Weekend Eye Candy - Lanvin-Castillo, 1958

Weekend Eye Candy - Lanvin Castillo, 1956

Are you ready for your holiday parties?  Black silk taffeta dress by Lanvin-Castillo, 1956.

Lanvin-Castillo - 1951

Blouse and skirt by Lanvin-Castillo, 1951.

I often marvel at the genius of couture.  What goes on in the minds of designers who dream up over-the-top fashion?  It's the fall of 1950.  Antonio Canovas del Castillo has been hired as the designer at Lanvin and needs to make a splash for his first collection in the Spring of 1951.  Was he sitting around one night, nervous as can be, folding and re-folding a piece of paper?  Was he unrolling a bolt of silk organza and the way the fabric folded upon itself caught his eye?  Did he take a class in origami at night school?  Whatever it was, Castillo's genius appeared in giant folds of white silk in several garments at that first showing for Lanvin.  And, oh, it was marvelous.

Same blouse, different view. Lanvin-Castillo, 1951

Another blouse, this one with giant folds at the collar.  Lanvin-Castillo, 1951.

And the piece-de-resistance, an incredible evening gown.  Lanvin-Castillo, 1951.

Having Fun Out of Doors - 1954

Here in Boston, our weather has been unusually warm all winter and we're experiencing a very early spring.  We're breaking all sorts of high temperature records this month.  Today will be the warmest day yet with temps in the 80s, something we don't normally see until June.  It's a day for playing out of doors, that's for sure.  I think I'll go climb a tree.  How about you?  Dress by Lanvin-Castillo, 1954.

Lanvin-Castillo Dress - 1961

Lanvin-Castillo makes evening sultry with many layers of sheer black silk marquisette.  The matching silk boa was a big feature in their line for Spring 1961.  This dress copied in America by Saks Fifth Avenue.

Lanvin-Castillo Dress - 1958

Bergdorf Goodman offered this copy of a Lanvin-Castillo design in their custom salon for Spring 1958.  The dress was available in all white lace or white lace re-embroidered in gold or silver threads. Perfect for your New Year's celebration, no? Sold for $650 in 1958 (about $5,093 in today's dollar.)

Paris Couture Day Dresses and Suits - 1958

You may have noticed I've been posting pretty things from 1958 this week.  I thought I'd just continue that by taking a look at Paris couture suits and daytime dresses from the same year.  Which is your favorite?

Pierre Cardin camel suit with brown Astrakhan fur collar.

Pierre Balmain blue wool suit with matching Persian lamb lined stole.

Lanvin-Castillo rose wool day dress with knotted sash.

Guy Laroche wool day dress with fringed sashes.

Madeleine de Rauch wool boucle suit.

Weekend Eye Candy - Lanvin-Castillo, 1951

This gown is an incredible feat of architecture. Need I say more? Lanvin-Castillo, spring 1951.

Weekend Eye Candy - Lanvin-Castillo, 1960

I'd venture to guess that you can't sit down when you wear this gown by Lanvin-Castillo from 1960. An explosion of tulle covers the full length overskirt. I'd venture to guess that the overskirt is also removable, so you can wear the shorter dress on it's own.

Weekend Eye Candy - Lanvin-Castillo, 1952

Lanvin-Castillo evening gown from 1952. White satin is embroidered and beaded in pale blue and the pale blue tulle train floats behind.

Paris Couture Suits - 1961

On the Paris Couture runways for Spring 1961, designers showed suits in pastel colors as well as pale neutrals. Pink was the standout color in all shades, from blush to deep rose. Jackets were generally shorter and boxier with a softened shoulder line and sleeves ranged from elbow to bracelet length. Big buttons were a prominent feature. Skirt length was at the knee or slightly below. Here are some of the best.

Before Pierre Cardin's Mod looks became wildly popular, he designed classic suits and dresses. Here, his mauve pink wool suit has a loose-fitting jacket with a scallop at the hem. It closes with a large mauve flower at the neckline. The jacket is lined in printed silk chiffon.

Lanvin Castillo's rose pink wool suit features a curvy short jacket with elbow length sleeves and a stand-away collar.

Nina Ricci departed from the rest of the couture pack by showing a longer hip-length jacket, here layered over a matching sheath dress. The jacket, in gray worsted wool that reverses to beige, is closed with a loop at the side waist.

Jacques Heim curves the short jacket of this suit up in the front to expose a bit of the printed silk organza blouse. The suit is of a pink silk/linen blend.

In his first collection for Dior, Marc Bohan showed this suit in pale gray tweed. The jacket has a cut-away front and sloped shoulders. A shorter sleeveless shell in the same tweed is under the jacket.