1930s Chanel Adaptation Dress and Jacket Ensemble

In the days before Chanel made ready-to-wear clothing, it was common practice for Mme. Coco to authorize American department stores and high end boutiques to make reproductions of her designs for women in the U.S.  Buyers and designers for these stores would attend the Paris couture shows, then purchase the designs they wanted to reproduce here in America.  Hence, the Chanel Adaptation label.

In 1934, Chanel was showing many garments with fly-away sleeves and capelets in her couture line.

Now available for purchase at Couture Allure is this rare Chanel Adaptation label dress and jacket that I have dated to 1934.  Even though adaptation garments are not original couture, they are still of the highest quality and were made specifically for well-to-do clients by the American stores that offered them.  Remember, in 1934, America was struggling through the Great Depression, and the women that could afford to purchase garments like this were few and far between.

This ensemble is made of dusky pink rayon crepe and is in an even harder-to-find larger size with a 42" bust and 32" waist.

All of the pulled thread work and faggoting stitches are done by hand and the sleeves of both pieces are adorned with the tiniest pintucks I've ever seen.  The ensemble was well taken care of and stored properly for decades until it came to me.  I hope you'll go check out the many photos of this rare set on my website.  It's a joy to behold!

Pretty in Pink - 1955

This pretty pink confection of a dress is my idea of perfection.  The neckline is adorned with pink flowers that coordinate with the cotton print.  Dress by Perullo of David Hart, summer 1955.

Photo from a full page ad for Signature Fine Art Fabrics, 1955.

Dress by Marie Louise Calvet - 1935

If you follow this blog, you know how fascinated I am with the manipulation of stripes.  This dress from 1935 is by Paris couturier Marie-Louise Calvet in a brown and violet wool stripe.  Look how perfectly the stripes are matched at the seams.  And I'm sure the upper bodice has tucks or seams to draw the stripes together right below the neckline.  But it's those sleeves that have me mesmerized.  That square pattern must be seamed from 4 triangles of the stripe, then inset into the sleeve.  Assuming that the stripes follow the straight of grain on the fabric, every seam you see that has the stripes at an angle is done on the bias.  If you sew, you know how difficult it is to stitch a bias-cut seam without it stretching out of shape.  Matching stripes perfectly while sewing that seam?  Pretty darned difficult.  The two curved clips at the neckline and on the belt are made of cork.  Are you inspired?

The Perfect Look for a Hot Summer's Day

July is coming to a close and the dog days of August are almost upon us.  Summer is speeding by.  Instead of complaining about the heat, I am determined to enjoy it while it's here.  The best way to do that is to dress appropriately for the weather.  Back in 1954, here is how one woman achieved cool perfection.  Her simple sheath dress by B.H. Wragge is made of linen.  She tops it off with a little straw hat that has a brim to shade her face.  She keeps jewelry to a minimum, but adds accessory flash with a well made handbag, this one by Josef.  As I said, perfection.

Mr. Mort Dress - 1956

Finding an ad for a dress I've had in my inventory doesn't happen very often, but when it does I like to show it to you.  This morning, I came across this 2-page spread for a dress by Mr. Mort exclusively for Saks Fifth Avenue.  The ad appears in a February 1956 magazine.

The ad copy reads: 
"Our young man likes to see a girl wearing diamonds, especially when they're embroidered in black on a dress of Thomas cotton.  He scoops its neck widely, laces the tiny-looking bodice with black ribbon.  In red, grey or beige - and washable!"  Sold in 1956 for $39.95 (about $338 in today's dollar.)

Here's the dress live and in color.  It sold right away to a long-time Couture Allure customer, but you can still click through to the original listing to see more photos and all the details!

It's in the Details

 Pretty dress, isn't it?  From Spring 1949, this rayon crepe dress by Berkeley Juniors sold for $15 (about $143 in today's dollar.)  That's not an outrageous amount of money.  But I guarantee that if you go out and spend $143 on a modern dress at the mall today, the quality will not compare to this dress from 1949.  And you won't find the intricate details that make this dress so special.

You see, the light and dark stripes are not printed on the fabric.  Those are separate panels of fabric that have been seamed together.  To make the dress even more special, the seams are accented with contrasting saddle stitch embroidery.  I can't tell if the saddle stitching is done by machine or hand here, but it really serves to take this dress to the next level.  Saddle stitch is a variation of a basic running stitch with a longer stitch length.  It is intended to be a strong accent and is usually worked in a thick, decorative thread like buttonhole twist in a contrasting color.

Do you love it?

Red Dress - 1949

One red dress, perfect for a day of shopping on 5th Avenue or the Champs Elysees.  Cotton pique is set off with a long row of buttons down the front and a bow at the neckline.  The huge full skirt has deep unpressed pleats and pockets at the hips.  By J.L.F Originals.  Sold in 1949 for $35 (about $441 in today's dollar.)  Bring your own reusable shopping bag, in this case a straw on by Simon.

June Arden Dresses - 1949

June Arden made budget dresses, but they sure don't look it, do they?  Both are made of rayon shantung, perfect for the warmer days of summer.  The dresses were available in misses and half sizes and sold for $9 in 1949 (about $86 in today's dollar.)

