It's the fall of 1945. Paris had just been liberated the previous August and the city is still struggling to rebuild itself. The couturiers won't emerge with proper fashion shows until the fall of 1947. But many designers did begin to reestablish their businesses. Here, fur coats for the winter of 1945. Hemlines are still on the short side, but shoulders are already huge.
Left: Gray broadtail coat with black fox sleeves by Molyneux. Right: Black astrakan coat by Revillon.
Otter fur double breasted coat by Jungmann et Cie.
Paquin aubergine wool coat with blue fox fur collar and pockets.
Astrakan coat by Reine d'Angleterre. Check out those platform booties. The soles are probably wood.
Left: Coat in astrakan fur with beige wool bodice by Gaston. Right: White broadtail fur jacket with black suede waistband by Gaston.
In the late 1950s and into the early 60s, mock furs (or faux furs as we call them today) were promoted as a less expensive alternative to costly real furs. I think you can tell from these photos, however, that the quality of the mock fur fabrics available were far inferior to those we have today. But it is interesting to see the styles that were available and even more interesting to see how expensive these coats were!! These photos are all from 1958.
Above, a mock wolf fur pullover ski top by John Weitz in Borg Dynel shaggy faux fur. Top sold in 1958 for $55 (about $418 in today's dollar.)
Murry Neiman mock seal fur coat in Orlon faux fur. Coat sold in 1958 for $145 (about $1100 in today's dollar.)
Vera Maxwell mock mink evening coat made from Candalon "Wink" fabric. Coat sold in 1958 for $130 (about $988 in today's dollar.)
Custom Craft mock Persian lamb jacket made of wool. Jacket sold in 1958 for $40 (about $304 in today's dollar.)
Handelsman & Raiffe faux sheared beaver coat made from Candalon "Kissing Cousin" mock fur fabric. Coat sold in 1958 for $99 (about $753 in today's dollar.)
If you're going to do some holiday shopping today, you might as well go in style. Here, a double-breasted leopard jacket trimmed with red fox fur by Traina-Norell, 1954. Of course, it is no longer legal to buy or sell furs from endangered species whether vintage or not, and we are not advocating such. But, there are wonderful quality faux furs available today and we hope you'll use this photo as inspiration to look your best today and every day.
More from the Saks Fifth Avenue Holiday Preview catalog from 2000. While not technically vintage, I do think it is interesting to see what Saks and the designers were showing 10 years ago. Today, a look at some of the furs.
Birger Christensen diamond pattern dyed sheared mink coat with mink collar and cuffs. Sold for $6750 in 2000.
Adrienne Landau black cashmere cape reverses to wool paisley and trimmed in Finnish fox fur. Sold for $2500 in 2000.
SFA exclusive cashmere sweater with mink fur trim. Sold for $428 in 2000.
Birger Christensen mink vest with drawstring waist. Sold for $2500 in 2000.
Saks exclusive olive cashgora coat trimmed with natural Russian golden sable fur. Sold for $8995 in 2000.
I am a firm believer that if you chose to wear fur, you should always chose vintage. That keeps coats and stoles already in existence out of our landfills and at the same time doesn't support the unneeded slaughter of today's animals for fashion. In showing images of vintage furs on this blog, I hope to inspire you and show you how beautiful they can be for the modern woman.
By 1966, fur makers were playing with new color combinations and unique constructions. Enjoy these mink coats from the winter of that year.
Laurence Kaye showed the first chevron striped mink, pieced in gunmetal gray and white.
Emeric Partos mink dress with an optical illusion pattern in white, gray, and black.
Veneziani mink coat in horizontal rings of color ranging from white to dark brown.
Ben Kahn mink ski jacket with chevron stripe insets.
Maximillan double breasted coat, brown mink set off with pale beige in the front.
I am a firm believer that if you chose to wear fur, you should always chose vintage. That keeps coats and stoles already in existence out of our landfills and at the same time doesn't support the unneeded slaughter of today's animals for fashion. In showing images of vintage furs on this blog, I hope to inspire you and show you how beautiful they can be for the modern woman. Enjoy these images from 1958.
