What's Old In Kalispell, MT: Antique Lingerie Dresses

Classic antique dresses (like the one pictured) from the turn of the 20th century are white cotton lawn or batiste, sometimes with intricate pleatwork, lace and embroidery.  They can be works of art.  And there's a cache of them on display at the Conrad Mansion in Kalispell, MT through October 15, 2013.

Book Bits: The Autobiography of Salvatore Ferragamo

On sitting down with this book, I had a sense I'd be reading something substantial.  I found that while Salvatore Ferragamo was indeed a wizard of footwear, the first chapter or so told me he's also a masterful storyteller.

Ferragamo was born eleventh of fourteen children in a poor village in Italy at the turn of the 20th century.  Not only did he rise out of poverty to oversee a shoe-making empire, he also shod some of the world's most famous names, from Greta Garbo and Sophia Loren to Mussolini and Eva Braun.



Paulette Goddard is a good example of one of Ferragamo's more demanding clients, much to his perfectionist delight.

There's a lot of meaty stories and earnest footwear advice in this book, making it a gem of a read.  Here are three favorite tidbits:

Shoes For Sister
At the age of nine, Salvatore was desperate to learn the shoemaker's trade.  Just across the street from his boyhood home was a cobbler, but the Italian culture designated shoemakers as low class, and Salvatore was forbidden from apprenticing. 

Then one day his younger sisters were expected to take first communion at the local church, but they had no white shoes to wear to the service.  His mother cried with anxiety, as they also had no money to buy such luxuries.

So the night before the service, Salvatore stole across the street to the shoemaker's shop, obtained the necessary leather and tools, and stayed awake all night creating the essential shoes.  They were beautiful despite the fact they were Salvatore's first attempts - a testament to his innate ability.

Cheese And Death
Years later, once Salvatore had established his name as an international shoemaker, he found himself kept at close watch in his own Italian villa.  The Nazi aggressors suspected him of spying and then of hoarding food.

During World War II, food was in such low supply that punishment for hoarding was death.  Salvatore recounted that he did have a "huge Parmesan cheese" in the house, but nothing more. 

Oh that cheese!  I was certain it would be found.  Worrying about that cheese kept me awake night after night.  I dreamed more of that cheese than of any girl I have ever known in my life.  It was as if it was rolling along the edge of a precipice and I was running after it... All the persecution of this period of my life... never frightened me as much as that Parmesan cheese.

Great Artists Think Alike
In the post-war enthusiasm of 1947, Ferragamo was notified he'd won a prestigious award in America along with Christian Dior and other designers.  With the single-mindedness one might expect of a ruthlessly focused craftsperson, Ferragamo had never heard of Dior despite their similar lines of work.

Their paths crossed in a dramatic way when Ferragamo happened to meet Dior on the Queen Elizabeth, a ship bound for America where the award ceremony would take place.  The gentlemen commiserated that they'd only just finished the exclusive clothes and shoes that would debut at the award presentation during a special fashion show. 

After this exchange, Dior asked to see the shoes Ferragamo had created.  But upon seeing them, he stared at Ferragamo suspiciously.  One pair of shoes was satin with a cutaway instep, mimicking one of Dior's satin dresses with a cutaway neckline.  Another shoe had a doubled drape just like another of Dior's designs. 

He accused Ferragamo of sending a spy into the Dior house in Paris, as Ferragamo's shoes serendipitously matched Dior's dresses beyond happenstance.  Yet Ferragamo hadn't seen a hint of Dior's ideas.  Not only did he know nothing of Dior, but he'd only just shared a conversation about the late work required before departing with fashions in hand.

It was a stroke of genius - perhaps two strokes - that they had created "for each other" without knowing it.  Additionally it heralded the heyday both designers were embarking upon in the post-war era.

Shoemaker of Dreams is full of many more anecdotes, written with Ferragamo's heartfelt and intelligent point of view that reveals a deep and endearing love of shoes.

History Repeats Itself: Vintage Balenciaga 1945

You don't have to look outside the fashion world to see where designers get some of their inspirations... you just have to look into the past.

 

This sketch is not by Claude Montana or Giorgio Sant Angelo.  It's not even 1985.  It's 1945, and the designer is Cristobal Balenciaga.

 

The exaggerated shoulder with its stitched detail is the only hint of Balenciaga's encompassing cocoons and capes that would arrive in the following decades.  Yet this practical and rather anonymous design of his became a quintessential look of late 80s & early 90s boutique lines. 

 

Dresses like this were produced by the thousands about forty years after this particular one was sketched.  It's a classic example of history in repetition... something vintage clothing collectors know all about.

 

Photo Source: Balenciaga Paris edited by Pamela Golbin.

