Claire McCardell, 1949

Claire McCardell was well known for her easy-to-wear sportswear designs.  In the spring of 1949, her designs were featured in this 2-page ad for fabric manufacturer Celanese.  Celanese had developed a new acetate/rayon sharkskin fabric that was knit rather than woven.  Sharkskin is normally associated with men's suits from the late 50s and early 60s.  It has a smooth finish with a subtle shiny finish.  This fabric would have been perfect for McCardell's esthetic, as it was comfortable and wrinkle resistant.

2 piece dress above with wonderful large pockets available in pink, white or blue.  Sold in 1949 for $40 (about $378 in today's dollar.)

More from the same collection, also available in pink, white, or blue. 
At left:  Bathing suit, also with large pockets and a deep decolletage.  Sold for $20 in 1949 (about $189 in today's dollar.)
At right:  The darling beach coat to wear over the swimsuit.  Sold for $20 in 1949 (about $189 in today's dollar.)

American Fashion Spring 1955

As much as we like to look at and dream about Parisian haute couture, American designs were more relevant and more affordable to a 1955 woman here in the U.S.  The styles shown here were featured in an American magazine geared to the average homemaker.  Just as fashion magazines and blogs influence our choices today, a 1950s housewife would see these photos as inspiration for ways to update her wardrobe.  The big difference is that she couldn't run out to H&M or Target and grab a cheap "fashion fashion" version.  No, our 50s homemaker would probably sew her own version or save a few dollars each week for months to be able to purchase one of these designer items that she would then wear for years to come.

Above, Pauline Trigere suit with a striped silk belted jacket and narrow wool skirt.

Golden suit by Claire McCardell worn with blue shoes.

Vera Maxwell silk paisley dress and paisley lined beige silk coat.

Larry Aldrich blue tunic and skirt worn with a nude shoe.

Maurice Rentner cotton sateen floral dress.

Summer Stripes, 1956

Nothing feels more summer-y than stripes. Beachy, breezy, and nautical, stripes are always in style. These photos are all from 1956.

Above: Brigance of Sportsmaker uses blue and white striped cotton jersey for a bathing suit with matching straight beach shirt that gets belted for added shape. Set sold for $43 in 1956 (about $345 in today's dollar.)

Claire McCardell cotton sateen beach poncho to wear over a swimsuit or shorts. Red, green, and yellow. Sold for $20 in 1956 (about $160 in today's dollar.)

Tina Leser glazed cotton dress in bold yellow and white stripes. Sold for $50 in 1956 (about $401 in today's dollar.)

Sir James rayon sunsuit in navy and gold stripes with brass buckles and buttons. Sold for $13 in 1956 (about $104 in today's dollar.)

Helga silk/cotton blend dress in blue, white, and coral. The pleats in the skirt change the look of the stripes. Sold for $70 in 1956 (about $561 in today's dollar.)

Do you love to wear stripes? 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.

Weekend Eye Candy - Claire McCardell Swimsuit 1945

Claire McCardell was a master at designing innovative and unusual swimwear. Here, she fashions grey wool jersey into a wrap halter attached to trunks. The back is bare above the waist.

Model Lauren Bacall

Hollywood superstar Lauren Bacall was a model before she became an actress. She worked part time for Bazaar magazine while taking acting lessons. Here are some photos from the February 1943 issue of Harper's Bazaar.

Bacall poses as a woman engaged in wartime evening activities: listening to the radio while darning socks. She wears lounging pajamas in grey wool/rayon by Claire McCardell.

Bacall poses in a white crepe blouse with a ruffle at the neckline, which was available at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Bacall was lucky enough to land the cover of Bazaar the following month in March 1943. Howard Hawks's wife Nancy spotted her and urged her husband to give Bacall a screen test for his new film To Have and Have Not. Bacall's performance in that film is widely acclaimed as one of the strongest debut performances in the history of film.

Vintage Swimsuits 1954

There were some incredibly sexy swimsuit options in 1954! All photos were taken by Lillian Bassman in Barbados for Vogue.

This has got to be one of my favorite suits I've featured all year. Claire McCardell fashions a Sag-No-Mor Vicara and wool jersey into a sleek black one piece suit with a hood that drops down to form a loose cowl neckline. Sold in 1954 for $25.00 (about $203.00 in today's dollar).

A one-shoulder bias-cut suit in black pique has bloomer pants. By Brigance of Sportsmaker. Sold in 1954 for $25.00 (about $203.00 in today's dollar).

Catalina fashions black taffeta into a strapless suit with ruffles. Completely boned for support. Sold in 1954 for $18.00 (about $146.00 in today's dollar).

Navy and white stripes in a Dacron and Lastex strapless maillot by Roxanne. Sold in 1954 for $30.00 (about $244.00 in today's dollar).

More stripes, this time by Caltex in blue and white elasticized nylon boucle. Sold in 1954 for $19.00 (about $154.00 in today's dollar).

A strapless maillot with crumb-catcher bust and puffed pants by Lee Beachwear in black faille woven with Lastex. Boned for support. Sold in 1954 for $13.00 (about $106.00 in today's dollar).

Sacony molds blue and white plaid to the body and belts it in blue. Nylon, acetate, and lastex blend. Sold in 1954 for $18.00 (about $146.00 in today's dollar).

Which one is your favorite???

1945 Bare Midriffs

It's 1945, the war is coming to an end, and your mama (or grandmama) is sporting a bare midriff. The bare midriff became popular for several reasons.

- It was all the rage in Hollywood, with film stars showing a peek of skin in evening gowns and resort wear.

- The two piece swimsuit had become acceptable by now.

- Wartime L-85 restrictions meant you were showing your patriotism by wearing less fabric!

Rayon bra top and skirt-like shorts for beach or play can be topped with the sharkskin beachcoat. All pieces by Junior Miss of California and sold by Jordan Marsh.

A straight skirt with deep trouser pleats with a cutaway halter bodice that is attached at the back by Huxley. Fashioned from cocoa brown rayon with the look and feel of linen.

Louella Ballerino two piece swimsuit in a California Authentics fabric.

At the top: Short peasant tops with puffed sleeves are matched to full skirts. Both sets designed by Carolyn Schnurer. At center: A tie-front top with matching skirt by Huxley.

Claire McCardell works a long sleeved top with matching wrap skirt in black wool jersey. The skirt has big pockets and white top-stitching accents both pieces.

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Weekend Eye Candy - Claire McCardell Swimsuit

Vogue 1953: A Claire McCardell swimsuit in wool jersey. The bodice is styled like a McCardell dress with deep cut sleeves, gilt hooks and eyes, and cord belt.

This swimsuit showed up on EBay this week, and sold for a nice price. The seller didn't know what she had, but the bidders sure did!