Holiday Party Dresses - 1954

As the holiday party season approaches, have you given thought to what you'll wear to all those special events?  Please tell me you're not considering jeans when you can dress up your surroundings in vintage!  Today's looks are from 1954.

Bergdorf Goodman dress in silk lamé.  The lamé was offered in silvery pink or blue, but you could also have the dress made in silk satin in gold, blue or pink.  No black!  Sold for $135 in 1954 (about $1,136 in today's dollar.)

Filcol strapless crystal pleated silk organdy dress worn with a white velveteen coat embroidered in blue and silver.  Set sold for $200 in 1954 (about $1,683 in today's dollar.)

Harvey Berin pale pink satin strapless ballgown.  Sold for $180 in 1954 (about $1,515 in today's dollar.)

Adele Simpson dress in brown lace layered over cafe-au-lait lining.  Satin bands encircle the neckline and tie at the shoulders.  Sold for $265 in 1954 (about $2,231 in today's dollar.)

Hannah Troy black Chantilly lace dress with bands of satin and tiers of netting.  Sold for $175 in 1954 (about $1,473 in today's dollar.)

What are you wearing to your holiday parties this year?

Weekend Eye Candy - Jean Patou, 1954

It's not too early to think about what you'll be wearing to holiday parties this year.  While most of us don't have formal galas or red carpet events to attend, we can dream.  Jean Patou designed this silk satin ballgown in 1954.  The voluminous skirt is gathered into a buckle at the waist. 

11 Pieces Make a Wardrobe - 1954

Fall has arrived and with it the traditional colors of brown, orange, and gold.  Take those shades, add a couple of prints that co-ordinate and you've got endless possibilities to mix and match.  Two dresses (the solid brown at the far right and the print shirtwaist next to it combine with a solid brown vest, brown straight skirt, brown bolero jacket, brown Bermuda shorts, a solid gold blouse, a print blouse and skirt, and an orange knit sweater jacket and skirt for a week's worth of outfits.

If you put your mind to it, I'll bet you could come up with an entire month's worth of outfits from these 11 pieces and not repeat the same one twice.  How would you mix it up?  I'd wear the brown bolero with the darker printed shirtdress.  Or I'd pair the gold blouse and orange jacket with the solid brown skirt.  Or I'd.............fill in the blank in the comments!

Wearing Vintage Sweaters - 1954

I spent a couple of days last week adding this year's collection of vintage sweaters to the website.  If you've never worn a vintage sweater, I urge you to give one a try.  They are made from much higher quality yarns that those of today and they are usually fully fashioned, which means the pieces are knitted into shape, not cut and sewn from a flat piece of fabric.

Since it's now officially fall (drat!), I thought I would show you some photos of sweaters from 1954.  They're all matched with basic pants and skirts in khaki and gray. Prices shown are the actual prices from 1954 and today's equivalent is in parentheses.

Left:  Pringle gray cashmere pullover with a stripe of lighter gray in the mock turtleneck.  $26 ($219)
Center:  Bernhard Altmann strawberry red cashmere pullover with short sleeves.  $23 ($194)
Right:  Korrigan-Lesure black button down cardigan worn with the buttons in back.  $35 ($295)

Left:  Braemar ribbed pullover in pale ivory.  $23 ($194)
Center:  Hadley red cashmere short sleeve with white stripe accents.  $22 ($185)
Right:  Jantzen ivory wool/vicara blend pullover with white angora neck and cuffs.  $11 ($93)

Left:  Dalton cashmere turtleneck with button placket in ice blue.  $25 ($211)
Center:  Maurice Handler cashmere sweater in the style of a shirt with shirt tail hem.  $30 ($253)
Right:  Goldworm wool rib-knit with zipper neckline.  $14 ($118)

Left:  Geist and Geist purple wool pullover with cowl collar.  $25 ($211)
Center:  Roseanna white ribbed wool with big sailor collar.  $18 ($152)
Right:  Stanley Boutique reversible jacket, cable knit on one side, alpaca on the other.  $40 ($337)

Revlon's Queen of Diamonds

I've blogged before about Revlon's use of alluring names for it's lipstick and nail polish colors.  In this ad from November of 1954, Revlon introduced it's new color "Queen of Diamonds".  New "real-thing-red" for lips and matching fingertips...a bright-hot, white-hot flame like acres of diamonds flashing with fire!  This is the red that turns every other red pale with shame.

That's Carmen Dell'Orefice at age 23.  Carmen is still working as a model today and is known for her stylish gray hair these days.  In the photo here, she is either wearing a wig or her hair has been colored gray, but it's an interesting portent of how beautiful she would continue to be as she aged.

In order for the red lipstick and nails to stand out, Carmen wears a white satin gown adorned with rhinestones.  And what a gown it is!  It is by designer Zita.  I've never heard of her and can't find any information about her.  If you know anything about Zita, please let me know in the comments.  Look how the curving rows of rhinestones accent Carmen's already tiny waist. 