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

She's the center of attention, she's got a fantastic figure, and she's incapable of walking out of the room.  What more could a girl ask for?

The bell-shaped skirts of the mid-Victorian era were a novel way for women to contrive an extreme silhouette, the hourglass of all hourglasses, so to speak.  But as many fashions go, this one developed to a dangerous point. 

Stories circulated about women trapped in house fires wearing bell skirts, and the notion of calling on a friend was hampered by the limit of how many skirts could fit in one room.  Then there was the relatively mundane dilemma of how one could sit down.  Practical? No.  But pretty?  Yes, I suppose... in a trapped bird kind of way.

Resource: 1000 Dessous by Gilles Neret

"If I were allowed to choose...

...from the pile of books which will be published one hundred years after my death, do you know which one I would take?  I would simply take a fashion magazine so that I could see how women dress one century after my departure.  And these rags would tell me more about the humanity of the future than all the philosophers, novelists, prophets and scholars."

So said Anatole France, a French novelist who died in 1924 at the age of 80.  The women's clothes he saw in his day ranged from Civil War era hoop skirts to enormous leg-o-mutton sleeves to the liberation from corsets to the high peak of flapper frivolity in his last years.  Imagine that variety over a lifetime, and he a man of letters who paid attention to such things.

And nearly a hundred years have indeed passed since his death.  Imagine the developments since then.  Just a few years after his passing, fashion dictated swimsuits that show all a woman has, and ladies in hard-tailored suits as severe as men's... Would he think us too feminine and yet too masculine?

Then there's the reprise of the Victorian era in the 1950s, the Gibson Girl in the 1970s, the re-created flapper during the 60s, and so on... Are our closets today a split personality of sorts?  Too many acceptable looks run awry of the dictum of fashion?

Look at the mainstream fashion of vintage clothing today... Would he think us unabashedly nostalgic?

I wonder what he would think about our humanity.  What would you guess?

Made In British Crown Colony Of Hong Kong

This label is one you'll see in better quality clothing of the 1960s.  But what is its origin?  The phrase "made in the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong" across the bottom is telling.  Find out about this label and more in vintage fashion in 1960s Hong Kong, part of our free fashion history info section.

Fall Collections Then & Now

A clever peek at Harper's Bazaar 2012 fall trends compared to the New York collections highlighted in Vogue's September 1969 issue.  What comes around goes around, and this season it's vintage deja vu!

We've paired the trends declared "latest" alongside 1969 images and captions:

Monochromatic Ensembles

 

Black velvet plus black mink... black-dyed mink lapping at the hem of a marvellous little wrapped moire-velvet coat and making fluffs of cuffs on the trousers.  With a white silk shirt, plus long ropes of violet pearls and thick-soled sandals.  Bill Blass turn-out. . . Beads by Charles Elkaim: Henri Bendel.  Rings by Vendome.  Mademoiselle sandals, to order: Lord & Taylor. 

 The short evening dress and high shiny boots, that's the good look for the good parties this year - white silk crepe shirtdress, buttoned and necktied in glitter; white satin sash and boots.  By Shannon Rodgers for Jerry Silverman.  With its own rhinestone belt, about $145.  At Miss Bergdorf of Bergdorf Goodman... Jewelled tie by Kramer.  Marvella rings... Doro sash... Golo boots.

Hunting Attire

 

The Bronte cape, a circle of black cashmere falling long and soft from a pointy collar - romantic as mist and moors over an ankle-length shirtdress with a black angora top and green scissor-slashed wool skirt.  Turnout by Oscar de la Renta. . . Hat by Adolfo for Oscar de la Renta.  Rings by Sant' Angelo, Frances Hirsch.  Shoes by I. Miller.

This little pigskin's really going to town; long belted coat and matching pigskin pants with a long, belted dark-green jersey shirt - plus a good dash of hat, long slash of chiffon scarf... a smash of a look for fall.  Turnout by Halston.  Boots by Carel for Halston, at Bloomingdale's.  Rings by Robert Originals.

Modern Military

 Sky grey, with a Napoleonic collar, a steely-grey glint of buttons and buckle... and, underneath, an India-pink satin shirt to light up the sky.  Calvin Klein coat, about $130. . . Gunmetal-grey leather brogues: I. Miller.

The long Regency jacket, flecked brown wool; a pink tie; fur muff.  Kickerino boots.

Aristocratic Chic 
 

Like something glimpsed in the Unicorn Tapestries, or perhaps in some Tres Riches Heures - scarlet and sable-brown moire velvet with sable circling each wrist and flung languorously down the back.  By Donald Brooks... rayon velvet and natural Russian sable.  At Saks Fifth Avenue... Gloves by Hansen.  Belt by Calderon, at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Black velvet mounted with ormolu scrolls, gold bullion and shinestones blazing a mock bolero.  Nat Kaplan; rayon velvet.
About $250. Saks Fifth Avenue... Necklace by Kenneth Lane for Laguna.  Hansen gloves. 

