Fearless Fashion at the Skirball: Rudi Gernreich

Gernreich at Skirball

You know I love fashion. And like many of you, I always check out costume and wardrobe exhibitions at local museums. "Fearless Fashion: Rudi Gernreich" is currently on view at the Skirball Cultural Center, and it's well worth taking in. If you anywhere near Los Angeles, don't miss it. While at the museum, definitely check out their museum store. They offer lots of fabulous fair trade Judaica including Dunitz kippot. (Shameless plug.)

Mod Gernreich Designs

But I digress. Rudi Gernreich was a pioneer in fashion in the 60's and 70's. When you see the clothing on display you'll be reminded of Twiggy. More than Twiggy, this exhibition reminded me of my mom. Joanie M (who I named our fused glass collection after) was a total fashion plate. She would have worn Rudi Gernreich designs in a heartbeat. Or maybe she did. Or for sure, she wore clothing inspired by his creations. See these bright dresses? Much of our fair trade jewelry would coordinate perfectly with some of today's similar mod looks.

Patti & Nancy

Perhaps it was me who wore Rudi look-a-like outfits. Yes, I'm the one that looks like a little boy standing with my best friend Patti. Same neon green. Do you remember culottes? And the oversized zipper. Very Rudi.

Unisex Clothing Styles

The best thing about Rudi Gernreich was his forward thinking visions. He introduced the topless swimsuit, the thong, unisex clothing and pantsuits for women. Ah, pantsuits for women. I'm assuming his equal rights for all attitude evolved after he emigrated to the USA. Gernreich had fled Nazi Germany for being Jewish and later experienced discrimination in the United States for being gay. In Los Angeles, he found community while dancing with the Lester Horton Dance Theater, an interracial dance troupe.

Mixing Fashion with Politics

Opinions. Yes. Quoted. Yes. Quoted on the walls of the Skirball. Yes. Rudi Gernreich was a founding member of the Mattachine Society, a gay rights organization. That was back when many hid their proclivities. Gernreich designed military styled ready-to-wear in protest of the Vietnam war. He designed thong bathing suits for men and women in protest of Los Angeles banning nude beaches. What more details on the life and times of Rudi Gernreich? Read these recent articles from the Los Angeles Times and Women's Wear Daily.

Satin Pantsuit & Pearls

So get on over to the Skirball Cultural Center if you're anywhere near the City of Angels. You won't regret the trip. I can't possibly share in photos the over 80 ensembles featured. The show closes September 1st. (You still have time.) What will amaze you, as it did me, is how so many of the designs are completely wearable today. If only I had my mom's clothing from her 1960's and 1970's closet.  I might find a satin pantsuit like this one.

Dunitz fair trade kippot

Did I tell you to visit Audrey's, the Skirball store? Yes, I did. But, heck, I'm telling you again. There you'll find Dunitz & Company's fair trade kippot. You will love seeing them up close and personal. (Yes, I had to plug for that one more time.) -ND

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What Inspires Color Combinations

You know I write about this often. I can't help it.  Each year I get so pumped up when I create seed bead color combinations for our fair trade jewelry collection.  I drool over the runway fashion shows and they always inspire me. This season was no different. Our Spring 2019 will be released soon. And here are some designer fashions that inspired me.

I'm a huge fan of jade and sea foam colors. I'm not alone. Typically paired with any shade of brown and I've got a score. M Missoni's recent runway show included such colors. And this was my inspiration for a new color combo. A little mint spices it up. Yes, coming soon!








Delpozo's Spring 2019 runway shows offered some fabulous styles mixing various shades of lavender with grey and white. Hey! Perfect for our beaded things. I came up with this? Not too pale. Not too bright. Very versatile.








Pink was all over the runway for Spring 2019.  And even though I'm always told Millennials adore pink, it's always been a tougher sell. Dunitz has offered shades of blush and pale pink many many times. This season, I decided to take the lead from designer, Barbara Tfank.  I chose an orchid pink which was inspired by her recent show. Hope it sells. I love that it's a bolder pink than I've ever offered in the past.




And finally, inspiration from Emilio Pucci. Vibrant Orange and Coral have always been a bit of a challenge. There are customers that love love love deep shades of citrus.  But, honestly, more don't. That left me challenged for the upcoming season. Designer clothing will be abundant in orange for Spring 2019.  I desperately wanted to offer something different that would be right on target. The Emilio Pucci collection this season was so much fun. Will you all go in for this new color combination?




As I type this, I know more of you are thinking about Christmas.  I'm obsessing about winter trade shows and my new Spring 2019 fair trade jewelry collections.  When pulling it together, I vowed I would NOT use "black" this season. Yes, there was a lot of black strutting down the Spring runways.  This year, I wanted to be...just a bit more colorful.  Are you with me? -ND

Color Inspiration Everywhere - My Trip to Pakistan

Some of you may know this about me. I love to travel and adventure to all kinds of places, often those offbeat and difficult to access. And although Dunitz & Company offers beautiful fair trade jewelry from Guatemala, my design choices are often inspired by things I see a million miles away from where I work. Point in case. Earlier this month I traveled to Northern Pakistan with a group of friends.  From the streets of Lahore to the apricot blossoms of Hunza Valley, I was inspired by the colors I saw everywhere.

The Wazir Khan Mosque (Lahore, Pakistan) is a 17th century mosque that was commissioned during the reign of Moghul leader, Shah Johan. Much of the building has been restored and/or still boasts preserved mosaics and frescoes. How could one NOT be inspired by these wonderful colorful stones, tiles and paint. Our clients always love blue with jade. Add vibrant gold and terracotta and, yes, I've been inspired by Shah Johan's choices!







The Badshahi Mosque (sometimes referred to as the King Mosque) is probably the most visited site in Lahore. It's absolutely magnificent.  This grand structure was commissioned by Emperor Aurangzeb in 1671 and only took a couple of years to build. We visited early on a Sunday and there were several wedding contract signings in process. For the most part the men and women were grouped separately in different rooms of the mosque. We were allowed to watch. In fact, the families flocked to me and my (Thai) friends. They wanted to have photos taken with us. And they wanted us to take photos with them for our future pleasure too.  One father insisted that his daughter lift her veil so I could snap this photo. And talk about color. Salmon. Peach. Dark Pink. Gold. Yum. Now this IS inspiration!



Trucks. I went nuts for the Pakistani trucks and buses. These guys know how to decorate a moving vehicle. My friends had so much fun teasing me.  "Truck Truck Truck!"  Every time I saw another truck I salivated over the colors and the painting. They're glorious. Here's a detail from one. These grouped colors provide endless inspiration for...well....tens and tens of bead color combinations. Thank you, Pakistan.

And the women (of all ages) seemed to have amazing color sense. These women from Hunza Valley grouped all sorts of shades and tints of green, blue, red and pink together in ways I may have never thought of before.  And each one of them looks absolutely fabulous!









We met these sisters on a trail leading through the old village of  Passu.  Their uncle was our special tour guide for Hunza. And it turns out the young woman on the right is part of the Pakistani Olympic cycling team. There's no way you'd know she was a pro on a bike from this image. What we do know is that these women possess color savvy. My gosh. Look at how they combine pumpkin orange with rose, beige, pale yellow and black. I'm completely inspired by their color combinations.





So here's the thing. You may soon purchase the perfect piece of fair trade beaded jewelry or fused glass jewelry from Dunitz & Company. You'll know your new piece was beautifully crafted in Guatemala. And now you also know the colors may have been inspired by my trip to Pakistan. -ND