Paris!

My father-in-law after the liberation of Paris in 1944.

Those of you who are Couture Allure fans on Facebook know that I am leaving this weekend on my dream trip to Paris. I'll be gone for the next several days, but I have blog posts all lined up for your entertainment and inspiration while I'm away. I'll try to post pictures of Paris on Facebook if I can.

If I owned this Samuel Robert metallic gold leather coat from 1956, you can bet it would be going with me to Paris. For now, it will have to be a new dream.

And Tilda, if you're reading this, merci, ma chere!

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1969 Velveteen Coat by Raincheetahs

This very rarely happens. This morning, I was flipping through the August 1, 1969 issue of Vogue magazine for inspiration, and this ad stopped me cold.

The ad is for a cotton velveteen coat with matching dress. "Raincheetahs by Naman puts a fire under fashion. A conflagration of color in an embroidered coat and dress ensemble of cotton velveteen. In the very spirit of autum, with all the easy comfort you need for the busy days of a new season. Flaming pink, as shown, or brown." The set was sold at Lord & Taylor, Burdine's, Jacobson's, etc. The dress is of the plain fabric, and the coat is very distinctively embroidered with a grid in pink.

Are you wondering why this ad stopped me cold? Look!

Vintage 60s' Mod Print Velvet Coat

I have the exact coat in brown for sale on my site! It didn't come with the matching dress, but that's OK. It is an incredibly well made and unique coat, and I'm very surprised it hasn't been snatched up yet. That means that it is still there for you, though. I'll include a scan of the ad with the coat for the lucky buyer. Really, how often do you find a vintage garment and then find the advertisement for that garment? In my case, this is just the second time in 10 years and thousands of garments. Now that's rare!

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Fox Trimmed Coat - 1973

I am in a rush and juggling several things this morning. I only have time to share this stunning coat from 1973. Pure white wool is trimmed with pure white fox fur. Me want! Coat by Cuddlecoat, sold for $800 in 1973 (about $3841 in today's dollar).

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Weekend Eye Candy - Zandra Rhodes Coat 1969

Natalie Wood models a circular coat by Zandra Rhodes from her first collection in 1969. This same coat is in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. An identical coat sold in October 2008 at Christie's London Avant Garde Fashion auction for $6,640.00.

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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?

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An interesting note regarding the photos of the Paris original couture garments we've been looking at this week. On the Table of Contents page of the September 15, 1961 Vogue magazine is the following highlighted caveat:

"The Chambre Syndicale de la Couture has requested that all publications showing Paris models from this collection publish the following line, to apply to all models shown: "Copyrighted model - reproduction forbidden." Of course, this does not apply to shops and makers who have bought the original models."

In other words, if a store paid the price for a couture original, and the designer approved, the store could produce copies for the North American market. Very soon after this magazine was published, the couture houses would demand that their names not be used in association with the copied garments. The stores were allowed to hint at who the original designer was, but were not allowed to use the name. This is when Dior became known as Monsieur X, Jacques Fath became Monsieur Y, and Hubert de Givenchy became Monsieur Z.

Our final coat this week is by Pierre Cardin. Made of red chinchilla wool, it has a full skirt with an asymmetric waistline, huge buttons at the side, and an attached scarf that flows from the top of the button placket and is worn like a stole by wrapping over the opposite arm. This coat was imported and copied by Macy's.

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1961 Christian Dior New York Coat

Christian Dior was one of the first French designers to sell a pret-a-porter, or ready to wear, line, as opposed to his made to order couture lines. He was also one of the first to design ready-to-wear clothes to be made in America, rather than France, in acknowledgment of the excellence of American workmanship. Hence the Christian Dior-New York label.


This coat would have been designed by Marc Bohan, and was advertised in the September 16, 1961 issue of Vogue magazine. The coat was sold at Bonwit Teller and retailed for $350 (about $2500 today). Made from French wool with a nubby fleecy texture, this coat had a bulky silhouette. Note the full 3/4 sleeves gathered into cuffs. The half belt serves to reign in the full cut of the back of the coat. The model wears black kidskin gloves and a black fur bubble hat.

