grace: 1963 vintage dresses

Showing posts with label 1963 vintage dresses. Show all posts

Summer Dresses - 1949

Ahh, the days are long and hot. Wartime restrictions are gone and women have begun to embrace the "New Look". Skirts are fuller, although they don't have as much width at the hem as we will see in a few short years. Hemlines have headed south again. Here, dresses for the heat of summer from 1949. All photos were taken by Richard Dormer in Rome.

Mildred Orrick embroidered cotton dress with side pleats in the skirt. Sold for $35 in 1949 (about $323 in today's dollar).

High necked top and full skirt in a marbelized cotton print by Owen Morgan. Sold for $22 in 1949 (about $203 in today's dollar).

Carolyn Schnurer knitted elasticized wool top to wear with or without straps is matched with a cotton striped skirt. Sold for $35 in 1949 (about $323 in today's dollar).

At left: Cotton dress with sunburst pleats at the bust by Barbee Jr. Sold for $23 in 1949 (about $212 in today's dollar).
At right: Kenneth Tischler cotton dress with tucked bands at the square neckline and sleeve cuffs. Sold for $19 in 1949 (about $175 in today's dollar).

Chambray dress with elastic shirring at the neckline by David Crystal. Sold for $25 in 1949 (about $231 in today's dollar).

Summer Dresses - 1940

From the last French collections before the fall of Paris to the Germans. Hemlines are much shorter and will continue to inch up as fabric restrictions force changes in design. Here, dresses for the heat of summer from 1940.

Blue and white rayon print dress by Lucien Lelong.

Marcelle Dormoy dress in white and black organza.

Maggy Rouff printed rayon crepe dress.

Jean Patou rayon dress in two tones of green.

Robert Piguet dress in black faille with a pink and black striped vest.

Photos 1, 3, and 4 by Joflé. Photo 2 by Studio Iris. Photo 5 by Robert Rigassi.

Summer Dresses - 1927

Now that summer has officially arrived, how about a look at summer dresses through the decades this week and next? Time to pull out some of my really old magazines for this series! Here, dresses for the heat of summer from 1927. It is interesting to note that daytime dresses had long sleeves. Sleeveless styles were only worn for evening.

Silk chiffon dress by Agnes.

Black crepe de chine dress by Jenny.

Brown and yellow striped crepe de chine dress by Suzanne Talbot.

Lace outer dress floats over a silk slip. Ensemble by Martial et Armand.

Pink georgette dress by Bernard et Cie.

All photos by D'Ora, Paris.

Shouldn't You Be Wearing Pink?

Michelle's doing it....

Michelle Obama in Narcisco Rodriguez

Kristin is doing it....

Kristin Davis wears vintage Jean Desses to the SATC2 New York premiere.

.....and so is Gwyneth.

Gwyneth Paltrow in Prada.

Pink is THE color of the moment. And if you think you can't wear pink, think again. Pink is a universally flattering color that looks great on almost everyone. If you think pink looks too "babyish", go for a more vivid shade and watch it make your skin glow. Pink is a guaranteed mood elevator. I know you'll have fun wearing it!

Need more inspiration? Check out these great pink dresses, all available at Couture Allure!

1960s pink velveteen and satin cocktail dress.

Vintage 60s pink satin dress with rhinestones on smocked skirt.

Vintage 80s Bob Mackie strapless silk pink polka dot dress.

1960s pink beaded cocktail dress.

1970s silk dress with pink ladybug print.

Remember, ladies.....Think Pink!

Under the Mistletoe - 1954

Uh oh. Looks like somebody got caught kissing the wrong girl in the wrong place under the mistletoe. Bet he gets the cold shoulder the rest of the evening! Who have you kissed under the mistletoe lately?

Shown are two dresses by Patricia Fair from 1954. Both were available in white, champagne, powder blue, mauve, or turquoise faille. Pretty, pretty.

We've got almost the identical dress shown on the right for sale at Couture Allure, but ours is by Suzy Perette. More pretty, pretty.

