It's in the Details

 Pretty dress, isn't it?  From Spring 1949, this rayon crepe dress by Berkeley Juniors sold for $15 (about $143 in today's dollar.)  That's not an outrageous amount of money.  But I guarantee that if you go out and spend $143 on a modern dress at the mall today, the quality will not compare to this dress from 1949.  And you won't find the intricate details that make this dress so special.

You see, the light and dark stripes are not printed on the fabric.  Those are separate panels of fabric that have been seamed together.  To make the dress even more special, the seams are accented with contrasting saddle stitch embroidery.  I can't tell if the saddle stitching is done by machine or hand here, but it really serves to take this dress to the next level.  Saddle stitch is a variation of a basic running stitch with a longer stitch length.  It is intended to be a strong accent and is usually worked in a thick, decorative thread like buttonhole twist in a contrasting color.

Do you love it?

Red Dress - 1949

One red dress, perfect for a day of shopping on 5th Avenue or the Champs Elysees.  Cotton pique is set off with a long row of buttons down the front and a bow at the neckline.  The huge full skirt has deep unpressed pleats and pockets at the hips.  By J.L.F Originals.  Sold in 1949 for $35 (about $441 in today's dollar.)  Bring your own reusable shopping bag, in this case a straw on by Simon.

June Arden Dresses - 1949

June Arden made budget dresses, but they sure don't look it, do they?  Both are made of rayon shantung, perfect for the warmer days of summer.  The dresses were available in misses and half sizes and sold for $9 in 1949 (about $86 in today's dollar.)

Larry Aldrich Dress - 1951

Larry Aldrich jumps into the New Look in 1951 with this dress made of black rayon faille.  The full skirt is pleated onto a dropped waist and measures 4 yards around at the hem.  Sold for $50 in 1951 (about $435 in today's dollar.)

Jonathan Logan Dress - 1949

Jonathan Logan designer Dorris Varnum  used rayon taffeta with black velvet flocked dots for this dress in 1949.  Available in tropic blue, vibrant red and jewel green.  Sold for $12.95 in 1949 (about $123 in today's dollar.)

Junior Circle Dress - 1956

The thing to notice here is the stripes.  See how perfectly they are matched at each gore seam in the skirt?  It used to be that companies took pride in the construction of their garments.  Even a budget line like Junior Circle took care when sewing together a pretty dress.  Cotton dress from 1956 in pink, blue, beige or green stripes on white.  Sold for $23.00 in 1956 (about $191.00 in today's dollar.)

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.)

Adele Simpson Dress - 1954

No description other than stunning!  It looks like this dress is made from a jacquard weave fabric and it has sparkling glints of something.  Perhaps metallic threads, perhaps rhinestones, perhaps sequins or beads.  By Adele Simpson in 1954.

Mollie Parnis Dress - 1949

Designer Mollie Parnis takes a simple shirtwaist style and makes it more formal by using silk twill in navy with red polka dots.  Love that graceful rounded collar.  Sold for $70 in 1949 (about $665 in today's dollar.)

Vera Neumann Dress - 1967

I love me some Vera, and I would snatch this dress from 1967 right up if I found it.  A simple sheath in Ban-Lon nylon, it is shown bloused a bit by way of the tie sash at the waist.  Sold for $26 in 1967 (about $176 in today's dollar.)  The hair?  Not so much.  And are those necklaces posing as earrings?

Henry Rosenfeld Dress - 1955

I want this dress.  Or maybe I want to be her with those fabulous sunglasses and chandelier earrings holding a bouquet of flowers from my lover and about to board a boat to Rome.  No, it's the dress I want.  Bright cotton print in pale green, black, and red on a yellow background.  The black and white photo gives the illusion of a bare midriff, but the solid portion at her waist is yellow.
 Dress by Henry Rosenfeld.  Sold for $15 in 1955 (about $127 in today's dollar.)

Serbin Golfer - 1949

Actress Jane Russell models a Serbin Golfer dress from 1949.  Not only for sports, Serbin sold this dress for daytime around-the-house wear too.  Versatility is the key here with a full length separating zipper hidden behind the fly front, sleeves than could unbutton for more room, a pleated back yoke for easy movement and removable shoulder pads.  Made of striped cotton chambray.  Sold for $12.95 in 1949 (about $123 in today's dollar.)

Adele Simpson Dress and Coat - 1956

What could be better than a dress by Adele Simpson?  How about one with a matching coat?  Spatter print silk in Delphinium blue makes the dress and lines the blue wool coat.  Sold for $275 in 1956 (about $2,289 in today's dollar.)

Off Balance

Three years ago, I paid several hundred dollars for high-tech eyeglasses - the most comfortable glasses I've ever worn. I have horrible vision, and really can't get along well without them. Along with the ultra-light polycarbonate lenses with their tri-focal progressive prescription, anti-glare coating and no-scratch finish came a lifetime guarantee that the lenses would be replaced for free if they ever did get scratched. Hey, leave it to me! I can do it!

I had an eye exam before Christmas, and the eye doctor said he would send my glasses in to have the lenses replaced, but I would have to get along with my old ones for a couple of weeks. I searched for them high and low, finally found them the other day, and turned my prized high-tech glasses over to my optometrist on Tuesday for repair......

