Henri Bendel Dress - 1949

The description of this dress by Henri Bendel Young-Timers from 1949 does much more for it than the black and white photo.  "Young-Timers brighten summer evenings with an iridescent rayon chiffon in the dark glowing green and blue of the sea...the draped bodice, shoulder to shoulder decolletage and flowing longer-then-skirt-length panels hinting of autumn fashions in the making."  Blue and green!  Sounds wonderful, doesn't it?  Sold for $49.95 in 1949 (about $475 in today's dollar.)

Vintage Cocktail Dress - More Lace

Ooh la la, another use of Chantilly lace - this one from 1949 by Henri Bendel Young-Timers. The photo is in soft focus, so you may have difficulty making it out, but the dress is fashioned from black taffeta with the lace covering the bodice and forming the sheer cap sleeves. The scallops at the edge of the lace extend beyond the taffeta for an alluring neckline.

The dress was originally sold in brown, red, navy, and black and retailed for $69.95 (that's $634.00 today!). The model wears a black velvet bandeaux hat and a rhinestone bracelet. She carries a tiny clutch purse. This ad appeared in the November 1949 issue of Glamour magazine.

In other news, you may not know this about me, but I volunteer at the MSPCA dog shelter in Boston. Meet Lucky and Calvin.

Lucky the Chihuahua and Calvin the Cairn Terrier were surrendered to the shelter because their owners could no longer care for them. The two dogs have always been together and the shelter would like to place them together in a new home. I worked with these boys yesterday, and they are sweet as can be. If you are in the Boston area and are interested, or know someone who might be, please contact me or the Boston MSPCA.