New at Couture Allure - Vintage 1930s Clothing

I recently was lucky enough to purchase some wonderful 20s, 30s and 40s clothing from an estate that had been closed up for years.  The woman who owned these clothes had great taste and money to spend during the Depression era, a time when most women in this country did not have the ability to purchase expensive clothing.  Several of those pieces are now available at Couture Allure, with more coming in the next few weeks.  Be sure to check our What's New pages to see all the latest listings!

1930s black silk velvet with red rayon crepe dress and jacket ensemble

1929-30 silk velvet suit in this season's hottest color!

1930s sheer black chiffon evening gown

1930s black wool coat with fox fur collar

1930s green wool suit with sheared beaver fur

Weekend Eye Candy - Worth, 1954

There is no reference to the type of fabric this ensemble is made of, but it looks like velvet or velveteen.  The floral print is quite abstract and sumptuous.  How I wish this photo was in color.  House of Worth, Fall 1954.

Vintage Party Dresses - 1966

The year? 1966. The look? Sparkle, shimmer and shine with sequins, beads, metallic fabrics or a combination of any or all. Or jazz it up with fur and feathers. The occasion? Party time!

John Bates dress in white devore silk velvet over pink taffeta lining with a white rabbit fur hem.

Anne Fogarty dress  with a flirty, flared hem and covered in silver paillette sequins.

Geoffrey Beene dress in white devore velvet trimmed in white ostrich feathers at cuff and hem.

Malcolm Starr dress in black lace covered in silver cording, beads and paillettes.

To wear over any or all of the dresses shown here, a pink and red metallic brocade evening coat trimmed in touches of mink.  This coat by Leslie Morris for Bergdorf Goodman was custom made to order only. 

Hats are Hot for Fall

Thanks to Nancy over a Beladora for pointing out that two of the vintage hats I listed last week look very similar to styles shown on the runway at Louis Vuitton for Fall 2012.  The difference?  Besides the price and the fact that mine won't overpower your head, Vuitton is not actually selling those hats on their website right now.  I don't know if they're in stores, but I kind of doubt it.

Louis Vuitton, Fall 2012 runway

1950s hat at Couture Allure for $45

Louis Vuitton, Fall 2012 runway

1950s vintage hat at Couture Allure for $45

If neither of these hats appeals to you, we've got 25 vintage hats for sale right now at the website.  Come find your favorite!

Chanel Couture, 1932

Chanel worked a lot with velvet for her Fall, 1932 couture line.  Here are just a few examples.  Which is your favorite?

Above: Bias cut red velvet evening gown with matching gloves and scarf.

 Cherry red velvet evening coat trimmed in black fox fur.

 Ribbed red velvet coat lined in printed jersey.  Same jersey used for the dress.

 Black velvet evening gown adorned with black tulle.

Plaid velvet bias cut suit, trimmed in fur.

Country Clothes, 1967 - Part 2

Part 2 of our romp among the moors of Ireland.  All of these American made country clothes are from 1967.  Do you like these classic styles?

Above:  Suede short jacket and midi skirt trimmed in leather and closed with snaps.  By McDouglas for Highlander.

Gray wool coat by Lassie Junior worn with ribbed sweater tights.  Leather shoulder bag by La Bagagerie.

Junior Sophisticates brown and gray wool plaid suit.  Jacket has a zip front.  Leather boots by Celine.

Anne Klein for Mallory suede maxi skirt and vest with rhinestone buttons.  Worn with a black wool sweater by Geist & Geist.  Note:  This is the first example I've ever seen of the freelance work Anne Klein did for Mallory Leathers.  The following year, 1968, Klein established her own company.  This was an expensive outfit at $200 in 1967 (about $1,380 in today's dollar.)

Green wool tweed coat by Zelinka Matlick.  Worn with a simple turtleneck shift, leather boots and ribbed sweater tights.

Country Clothes, 1967 - Part 1

There's something about the crispness in the air of fall and wearing woolens, leathers, plaids, and boots that brings to mind tramping about in the fields and woods of the great outdoors.   The photos were taken in Ireland.  The clothes are all American classics that would serve you just as well today as they did 45 years ago in 1967.

Above:  Camel wool coat by Dani Jrs., sueded calf mini skirt by Highlander, camel hair sweater by Hadley, leather boots by Celine.  Note the textured tights and chunky leather belt that complete the look.  Cow not included.

Wool monk's cloth midi coat by Daniel Hechter for Devonbrook, worn with a matching fedora hat and shiny patent boots by Desco.

