grace: bio

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George Carmel - New York Coat and Suit Company

1945

George Carmel was the owner of one of the finest coat and suit houses in New York. Carmel was one of 4 brothers who entered the business in 1918.

1955

George Carmel made expensive coats and suits that were considered investments in their day, as they were of the highest quality and would last for years and years.

1956

George's sons Lawrence and Monroe both joined the firm after finishing college. They continued the old traditions while at the same time bringing a more modern sensibility to the garments the company produced.

1959

While always attending the Paris couture shows, designers from George Carmel did not copy Paris models, but rather were inspired by the mood of the current fashions.

1961

Diana Adler was the head designer at George Carmel. She joined the firm in the mid 1940s and worked there until the company closed.

1967

George Carmel fell on hard times in the mid 1960s as fashion turned to less tailored and less expensive garments. The company closed in 1968.

Please note: Biographical information about George Carmel is copyright of Couture Allure and may not be copied without permission.

The Prints of Leonard Fashion

I recently listed this stunning vintage 70s panné velvet dress by Leonard Fashion on my website. While perusing my vintage magazine collection, ads for the company have been catching my eye ever since. The other day, I came across an article about the company in a 1973 magazine and I had to share a bit of it with you.

The textile firm of Jacques Leonard et Cie was founded in 1954. In 1958, the company decided to launch a fashion line and Daniel Tribouillard was made Chief Executive Director. Tribouillard invented a new printing process in 1960. He patented this technique which allowed for a knit fabric to be continuously printed, and that technique is still used today.

Each season, the team at Leonard reviews about 5000 designs which are presented by the artists and print designers. Of those, only about 200 make the cut for final review.

After carefully examining the designs for their ability to be engraved and their commercial viability, those designs are further reduced to about 100 per season. For every design, a photoengraver separates the various areas of the print, each of which will be engraved into a separate frame for the printing process.

Here, a printer uses a frame to hand silk screen the design onto silk jersey, the fabric most often used by Leonard. The fabric will be screened several times as each color is applied individually.

This woman is examining the final printed fabric for flaws. You'll notice there is no Leonard signature in this fabric. This is not uncommon in Leonard prints from the early 70s.

Leonard ad, 1971

After the fabric prints are complete, the garments are then imagined and designed, based upon the prints.

Leonard ad, 1972

In 1987, Tribouillard bought the company and became Chairman. He remained the head designer until the Fall of 2001. The Leonard Company is still alive and well today, with over 100 stores worldwide. Veronique LeRoy is the current head designer of the firm.

Leonard ad, 1973

Please note: Biographical information about Leonard Fashion is copyright of Couture Allure and may not be copied without permission.

Paris Couturier Simone Gray

Mme. Simone Gray wearing one of her creations, 1928.

The evening dress is of blue lamé with gold and silver flowers.

I came across this image in an old magazine recently, and I immediately fell in love with Simone Gray. Who was she? I needed to know. Unfortunately, there is very little information about her that survives today, but I have been able to glean little tidbits here and there for you.

Simone wears her design in black satin and point d'esprit lace
adorned with white jacinth flowers, 1928.

Simone Gray, born in 1903, was a Parisian couturier from 1928 to 1933. Her couture house was listed alongside other notables, such as Jeanne Lanvin, Louiseboulanger, Lucien Lelong, Jean Patou, and Worth. Her atelier was located at 11, rue de Christophe Colomb in Paris.

From 1928, Simone Gray's "Watteau" dress in black velvet, lined in pink satin with rhinestone trim.

Each year, Simone Gray would attend the Deux Lidos gala wearing one of her most beautiful designs of the season. This gala was organized by the French fashion magazine L'Officiel de la Couture and the Hotel Lido, and would feature fashion shows of the latest couture during the party. Women who attended the gala would vie to be the most beautifully dressed.

Three robes de style, 1929 by Simone Gray.