Scaasi for Ben Kahn Russian Crown sable jacket with large collar. Lined in red and gold lamé.
Emba pale gray mutation mink coat by Emeric Partos of Bergdorf Goodman.
Alixandre Empress Chinchilla stole.
Two Elsa Schiaparelli licensed Southwest African Persian Lamb jackets with mink collars.
Maximilian black Russian broadtail lamb completely lined in natural dark ranch mink. Mink also forms the bateau neckline.
It's been pretty frigid here in Boston this week. I've been adding layers to my wardrobe to stay warm rather than turn up the (very expensive) heat. Perhaps I should just wear one of these beauties while I work. These fur coats all appeared in an I. Magnin catalog from 1979. Interestingly, I. Magnin would send a salesperson to your home or office if you wanted to try on any of these coats in private. I should think so at these prices.
Left: For him, natural fisher fur jacket. $11,500 (about $34,267 in today's dollar). Center: For her, natural fisher fur coat $22,000 (about $65,555 in today's dollar). Right: Natural ranch mink fur coat $8,995 (about $26,803 in today's dollar).
Left: Yves St. Laurent feathered blush-dyed blue fox edged in mink fur that is dyed to match. $3,200 (about $9,535 in today's dollar). Right: One-of-a-kind Russian white natural lynx fur coat. I. Magnin bought the fur at the Leningrad fur auction and made this coat. $50,000 (about $149,000 in today's dollar).
Left: For him, dyed rust ribbed beaver jacket. $3,500 (about $10,430 in today's dollar). Center top: Red natural cross fox fur coat. $17,500 (about $52,146 in today's dollar). Center bottom: White dyed Snow-Top mink jacket. $2,995 (about $8,924 in today's dollar). Right: Natural white curly lamb fur bomber jacket with knit collar and cuffs and leather buttons. $1,495 (about $4,455 in today's dollar).
I WANT this to wear around the house. Natural white mink fur sweatshirt worked in an intricate croquet pattern. Zip front with elastic at the sleeve cuffs and bottom edge. $3,995 (about $11,904 in today's dollar).
File this under "Lightening Strikes Twice". On Friday, I told you how rare it is to find a vintage advertisement that matches an item I am selling. Later that day, I received an email from my colleague Anthony Argo over at Frockology.com with a picture of a Lord & Taylor ad from the March 1973 issue of Vogue magazine. It showed a Donald Brooks coat with a print of peas in pods cleverly called "The Pea Coat". The coat sold for $250 in 1973 (about $1200 in today's dollar).
Vogue Magazine, March 1973
Oh look! I have the same coat for sale at my website! This Donald Brooks coat is such fun and is sure to bring a smile to everyone on those rainy and gloomy days. Thank you for sending a photo of the ad, Anthony!
In other news, it snowed here in Boston last night. In case you are new to this blog, I want you to know that I hate snow. I hate cold. I hate winter. But I love Boston, so here I stay. Now, we've had early snow before, but October 18th snow? That's pushing it. It's all gone this morning, and the temps are headed back up today, but in honor of the coming winter winds, here are some vintage fur coats from 1966.
I've told you about Emeric Partos, Bergdorf Goodman's custom furrier before. This full length evening coat of Russian Crown sable is worn over gold lamé harem pajamas, both by Partos.
Also by Emeric Partos, an Empress chinchilla fur cape. Love the metallic boots!
Christian Dior combines Jasmine white Emba mink with Lutetia gunmetal grey Emba mink, tied with a mink sash at the waist.
Maximilian uses Emba mink in tourmaline for this gorgeous coat with horizontal pelts.
Read more...
A big thank you to all of you who took the time to respond to my question about vintage fur yesterday. The overwhelming response was a positive one, so I will feature pictures of vintage furs here on the blog in the future.