Hard to tell in this black and white photo, but the coat and culottes are both of brown leather, both by Viola Sylbert for Albert Alfus.  Worn with a black wool turtleneck sweater by James Kenrob for Dalton.  Chunky leather belt by La Bagagerie.

Animal print rabbit fur overblouse and camel wool mini skirt, both by Chuck Howard for Townley.  Worn with black leather gloves that have little zippers by Sant'Angelo for Crescendoe.

Sportwhirl beige cashmere dress buttons at the shoulders.  Worn with matching tights and cardigan sweater.

More country clothes tomorrow!

New at Couture Allure - Party, Party!

New this week at Couture Allure are lots of vintage party dresses and more from the estate with all the 20s, 30s, and 40s clothing.  Be sure to check our What's New pages to see all the latest listings!

1950s silver embroidery party dress

1950s strapless party dress with gold metallic print

1950s silk chiffon party dress

1940s black lace evening gown

1940s green coat with Persian lamb fur trim

2 Emma Domb Evening Gowns

In a striking juxtaposition and a bit of serendipity, I present to you two eerily similar, but completely different evening gowns by Emma Domb.  In the world of vintage, it is rare to find the same garment twice.  It has happened to me, but only twice in all my years of selling.  While these two gowns are different, the are similar enough that when I found the second, it jogged my memory of the first.

I sold this Emma Domb gown 2-3 years ago.  It dates to the early 1950s and is made of a deep peachy-beige Duchesse satin accented with vibrant orange and beading.  It's not often you find orange used as an accent color, especially for evening.

Yesterday, I listed this Emma Domb evening gown on my site.  It dates to the late 50s, possibly even the early 60s, and is made of a dove gray-beige color taffeta with beads and sequins on the bodice.  And look!  Orange again!

Here's were it gets even more interesting.  On the early 50s gown, Domb used a draped loop with long sashes at the side of the back.

On the late 50s gown, Domb used the same loops and sashes, this time in the center of the back.

Orange.  It works, doesn't it?

One Perfect Coat - 1952

I've been sitting here staring at this image for a couple of minutes wondering what to say.  But do I need to say anything except this is One Perfect Coat?  The black and white stylized zebra stripe.  The fit-and-flare cut.  The full sleeves that narrow towards the cuff.  The big pockets.  The turn of the collar.  Yep, One Perfect Coat!  Pierre Balmain, Fall 1952.

Dress and Coat Sets of the 1960s

 The years 1966 and 67 were the height of popularity for these fabulous dress and matching coat sets.

Most consisted of a sleeveless shift dress worn under a coordinating coat.   If both pieces were not made entirely of the same fabric, then the dress usually had a bit of the coat fabric as part of the design.

 Mod patterns, horizontal stripes and plaids were quite popular, but tweeds and solid wools or silks were also used.

 The high neckline or collar of the dress was usually visible under the coat.

 You can even find these sets in metallic fabrics for evening wear.

Right now at Couture Allure, we have three of these 1960s sets available, all in wool and all completely wonderful.  The great thing about these sets is the versatility they offer.  Wear the coat as outerwear over jeans or anything in your closet.  Wear the dress on its own or with a coordinating sweater or jacket.  Or wear the two as a set.  Which one is your favorite?

Erin's Gatsby Dress

A couple of months ago, I listed these beaded fragments from a 1920s flapper dress in my SewHallie shop on Etsy.  Longtime Couture Allure fan, blogger, and home sewer Erin bought them right away.

And baby, look at them now!  Erin needed a dress for a creative black tie event at the zoo where she volunteers.  She used the dress fragments for the skirt panels and the belt on her flapper style dress she sewed for the party.

You can read more about Erin's dress and how she made it over at Sew Weekly.  Erin, thank you for giving new life to these pieces of history.  You look fabulous!

Wear a Fur Muff with Your Vintage Suit - 1954

Note: 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.

Christian Dior suit with a fox fur muff and wide brimmed hat.

There's something about the look of a fur muff when worn with a vintage suit that adds just the right finishing touch. All of these images are of couture suits from the fall of 1954.

Chanel suit with sable collar, cuffs, hat and muff.

Pierre Balmain plaid suit with a Persian lamb collar and muff.

Nina Ricci suit trimmed in Persian lamb fur and worn with a Persian lamb muff.

Prefer to not wear real fur?  There are lots of vintage patterns available to make your own muff out of faux fur, but you don't really need a pattern.  Here's a great tutorial on how to make a muff at home!