Back to WOOOK!! 11/8/11

            It's MONDAY!  Life has been crazy for the Kathleen and I but things are starting to calm down.  I found this strange little video and I hope you guys enjoy it.  Afterall what's better on a Monday then an 18th Century food fight?

Philip - In Brooklyn

Back to WOOORK!! - 9/6/11

             We had Monday off, thank the lord baby Jesus for Labor Day!  I heard the original reason for Labor Day was to celebrate the birthing Mary endured for our lord and savior but they moved it to December in order to make winter a little more fun.  Not sure if that's true or if I made it up.

             Speaking of labor how about the work it takes to get to the top!  Well as I've always said I'm not opposed to the pretty girls marrying well.  Billie "Glinda the Good Witch" Burke had the right idea.  She was the second wife of one, Mr. Florenz Zeigfeld.  Maybe you've heard of him.  Inventor of the Ziegfeld Follies... Father of Broadway.  Well if you're gonna aim girls... AIM HIGH!  With a mug like that a gown that chic one can't help but have men throwing themselves at you...... WOOORK  it out lady friend!

 Philip - In Brooklyn

Back to WOOORK!! - 8/29/11

            Well now that the Great Hurricane Scare of 2011 is over we can all finally get back to our normal lives.  But will anything ever be the same?  Of course it will!  It's Monday and you've still got to work.  So charter a burro and get your lazy bones into the office or so help me... SO HELP ME!!!

            Lucille Ball.  Maybe you've heard of her.  She starred in a little TV show called "Life With Lucy".  Well Miss Ball was working it long before she made her mark on TV.  She was in a delightful movie called "Dance Girl, Dance" (1940).  She played a dancer who worked her way to the top as a bawdy burlesque hoofer.  So if she can do it looking this good then you've got no excuse.  Se get out there and WOOORK!  But don't forget to stretch, because "I live to DANCE!" 

Philip - In Brooklyn

Back to WOOORK!! - 8/22/11

           Ok Monday... we get it.  You can stop now.  Everytime I turn around it's Monday!  I feel like it was just Monday like 7 days ago!  Oh well... I have to apologize for my lack of posting.  My job has kept me extra busy to where I had barely enough time to write anything but emails.  But now I'm back and you're safe.

           So I was on Zappos and I came across the vintage looking men's shoes... and that gots my brain to thinking.  How fly would I look if I revamped my wardrobe to be entirely 1920s?!  Talk about SUPER DUPER WOOORK!  Now I haven't decided if this is something I am actually going to do.  After all it would require A LOT of commitment and a decent amount of money.  Swanky clothes ain't cheap...  but I would look pretty WOOORK!!

I'll take one of each... in 3 every color.

The is NOTHING better than a vintage tux.

Philip - In Brooklyn

Back to WOOORK!! - 7/25/11

            Mondays ugh!.... Am I right?  Don't get me started.  Don't EVEN get me started!  Take a cue from Anita Page.  Throw on something rife with sex appeal, give Monday a sassy look and say "Put an egg in your shoe bustah.... and beat it."

Philip - In Brooklyn

Back to WOOORK!! - 7/11/11

            Monday is upon us once again.  Let's all take a lesson from Miss Dietrich.  If you have to work.  You may as well show up looking like this.  WOOOORK!!

Philip - In Brooklyn

Back to WOOORK!! - 6/13/11

            Well here we are again.  Another weekend has ended and Monday has cleched her steely grip upon us.  Never you fear though, Sydney Guilaroff is here to help. 

            Sydney is shown in this fantastic press photo working on some wigs for "Marie Antoinette" starring Norma Shearer.  No prom tendrils up in here!  You know Wendy Williams is burning with envy!  WOOOOORK!!

Philip - In Brooklyn 

Back to WOOORK!! - 6/6/11

           Welcome back to work babies!  I hope you had a wonderful weekend as we have had.  If there is one thing that exemplifies WOOORK it's an amazing clothes horse that marries the boss! 

           Miss Norma Shearer, I respect this broad's moxy.  Not only was she a great actress and drop dead gorgeous, she also married Irving Thalberg.  Thalberg just happened to be one of the heads of MGM.  Come to think of it Norma was a contracted star at MGM.  Well itsn't that convenient?  You go girl.  Make sure your bills get paid.  The essence of WOOORK!!

Oh yeah... can we talk about that gown.... UGH!  Sadly I don't know much about this picture.  I downloaded it a while ago and didn't make notes of what it is in reference to... Help a brother out guys!

Philip - In Brooklyn

Back to WOOORK!! - 5/31/11

           Yesterday was a holiday, and if you had to work I pity you.  For the rest of us today is our "Monday".  In order to keep our spirits high I thought I'd dig up some work-ness from the movie "Gypsy" starring Natalie Wood as Gypsy Rose Lee.  The montage of Gypsy 'stripping it up' near the end of the movie is one of my favorite scenes.  They squeeze in a few different Orry-Kelly costume changes and the last one is to die for!  The true essence of WOOORK! 

As Gypsy says "And if you're real good.  I'll make you feel good.  I want your spirits to climb!"

Philip - In Brooklyn

Back to WOOORK!! 5/23/11

           Getting back to WOOORK on Monday is tough.  So enjoy this beautiful Cecil Beaton sketch from the opening scene of "My Fair Lady."  All this Cocoon Coat work-ness really cuts the edge, like finely processed cocaine... I mean coffee!  Like a finely processed COFFEE!

