Monday, January 03, 2011

Doris Fein Dresses

I came across this 1955 John Wanamaker ad today. Isn't this dress adorable? It's by Doris Fein, a name I was unfamiliar with.

1950

In researching Doris Fein, I found that the company made dresses for the junior market from about 1947 to the early 1960s.

1951

While most of their dresses were made in cotton, they also offered wool jerseys and rayons.

1951

The most interesting thing is, with one exception, all of the dresses I found from the 1950s were priced at $14.95 (about $120 in today's dollar). This may have been a clever marketing gimmick so that the company became known for stylish dresses at an inexpensive price point.

1955

What I do know is that these are some cute dresses and I'll be on the lookout for the label from now on!