Simone was described as a young woman who had wonderful taste and a thorough knowledge of the difficult art of dressing women. She had a deep respect for the line of a garment and would not sacrifice the overall effect.

Mme. Simone Gray wears her design of embroidered
cotton lawn accented with green moire, 1930.

The last mention of Simone Gray's couture house is found in the summer of 1933, where she is listed alongside such up-and-coming couturiers as Chanel, Schiaparelli, and Vionnet. Unfortunately, I can find no other information about her, but don't her designs make her fascinating? If anyone ever finds a dress by Simone Gray, please contact me through my website!

Please note: Biographical information about Simone Gray is copyright of Couture Allure and may not be copied without permission.

Photos by d'Ora, Paris.

Vintage Italian Fashion - Mila Schön

Unless otherwise noted, all clothing is by Mila Schön, 1969.

The life of designer Mila Schön is the stuff of fashion fairy tales. Born Maria Carmen Nutrizio about 1919 in Yugoslavia, her family lost their fortunes after the first World War when the lands of the Austro-Hungarian Empire were redistributed. The family eventually ended up in Italy, where Mila (her childhood nickname) met her husband, Aurelio Schön, a wealthy precious metals dealer.

1971

With her new station in life, Mila traveled to Paris, where she bought her couture wardrobe at the houses of Dior and Balenciaga. She became fascinated with the cut and construction techniques of the couturiers.

In the 1950s, her husband's jewelry business failed, and so did the marriage. Mila was a single mother with little money. She kept up her wardrobe by hiring Milanese seamstresses to make copies of Parisian couture. Her friends started asking her to make their clothes, and Mila opened her own atelier in 1958 in Milan. Without a design background, she continued to copy others until she felt she had the skills and confidence to produce her own designs.

By 1965, Schön had advance so far in her design skills, she was invited to show her line at the Pitti Palace with the best of Italian couturiers. She showed 25 outfits, all in various shades of purple, from palest lilac to deepest eggplant. She then opened her own couture house in Milan in 1966.

Neiman Marcus was the first to carry Mila Schön in the U.S., followed closely by Bonwit Teller and Henri Bendel. Her clothes were worn by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Lee Radziwill, Babe Paley, Imelda Marcos, and Farah Diba, wife of the Shah of Iran.

Schön was an expert tailor with flawless attention to detail. She preferred to tailor her suits and coats with double faced wools, or with duplicate inner and outer layers, sewn together at the edges, in order to eliminate facings and linings. She was also known for her unique juxtaposition of colors, often using insets of contrasting fabrics, as you can see in several of the garments shown here.

During the 1970s, Schön added ready-to-wear, menswear, shoes, handbags, swimwear, jewelry, and perfume, among others.

Veruschka wearing Mila Schön, 1969

Mila went into semi-retirement in the 1980s, and her many lines lost a sense of cohesion. She sold her company to the Japanese firm Itochu in 1993. In 1994, they brought in designers from Krizia and then persuaded Schön to return in 1996. In 1999, the company was acquired by Mariella Burani Fashion Group SpA and the Mila Schön brand thrives to this day. In 2002, the Burani Group introduced the Mila Schon Concept line of clothing which was meant to appeal to a younger customer. It was unsuccessful and only lasted a few seasons.

Mila died on September 4, 1998 just days before the company was set to celebrate it's 50th anniversary.

Shown here is the brilliant green and navy blue uniform Schön designed for Alitalia Airlines in 1969. She designed the complete wardrobe for Alitalia's "air hostesses", including a two piece wool suit in winter and summer weights, a coat, a cape, a cabin frock, and a contrasting navy hat. She also designed the shoes and boots that were made by Bruno Magli.

This 1969 colorblocked pantsuit by Mila Schön is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Please note: Biographical information about Mila Schön is copyright of Couture Allure and may not be copied without permission.

