelaide in Australia through Claire Inc's eBay listings but Claire Incorruptible's own site is a pleasure to click through if you're not an eBayer.

In a similar vein to my beloved Fanny and the Cave (this has spurred me on to set up another visit to Fanny's cave), Claire Incorruptible is about curating a very specific vision of 'vintage'.  Another one to add to the wave of 'vintage' sellers who recognise that pieces aren't necessarily locked into a timewarp, that they have another life, another context beyond the time of origin of the pieces.  One-off gems, inaccessible designer vintage that are statement pieces from the 80s and 90s sums up Claire Inc in a hard-sell nutshell.  The detailed descriptions have enabled me to cherry pick out some choice 90s pieces centred around the fashion power players with Moschino featuring heavily in Claire Inc's inventory…

Me thinks I need this floral number on the right to match the jacket I bought in HK…

Claireinc4 Claireinc5

Yes to MORE bustiers please 

Claireinc9 Claireinc7

I love how some of these Moschino motifs are popping up in the collections now still…
 
Claireinc20 Claireinc4a

I vote for this Moschino neon bandage thing to be taken as far away from raver as possible with a stiff organza shirt underneath it…

Claireinc19 Claireinc2

Ah…the bags that have spawned many a copy at my local Tally Ho market… like I said before, I'm definitely up for plenty of Moshcino hardware should it come my way…

Claireinc25 Claireinc26

ACCCCK…grey marle in a pyjama-esque jumpsuit by Kenzo… excuse me whilst I go count my pennies in my diminishing cracked up piggy bank // I love the simplicity of this Karl Lagerfeld cropped jacket…

Claireinc1 Claireinc12

The loose tailoring that I vaguely remember 'adults' wearing in the 90s is repped here by this lovely Norma Kamali slouchy double breasted jacket and this Yohji Yamamoto tailcoat where the 'tail' has been slashed…

Claireinc11 Claireinc10

I've been hoping to hap onto more Versus finds like the bargainous dress I got in New York last year but sadly it's not to be… I love the PVC neckline on this seeminly demure Versus dress // The pattern on this Jean Paul Gaultier sweater reminds me of a lava lamp… THE Xmas gift of choice when we were at school (did anyone ever break their's and get scared that the 'lava' might infect them??)

Claireinc3 Claireinc8

Chain printed jackets have spun out of control in term of bid prices on eBay for some reason of late, but these real McCoys courtesy of Escada do feel like they're worth the investment…

Claireinc16 Claireinc17

Sonia Rykiel says 'warning with these strappy sheos and I Heart these Escada hearty shoes…

Claireinc22 Claireinc24

These Missoni abstract print gloves give good jazz hands // I'm damn charmed by Chanel's jingle jangle charms…
 
Claireinc27 Claireinc29

Reminders of the unabashed girliness of the Chloe of yesteryear evident in this lace cape and detachable ruffled collar…

Claireinc28 Claireinc30

Not to say that Claire Incorruptible's 80s selections haven't tempted me because this Valentino kimono-esque voluminous raincoat is too covetable a gingham cocoon to resist… as is this Yves Saint Laurent floral ruffle raincoat…

Claireinc801 Claireinc802

Then there's Ungaro colour block beauty, which is scarily similar to a vintage jacket I passed up in About Glamour when I was in New York for Halloween and now I'm not only mentally kicking myself for passing it up but also completely distraught that alas a lot of Claire Inc's pieces need a few more pennies than I can muster up… pah… post Boxing Day doldrum has kicked in…

Claireinc13 Claireinc14

36 comments

  2. I’m so glad the 90s are at more of a distance now we’re in ’10 (nearly)- I ‚ô• them 🙂

  4. I’m hypnotised by those dazzling Rykiel shoes!
    And that Valentino raincoat is just BANANAS!

  7. Susie,
    Thank god for your page. I was given a beautiful sweater that I simply have no clue of how to wear. So, I scrolled through months & months of your blog, all the while realizing what an amazing fashion reporter you really are. I don’t care how much attention a certain NYC photographer and French designer get, when it came down to brass tacks, it was your page that I went to for my research. You deserve much more recognition than you are getting.
    Yours faithfully,
    diane

  11. I definitely agree with the idea of a decade needing to elapse before a trend can be revisited! Judging by all the beauty in this post I certainly wouldn’t mind a 90s revival. x

  12. Don’t mean to add pressure to your bank account…but that gingham jacket would be sooooooo good on you! I didn’t even look at the price yet though…but really, it would be a great addition to your wardrobe!

  13. This post was like looking in my storage closet…thanks to my mother’s obsession with Moschino I have belts, bags, skirts, and palazzo pants lurking in there…I really need to see if I can drag some of it out and wear it.
    If I’m reading correctly you bought the gingham raincoat…so glad, it’s fantastic!

  16. Gosh you were so young in the 90s and YES contrary to your ever present perception YOU ARE REALLY REALLY young, that I’m not surprised to you they are worth a come back.
    As a Product of the teen grunge generation i feel a bit depressed my decade is already “revisitable”.
    Great Post Susie! 😉

  17. I was agoing to write a post about how I hate Claire (no reason for hating her, just hate her) but now I can’t do it.
    Damn you, Susie.

  23. How funny?! I shopped in Claire’s ebay boutique for christmas presents.. Never imagined I’d see it posted here!

  24. i like her black pants/leggings so much:)))
    but i guess they only look good on skinny gals which i m def. not one of them >< i wish i had her body ...

  28. Clareinc is one of the best ebay sellers. I was act going to buy the floral Moschino dress ages ago (you can even ask Belinda) and there was a really amazing Chanel dress on there; I ended up with the Oscar De La Renta velvet bow/ruffle collar dress. My dress is in one of posts
    http://kimberleylovesfashion.blogspot.com

  30. I love her eBay shop – she’s been on my list for a couple of years. Every so often I nearly buy something…then somehow don’t. The site looks excellent.

  31. Hello there,
    I am a M.A. fashion student at Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication, UK. I am currently researching on fashion blogs…why people do fashion blogging, what is their interest in using fashion blogs, do they actually follow the styles/trends mentioned in the blogs and how frequent are they with fashion blogging? If you can answer any of the above questions or give me some information/insight on fashion blogs, it would be of great help for my project.
    Also I see a competition rising between fashion editors and bloggers. I think there certainly can be a very healthy balance between fashion blogs and magazines, i see no reason of conflict between fashion editors and fashion bloggers, both have different roles to play in their own way! What’s your take on it?
    Looking forward to your reply soon:-)
    Nibha Khungar

  32. Hi Susie, Happy new year!
    I love all those stuff, looks very fashionable and high quality. I’m so thankful I’ve got your site,This is really an inspiration to me.
    -mikee

Comments are closed.