A Trio of Hats

I bring you a Trio of Hats in Black and Cream with a theme of three. Three decades,three materials, three silhouettes. Its a bit of a no brainer, but the best I can do with the post-Christmas cold.

First up, a Teens Mourning Bonnet in black silk crepe with jet trim and ostrich tips. Not a cheerful hat, but a stylish one.


Second, a 1950s cream wide-brimmed summer straw with navy velvet ribbon from the St. Louis department store Famous-Barr Co. An Easter Sunday hat perhaps? Maybe a summer lunch. If you are like we are about old local department stores, you can find more about Famous-Barr here.


And third, a grand 1940s summer garden party straw hat with horsehair ruffle and wide grosgrain ribbon streamers with the New York Creation and Lecie Originals labels.

for more information, including size and price: Past Perfect Vintage

It's All About Wool and Cashmere

I am one those those tragically unlucky souls who is allergic to wool. Even cashmere can be a no go. It's a loss, I must tell you. Wool is warm. It tailors beautifully. It wears like iron. It cleans well. It can be handwashed, and even vintage wool garments will tolerate dry-cleaning far later in their lifespan than any other fiber.

Every winter, I cast longing eyes at vintage wool sweaters and skirts for myself, then move on to the Orlon. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But Orlon doesn't age as gracefully as wool, so it's a bit harder to find still looking fresh and crisp.

So all I can do is admire these finds, then offer them to you:

1950s Hadley Cashmere Cardigan with Fur Collar and Jeweled Clasp


1950s Cream Cashmere Short Sleeved Cardigan, made in Scotland


A Pair of Tailored Evan-Piccone Skirts: L.,Slate blue wool gabardine w/ front zip, R., a cream & blue striped wool with curved welt pockets,both with matching belts, hand stitching and embroidered arrowheads

For size and price details: Past Perfect Vintage

Are You Ready for New Shoes?

Are you ready for some new shoes? Even if you aren't, these are mighty fine shoe eye candy. We were lucky enough to acquire 9 pair of great shoes form one estate. And please , please believe me, these were the tip of the iceberg. I have never seen so many pairs of shoes at an estate auction in the 20 years I have been purchasing for sale. This lady was the Imelda Marcos of Northern Kentucky.
I always feel privileged and excited to have the opportunity to purchase from a collection of one woman's clothing, especially when that woman had distinct taste and the wherewithal to express that taste through clothing.
As you can see from just this small sample, her footwear preference was bold. From a comparison of the size of the dresses we saw and these shoes, I would venture this was a lady with comparatively small and slender feet, and she liked to draw attention to them.

Enjoy!

1963- 66 Balli Black Silk Evening Shoes with Rhinestones

Candy Yellow Herbert Levine 1960s Patent Leather Stiletto Shoes with Cutouts

Two Tone 1950s I. Miller Stilettos Shoes

for size,price and photos: Past Perfect Vintage

Jacques Fath & Norman Norell are Here!

They are here! Well, I guess it's better to say they are there! In other words, the Jacques Fath and the Norman Norell dresses are up at Past Perfect Vintage. These are from the same source, and my, wouldn't we all like to see what else was in that closet? Oh yes, we would.

Now I have mentioned Norman Norell quite a bit lately. He and Fath make quite a contrast. Norell was as American as they come. Born Norman Levinson in Noblesville, Indiana, he was a designer who believed in simple clothing for day, glamor for night and who perfected his ideas over a long and very successful career.A Realist and a designer whose perfectly made ready to wear clothing was on a par with couture. Fath on the other hand? An Extravagant. French to the core. Loads of showmanship and swathes of draping and theatricality. A short career, but a grand one.

The Traina -Norell label is Norell's first label, of course. This is the one used when he was backed by Antony Traina until Traina's death in 1960, when Norell became the owner and changed the label to Norman Norell.

Now this Fath label needs more explanation. According to Christian Dior The Man Who Made the World Look New: “ Once a year Fath would go to New York armed with a few sketches, which were them adapted to his licensee’s needs, and the 60 gowns then subsequently produced would carry the label Jacques Fath for Joseph Halpert”. From the Oct. 17, 1949 issue of Life: “…Fath agreed to design 2 special American collections a year in the spring and fall, which Halpert would manufacture and Lord and Taylor would take the lead in merchandising. In short order a whole combine of other high-end outlets was put together, including Neiman-Marcus in Dallas, I. Magnin on the West Coast and ranging down to Gus Blass, the favorite of smart women in Little Rock........The American collections are comparatively small - about 40 dresses in each- and are designed for quantity production and priced for upper-middle-class customers.” I like the " Designed in America" part of this label. Certainly meant to appeal to the American customer.