Brocades 

The luxe turnout for evening; cloth-of-gold pants and long-line jewel-belted tunic... small, lightly shaped coat in copper-and-gold geometric brocade lined with dark mink tails... and the head tied up tight in gilded brocade - beautiful!  By Ben Reig... Turban by Giorgio di Sant' Angelo: Bonwit Teller.

The sari-cloth shirtdress, golden, gauzy, muffled at the neck, with a vest of gilt links thrown over - a little belted breeze wafting along on gilded big-cat boots...  Solid Art vest and Mark XIV rings: Bonwit Teller.  Round-The-Clock tights.  Pappagallo boots.

Ensemble captions by Diana Vreeland, Vogue, September 1969.

Why Are Men's Buttons Opposite Women's Buttons In Clothing?

It's an age-old question! From our fashion history background, the default answer was always this:

Men dressed themselves, and conventionally they buttoned their clothes left-over-right, meaning the buttonhole side of the fabric lapped over from the wearer's left. But women had servants to help them dress, and because the servant was facing the wearer, they needed an opposite closure to match their opposite perspective.

Claudette Colbert dressing herself quite easily in Clark Gable's pajamas, circa 1934.

This doesn't quite hold up when you realize men had butlers, but maybe those man-servants never attended a gentleman in his dressing quarters. Also, when I use my own hands to button or unbutton a garment as a servant would (whether the item is men's or ladies'), I don't feel a preference either way. But maybe that's just me. And this custom doesn't account for left-handedness, but in the days of its origin, I doubt many people were accounting for that.

Also, consider the fact that, at various points in history, women wearing obvious closures of any kind were considered to have looser morals, because that line of buttons showed just how to gain access to what was underneath. Why make it easier to undo a blushing beauty's buttons by placing them in a convenient way for her paramour, especially in times puritanical?

I checked through my references here at Vintage Vixen for any notes about buttons, but I couldn't find any. I have several books on male & female differences in fashion, but they omit this fundamental difference, which I thought was interesting. It also seems to indicate that this was a custom created out of a functional need, not a sexual differentiation.

So I looked around online. There are many ideas about this historical conundrum, and in addition to the theory above, here they are in summary:

• Men needed their coats to close with opening toward the wearer's right, because they pulled their sword from their left hip. If the coat opened to the left, the butt of the sword could get caught in this opening.
• Women tended to carry a child on their left hip, and they nursed by opening & closing their blouses with their right hand, so they needed an opening to match.
• People's clothing was once so similar in style (not sure which era they're describing here) that the differences in buttons was the primary indicator of gender.
  
• The difference was due to some religious or moral reason, possibly to hide/show more skin depending on the viewer's perspective.
• Buttons in the back of a ladies' garment were easier to do/undo by oneself as well as a servant if placed a certain way.
  

The ideas keep coming. Like the chicken and the egg, no one really knows which came first. Or why.

Personally I'm still wondering - do you have a preference if you're buttoning up someone else's shirt? Or do you think the servant answer is simply a reason given to placate the curious?

References:
Photo: The Language of Clothes | Yahoo | Life's Little Mysteries | Fun Trivia | Snopes

Fashion History, Vixen Style

Back in September we redesigned our site from top to bottom. In the midst of the transition, our beloved fashion history pages went by the wayside.

Just wanted to let you all know they're back! This link was a mainstay for vintage fashion enthusiasts 15 years ago, when VintageVixen.com first started. It's still here and still helping out thousands of costumers, students and fashion folks around the globe.

We'd like to embellish them soon with decade-specific graphics, fabric care tips, and anything else you want to see. Let us know what would tickle your fancy!

Rose Marie Reid: Vintage Designer Bios

Rose Marie Reid was likely the most popular swimwear label of the 1950s, and her bathing attire remains just as attractive to the vintage clothing world today. The lady behind the label lived a remarkable life, outfitting the likes of Joan Crawford and Marilyn Monroe in her heyday.

She was born Rose Marie Yancey in 1906 to a Mormon family in Utah. Her upbringing lent itself to entreprenuerial success, as she worked in the family's grocery enterprise by age 14, and her mother taught her sewing at an expert level.

After marrying Jack Reid and moving to Canada, her bathing suits were borne out of a request by her husband for a pair of swim trunks in the early 1930s. His complaint was that swimsuits of the day were all-wool, and when soaked in water became very heavy and uncomfortable. She created a pair of trunks cut from an old duck-fabric coat, and laced the sides for a close fit. They were so functional that Jack arranged for a local department store to carry the swimwear, much to Rose Marie's reluctance. He'd even claimed they had similar (non-existent) women's suits available! With this, Reid Holiday Togs, Inc was created.

