Mary Black Dress - 1961

Designer Mary Black made this stunning silk chiffon dress exclusively for Bergdorf Goodman in 1961.  Drapes drop from the shoulders and are attached to the skirt front.  The dress was available in avocado green, beige and navy and came in sizes 10-20.  Sold in 1961 for $215 (about $1628 in today's dollar.)

Forgotten Designer Mary Black

1954

When perusing Vogue or Harper's Bazaar magazines from the 1950s, in the first few pages you are most likely to see ads from Bergdorf Goodman, Lilli Ann, Bonwit Teller, Saks Fifth Avenue, Emba Mink and Vanity Fair.  Amongst those ads from well-known names, you will quite often see a full page ad for a dress from Mary Black.  I know......who?  I've never found a dress with the Mary Black label and I've often wondered about this forgotten designer.  This week I was determined to dig up more information about her.  There is not much to go on, but with the help of fellow VFG member Lynne, here is what we found.

1954

Mary Black was a London designer who started her business sometime in the 1930s.  She emigrated to the U.S. in 1940-41, probably because of the war.  In July of 1941, Mary Black of London leased showroom and salon space on W. 47th St. in New York. In addition to welcoming exclusive clients at her salon, Mary Black dresses were also sold at fine specialty shops and high end department stores like Bergdorf Goodman and I. Magnin.  In 1947, her dresses sold for $80 - $400 (about $812 - $4,060 in today's dollar.)

1955

In late 1951, Mary Black of London moved her business to the 10th floor of 18 East 50th St. in New York City.  She maintained a personal apartment there as well.  On July 29, 1954, Mary was wed to Nichlas Baciu in a civil ceremony.  She continued in business until at least the early 1960s.

1956

As a designer, Black preferred simple lines without an excess of decoration.  She felt that women preferred to adorn their dresses with their own jewelry and so would avoid the use of buttons, rhinestones etc.  She would often use simple bows or flowers, but always made them removable.  She did not like belts and would only offer a belt if a store or customer insisted.  She felt a belt ruined the lines of a dress.

1957

Black often traveled to Europe to buy the expensive fabrics used in her dresses. As we can see in the ads shown here, she liked to use lace for evening wear.

1958

In 1960, Mary Black made a cocktail dress for Bergdorf Goodman that was offered in sizes 10-40 (yes, that's size 40.)  It was a simple tiered sheath with a draped capelet caught at the back with a single rose and came in black or navy.  The dress sold for about $245 in 1960 (that's $1,874 in today's dollar.)  Bergdorf's offered the dress to appeal to the larger sized woman who wanted the more stylish designs usually only available to the size 10 figure.

Thank you to The Spectrum Vintage for allowing me to show you a Mary Black dress that they sold years ago.  Isn't it a beauty?

Please note: This biography about Mary Black is copyright of Couture Allure and may not be copied without permission.

Vintage Cocktail Dress - Illusion Lace and Goodbye, Mr. Blackwell

Trompe 'oeil - fool the eye.

Illusion - a deceptive appearance or unreal image.

Lace is so important for this holiday season, and I've always loved the look of 1950's illusion lace cocktail dresses. This one, by Mary Black, uses black Chantilly lace layered over flesh silk satin. The flesh satin blends with the wearer's skin to give the illusion that she is nude under the lace. Of course, nothing shows, but the dress certainly entices! From the December 1957 issue of Vogue magazine, this dress sold at high end department stores, such as Bergdorf's, I. Magnin, and Sakowitz.

Get the look with this 1950's cocktail dress by Carnival, available at our website:

In other news today, we mourn the loss of Mr. Blackwell, who was most famous for his Worst Dressed list each year. Richard Blackwell started his career as an actor, but abandoned that for fashion design in 1958. His designs were always extremely feminine and sexy. His first Worst Dressed list was issued in 1960, and included Zsa Zsa Gabor and Anna Magnani. The list brought Blackwell the celebrity he desired, and he became a favorite on the talk show circuit. He died October 19, 2008 at age 86.

Here's one of his incredibly sexy cocktail dresses, this one with an amazing rhinestone choker attached to the dress with rhinestone strands. It's available at my website, coutureallure.com. Click the picture to see the details.