Cotton Suits for Spring - 1961

Cool, comfortable and certainly chic, did you know cotton tailors well?  Here are two great examples from 1961.

Above: Ben Zuckerman sheath dress and 3/4 coat in luscious pink cotton pique. Yummy!

Adele Simpson blue cotton jacket and skirt paired with a printed silk blouse.  The little jacket is lined in the same fabric as the blouse.  The giant buttons add just the perfect finishing touch.

Yves St. Laurent Suits from his First Collection Spring 1962

In the spring of 1962, Yves St. Laurent showed his first couture collection under his own label.  His designs were an immediate success and one of the most famous couture houses in history was on it's way to influencing fashion the world over for years to come.  Here are some of the lady-like suits St. Laurent showed in that first collection.  Note his use of contrast fabrics for separate little blouses and other details. 

Vibrant red wool suit accented with a navy blue blouse in mohair voile and a double row of gold buttons.

Beige and brown wool tweed suit with a beige wool blouse that buttons asymmetrically and has a big detachable black silk bow.  Wide brimmed hat to match in the same tweed.

The same tweed suit without the jacket, showing the details of the blouse.

A white wool suit accented with a gray and white printed silk fabric 

for the belt, the blouse and the hat band.

Wool houndstooth suit with a collarless jacket.  The bronze silk blouse shows at the collar and at the hip.  Shown with a matching houndstooth "cowboy" hat.

Now Add a Vest - Sewing at Home, 1950

Yesterday, we looked at the possibilities of expanding your wardrobe by breaking up your suits into separates.  Now look what happens when you add a vest (or weskit) to the mix!  All photos and patterns are from 1950.

Here's a great example of sewing separates and wearing the pieces as a suit.  And when you add a vest to the mix, you get a more tailored and polished look than with a blouse, sweater or top alone.  Louis Vuitton luggage is not included.  And may I say, I absolutely LOVE that huge silver cross she is wearing at her neck.  The cross is by Roger Van S, but there is no note as to whether it is a necklace or pin.  Photo by Richard Avedon.

The red wool vest is made from Simplicity pattern 3298, view 4.

It is worn with a checked wool skirt made from Simplicity pattern 3027.  

NOTE: We talked the other day about sewing tops from wool jersey.  This is another pattern that would work for that!

And the ensemble is finished off with a topper jacket made from Simplicity 3327 in green wool coating.

Here's another example of a suit sewn as separates and then adding more possibilities with a vest.

The suit was made as separates from Simplicity pattern 3333.  

Make the jacket in a bold check and the skirt in a co-ordinating solid wool.

Now add the vest made from Simplicity 3298 and you've got separates that look like a suit!  

If you wanted a 3-piece suit, you could make all three pieces from the same fabric.

Here are some more vest patterns from 1950 that will stretch your wardrobe possibilities.

Simplicity 3299

Simplicity 2943

Separate That Suit - Sewing at Home, 1950

This week, we're going to continue our look at sewing vintage pieces at home, starting with a lesson on suits.  I often wonder why more women don't purchase vintage suits.  When you think about it, you're getting two pieces that will mix and match with others in your wardrobe for the price of one.  Think of your suit in terms of parts.  Wear the jacket with other skirts, pants, jeans or over a dress.  Wear the skirt with a sweater, blouse or a jacket from a different suit.

In the same vein of thinking, if you're not a suit kind of a gal, then look at suit patterns as separates.  Make the jacket alone, or use the skirt alone.  Or make the jacket and skirt from different fabrics.  If you've wanted to sew a pencil skirt, but can't find a pattern you like, look at suit patterns.  OR, if you can't find a suit pattern you like, combine a pattern for a jacket with a different skirt.  See what I mean?

Today, let's look at some suit jackets worn as separates, all from 1950.

At left: Simplicity 3099 jacket pattern sewn in houndstooth wool.  In the photo above, the jacket is worn with a coordinating skirt sewin from pattern 2383, but any skirt will do.
At right:  Suit sewn from Simplicity pattern 8055.  These pieces can easily be broken up to wear with other items in your wardrobe.  See what I mean?

At left:  Suit made from Simplicity 8157.  Another way of splitting up a suit.  Sew contrasting details on a solid jacket in a patterned fabric used to make the skirt.  Think plaid, tweed, houndstooth, herringbone.  Then make another skirt in the solid fabric of the jacket.  Wear the patterned skirt with a sweater or a different solid skirt.  See what I mean?

At right:  Navy and white wool check jacket sewn from Simplicity pattern 8208 (sorry, I couldn't find this one online anywhere).  The skirt is sewn in solid navy wool, but this jacket could also be worn with a skirt in red, white or gray.

Don't look at your suit as a suit.  Look at it as separates!  See what I mean?

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!

Gilbert Adrian Suits

Striped insets are expertly matched to form diamond patterns at the shoulders and sleeve cuffs.

Gilbert Adrian was Hollywood costume designer who gained great fame at MGM studios in the 1930s.  But as the war loomed and the film industry was forced to cut budgets, the designer became frustrated and left to form his own fashion house in 1941.  The business was an immediate success and Adrian designed some of the best clothing ever put out by an American designer.    In fact, his designs were so popular, they were copied line for line by many 7th Avenue manufacturers.  Adrian became so paranoid about others copying his designs (and who can blame him?), that he rarely allowed publicity shots or sketches of his clothes.  For his advertisements, he only used designs with extravagant and intricate details that would be nearly impossible to copy.  Some of those outrageous suits are shown here today.  These all date to the war years of the 1940s.  Which one is your favorite?

Shimmering beading and a teardrop cutout adorn this suit.