Of course, you can't advertise a product called "Queen of Diamonds" without real diamonds.  The jewels in the photo are by Harry Winston.

But most of all, I want that fan.  Red feathers with a rhinestone encrusted handle?  Yes, I want it please. 

Velvet - Yeah or Nay?

Once again, fashion trend forecasters are telling us that velvet will be popular this winter.  I think they've been saying this every year for the last 5 in a row.  I'm not sure I believe it.  I've stopped buying vintage dresses in velvet because they just don't sell.  I think most women find velvet a difficult fabric to wear and they shy away from it.  What do you think?  Will you be buying velvet this fall?  Check out the roundup of velvet looks from the Fall 2011 runways at Tom and Lorenzo.

Shown above, A black rayon strapless dress by Rappi is accented with pleated white organdy at the front.  Sold for $60 in 1954 (about $504 in today's dollar.)

Who Says?

Who says you can't wear black with brown?  I do it all the time.  The fact is, these two colors look great together.  And Christian Dior agrees.  This suit from 1954 is by Christian Dior-New York. 

The ad was put out by DuPont to advertise their trademarked Dacron polyester fiber.  I've shown you ads before of clothing made from DuPont fabrics by Paris couturiers.  The Dior suit shown above was made from wool blended with Dacron to add a wrinkle free quality to the fabric.  OK, enough about the suit.  I want the car!

Vintage Bergdorf Goodman Mink Coat - 1954

I am a firm believer that if you chose to wear fur, you should always chose vintage. That keeps coats and stoles already in existence out of our landfills and at the same time doesn't support the unneeded slaughter of today's animals for fashion. Since fall and winter are approaching and since fur coats were an accepted part of fashion in the past, I will be showing images of furs over the next few months. In showing images of vintage furs on this blog, I hope to inspire you and show you how beautiful they can be for the modern woman.  If you choose not to wear real fur, let these images inspire you to make your own with today's high quality faux furs.  

The year is 1954 and Leslie Morris is the head designer in Bergdorf Goodman's custom design department, a post she had held starting in 1931.  Morris was considered one of the top designers in the U.S. during the 30s, 40s, and 50s.  In the following year, Bergdorf's would lure fur designer Emeric Partos away from Maximillian Furs by giving him free reign as their custom furrier.  But the coat shown above was designed by Leslie Morris in Eastern Canadian Wild Mink.  It is a clutch style coat with a big collar and pear-shaped sleeves.  Bergdorf's would make it to order for you in their Fur Salon.  If you had to ask the price, you couldn't afford it! 

Vintage Mink Coat, 1954

I am a firm believer that if you chose to wear fur, you should always chose vintage. That keeps coats and stoles already in existence out of our landfills and at the same time doesn't support the unneeded slaughter of today's animals for fashion. Since fall and winter are approaching and since fur coats were an accepted part of fashion in the past, I will be showing images of furs over the next few months. In showing images of vintage furs on this blog, I hope to inspire you and show you how beautiful they can be for the modern woman.  If you choose not to wear real fur, let these images inspire you to make your own with today's high quality faux furs.   

From 1954, this full length Emba Jasmine white mink coat is by Ritter Brothers.  Worn with Kislav white satin gloves and diamond and turquoise jewels by Van Cleef and Arpels.

Vintage Accessories, 1954

I was asking for blog suggestions over on Facebook last week and Fearie asked to see some vintage accessories for Fall.  Today a look at handbags, gloves, shoes, belts and jewelry, all from 1954.

The handbag has straps to carry your umbrella.  That's a felt necklace at the bottom.

Paisley gloves!  Me want!

Two alligator handbags with secret pockets.  The one at top holds jewelry and the one at the bottom carries your cosmetics.

Leather bucket bags and a silk scarf.  Trés chic and timeless.
 

Bracelets and gloves!

Dark Cottons for Late Summer, 1954

One of the best ways to transition your wardrobe from summer to fall is to wear lightweight fabrics like cotton and rayon in darker colors.  Rich brown, rusty orange, warm navy and gray will all work well to keep you cool while toning down the "heat" of bright tropical colors that worked so well just weeks before.  Plaids and stripes also look more formal than the florals of summer.  Today's dresses are from 1954.

Above, a gray cotton stripe dress by Anne Fogarty.  Sold for $40 in 1954 (about $336 in today's dollar.)

This Nantucket Naturals cotton dress is made from a woven plaid that is cut on the bias for the full skirt.  Sold for $35 in 1954 (about $294 in today's dollar.)

 Another Nantucket Naturals dress, this one in deep orange-red edged in black braid.  Sold for $35 in 1954 (about $294 in today's dollar.)

These striped cotton dresses were sold by Peck & Peck.  They came in gray with pink stripes, brown with blue stripes or navy with red stripes.  Dress at top sold for $36 in 1954 (about $302 in today's dollar.)  Dress at bottom sold for $26 in 1954 (about $218 in today's dollar.)