"What you really need is a new suit for sunning, last year's for swimming and an extra one just for fun. A wardrobe of three of four suits isn't at all unusual any more... and some women buy 12 or 13 at a time."

- Rose Marie Reid
(Burr & Petersen, p.95)

In their first year, the Reids showed six styles. In later years over 100 designs were shown in one season, as annual sales soared from $32,000 in 1938 to $834,000 in 1946. The war years stifled Rose Marie's creativity with quotas and fabric restrictions, but she continued to innovate.

Rose Marie began more direct competition with US swimsuit companies in 1946. With financial backing, Rose Marie's business overtook the industry in a few years, and quickly found her competitors copying her designs. Cole even had a suit they audaciously named "Rose Marie" because they'd stolen the design from her (Burr & Petersen, p. 89). By 1958, sales were $14 million as Rose Marie ruled a swimsuit empire.

Rose Marie was the first swimwear designer to come out with more than one line a year, including a late summer line and a resort & cruisewear line. Notable bathing suits included one "of glistening white" with a lobster placed on it, presumably after the surrealist Schiaparelli gown with the same theme (Burr & Petersen, p. 44). There was also a gold metallic suit with a price tag of $90, when most swimwear sold for $6.95 at the time. When Rita Hayworth bought one, Rose Marie enjoyed instant success despite the price. Another gold suit created in 1951 was actually precious metal, in black lace with 24-carat goldplating. This rarity sold for over $100 exclusively at Lord & Taylor.

Rose Marie found herself traveling to Europe for inspiration, and dining with the likes of designer Emilio Pucci and journalist Ann Scott James. Pucci complimented her by taking her swimsuits to his office staff. Even amidst the glamour, her personal style was endearing. At one RMR show, she'd had such a time crunch that the suits weren't priced beforehand. Rose Marie solved the problem by simply asking the models what they'd pay for the suits they wore! Then in 1955, a rose was created in her name, inspired by the colors in that year's swimsuit line. And in '58, she won the American Sportswear and Design Award. By 1959, her factories produced 10,000 suits per day. Rose Marie was on top of the world.

Just a few years later, RMR's swimwear success faltered with the bikini craze of the 1960s, and was accelerated by Rose Marie's emerging health troubles. Other designers were brought in to contribute designs, changing the atmosphere of the company for the worse. For the first time, some suits that had her label were not her designs.

Decorum was on Rose Marie's mind when the bikini binge began. Suddenly the midriff-baring two-piece suits were everywhere. At Saks, women over sixty were buying bikinis, and women sized 20 were requesting them. This change of taste was one Rose Marie tried to overcome by crusading for the modesty of the one-piece suits she made famous. She disavowed ever designing a bikini, but due to the collaborative design effort now present at RMR, bikinis were nonetheless made with the RMR label. She left the company she'd created in 1962, claiming the bikini was ultimately its demise. Rose Marie was not idle, however; she began marketing wigs in 1963.

Munsingwear bought the company, but had ceased operations of RMR swimwear by 1965. The name Rose Marie Reid is still licensed and manufactured today, owned for a time by United Merchants (who purchased Jonathan Logan in 1986), and then by Sirena Apparel Group who bought the name Rose Marie Reid in 1994.

Why was RMR so popular? Rose Marie sparked the very idea of beauty in swimwear, compared to earlier wool suits meant for sport, not style. Yet finding a flattering swimsuit was just as difficult then as today. As the swimsuit queen said herself, "Nothing is so brutally frank as the bare essentials of a bathing suit" (Burr & Petersen, p. 45).

To achieve the goal of flattery on every figure, Rose Marie always designed on the model to ensure a realistic shape even through the severe silhouette of the 1950s. She referred to her customers' various silhouettes as "jewel shapes" - six geometric shapes that were all stunning in their differences. A few of the innovations Rose Marie developed in her suits included:

• tummy control panels
• paneling that reproportioned the body
• a long-line bra with plastic boning that creates a divided natural bustline, for full busts
• vertical stripes that slimmed in a dress-like design, for full hips
• "magic length" suits for the long-waisted
• stay-down legs via an innovative crotch panel
• brief skirts for full figures

*images from 1950s Rose Marie Reid pamphlet titled 'Which Jewel Shape is She?'

She found that pastels and dark colors seemed best for hiding figure flaws, and that she could manipulate fabrics' grains for rigidity or elasticity, depending on placement (like the bias cuts Vionnet used for dresses decades before). She made certain to include adjustable fittings & closures for a more tailored effect. Details previously used only in lingerie & evening wear, like boned bodices and wired bra cups, were added to achieve a smooth silhouette.