Outrageous pointed peplum.  Note the seam in the skirt that matches the line of the peplum.

The cutting and matching of the stripes here is an engineering marvel.

The precision required by a seamstress to match stripes like this is mind boggling.

A sweeping striped cape is made from the same fabric used for the sleeves on the suit.

Do You Wear Vintage Suits?

This photo caused quite a sensation over on my Facebook fan page earlier this week.  It seems everyone adores this suit by Jean Patou from Spring 1951.  It's beige silk shantung embroidered with little black bows and worn with a matching black silk skirt.

Don't get me wrong.  I love this suit too.  But sales of suits have dropped out of site from my Couture Allure website.  I have to wonder why that is.  Maybe it's just that the suits I currently have in stock are not desirable, but I don't think so.

Do you wear suits?  Or do you think as a society we have become too casual and our daily lives no longer require a suit as part of our wardrobe?  If you do wear suits, have you ever purchased a vintage suit?  I'd love your input on this, as I'm really puzzled. 

Suits Illustrated - 1963

Department stores often used illustrations instead of photographs in high fashion magazines and newspapers as it was less expensive to hire an artist than it was to hire a fashion photographer, a model and a studio.  Some illustrators were on staff at the stores, come worked for the advertising agency, and some were self employed with contracts to provide drawings for the store. Only well known artists were allowed to add their signature to the drawing.  These illustrations are all from one magazine in August of 1963. 

I. Magnin & Co.  "A look of elegance, a look of opulence...three-piece costume of Anglo's lacy-textured wool tweed with natural Canadian lynx 300.00...from our Manor-Bourne Collection designed exclusively for I. Magnin".  (about $2221.00 in today's dollar.)

Bonwit Teller, illustration by Kenneth Paul Block.  "From Ben Barrack, magnum houndstooth checks in a costume of brushed mohair and wool.  Unexpected tour de force: the opulent peau de soie bodice.  Pink, amber or white-checked with black, bodice and scarf in black.  $145.00."  (About $1074.00 in today's dollar.)

Best & Co.  "Bardley blends the perfect ensemble....of imported wools.  Well-bred wools are a Bardley byword and as you can see here they know just how to mix texture and color and line ot a connoisseur's taste.  Both in cranberry, pebble beige, loden green or French blue.  Coat with set-away collar of thick, airy, silky wool tweed.  $125.00.  Suit of needlepoint wool.  $90.00."  (About $925 and $665 in today's dollar.)

Saks Fifth Avenue  "Our own Sophie's town suit prophecy in French wool tweed - the attenuated jacket jersey-framed at the neckline to match the shell beneath, $395.00."  (About $2924.00 in today's dollar.)
 

Lord & Taylor, illustration by Dorothy Hood.  "High casual - new turnabout of suit with buttons up the back, scarf all around - the easy mood of Monte-Sano and Pruzan, in black and white windowpane wool from France.  $290.00."  ($2147.00 in today's dollar.)

Paris Fashion for Daytime - 1935

Today, let's continue our look at Paris fashions of the 1930s by checking out some daytime wear from 1935. Which is your favorite?  Look!  I found one photo in color!  The garments above are all from Marcel Rochas. 

I don't know if you can see the detail, but this jacket by Phillipe et Gaston is made from black wool braid that is set on it's side and sewn together in swirls to make the "fabric".  It is trimmed in black Persian lamb fur.

 Lucille Manguin camel wool day dress and short coat.  Note that the coat is completely lined in fur.  I'm not sure if that is seal, mouton, or sheared beaver.

Callot Soeurs offered this gray wool day dress trimmed in sheared lamb fur at the bodice and sleeves.

This Anny Blatt gray and white wool suit was completely knitted by hand by women in the Swiss Alps.  It is trimmed with blue wool felt.

Paris Coats and Suits - 1933

Chanel camel striped velvet suit worn with a hat and blouse in sky blue linen embroidered with black.

 Lucien Lelong red angora/wool coat with silver fox collar.

 Marcel Rochas pink with black check wool suit.

 Bernard et Cie navy wool crepe coat with white embroidered scarf.

Martial et Armand suit in beige, yellow and brown crepe.

Which is your favorite?

Suits for Travel - 1956

On Friday, I asked my Facebook fans what they'd like to see on the blog this week. Eleanor requested a post about vintage spring and summer suits for travel. They were so elegant! I'm with you Eleanor. I like to people-watch in airports and I'm always pleasantly surprised when I see a woman traveling in a suit. She looks so much more sophisticated than the majority who are wearing sweats and flip-flops. For your inspiration today, suits for travel from 1956.

Above, Handmacher gray flannel sheath dress with matching bolero jacket accented with a white linen collar. Sold for $70 in 1956 (about $570 in today's dollar.) Hat by Emme.

Davidow wool and mohair tweed suit with matching tasseled scarf. The jacket is belted. Sold for $150 in 1956 (about $1,220 in today's dollar.) Saddlebag styled purse by MacArthur.

David Crystal pale gray glen plaid suit in a rayon/Dacron blend. Dacron? That's polyester. This suit would resist wrinkling and be perfect for those long train trips. Sold for $40 in 1956 (about $325 in today's dollar.) Handbag by Josef.

Mr. Mort lightweight wool sheath dress in buttercup yellow paired with a plaid bolero jacket. Sold for $50 in 1956 (about $407 in today's dollar.) Bag by Maxwell Schill (me want!)

Swansdown wool suit with a bloused-back jacket for more ease during long trips. Sold for $60 in 1956 (about $488 in today's dollar.)

How do you dress for travel? Do you go for chic or do you prefer comfort?