Larry Aldrich Dress - 1951

Larry Aldrich jumps into the New Look in 1951 with this dress made of black rayon faille.  The full skirt is pleated onto a dropped waist and measures 4 yards around at the hem.  Sold for $50 in 1951 (about $435 in today's dollar.)

Jonathan Logan Dress - 1949

Jonathan Logan designer Dorris Varnum  used rayon taffeta with black velvet flocked dots for this dress in 1949.  Available in tropic blue, vibrant red and jewel green.  Sold for $12.95 in 1949 (about $123 in today's dollar.)

Junior Circle Dress - 1956

The thing to notice here is the stripes.  See how perfectly they are matched at each gore seam in the skirt?  It used to be that companies took pride in the construction of their garments.  Even a budget line like Junior Circle took care when sewing together a pretty dress.  Cotton dress from 1956 in pink, blue, beige or green stripes on white.  Sold for $23.00 in 1956 (about $191.00 in today's dollar.)

Henri Bendel Dress - 1949

The description of this dress by Henri Bendel Young-Timers from 1949 does much more for it than the black and white photo.  "Young-Timers brighten summer evenings with an iridescent rayon chiffon in the dark glowing green and blue of the sea...the draped bodice, shoulder to shoulder decolletage and flowing longer-then-skirt-length panels hinting of autumn fashions in the making."  Blue and green!  Sounds wonderful, doesn't it?  Sold for $49.95 in 1949 (about $475 in today's dollar.)

Adele Simpson Dress - 1954

No description other than stunning!  It looks like this dress is made from a jacquard weave fabric and it has sparkling glints of something.  Perhaps metallic threads, perhaps rhinestones, perhaps sequins or beads.  By Adele Simpson in 1954.

Mollie Parnis Dress - 1949

Designer Mollie Parnis takes a simple shirtwaist style and makes it more formal by using silk twill in navy with red polka dots.  Love that graceful rounded collar.  Sold for $70 in 1949 (about $665 in today's dollar.)

Vera Neumann Dress - 1967

I love me some Vera, and I would snatch this dress from 1967 right up if I found it.  A simple sheath in Ban-Lon nylon, it is shown bloused a bit by way of the tie sash at the waist.  Sold for $26 in 1967 (about $176 in today's dollar.)  The hair?  Not so much.  And are those necklaces posing as earrings?

Henry Rosenfeld Dress - 1955

I want this dress.  Or maybe I want to be her with those fabulous sunglasses and chandelier earrings holding a bouquet of flowers from my lover and about to board a boat to Rome.  No, it's the dress I want.  Bright cotton print in pale green, black, and red on a yellow background.  The black and white photo gives the illusion of a bare midriff, but the solid portion at her waist is yellow.
 Dress by Henry Rosenfeld.  Sold for $15 in 1955 (about $127 in today's dollar.)

Serbin Golfer - 1949

Actress Jane Russell models a Serbin Golfer dress from 1949.  Not only for sports, Serbin sold this dress for daytime around-the-house wear too.  Versatility is the key here with a full length separating zipper hidden behind the fly front, sleeves than could unbutton for more room, a pleated back yoke for easy movement and removable shoulder pads.  Made of striped cotton chambray.  Sold for $12.95 in 1949 (about $123 in today's dollar.)

Adele Simpson Dress and Coat - 1956

What could be better than a dress by Adele Simpson?  How about one with a matching coat?  Spatter print silk in Delphinium blue makes the dress and lines the blue wool coat.  Sold for $275 in 1956 (about $2,289 in today's dollar.)

Off Balance

Three years ago, I paid several hundred dollars for high-tech eyeglasses - the most comfortable glasses I've ever worn. I have horrible vision, and really can't get along well without them. Along with the ultra-light polycarbonate lenses with their tri-focal progressive prescription, anti-glare coating and no-scratch finish came a lifetime guarantee that the lenses would be replaced for free if they ever did get scratched. Hey, leave it to me! I can do it!

I had an eye exam before Christmas, and the eye doctor said he would send my glasses in to have the lenses replaced, but I would have to get along with my old ones for a couple of weeks. I searched for them high and low, finally found them the other day, and turned my prized high-tech glasses over to my optometrist on Tuesday for repair......

Big mistake. My old clunkers are a different prescription with bi-focals instead of tri-focals. I cannot see my computer screen with these old glasses. I tried moving the monitor across to the other side of my desk. No good. So here I sit, with the monitor directly on top of my keyboard, wearing no glasses at all, and still struggling to see what I type. The old glasses are heavy and I end up with redness and pain across the bridge of my nose by the end of the day. I try to watch television and struggle to find just the right angle to tip my head so I can see the screen without too much bluriness. This leads to a crick in my neck, stiffness in my shoulders, and general crankiness on my part, all after 1 1/2 days. How will I survive 2 weeks?????????

So, here I sit, generally off balance with the world, and I fully expect to be walking crooked before I get my uber-glasses back. I will never take them for granted again. I love my high-tech miracle specs. "My precious..........."

Shown above from October 1963: A little black dress with matching coat by Italian designer Jole Veneziani. A wide band of black mink fur adorns the hem of the dress and peeks through slits in the coat. The model must have been asked to take off her glasses for the photo shoot.

Weekend Eye Candy - Jacques Fath Draped Dress

October 1946 - Jacques Fath couture draped crepe dress in two tones of grey. Yum.