Rose Marie's intuitive genius created swimsuits that wore well, looked flattering and seemed so much more special than the utilitarian looks they originally replaced. From the 1950s to early 60s she ruled the swimsuit market, and she is well-remembered for her ambition and creativity.

Update (12/15/09):

An update on RMR's first-ever women's bathing suit from Colin Stevens of the New Westminster Museum of British Columbia, Canada:

Rose’s husband Jack was the swimming coach for Noel Oxenbury. He formed a swim club called the “”Crystal Club.” Rose Marie’s first 4 swimsuits were two male and two female:

Male - Jack Reid, her husband.
Male - Freddie Rossiter (swimmer)
Female - Noel Oxenbury (swimmer)
Female - Bunty Harrington (diver)

They modelled them for large department stores. The New Westminster Museum has uncovered the swimsuit made for and worn by Noel Oxenbury. It is green with white laces (one on each side.) The typed note that she pinned to the suit reads “The first ladies bathing suit made by “Rose Marie” Reid at the Crystal Pool and modeled by Noel Oxenbury for buyers from Spencers, Woodwards and the Hudson’s Bay era 1936 – 37.” Colin has graciously offered to provide us with a picture of the suit when available.

Bibliography:
Reid Burr, Carole and Petersen, Roger K. (1995). Rose Marie Reid: An Extraordinary Life Story . Utah: Convenant Communications, Inc.

Additional Resources:
The California Swimsuit

Interview with Janine Pons, Model in Paris 1948-1950

"They showed you how to walk, that was it!" she exclaims. Janine Hinderling walks graciously across her living room to demonstrate. She glides effortlessly with a smiling face, her arms slightly arched with a dancer's poise. Just as she did in 1948, showing collections in Paris through one of the earliest modeling agencies. Print dress "from a house". Picture taken in July 1948.