Mildred Custin - Fashion Leader

Mildred Custin was born in in Manchester, NH in 1906 and was raised in Boston. After attending Simmons college, she took a job in the controller's office at Macy's. Jobs at Shepard's and R.H. White followed before Custin moved to Philadelphia in 1935. There, she joined John Wanamaker, and worked her way up to a vice presidency before becoming president of the 3-store Bonwit Teller Philadelphia chain. The Bonwit's Philadelphia stores became part of Bonwit Teller New York in 1963. In 1965, Custin was made president and chairwoman of the Bonwit Teller 12-store chain, and as such became the top female retail executive in the country.

Custin secured her reputation and later promotions by turning Bonwit's drab and rundown traditional stores into high-fashion retail leaders that carried clothing from the top designers of the time. Custin always referred to Bonwit Teller as a "specialty store", rather than a department store. She believed her stores filled a niche with top quality service and carefully selected stock that filled the Bonwit's customer's needs. Rather than making and selling line-for-line copies of Paris couture, Custin led the industry by offering exclusive garments from top designers. In this way, she differentiated the stores from competitors such as Saks, I. Magnin, and others.

Stavropoulos, 1964

It was Mildred Custin who, as a buyer in 1963, discovered George Stavropoulos and placed the first order for his designs.

Rudi Gernreich, 1966

It was Mildred Custin who started the trend for in-store boutiques by showcasing designers such as Norman Norell, Rudi Gernreich, Donald Brooks, and James Galanos.

Nancy Reagan wears James Galanos, 1967

It was Mildred Custin who talked James Galanos into showing his line in New York in 1966. Previously, Galanos had always shown in Los Angeles, and Bonwit's customers had to visit the store several times in one season in order to see the entire line.

Pierre Cardin, 1966

It was Mildred Custin who opened the first menswear department at Bonwit's in 1966, a department she stocked with the first Pierre Cardin and Bill Blass menswear lines, along with Hermes ties and Turnbull & Asser shirts.

It was Mildred Custin who put Calvin Klein on the map by placing the first order for his clothing in 1968, an order that totaled $50,000. Custin had wanted an exclusive with Klein, but he refused, telling her he could not cut out other buyers who were already interested in his line.

Giorgio di Sant'Angelo, 1968

It was Mildred Custin who gave Giorgio di Sant'Angelo his first boutique in 1968, before he had even designed his line.

It was Mildred Custin who brought mystery and cachet to Bonwit's windows by having them covered and then raising the curtains every Tuesday night to a new display. People would purposely stroll past the 5th Avenue windows to see the latest innovations in fashion.

In 1970, Custin retired from Bonwit's, as the company had a mandatory retirement age of 65 for it's executives. She then went on to form her own retail consulting firm, Mildred Custin, Ltd. which was very successful until she closed it in 1990. Custin died in 1997 at age 91.

Couture Allure is pleased and proud to be able to offer for sale a 1969 James Galanos silk palazzo pant jumpsuit that was owned by Mildred Custin. This jumpsuit was recently deaccessioned by the Brooklyn Museum. Custin had donated it to the museum's costume collection in 1972. Don't miss your opportunity to own this piece of fashion history - a garment that was owned by the woman who was the most powerful force in American fashion retailing from 1965-1970.

Please note: Biographical information about Mildred Custin is copyright of Couture Allure and may not be copied without permission.

Sonia Rykiel

1970

French designer, Sonia Rykiel is best known for her work with knits. Her claim to fame was a body-hugging striped "poor boy" sweater that she designed for her husband's boutique, Laura. The sweater was featured on the cover of Elle magazine, and Rykiel's career took off. She established her own label and her own Sonia Rykiel Boutique in 1968.

1970

At a time when fashion was becoming less constricted with less reliance on supportive undergarments, Rykiel's knits were exactly what women wanted to wear. She worked with luxury yarns like mohair, angora, and alpaca, as well as cotton and wool.

1974

Rykiel was a leader in the concept of layering. She often showed ensembles made of at least 3 pieces, and often more, that could be layered and mix-and-matched. Her designs often included matching caps, scarves, or head wraps, as she was adamant that a woman's head should be covered.