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1961 Laurence Kaye Persian Lamb Jacket

Laurence Kaye was a prominent furrier on Seventh Avenue in Manhattan. He opened his own fur salon in the late 1950's and worked there for nearly 30 years until his retirement at age 82 in 1986. He made furs for Christian Dior and Hubert Givenchy, as well as for his own exclusive salon.

This Persian lamb jacket, shown in the September 15, 1961 issue of Vogue magazine, is cut very simply and closes with a single button at the neckline. Perfect to pop over a simple black day dress, or a long column of an evening gown. The model wears long kidskin gloves, a turban hat, and carries an alligator Kelly bag. So simple, so elegant.

Not into real fur or skins? You can get the look with this faux Persian lamb stole and alligator embossed patent vinyl bag, now available on EBay. Click the pictures to see the listings.

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1961 Leslie Morris for Bergdorf Goodman Coat

Leslie Morris was hired by Bergdorf Goodman in 1931 and worked in their custom design department well into the 1960's. She traveled to Paris every year for the couture collections. She was considered in the top rung of American designers in the 1930's, 40's, and 50's on par with Sophie of Saks, Mr. Leone of Bendel's, and Wilson Folmar of Jay-Thorpe. I can find no evidence that Morris' name was ever put on the labels sewn into the garments, although it appeared prominently in advertisements for Bergdorf's.

This ad for Bergdorf's is from the September 15, 1961 issue of Vogue magazine. "Leslie Morris designed this flare-shaped city coat in rich black wool. Exclusive in our Made-to-Order Collection on the Second Floor." Well-to-do customers would go in to the store and have garments made specifically for them and to their measurements - the equivalent of couture. Note the 3/4 sleeves worn with long gloves and the large alligator bag, as well as the high bubble hat.
Get the look with this 1960's coat in Forstmann wool with genuine mink fur collar and cuffs, now available in our EBay store. Click the picture to see the listing.

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1958 Coats by Shag-Glow

Continuing our perusal of the October 1958 Seventeen magazine, here is an ad for Shag-Glow coats. The ad copy reads, "The Long and Short of it, Luxurious Shag-Glow Coats, You'll love the genuine comfort and soft warmth of these coats...made of the finest 100% pure wool fabric. Moth proofed for the life of the garment. Long about $35 - Short about $25. Colors: Burnt Orange, Winter Sea Green, Burnt Yellow."



$35 in 1958 is about $261 today. $25 in 1958 is about $187 today, so these would be considered nicer quality coats. Shag-Glow was a label put out by Hampshire Fashions on 7th Avenue in New York. The "Faribo Woolen Fabric" was an exclusive fabric by Faribault Woolen Mills.



These are simply styled day coats, worn in this photo with matching hats and gloves. I love the color names, although they look simply orange, turquoise, and brown to me! All three coats have raglan sleeves, the orange with a deeper dolman armhole. They have simple collars buttoned all the way up. The orange coat has a curved pocket and a half belt buttoned on at the sides. The brown coat has a vertical welted pocket.



Want the look? Here is a similar coat at Couture Allure on EBay.

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Shop Early for Best Selection

I've always disliked that phrase, no matter how true it may be. But the fact remains that you can't find a decent bathing suit at the mall when the temperatures finally decide to soar in June. And you can't find a stylish winter coat when you need one in February.

I'd like to tell you that it is different with vintage clothing, but we sold out of bathing suits in March. We started photographing and listing winter coats in May, and many of our best for this year are already sold. Style takes planning!

For those of you who are thinking about your winter coat while sitting on the beach, may we offer these for your consideration?

1940's Emerald Princess Coat:



1980's Pauline Trigere Coat:



1960's Tapestry Coat with Fox Collar:



1950's Black Velvet Swing Coat:



See these coats and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

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Davidow

We're headed in to our first heat wave of 2008 - 4 days of temps over 90 and high humidity. Ugh. But it won't be long before the winter winds are back, and with that in mind, we're working on our collection of vintage coats for this year.

While best known for their ladies suits, Davidow also made wonderful coats in classic, timeless styles. This one is from the late 1960's, and we're in love with this vibrant pink and purple boucle plaid wool.

Davidow was best known for the details in their designs. Here, the pockets have been cut on the bias. Those flaps are faux. The actual pocket opening is a slit on the side, which is much easier to get into. Also note how beautifully the plaid is matched, especially on those raglan sleeves.

See this coat and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

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