Little Known Labels: Sebastian Knits

A lady called us up awhile back to sell vintage clothing to us, and one of the labels she'd uncovered was Sebastian.  Oh, Sebastian!  To her it was a delight.  To us, it was hitherto unknown.

It took a trip over and a dig through the old clothes to see what Sebastian was - and is.  Of the many knitwear labels available in the 1960s, Sebastian is pure wool, great quality, and impeccably Italian.  The Cadillac label is comparable, as well as Promenade and some of the better Butte Knits.

But Sebastian stands proud as bolder, brighter, and unabashedly head-turning.  High-contrast colors and large-scale patterning is prominent.  Sebastian strove for an ensemble effect, and the head-to-toe look is (and was) of-the-moment.  Quality is obvious, in thick, soft knits with price tags to match. The ensemble above was marked $185.00 in the mid-1960s - over $1350 in modern-day dollars.






There's little known about the history of this label, except that the California-based company specialized in pure wool fashions - and only pure wool - since 1947.  They made only knitted dresses, separates and coats, and they had a heyday in the 1960s, with the popularity of knitwear in every shape and form from day to evening.

 

The last mention of Sebastian's existence was in 1983 to announce the company's closing.  Though most of the company's history is not yet uncovered, one thing is clear - they made top quality clothes and they didn't cut corners.  That's reason enough to know this label as a stellar example of 60s fashion.



Sources:
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=djft3U1LymYC&dat=19611115&printsec=frontpage&hl=en
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=Oc-rVwKPngoC&dat=19831025&b_mode=2&hl=en
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=Aul-kAQHnToC&dat=19671021&b_mode=2&hl=en

Little Known Labels: Hana Mackler

Known in New York as "the boot lady", Hana Mackler created classic boots in beautiful leathers.  Her best-known finds are from the late 1970s/early 1980s, like these elegant vintage boots:

 

Every pair we've seen by Hana Mackler was imported from Italy, and of those we've sold in original boxes, they had a steep vintage price.  The price below was $170.00 in about 1980, which is nearly $500 adjusted for inflation to today's dollars.  Quality stuff, and it shows.

 

 

Hana Mackler boots are top quality leather with minimalist seaming.  They're sometimes leather and suede in one boot, usually monotone, some with applique style inserts in fluid details that hearken back to the Studio 54 era.

 

 

The Boot Lady passed away in 2003, but her beautiful designs live on.  Check our current selection of vintage Hana Mackler boots for the latest revivals.

Little Known Labels: Gino Paoli

Just as vintage clothing fashionistas today look to Italy for posh labels and luxurious materials, so did fashion-savvy women of decades ago. And when you look beyond labels with longevity and household names like Italian companies Gucci or Pucci, there are many more labels that once existed and created a signature style and quality unsurpassed since.

One such label is Gino Paoli, an Italian company that thrived on beautiful knitwear and leather, hand-finished and often in rich jeweltone hues. Classic Gino Paoli clothing includes two-piece knit suits, sweaters, dresses and leather paneled jackets. We usually see the suits with suede panels in a hue perfectly matched to the knit. The jackets are either suede or leather, sometimes two-tone as seen above.
Though they're often seen in neutrals (like bone or camel), some have vibrant colors that grew increasingly trend-focused into the 1960s. Paoli knits exist from the 1950s through the 1970s, with most made in the late 1950s to mid-1960s. They're inevitably wool knit, sometimes suede/leather, but later in the 1960s they diversified to produce less expensive woven A-line casual skirts. By the 1970s Paoli did not seem to be as popular as we see it less often in this era, and its knits were synthetic to follow the polyester trend of its day. Paoli labels do not appear to exist after the mid-1970s.

Gino Paoli is not especially rare, although its expensive price tags in the 1960s indicate it was not a mass-quantity line and it's not often found today in large quantity. Paoli labels, while costing hundreds per ensemble in the 1960s, are also not yet expensive in the collecting world today. This makes it a smart choice for the vintage clothing buyer who's seeking haute style for the price of ready-to-wear.
Paoli garments are readily wearable in most cases, with a few points to consider that are inherent to their design:

• Knit - We suggest hanging Paoli garments on a thick shoulder-like hanger similar to those you'd use for the best and heaviest overcoats. A knit garment in a medium-thick weight can stretch out of shape over the shoulders if stored on a too-thin hanger. Alternatively you can store knit Paoli items flat, with the fewest folds possible if it has leather/suede panels.
• Wool - Wool items by Paoli don't need particular attention beyond the average wool garment, except to note that when shopping for wool, notice if there are any holes due to clothes moths. An excellent vintage clothing dealer can repair these holes, often with little sign of its repair.
• Suede - Suede requires some special care as it will stain if moisture reaches it, and must be cleaned by a leather care expert. That being said, it's an exceptionally soft and beautiful material that many collectors covet for its quality, and of all vintage suedes, Paoli created some of the best.
  

View our current selection of Gino Paoli vintage clothing to dress well at beautiful prices. Until next time, Ciao!