This nifty letter was provided by corinalarks who used to do clearance in the film business. It’s one of many communications between he and Holly Johnson of Frankie Goes to Hollywood fame. Holly wouldn’t give permission for a “Frankie Says Relax” t-shirt to appear in Pulp Fiction during the overdose scene. I’m assuming it would have been worn by Lance (Vincent’s dealer) or one of the two women who reside at his place. Turns out Holly eventually had a change of “heart” and authorized usage but it was either too late or Tarantino had his own change of heart. Lance ended up in a Speed Racer tee (drug reference?) and I can’t seem to make out what tee the chick relaxing on the couch has on? Or maybe it was destined for Rosanna Arquette’s high-strung character who ends up in a blank shirt.
Here’s a nifty little video from a fashion blogger who reveals her secrets for scoring vintage t-shirts. A great crash course for our female reader out there. That’s right I said reader, without an ’s’. Shirley there must be more than one. That’s right I said Shirley instead of ’surely’ because I like the movie Airplane! But it did just dawn on me that it’s pretty much like a pool hall up in here. If you’re a lady and you’re reading this please holler back in the comments section. Welcome to lazy man’s blog audience research 101.
A vintage obsessed movie buff immortalizes his favorite films via a collection of poly-cotton.
Shirt #1: Midnight Run
Year: 1988
Midnight Run can best be described as an action-adventure-crime-dramedy. Attempting to narrow it down to one genre would be criminal because the film’s identity crisis ensures charm is honestly earned.
The movie features vintage DeNiro as a foul mouthed tough-guy bounty hunter in pursuit of a prim and proper phobia-laden white collar criminal played by Charles Grodin. These opposites are attracted by greed: Grodin embezzled millions and jumped bail and DeNiro is looking to cash on on a hefty paycheck for bringing him back. But it’s the buddy element between the two characters that’s their biggest jackpot and the chemistry (or lack there of) is one of the best ever captured on film.
There’s a phenomenal cast of supporting characters (Dennis Farina and Joe Pantoliano, to name a few) and with the director’s chair helmed by Martin Breast (Beverly Hills Cop, Scent of a Woman) it’s impossible to go wrong. What we end up with is shoot-outs, car chases, moronic mobsters, fed up feds, and triple double-crosses. Sure, by today’s standards you might be thinking Midnight Run sounds run-of-the-mill – but this is one of the films that created the formula perpetuated by its successors. And unlike contrived films like Ocean’s 23 you’re not required to suspend your disbelief for the entire duration of the film.
In between the action and the laughs there’s perfectly paced endearing moments – rare for a film like this, which make Midnight Run is a must see, again.
Imagine a warehouse stacked 12 feet high with bundles of vintage clothing that were hand-picked in the late 1970s and never opened. What sounds like a vintage aficionado’s fantasy is actually a reality. How is this possible, you ask?
The bundles were stored away as future inventory for a thriving little vintage clothing business called Tribe Trading. In the 1990s Toronto was one of Hollywood’s primary locations for shooting because the great currency exchange from US to Canadian dollar meant millions could be saved by setting up shop in the Great White North. Tribe Trading had been a dealer of vintage clothing since the early 70s and quickly became Toronto’s leading source for films that required authentic period wardrobe.
Enter the new millennium and the events of early 00’s. Animosities between US and Canada began to surface regarding September 11th and the war that followed. The value of the US dollar began to decline and then Arnold Schwarzenegger campaigned to terminate filming abroad to help the local economy. As a result Toronto’s film business became a ghost town and those bundles of vintage clothing have been sitting there ever since.
Now for the good news. We’ve been granted exclusive access to these bundles by teaming up with Tribe Trading and creating an ongoing series of auctions called, “Raiders of the Lost Bundles.” The first 10 are up now but they are merely the tip of the iceberg, we plan on listing at least 20 per week for a long time to come. Check them out here.
This is without a doubt the coolest thing we’ll ever do in the field of vintage clothing so we created a trailer to give you a glimpse of the goings-on. We’re in the process of creating another video which is a private tour through the premises with Olivier Normand, the owner of Tribe and mentor of me. The video will be complimented by an interview discussing his legendary career in vintage clothing. Stay tuned.
We plugged in our Betamax player and started watching old tapes. Coincidentally the topic of celebrity fashion becomes very interesting.
Legendary benders always start the exact same way: 80 year old parents go out for the evening and trust their nerdy offspring not to make a mess. A mission that would have been accomplished if not for the party crashing Beastie Boys who come armed with a rubber marital aid. Trespassing, theft and vandalism are complimented by questionable liquids in a punch bowl to ensure this soiree is sinfully ’80s.
We plugged in our Betamax player and started watching old tapes. Coincidentally the topic of celebrity fashion becomes very interesting.
What do you get when you cross the world’s fastest production car with a young Sharon Stone (or two) and use 1980s electro as your theme music?
You get one seriously badass promo for vintage Porsche sunglasses. This is the opening scene/episode to season five of Magnum P.I. and the same music used for the end credits of Blade Runner. The mischievous version of Sharon Stone wore Porsche Carrera sunglasses with yellow lenses for night driving. They made it easier for her to drive so fast, especially since the editors obviously sped the footage up.
Carrera made an amazing line of “C80″ Porsche design folding sunglasses. There were numerous variations to the design but all had one thing in common: they folded. The end result fits in to a convenient compact zipper pouch that makes it even easier to lose your sunglasses. As an added bonus you’re encouraged to make transformer sound effects during the fold/unfold process.
To view the selection available on eBay click here.
