Showing posts with label vintage nightgowns. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vintage nightgowns. Show all posts

January 30, 2012

Vintage Barbizon Label Library

There are a few vintage clothing labels that truly chronicle a company's styles, usually by assigning interesting stylized names to their designs. Barbizon Lingerie is among the most creative!
Its signature nomenclature is spelled out on every label, including not only the name of the style but also the name of the fabric.

After fifteen years cataloging vintage clothes, we've accumulated quite a list of Barbizon styles & fabrics:

Robes
  • Denise
  • Fleur At Ease
  • Lady At Ease (one of the best Barbizon labels we've ever seen!)
  • Pegnoir (a version of the French peignoir, which means a nightie + robe set)
Half Slips - These are a play on the word "petticoat" for a full-skirted half slip.
  • Petti Dance
  • Petti-Penny
  • Petti Pet
  • Petti-Sweet
  • Petti-Whirl
Bed Jackets
  • Ariel
  • Cadet
  • Claudia
  • Dainty Puff (the "puff" labels were used for quilted bed jackets)
  • Jodie
  • Pretti Puff
  • Puffett
Nightgowns
  • Bon Claire
  • Capricious
  • Celeste
  • Devonshire
  • Flattery
  • Meta
  • Pennell
  • Symphony
Full Slips
  • Acclaim
  • Ariel
  • Bryn Fair
  • Bryn Fit
  • Bryn Mawr
  • Endear
  • Elegant In Nylon
  • Encore
  • Jaunty Fit
  • Rhapsody
  • Trubeau
Pajamas
  • Lazy Sue
  • Skipper-At-Ease
Teddies
  • Roxbury

Even the proportions of the item were sometimes described on the label, with petites labeled as Little Lady or Little Miss, compared to an average height item marked as Medium Miss.


Besides the style names, Barbizon prized its custom fabrics created just for its own collection. Example fabric names are:

Batiste - Usually seen in summer-weight house coats & nightgowns
  • Blendaire Batiste
  • Glendaire Batiste
  • Zephaire Batiste
Crepe
  • Crepe Remarque
  • Crepe Gartiere
  • Josette Crepe Avant
  • Rayon Crepe Lagere
Satin
  • Satin Dosche
  • Satin Seraphim
  • Satin Sylfaire
Taffeta
  • Taffreda (likely Barbizon's most popular fabric)
Quilted Fabrics
  • Recollection Quilt
  • Seraphim Satin Quilt

If you've seen another Barbizon style or fabric name on a vintage label, let us know!