Her membership card to the agency, marked as valid from 1948 to 1950, looks quite fresh for its age. Hinderling (nee Pons) explains that easily. Modeling was not a big deal for Janine: "I just want[ed] to pass collection, and then I wanted to go skiing or do something else. Her casual remark belies the grace of her walk and the reminiscent gleam in her eye. Hinderling strode through the salons of many fashion houses including the renowned Jacques Fath in those three years. Agency card from Association Amicale Des Mannequins De Couture De Paris "I didn't like to stay in one house too long, just what we call a collection for a couple of months, three months. When I [got] back to Paris, my girlfriend was also a model, Vivian, and she's the one who started me on that." Janine worked from late 1948 through sometime in 1950. Because Janine was a house model, the pictures she has are only amateur. "Some girls got into magazine and [took professional] pictures. I never did, I was not interested." Fellow models from a "presentation de couture" (Janine is on the right). The handwritten caption nearby translates to "we were well-received." She flitted through her early twenties wearing dresses from fashion houses both large and small in Paris. Her scrapbook is filled with pictures of them. "This was from a house" she points out. "And this one." Which house many of the frocks came from is a distant memory, though a few were identifiable. She recalled one Jacques Fath dress she had, black with a big collar, that she wore on New Year's Eve to the Ball de la Glace. The compliments she got that night are still fresh to Janine. On seeing a vintage magazine print of a dramatic Fath design she notes "that was typical of him. All those collars!" "Je suis mannequin - chez Andre Ledoux" I am a model - at the house of Andre Ledoux. Janine was a mannequin for Fath in one collection in 1949. Her contact with houses was primarily through the premier. "In those big houses, [where] there was a big name like Christian Dior, the premier was the one in charge of everything. She would make the pattern, she would oversee all the sewing girls." Janine did not work directly with Fath, as the premier was responsible for executing his designs on live models like Janine. She also recalled her friend Maggie who sewed at Fath and Dior; for Fath she created clothing for his pret-a-porter line, one of the earliest such lines with a designer's name attached. In looking through her photographs, she points to a simple open-front casual jacket. "This jacket was made by my friend Maggie, [which] she made for Jacques Fath for his ready-to-wear." "That was a real nice dress, it was white and blue," she indicates, looking at the Ledoux dancers' print frock she wore in 1948. Another house she passed collection for was Andre Ledoux, primarily showing beach and casual wear at his location on the Place de la Madeline. "Ledoux we would see sometimes," meaning he was in contact with models more directly than Fath or other larger names. "I remember one of the models at Andre Ledoux, she had worked for Casino Paris... the Folies Bergere." Janine referred to the famous striptease establishment with a candid affirmation that she could never have done such work. The role of a model by her time was better respected than burlesque dancers, though in the generation before hers, the connection between models and striptease girls had been quite strong. "Betty - Mannequin chez Paquin" Betty - A model at the house of Paquin. Janine notes she was a beautiful girl and a natural redhead. Janine recalled another time when the staff of Jeanvieve Brunet's fashion house was leaving for a show at a Parisian casino, and Brunet's own car would not start. "Now we've seen everything!" she thought as a fellow model drove the girls and the designer herself to the show. One particular model who passed collection at this showing had a trick of re-arranging her hair for every outfit. "I can still see her. She wasn't that tall. She wasn't very bright. But she was very famous." That model's name escapes Janine, though the memory is still vivid. Despite her frank remarks, Janine had no rivalries or particular ambitions to become famous among mannequins. From a fashion show at Bon Marche (a Parisian department store) in 1950. Janine is wearing an evening gown at far right. In one collection, there were usually eight to ten models showing the designs and about the same number of designs shown per model. Models were expected to smile, look directly at the clients and show as pleasing an attitude as possible. Janine explains, "You had to be very nice." She presented collections in fashion houses and at casinos, as well as showing directly to individuals. "[The designer] would have some client, and you would come and stand in front of the lady, and you'd turn around you know, and she could really look." A collection progressed from day to night: "You had from the everyday thing to a little cocktail thing to the evening thing." The shows were harried but Janine had help changing clothes behind the scenes. From the house of Maria Loison about 1951. At the fashion house, preparation for a collection was less frenzied. "Everything was made on us, draped and you know, fixed up. So you could borrow it and you could buy it for cheap at the end of the collection because it was made on you." She says the cost was "practically nothing" for a sample design, something comparable to a forty or fifty dollar purchase in American dollars today. Such samples were couture, made for the model's figure specifically and not saleable to the house's own clientele. "The people who came to buy, you know it was very expensive, it was like princesses and movie stars and people who had a lot of money, it was made on them too." As a young lady in the 1940s, she experienced a very different culture of beauty than women today. While at the agency, she worked for Carven promoting Magriffe perfume, and before her days as a model Janine studied make-up and skin care quite seriously at Lancome. In 1946 she toured the United States as a "perfume ambassador". Her tour helped educate women on how to wear the latest perfumes from Paris. It was a complex undertaking at the time according to this excerpt from a 1946 article: "Blondes, says this French expert, should use flower fragrances. Dark-eyed, dark-haired women require the more exotic types of perfume, with a base of musk and amber. 'Some perfumes are for the day and some are for the evening', explained Mademoiselle Pons. 'Lighter perfumes should be used in the morning hours. In the afternoon, a slightly heavier fragrance can be used; but the pervasively fragrant perfumes should be reserved for evening. One does not used the same kind of perfume with a tailored morning costume that one would choose for a luxurious evening gown', according to this merry-eyed girl from France." Janine married wearing a gray wool dress made by the premier of Dior's house in 1950. Her hat was from the premier at Bon Marche. After her marriage in 1950, Janine settled in the U.S. and soon found American fashion to be a different shopping experience. She had first left Paris in 1946 for Lancome without a single pair of stockings (they cost $15 a pair at the time) and only one pair of shoes, bought using a ration coupon due to restrictions imposed by the war. In the U.S., she was astounded by the sheer quantity of merchandise available compared to war-ravaged Paris. Yet the standards of American clothes were quite a contrast to the Parisian houses she knew. She quietly decried the standard machine-sewn dress hem, continuing to rip out and hand-hem all her U.S.-bought clothing for years after leaving her native France. Madame Janine Hinderling today, with a youthful portrait of herself in skiing clothes, probably her favorite attire in the 1940s. Janine continues to experience joie de vivre with her family and friends. She celebrates her 80th birthday this August. ---April Ainsworth

Bibliography: Hinderling, Janine Pons. Personal interview. June 18, 2005. Milbank, Caroline Rennolds (1985). Couture: The Great Designers. New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang, Inc. Quick, Harriet (1997). Catwalking: A History of the Fashion Model. London: Octopus Publishing Group Limited.

Art Imitates Life

Check out this very cool blog! It's a fashion-focused array of altogether charming illustrations, each modeled after an actual vintage garment. I don't know this artist but I've gotta say I like her.

Such a creative way to bring vintage clothes to life!