1978

Rykiel's preference for knits reflects her fundamental belief that it is possible to be both stylish and comfortable at the same time. She also believed that a woman was the best designer for women.

1980

Sonia Rykiel was the first to show seams on the outside of a garment. Her hems were often finished with a narrow zig-zag stitch and no turn-under.

In the 1970's, Rykiel did a series of designer patterns for Vogue. These two examples are from 1975. Vogue pattern 1266, on the left, features Rykiel's Bertha collar sweater, which was hugely popular on the runway that year. The pattern on the right, Vogue 1267, features a long cardigan sweater that ties at the front.

Please note: Biographical information about Sonia Rykiel is copyright of Couture Allure and may not be copied without permission.

Jonathan Logan

I am always pleased when I find a 1950s dress with the Jonathan Logan label, because I know that denotes a dress that is well made and has stood the test of time. Jonathan Logan dresses are always stylish and, many times, just down-right adorable. It's no wonder they are so popular with my customers!

Founded in 1944 by David Schwartz in New York's Garment District, by 1962, the company's sales had reached $80 million. Schwartz managed that by going against the norm in the garment industry. He employed 60 salesmen who were on the road, visiting stores to take orders and reporting on styles that were selling well. In this way, the company was able to react quickly and pull slow-sellers from the line, while stepping up production on styles that were hot.

Schwartz insisted on staying in the Junior market because, though only 20% of the country's women wore Junior sizes, those women bought 35% of all clothes.

In 1962, the company had 28 manufacturing plants all over the U.S., with a centralized distribution center in New Jersey. It was one of the first to use a Univac computer to sort orders. And it owned a C46 transport aircraft to fly fabrics and finished goods between the manufacturing plants and the distribution center.

Schwartz also owned the Butte Knit, Youth Guild, and Junior Accent labels, and began the Bleeker Street line in 1966 to appeal to the Mod generation.

Please note: Biographical information about Jonathan Logan is copyright of Couture Allure and may not be copied without permission.

The Fashions of Fortuny

Mariano Fortuny was born in 1871 in Grenada, Spain. His father died when he was three, and the family then moved to Paris, where Fortuny studied painting with his uncle. In 1889, the family moved to a palazzo on the Grand Canal in Venice. Fortuny was enchanted with the exotic city, and immersed himself in Medieval, Renaissance and Eastern influences, as well as the Arts and Crafts Movement.

In 1899, Fortuny established his own studio in the 13th century Palazzo Orfei. He became well known for his textile designs and in 1906 was hired to design a stage curtain and ballet costumes for a production in Paris. He printed large silk veils with stencils inspired by ancient Cycladic art and draped these around each dancer. The stenciled patterns were built in layers, often shimmering with silver and gold.

Fortuny named the garment the Knossos veil, and it remains one of his best known works and continued to sell well into the 1930s to women all over the world.

Fortuny designed the Delphos dress in 1907 to wear with the Knossos veil. Each Delphos dress was constructed of 4 or 5 widths of pleated silk and finished with cords that laced at the neck and shoulders so the wearer could adjust the dress as she saw fit. The dress came with a narrow stenciled belt or braided silk cord. Fortuny ordered Murano glass beads, which were sewn along the sides and around the hem of the dresses to add weight so the dresses would cling to the body.

Each Delphos dress was twisted and coiled, then stored in a round white box tied with black ribbon. Fortuny made subtle variations of the Delphos gowns for more than 30 years. Each dress was completely made by hand and each was unique.

Fortuny also designed coats and wraps adapted from traditional kimonos, saris, and other ethnic clothing. Each article of clothing was made from Fortuny's custom made fabrics, which he printed and stenciled in his studio. And each garment was unique and one-of-a-kind.

Please note: Biographical information about Fortuny is copyright of Couture Allure and may not be copied without permission.

Images courtesy of Houston Museum of Fine Arts, New York Metropolitan Museum, and the Phoenix Art Museum.