I recently listed this 1950s cotton dress on the site that is a perfect example of what I'm talking about.  Deeper colors, but still in a lightweight cotton.  It's the perfect dress to take you from right now on through the fall!  Available at Couture Allure for $145.00 and it's generously sized too!

How do you transition your wardrobe from summer to fall?

Fashion in Film: Elephant Walk

When Elizabeth Taylor passed in March of this year, the prolific stories and images about her reminded me of one of her films that I hadn't seen in years.  Elephant Walk had entranced me as a young woman because of the stunning clothes worn by Elizabeth Taylor.  It was perhaps one of the seeds that was planted early on that grew to become my fascination and love for vintage dresses from the 1950s.

The film was made in 1954 and Edith Head designed the costumes for Elizabeth Taylor.  The movie was filmed on location in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and the setting is stunning.  Head does a great job of making the star stand out amidst such exotic backgrounds.

The clothes that Taylor wears might seem out of place on a remote tea plantation if we weren't told early in the film that her new husband treated her to a new wardrobe in Paris on their honeymoon.

Head dressed Taylor in full skirted dresses with tiny waists that accented her ample bosom.  The dresses were always belted and most of the belts had some sort of adornment or beading to draw the eye right to Taylor's miniscule waistline.

Taylor wore this pink peignoir set on her first night on the plantation.  She looked very romantic and beautiful.

My favorite dress in the entire film is this evening gown.  Purple lace sculpts Taylor's figure very tightly and a white tulle full skirt floats beneath it.  You can see the gown in action in this video.

Like the look?  I have this 1950s dress available at Couture Allure that was probably inspired by Taylor's dress in the film.  Pretty, isn't it?

Summer Shorts Looks, 1954

Don't think your mom or grandmom wore shorts when temperatures soared? Think again! All these looks are from 1954.

March and Mendl pink duffel coat paired with a Pringle cashmere sweater and Kingcraft silk shorts, belted with a pink sash. Shorts sold for $18 in 1954 (about $147 in today's dollar.)

Christian Dior Boutique black linen top and shorts.

Clare Potter pink linen jacket and ice green linen Bermuda shorts. Set sold for $120 in 1954 (about $982 in today's dollar.)

Emilio of Capri for John Miller purple cotton fisherman's jacket and shorts. Set sold for $33 in 1954 (about $270 in today's dollar.)

Jacques Fath blue and white stripe seersucker bolero and shorts.

I have fallen in love with the purple jacket and short set. Which is your favorite?

7 Important American Designers, 1954

So often we read about American fashion designers from the 1950s, and we love to drool over the clothes they made, but we have no idea what the designers themselves looked like. I stumbled across this photo which was part of an ad for Chrysler cars in 1954. The ad headline states, "7 top fashion designers find Chrysler Corporation's 1955 cars a stimulating new concept of good design."

Click on the picture to enlarge and you'll see the faces behind the clothes.

From left to right: Tim Brigance, Anne Fogarty, Clare Potter, Lily Daché, Nettie Rosenstein, Pauline Trigere, and Claire McCardell.

Florence Henderson - 1954

Did you guess? This photo of actress Florence Henderson was taken in 1954, when she was starring in her first role on Broadway in Wish You Were Here. She started with a walk-on role in 1952 and was playing the title role of Fay by the time this photo was taken.

Of course, Henderson is best known for her television role as Carol Brady in The Brady Bunch.

This year, Henderson had a lot of fun when she appeared on Dancing With the Stars. Not bad for 76!

Guess Who?

Can you guess who this young starlet is? The photo was taken in 1954. Answer on Monday!

It's All in the Details

Oftentimes, we can look at an ad or a picture from a vintage magazine too quickly, thinking the look is dated or no longer relevant. Today, let's slow down and look at some details. All of these ads are from 1954. When you open your eyes for inspiration, there are some great ideas to be found.

This ad is for Worumbo Vicuna fabric used in a coat by Max Milstein.

Did you notice the orange leather handbag and yellow gloves? Bright colors offset a basic camel colored coat to perfection. And a colorful scarf peeks out of the pocket. Then, did you notice how the handles of the purse are molded to be flat at the top, so the bag is comfortable to carry on the arm? Genius!

Here's an ad for a mink wrap coat by Leslie Morris, Bergdorf Goodman's custom designer.

Did you notice that incredible hat? The model's hair is worn tight to the head, and a cap of pheasant feathers is tilted to the side. So sophisticated!

This ad is for Jantzen bras.

Did you notice the stacked pearls on her arm? There are either several multi-strand bracelets worn one atop the other, or several strands of pearls wrapped around and around the arm to form a wide cuff. Fabulous!

Here's a photo of a simple black matte jersey dress and jacket by Larry Aldrich. The 3/4 jacket sleeves are lengthened with black gloves.

Did you notice how the plain black is set off with a zebra-striped bag? Fun!

This ad is for a Maximilian mink coat.

Did you notice her haircut? The hair is parted low on one side and swept over the top of her head with little wisps touching the forehead. Love!