How To Look Like A Model Circa 1955

This vintage article is an insider's look at the glamorous world of modeling, circa mid-1950s. It's an interesting glimpse back at the training and preparation models underwent at the time, written for the young lady aspiring to be a model - or just look like one. This article was reprinted verbatim from the original. -- A.A. It's In The Bag A young, attractive girl walks gracefully along Main Street, Small City, U.S.A. In New York a similar scene takes place along many of the famous streets and avenues. Hundreds of miles apart though these girls might be, they have something in common - a distinguishing trademark that links them together. That trademark is the huge bag each carries, the symbol of the model, whether she's a professional in one of the fashion capitals of the country or an amateur, modeling in a school or department store fashion show. The bag can be either a hatbox or an oversized tote bag - it's what's inside that really counts. What a model carries in her bag is just as important to her as the contents of a doctor's satchel are to him. Because her work is so often unpredictable, she must be prepared to meet any emergency.

Models' photos displayed by Lucile Clayton, 1946.

If modeling is new to you and you're going to appear in a style show for your school, 4-H group or local department store, perhaps this list of what to include in your model-bag will help. It was passed on by some of Powers' most successful girls. Girls In The Windows Ormond Gigli, 1960. Source

What to include in your model-bag: half slip strapless bra dress shields extra hose (seamless) black opera pumps clean, short white gloves (fabric and string) strand of pearls pearl choker two pairs of earrings (plain pearl and simple gold) clean comb, spray net scarf to protect hair

Any Powers' model knows that having the right things with you is not all you need do. You must appear at the show so immaculately groomed that no time is lost while you make last minute repairs. Powers' girls use a "personal grooming check list" to prepare themselves at home. The ten good grooming essentials are: bath deodorant hair clean, set, brushed legs and underarms shaved nails freshly shaped, manicured fresh panties, bra, slip neat girdle or pantie girdle clean dress shields, halter type newly laundered petticoats clean stockings - no runs When there's a check mark after each item on this list and your model-bag is packed, you're ready to leave for the show, confident that you're your most attractive self.

Models ca. 1958

It's Written All Over Your Face Backstage at last and time to "Make-Down", Mr. Powers' way of saying "look natural". Heavy, obvious make-up is out of place and a sure sign of an amateur. Make-Down means keeping cosmetics to a minimum. You highlight your fresh complexion, making yourself more attractive but not detracting from the clothes you will show. Learning the essentials at the Mayfair School in New York.

Rules for Applying "Make-Down" Dot forehead, nose,cheeks, chin and under chin with foundation that matches your skin coloring. Use light strokes, starting at the base of neck, and blend upward and outward with finger tips of both hands until it is an invisible film. Dot rouge lightly on high part of cheekbone. Blend until it looks like your own natural color. Apply powder liberally all over your face except eyelid area; then brush powder from brows and lashes. If you are going to be under spotlights, you'll want to accentuate your eyes. Eye shadow should be applied from the center of lower lids outward, as close to lashes as possible. Blend upwards and outwards twoard brows until the color is invisible and only a SHADOW remains. Apply cake mascara to lashes with a moist -never wet- brush. Too much water makes the eyelashes stick together and gives a beaded, artificial look. Use light strokes in applying mascara, then wait until lashes are completely dry and brush them gently to remove any excess mascara. Use light, feathery strokes of an eyebrow pencil in a color that matches your brow to trim arch line. Always apply lipstick with a brush. Follow the natural line all the way out to the corners. Most of these make-up applications are appropriate only when you're in a show. There is absolutely no need for more make-up than a light dusting of powder and well-applied lipstick off stage. Make-Down means a completely natural look, a look that every top-notch model has. The end result of what you do with cosmetics is no secret; it's written all over your face!

You're On... So: First, check your posture. Chin up, head back, chest up, shoulders relaxed and down. If your spine is straight there's no need to hold your shoulders "up" or "back". Keep your tummy up and in, your tail tucked under and your knees easy. Never lock them back; that throws your body out of line. Then you make your entrance. Put your best foot forward, whether it's right or left, and assume the basic foot position. Your face and front foot are toward the audience. Place your back foot just behind the front foot, pointing in a 45-degree angle. Keep your body at a 45-degree angle too to give yourself that slim, tall look. Give your audience a big smile.

Jacques Fath models

Walk with confidence and ease - shoulders relaxed, head up, arms swing and hips still. All motion in a graceful walk comes from the hip joint down. Keep your knees easy, relaxed and slightly bent. People want to see what you're modeling, so don't rush through your motions. Without dragging, walk slowly enough that everybody will get an opportunity to look at the clothes you're wearing. And always listen to the commentator; she's the one who'll give you your cues to enter and leave the stage. To turn in graceful circles, start from a basic foot position or from a walk. Toe out in the direction you want to turn. The rhythm is: toe out; step around; pull your front foot in. Always finish your turn in the basic foot position. You'll have less trouble standing, walking and turning if you imagine that there's a bowl of soup balanced on your head. You'll find yourself trying not to spill a single drop, and in the process you will develop the smooth, graceful, lovely carriage of a model. Beautiful models and beautiful diamonds are not unlike. Both evolve by perfecting each and every facet so that the whole product or being will shine with brilliance. By giving all the phases of modeling the attention they deserve, you'll polish every facet of the diamond - and the diamond is, of course, you!