Big mistake. My old clunkers are a different prescription with bi-focals instead of tri-focals. I cannot see my computer screen with these old glasses. I tried moving the monitor across to the other side of my desk. No good. So here I sit, with the monitor directly on top of my keyboard, wearing no glasses at all, and still struggling to see what I type. The old glasses are heavy and I end up with redness and pain across the bridge of my nose by the end of the day. I try to watch television and struggle to find just the right angle to tip my head so I can see the screen without too much bluriness. This leads to a crick in my neck, stiffness in my shoulders, and general crankiness on my part, all after 1 1/2 days. How will I survive 2 weeks?????????

So, here I sit, generally off balance with the world, and I fully expect to be walking crooked before I get my uber-glasses back. I will never take them for granted again. I love my high-tech miracle specs. "My precious..........."

Shown above from October 1963: A little black dress with matching coat by Italian designer Jole Veneziani. A wide band of black mink fur adorns the hem of the dress and peeks through slits in the coat. The model must have been asked to take off her glasses for the photo shoot.

Weekend Eye Candy - Jacques Fath Draped Dress

October 1946 - Jacques Fath couture draped crepe dress in two tones of grey. Yum.

How to Dress Well on Practically Nothing!

The October 1959 issue of Ladies Home Journal has a small month-to-month feature about dressing well on a budget. This is Mollie Farnham, a young Midwestern kindergarten teacher. The magazine notes that in the September issue, Mollie had purchased a camel skirt and beige blouse, and then knitted a cardigan sweater to go with them. In this issue, Mollie shops for her "all-important fall-and-winter investment: a coat." Since she already had a white dressy coat and an evening cover-up, Mollie needed a good serviceable coat for everyday wear.

She shops carefully, and considers several options, but chooses this black and white tweed coat by Gordon Corpuel for $35.00 ($260.00 today). "Mollie's new coat has a flattering cowl collar, is warmly lined in furry black Orlon. The black and white tweed will go well with her beige separates from last month as well as another of her favorite colors: blue." She then adds a black handbag for $3.00 ($23.00 today). She can now alternate the coat and purse with beige or black shoes, and white, beige, or chamois gloves.
Her second accessory purchase is a hat for $3.95 ($30.00 today) . "Mollie rarely wears a hat to school during the week, but for Sundays and special occasions she does. The coat takes on a special occasion look when accessorized with her new turquoise hat, pearls, and white gloves."

Lastly, if Mollie has time and a few extra dollars at the end of the month, she'll invest in some blue wool to sew this basic sheath dress from Vogue Basic Design #3000.

The focus here is on investing in practical but versatile basics that you can accent in different ways with accessories. Mollie's coat wardrobe is complete with one tweed for everyday, a white dressier version, and an evening wrap. How many coats are in your closet? How many dollars have you invested in trendy styles, inexpensive fabrics, or unusual colors that don't work for everyday? Isn't it wiser in today's economy to spend more money on one practical coat in a high quality fabric and basic color that can be worn for years? A change of accessories changes the look in a few seconds.

Our mothers and grandmothers got along with far less clothing than we do today. Each piece of clothing was a carefully considered investment that was meant to last for several years, not several months. Think about it this way. How big are the closets in most houses built in the 40's and 50's?

Weekend Eye Candy - Jackie Kennedy

Since this week has been so focused on the election, I thought a few photos of the Kennedys out on the campaign trail in 1959 might be fun. The photo above shows the Kennedys with then Vice President Richard Nixon.

Here, they share a cup of coffee at a diner in Oregon. Same dress, different accessories.

The dress? A grey wool knit overblouse dress by Givenchy Boutique Fall 1959. This is one of the styles that Jackie made so popular in America. The dress has a thin silk bodice, which doesn't add bulk under the overblouse, that likely buttons up the back.

Vintage Designer Puzzle - Who is Rappi?

During my years as a seller of vintage clothing, I've run into this label a few times, but I can never find any information about this designer or design house. All of the garments I've had by Rappi have been from the 50's and 60's, and all but one were cocktail or evening dresses.

So, I'm sending out a plea to the vintage community. If anyone knows anything about Rappi, please comment here or contact me through the website.


UPDATE: You'll find some great information about Rappi in the comments. This photo of her comes from a vintage sewing pattern.

Weekend Eye Candy - Balenciaga

I am in love.

Grey wool jersey dress by Balenciaga from Spring 1950.

Vintage Dresses - in Black Velvet

I love the waist detail of this dress from 1956. 4 rows of satin cording with bows visually accent the tiny waist compared to the flare of the hips and bust. This dress was featured in the August 1956 issue of Glamour magazine and shows St. Louis debutante Jean Hamilton wearing a dress by Doris Dodson Juniors. The dress was about $18 in 1956 ($142 today). She wears a Therese Ahrens bandeaux hat and carries an Ingber purse.

You'll see the same waist accent in this early 60's velvet cocktail dress available at www.coutureallure.com. No bows, but this one's got the added allure of a large satin rose set off to the side. Click the picture to see the details.