Sometimes, the serendipity of finding images and doing research for this blog takes me to unexpected places. That happened today when I came across this image from 1964 of a little outfit designed by Emeric Partos. The outfit consists of a blouse and britches in real jaguar fur with a long red velveteen "fling" to throw over it. Pretty outrageous, right? That led me to find out more about Mr. Partos. He was quite a fascinating man.
Please note: Biographical information about Emeric Partos is copyright of Couture Allure and may not be copied without permission.
Emeric Partos was born in Hungary and moved to Paris in 1939. During WWII, he served in the French army and later became an operative in the underground, where he met couturier Alex Maguy. Partos joined Maguy's house as a coat designer, then joined the House of Dior as Dior's assistant in 1947. It is said that Partos was the one who came up with the idea of using crinoline petticoats to give volume to the yards of fabric in Dior's New Look skirts.
In 1950, Partos was invited to join the house of Maximilian Furs in New York, first as a guest designer, and then permanently. He terminated his contract with Dior and moved to New York.
Jasmine white mink cropped jacket by Partos, made to order at Bergdorf Goodman, 1955
In 1955, Bergdorf Goodman lured Partos away by offering him free reign as the designer in their custom fur salon. It was here that the name Emeric Partos became synonymous with the finest, most expensive, and most innovative furs in the world.
Alaskan seal slim coat with side buttons by Partos, made to order at Bergdorf Goodman, 1955
In 1957, Partos was awarded a Coty Award for his fur designs.
Empress Chincilla fur bolero jacket by Partos, made to order at Bergdorf Goodman, 1958
Emba Autumn Haze mink coat by Partos, made to order at Bergdorf Goodman, 1960
A showing at the fur salon on the second floor of Bergdorf Goodman was always attended by a Who's Who of high society. Customers such as Babe Paley, Gloria Vanderbilt, and Barbra Streisand could be found perched on little gold chairs watching a very theatrical show featuring Mr. Partos' latest creations with the finest pelts in the world. Not only did he design the furs, but he also designed the clothes and accessories that went with them.
Zebra fur dress by Partos from the late 1960s, from the collection of the Met Costume Institute
Emeric Partos is credited with such innovations in the fur industry as knitting with strips of fur, dying fur, and using pelts from unusual animals like yak.
In 1974, Partos invented the fur "cover-up", essentially a separate coat made of poplin, gabardine, or silk that was meant to be worn over the fur coat to protect it from rain, sleet, and snow. It evolved into a garment that women wore over their fur coat so as not to look too ostentatious.
Emeric Partos died on December 2, 1975 at the age of 70. He had been with Bergdorf for 20 years.
In 1965, Barbra Streisand filmed a portion of her television special, "My Name is Barbra" in Bergdorf Goodman. The fashion show sequence features Streisand singing "Second Hand Rose" and other songs while modeling several fur outfits by Emeric Partos. Here is the clip of that performance from the show. You may want to skip through the first 3 minutes until you get to the fashion portion. You'll see Barbra wearing a long Somali leopard coat over a black leather dress, a pair of white mink knickers with a black sweater, a velvet print suit lined in Canadian wild mink, and a white broadtail lamb riding habit. The second fur is unidentified, but it looks like either fox or sable to me. All the hats were designed by Bergdorf's custom milliner, Halson (yes, that Halston). Barbra purchased most of the fur outfits after filming the show. Enjoy!
....fur? Vintage fur, that is? The wearing of fur can be a controversial subject, and starting a discussion about the pros and cons of that is not my purpose. This blog is, at heart, a teaching tool, but for the most part, I've been avoiding showcasing images of fur coats from the past so as not to ruffle any feathers. Personally, I do sell and wear vintage furs, as they were made at a time when doing so was acceptable, and recycling a coat from the past is far better than buying new. I do want to be sensitive to your feelings, though.