At the Dior show in Paris. Dior and his models.

Prepared in cooperation with John Robert Powers School, New York. Distributed by McCall's Patterns' Educational Department, 230 Park Ave, New York 17, New York. Transcribed by April Ainsworth Quick, Harriet (1997). Catwalking: A History of the Fashion Model. London: Octopus Publishing Group Limited. Buy This Book

What A Difference A Decade Makes

A street party of Pierre Cardin designs, circa 1967.

For someone new to vintage clothing, the variety of styles available is rather staggering. You might lean toward spare, modernist lines and focus on 1960s clothes. Perhaps you've seen enough of fashion history to know Pierre Cardin's influence on this era, and now futurist dresses are on the top of your "get" list. But not every Cardin design looks like the space age gang above, which might be a surprise to the new collector.

In almost every case, a designer's most famous period is not the only period in which he created. Usually that designer first had to climb the ranks of the fashion industry, dutifully adapting the current mode into his own work, while simultaneously glimpsing and then crafting the style of the future. Cardin worked for Paquin, Schiaparelli, and Dior before opening his own house in 1950.

A mannequin takes direction from Cardin before a Paris presentation, 1958.

It's very similar to visual artists who develop their technique and talent within the parameters of today, while envisioning a new trend they'll unveil as their career unfolds. They begin to press the envelope as they gain notoriety, trending toward their ultimate goals and/or discovering new paths along the way. In the photograph above, Cardin was called a master of his art, but was still creating bouffant party dresses he's no longer known for.

A robe du soir from Cardin's 1958 collection.

For some designers, the journey has a twist. They strive to create a certain look, hoping it will strike a common chord as the new look, but then a commissioned design or a whimsical departure from their usual collections will become its own success. Cardin was described as a master in 1958, yet one of his most iconic designs didn't arrive until years later - the Mondrian-inspired color block dress. Thus the designer is marked for history as "the one who created that dress", despite other noteworthy efforts.

It's worth noting, too, that Cardin created his own twist by unveiling the first ready-to-wear collection by a couture house in 1959, just one year after these black & white photographs were taken. The Chambre Syndicale, in charge of Paris couture, was shocked, but Cardin was moving directly into the future, whether the Chambre liked it or not.

Pierre Cardin mini dresses, 1968.

And of course we cannot forget societal influence. The Mod, mad world of the 1960s demanded space age clothes for a new age. Cardin was at the top of his game at this moment in fashion history, and his clothes were strikingly different than in years past to reflect the new, young, now feeling.

And again, as the 1970s began, Cardin monopolized on fashion in a new way - licensed products from watches to towels and even frying pans. What a difference a decade makes!

For those collecting Cardin, check out our website for Pierre Cardin finds for both men & women.

References:
"Le Prix Realites de la Haute Couture." Realites, April 1958, 55-62.
Buxbaum, Gerda, ed. Icons of Fashion: The 20th Century. New York: Prestel.
Martin, Richard (1997). The St. James Fashion Encyclopedia. US: Visible Ink Press.

Ask The Vixen: Shoe History

We get a lot of inquiries that help people date the vintage clothing they collect. Here's a recent question about determining the age of vintage shoes:

Q: Could you tell me when soles became primarily rubber instead of leather?
Thanks in advance for your answer.

A: Thanks for your note. Shoe soles are either rubber, leather or a plastic-like synthetic depending on its intended use and quality, though synthetic soles did become more common in the 1960s. Rubber soles have been in existence for about 150 years, and were often used for waterproof or athletic shoes. Rubber soles were most commonly seen in this century in athletic wear like 1950s & 60s sneakers, though we also see vintage sport shoes with rubber soles from the 1920s & 30s (think Converse high tops). Leather-soled shoes are still made in couture and designer collections (as well as custom orders of handmade shoes) today.

Also be sure to check our vintage shoes buying guide for in-depth info about how to pick the cream of the footwear crop!

Monsieur Dior, Mon Ami!

Of all the beautiful designs created by Christian Dior, the most accessible to the vintage clothing collector are his delectable hats. Millinery (or hat-making) was a thriving industry when Dior was in his prime, from his New Look break-out in 1947 to his early death only ten years later. Here's a sampling of Dior hats from past & present inventory at VintageVixen.com:


Most of these images speak for themselves, but the scrap at center is particularly intriguing. It's a 1964 shipping label from Christian Dior's New York location on Avenue of the Americas. Just imagine the contents of that marvelous box!

For your own much-anticipated shipments, check out our current selection of authentic vintage Dior.