Fall Fashion 1954 and Ugly Food

In looking back at fashion from the past, it's not all about the designer duds shown in high fashion magazines. We must remember the young housewife and mother who needed to look good on a budget. Today's images come from a 1954 magazine called Better Living, a small monthly that focused on the home, cooking, and decorating with just a touch of fashion. These images give us a perfect look into what a young woman would wear during the day when going shopping in the city, to a doctor's appointment, or a meeting at the children's school. Notice the focus on the wasp waist that is achieved with the fuller hips or the short bolero jackets in these designs. Also notice the accessories. A hat and gloves were always worn. A scarf tucked into a V neckline was a fashion trend. We also get a look at some cute purses and even a fur muff!

McKettrick grey dress with bolero jacket, trimmed with velvet piping. Sold in 1954 for $18 (about $143 in today's dollar).

A solid maroon cotton dress is set off with a coordinating plaid bolero jacket. Dress by Sue Brett. Sold in 1954 for $18 (about $143 in today's dollar).

A wide waistband shapes this dress by Maxine Bentley for Youthguild. Sold in 1954 for $20 (about $159 in today's dollar).

This coat dress by Queen Make buttons all the way down the front. Sold in 1954 for $23 (about $182 in today's dollar).

The wide skirt of this dress by Sue Brett has graceful unpressed pleats for added volume. A leopard print scarf is tucked into the neckline. Sold in 1954 for $23 (about $182 in today's dollar).

A sweet calico print fashions a demure dress by Juniorite. Sold in 1954 for $14 (about $111 in today's dollar).

Also in this magazine, there are several recipes for "Lazy Cooks" who want to cook dinner in one dish. The recipes feature canned and frozen food. Looks appetizing? No way, no how. This is UGLY FOOD!

For the one dish dinner at the bottom, open two cans of spaghetti with tomato sauce into a baking dish. Arrange frozen fish sticks on top in a pretty pattern. Spoon canned corn around the edges. Season with salt and pepper, dot with butter and bake for 15-20 minutes in a 425° oven. Ewwwwwwwww.

The other dishes shown? At the top left, fried Spam with canned green beans and onions cooked with brown sugar. At the top right, canned breakfast sausage with fried zucchini and canned peaches. More ewwwwwwwww. Thank you, mom, for not reading Better Living magazine!

Jewel Tones for Fall - 1960

So often, when we think of dressing for fall, we think of more muted tones like browns, greys, rusts, and golds. But who says we have to match the colors of nature as the leaves whither and die and the entire world transforms into the grey of winter? Why not take a cue from 1960, and wear some deep rich color this season?

From left to right:
- Rich red wool jersey dress by Anne Fogarty
- Mr. Mort red wool jersey dress with a plaid tunic
- Emerald green boucle wool suit by Finger & Rabiner
Cheetah hat by Emme. All jewelry by Tiffany.

- Chrome yellow wool coat by Medelia
- Deep turquoise pleated skirt and overblouse by Sportwhirl
All jewelry by Erwin Pearl.

1963 Fashion for Mad Men - Joan Holloway

Mad Men Season 3 starts this Sunday on AMC. This season will be set in 1963. All this week, I'm going to take a look at actual fashion from 1963 magazines so we'll have an idea of what our favorite characters might be wearing.

Office Manager Joan Holloway knows how to wear fitted dresses that show off her curves, while still maintaining a look that is right on the edge of professional. In 1963, fashion is becoming a bit looser, with A-line shapes, slight gathers at the waist of skirts, and boxier jackets and tops over fitted skirts. It will be interesting to see how that translates into Joan's wardrobe, but I imagine she will still wear her body-hugging styles.

I can see Joan wearing the following garments:

This two piece set by Shannon Rogers for Jerry Silverman in shamrock green with a printed scarf has a fitted skirt and a body skimming top that buttons in the back.

This deep blue sheath by Wilroy gives a nod to the looser shapes with it's slight gathers under the bust. The shallow V neckline adds that touch of sexy that Joan needs.

Floral prints are important, and I think Joan could rock this look by Macshore Classics. The shell blouse and cardigan style jacket are worn over a fitted skirt. Of course, Joan would remove the jacket as soon as she arrived at the office.

Knits are becoming important and this Nantucket Knitters two piece set is the type of thing Joan would wear in a heartbeat.

Another perfect choice for Joan, this Herbert Sondheim red dress has slight gathers under the bust and, in a nod to Jackie Kennedy. a perfectly placed bow.

For cocktails, this brocade fitted sheath with a little bolero jacket would definitely find a place in Joan's closet. This one, by Sophie of Saks, would be far out of Joan's price range, but you can bet she'd find something similar that she could afford.