L., 1949- 50 Traina-Norell black silk Shirtwaist with shirred details & MOP buttons, R. c. 1950 Jacques Fath for Joseph Halpert cinnamon crepe day dress with tucks and belt

Norell - Dressing the First Lady All These Years Later

Just last week I was waxing on about Norman Norell. What can I say? I was one week ahead of the times. It's not often you can actually count the days you are ahead of the trend. And since I am usually a least a few, well I won't use time measurements, let's just say I am not often in this position. And this black lace dress the First Lady is wearing is one of the prettiest Norell lace dresses I have seen.

Here's the question: If a First Lady wears a designer's dress some 40 years after he has retired, does it still go on his resume?

You can see photos here: First Lady Michelle Obama in Norell

At Long Last:: Tres Parisien, Part 4

At long last, but worth waiting for, I bring you part 4 of the Tres Parisien pochoirs. Don't worry, they have only gotten a little older and they are still adorable. I treasure an unrealistic vision of all these framed up some day. I have only had this vision since 1990. Like world peace, a really good pizza with low calories, and the ability to sing, it will have to be another dream currently unfilled. On the plus side, I weigh what I did in high school and collage again, so anything is possible.

But enough. Here is the pretty, and to refresh your memory, first up is the cover.

Norells We Have Known

I must admit that I have a soft spot for Norman Norell ( aka Norman Levinson) simply because he was from Indiana. And for a Noblesville, IN boy to make it in American fashion is a pretty neat thing. The more I read on his work, the better I like it, too. The first works I noticed were his wonderful sequin mermaid dresses - amazing gowns that still bring the big bucks on the rare occasion they do come up at auction. Hand sewn, flat sequins in a liquid line. But the everyday clothes have their charms, too. As a designer, Norell believed in simple clothes for day - understated but never, ever dull. He used solid colors regularly, but strong prints would come into play,too. Certain themes were repeated and perfected for years - the perfect patch pocket, the perfect round neckline, the big bow. But when it came to evening, all the glamor the law allowed was the goal. Sequins, feathers, jewels, and fur. And the quality! The construction is impeccable.

I tell you, the more I know about this designer, the more I admire his work.

And now, some eye candy I title: Norells We have Known. Because I feel lucky to have handled these.

late 40s - 50s Traina -Norell Black Silk Shirtwaist coming soon to Past Perfect Vintage

Navy Wool 1950s Trains-Norell Coat

Cream Silk c. 1958-59 Traina-Norell Day Dress

1960s Norman Norell Print Silk Coat & Dress Ensemble

l. Norman Norell Cream Wool Cocktail dress w/Spangles & Rhinestones,
R. Norman Norell Grey Chesterfield Coat

c. 1970 Norell Red Wool Knit Jacket & Dress Ensemble with Green Rhinestone Buttons

There's A New Newsletter in Vintage Town

I am happy to put the word out that the Vintage Fashion Guild, a fine organization if I may say so, and just made available it's first newsletter to the general public. It's produced by members of the VFG, of which I am one. A member, I mean, not one of the dedicated souls who put the newsletter together.


Anyway: Go. Take my keys. Read. Enjoy. There's great stuff on Zipper History, a fab Jewelry Workshop, a handy Calendar of Fashion Events in the US, Europe and Australia, and oodles more.
Here's the VFG Blog post:
Vintage Fashion Guild Blog
Here's the link to the newsletter portal. It's a pdf file.
VFG Newsletter

Vintage Couture and Accessories Auction in Chicago

For those of you in the Midwest area, a real treat is coming soon. Leslie Hindman Auctioneers will be holding their Vintage Couture and Accessories Auction Dec. 16, 2010. These are really fine auctions with extensive, well lit previews, glossy photo catalogs and a wide range of holdings. This session contains a huge lot from a ' Lady New York City, New York', with tons of Bill Blass, Oscar de la Renta, Carolyn Roehm and more. The Thea Porter caftans are breathtaking. Add several Edwardian coats, a McCardell dress, a Molyneux evening ensemble and several lovely Bob Bugnand pieces, ( I am yearning for 2 of these) and there is a nice variety. With 757 lots almost equally divided between fashion and accessories it should be a quite a full day.

For more information click here: Leslie Hindman

And we can't leave you without eye candy:

Sale 149 Lot 40
A Thea Porter Pink Silk Chiffon Caftan,
in a southwest style motif, with gold lurex throughout. Labeled: Thea Porter.
Estimate $ 1,000-2,000 Property of a Lady New York City, New York
courtesy Leslie Hindman Auctioneers