Enjoy... and get back to WOOORK!!

Philip - In Brooklyn

Back to WOOORK!! - 5/16/11

           Yes I'm a day late... but I was wooooorking.  What were you doing?  What ever it was I'm sure it was glamorous.  You go on with yo bad self!  Speaking of going on with your bad self check out this sassy number.

              This is a beaded mantel circa 1890.  The fringe is a mix between beads and tape ribbon.  The body is beaded in a swan motif.  This is an epic jacket kids!  Head on over to VintageTextile.com to see more detail pictures and commence the drooling!  When you're done cleaning yourself up get it back to WOOORK!


Philip - In Brooklyn

Back to WOOORK!! - 4/25/11

So it's Monday yet again... lovely, I know.  The silver lining though is that through my aimless internet wandering I came across the auctions of the costumes from "On A Clear Day You Can See Forever".  This costume sold for over $8,000 to benfit the Barbra Streisand foundation.  I hope these amazing images of this Cecil Beaton design brighten your Monday.  But seriously.. get back to WOOORK!!!

Philip - In Brooklyn

Back to WOOORK! 4-11-11

Hi Everyone!

It’s Monday.  Again. 

But don’t let the M-word get you down! 

Today’s back to wooork is brought to you by our dear friend, Esther Williams.  In her heyday, this she lived in her bathing suit.  Don’t hate!!  This gal worked hard for the money!!  Making “aquamusicals” was her bread & butter.  Miss Williams spent so much time "dancing" in the pool that she became a co-designer and fit model for Jantzen.  They developed and tested out a new fabric called Lycra, and created swimsuits for her films.  With Esther's input, they contributed to the revolution of womens mass-market swimwear in the 20th century. 

Before Esther Williams, girls swimsuits fastened closed with a metal zipper...and did I mentioned they were knitted out of wool?  Yeah.  Gross.  We have a lot to thank her for.

….imagine if a bikini was your uniform?! 

Now get back to WOOOORK!

 -Kathleen, In Oakland

Back to WOOORK!! - 4/4/11

          We all know what Doris is thinking.  "Please God.  Let it be any other day than Monday."  After seeing this photo I am promptly putting "The Glass Bottom Boat" on my Netflix que.  Doris Day is bringing it in her Ray Aghayan couture!  WOOORK!

Philip - In Brooklyn

Back to WOOORK!! - 3/21/11

            Ladies and Gents today is the 1st day of SPRING!!  It also happens to be everyone's FAVORITE day of the week... Monday.  So let the bells ring out and let us all rejoice the wonderful season which is Spring!

             We have some help from Mr. J.C. Leyendecker to ring in this most wonderful of seasons, but here in NYC it did little good.  It's raining and threats of snow are on the horizon.  Honestly?!  What is the point of Spring if it's gonna be gross out.  Anyhow enough ranting... get back to WOOORK!!

Philip - In Brooklyn

Back to WOOORK!! - 3/7/11

It's Monday again.  Aren't we lucky?  Wouldn't things be better if your office manager was rockin' something sassy like this.  She would be walking around the steno pool keeping the girls in line, tapping her fan against typewriters that aren't clicking away.  I think Venetian masks are always a wonderful business casual look.  I have to go shopping if I'm going to look professional and be taken seriously.  It's promotion season after all.

 

Philip - In Brooklyn 

Back to WOOORK - 2/28/11

      Last night was the Oscars and everyone looked wonderful, didn't they?  But today's edition of WOOORK is not about last night's togs.  It's about Oscar Night from years gone by.   And the winners ARE...

 

 

Philip - in Brooklyn

Back to WOOORK!! 2/7/11

          Welcome to yet another Monday.  Seriously enough already with this retched day.  On the bright side I have heard from the politico rumour mills that congress has been considering nixing the whole day altogether.  That would be the first good thing they've done in a long time.  So since this day emotes self loathing I felt that we needed a good soundtrack.  Allow me to introduce my close personal friend Dame Shirley Bassey.  So put this video on a loop, crank up the volume and slap the shit out of Monday!

Philip - In Brooklyn

Back to WOOORK!! - 1/31/11

           I'm not gonna lie to you kids.  Daddy had a rough weekend.  I lost my camera!  That's gonna put a damper on my posting skills.  It's alright though I'll be getting a new camera.  So in order to prop me up-right on this most evil of weekdays I called in the only thing I knew that could help. 

           There they are, Miss Kay Kendall's epic eyebrows.  It's funny I have the same outfit in Black.... no I don't.  I said earlier I can lie to you guys.  You do have to admit Orry-Kelly knocked it out of the park on the "Les Girls" costumes.  Essence of WOOORK!!!

Philip - in Brooklyn

Back to WOOORK!!! - 1/24/11

            So it's another Monday and that means... you guessed it WOOORK!!  Now check this mug out.  Imagine if this was where you worked.  Bitch please!  I would never leave!  I would probably set up a bed under my desk a la George Costanza.  Alphonse Mucha can crack the whip over me any day!  PS - How hot would that runner on the bottom be as an embroidered silk wrap!?.... ooooh WOOORK!!

Philip - In Brooklyn