As an example, the image above is from 1965. That year, coats featuring fur linings were quite popular. This set by Branell features a simple shift dress in charcoal wool with a matching wool coat. The fur lining the inside of the coat? I never would have guessed it, because it's not actual fur pelts. This is fabric made of vicuna that has been woven to look like fur. Vicuna is now an endangered species, so any sale of this fiber must meet local and federal laws, even if it is vintage. But that is something I could teach you about another day.
So, dear readers, how do you feel about it? Should I do occasional posts about fur types and fur styles from the past? Or should I just continue to write about other things? Please leave a comment with your opinion, and I'll go with the majority.
It's interesting, in today's economy, to read magazines from WWII years, as the articles focus on "making do" and reusing items we already own. The article featured today is entitled How to Make the Most of an Old Fur Coat and originally appeared in the November 1943 issue of Woman's Day.
I know some of my readers prefer not to wear fur, and that's OK. For those of us who do, vintage furs are preferred. Any of the ideas shown would also work in faux fur. Or read on if you've got an out of date high quality wool or cashmere coat that could be remade into something else. Reuse, reduce, recycle!
If you've find an old fur coat that has worn areas, or the style doesn't flatter, consider some of these ideas for remaking the coat into something new. If there are enough good skins, you can make a shorter jacket from a long coat. The full length nutria coat at the left had raglan sleeves. It was remade into a shorter swagger jacket with set-in cuffed sleeves and a shawl collar. Scraps were used to trim the hat.
The lapin coat shown at the lower right was remade into the long scarf at the left. I love the idea of wearing a long wide scarf belted over a jacket or cardigan.
The drawing at the upper right shows an idea for using narrow bands of fur or contrasting fabric to trim a simple tailored coat.
The scraps from the lapin coat in the second picture were also used to make the collar and pockets at the upper right and the hat and muff at the lower left.
Other uses for larger scraps: Make long contrasting front lapels for a plain coat, or use pieces for the front of a vest. A shorter waist-length bolero is also fun.
EMBA is the trademarked name of The Mutation Mink Breeders Association. In 1942, a group of mink fur farmers joined forces to form a marketing cooperative. These ranchers specialized in mink fur in clear bright colors to which they gave distinctive trade names. EMBA often bought full page ads in Vogue magazine in cooperation with various designers and manufacturers of mink coats and stoles.
Five of the rarer light colors were: 1. Arcturus - lavender beige, 2. Morning Light - blue beige, 3. Azurene - blue grey, 4. Aeolian - taupe, 5. Tourmaline - pale beige. These colors were all natural, not dyed, and, according to EMBA, each represented less than 1% of the world's mink. The pelts above are photographed with Harry Winston diamonds.
This ad, from 1957, features a Ritter Bros. coat in EMBA Jasmine, a natural white mutation mink color.
This ad, from 1963, shows a coat designed by Emeric Partos and custom made by Bergdorf Goodman in EMBA Morning Light mink.
This ad, from 1966, shows a coat by Maximilian in EMBA Tourmaline mink fur.
In 1941, a group of mink ranchers centered in the Great Lakes region formed The Great Lakes Mink Association, another marketing designation. The GLMA ranchers developed a unique strain of perfect black mink and marketed them under the trademark Blackglama. Their famous ads feature celebrities wearing Blackglama furs with the tag line, "What becomes a legend most?".
Racquel Welch in 1976.
Luciano Pavarotti in 1981.
Sophia Loren in 1982.
In 1985, EMBA merged with The Great Lakes Mink Association (GLMA) to form The American Legend Cooperative. American Legend is now the trademarked name given to the furs produced by this cooperative. Only the finest quality minks can receive the American Legend trademark status. The American Legend Cooperative uses super models and celebrities in their ads today.
Left: Gray broadtail coat with black fox sleeves by Molyneux.
Otter fur double breasted coat by Jungmann et Cie.
Paquin aubergine wool coat with blue fox fur collar and pockets.
Astrakan coat by Reine d'Angleterre. Check out those platform booties.
Left: Coat in astrakan fur with beige wool bodice by Gaston.
