Donald Brooks for Sinclair - 1970

Sinclair Mills was a swimsuit manufacturer.  Over the years, they contracted with several big name designers to produce lines of swimwear.  In the early 60s, Tom Brigance worked for them.  Donald Brooks produced designs for Sinclair in the late 1960s and early 70s, and Giorgio Sant'Angelo followed him starting in 1975.

This bikini with matching maxi skirt was designed by Donald Brooks for Sinclair in 1970.  The halter top has very long strings that tie at the back of the neck and then wrap around and around, however you choose.  The maxi skirt can be worn at the waist, the hips, or even over the shoulders when you've had enough sun.  All in black nylon.  Sold for $95 in 1970 (about $571 in today's dollar.)

Photo by Bergstrom for Vogue, 1970.
Model, Lynn Sutherland

Tom Brigance Convertible Sportswear, 1958

Noted sportswear designer Tom Brigance had some fun playing with drawstrings and hemlines in 1958.  Watch how these fashions, modeled by Suzy Parker, change from one look to another for vacation and resort versatility.

This cotton playsuit and matching skirt look like a pretty daytime dress when worn together.

Pull on the drawstring in the skirt's hem and tie it at the waist.  The result is a balloon of a short skirt that poufs over the playsuit rompers.  Cute, no?  The set sold for $30 in 1958 (about $238 in today's dollar.)

This red plaid cotton beach coat buttons down the front and can double as a daytime shirtdress.

Pull that drawstring up, pouf the fabric and you've got a cute romper style to wear on the beach.  Sold for $25 in 1958 (about $198 in today's dollar.)  Hat by William J.

Tom Brigance Playsuit - 1955

Yes, 1955.  Most of you were very close and congrats to Val and Lauriana who guessed the year correctly!

Tom Brigance was a well known designer of American sportswear. He worked in London for Jaeger before coming to New York in 1939 as the in-house designer for Lord & Taylor. He was noted for his use of soft draping, unusual fabrics, and interesting prints. He was absent from the design world from 1942-47 while he served in the war. Upon his return, he once again designed for Lord & Taylor, until he announced his resignation in March of 1949 to join Charles Nudelman. He didn't stay long, however, as by 1951, Brigance was the exclusive designer at Frank Gallant.  In the 1950s, 60s and 70s Brigance designed for several manufacturers including Sportsmaker, Gabar and Sinclair as well as under his own name.  He retired in the late 1970s and died on October 14, 1990.

The cute playsuit shown above was designed under Brigance's own label in 1955.  This is actually two pieces:  a short play dress with matching bloomers made of Mooreville cotton plaid.  This would have been worn on the beach, by the pool, or perhaps for boating.  It was far too short to go into town in 1955!  Note how the bottom two buttons of the dress are left daringly unbuttoned for the photo.  The ad calls this a "Miniature dress."  Sold for $25 in 1955 (about $211 in today's dollar.)

1955 Playwear

 Designers like Claire McCardell, Clare Potter, Tom Brigance and Carolyn Schnurer did wonders for  the American sportswear market as they embraced the casual styles that women wanted for weekends and holidays.  Why not take a cue from these 1955 photos and take your vacation wardrobe up a notch?

Above, Claire McCardell cotton pique pullover top in orange and hot pink worn over matching pink bloomers.  Sold for $28 in 1955 (about $236 in today's dollar.)

Classic white duck pants are rolled at the ankle and paired with a navy jersey top.  Both pieces by Glen of Michigan.  Sold for $18 in 1955 (about $152 in today's dollar.)

Jane Irwill takes black and white checked jersey and cuts it on the bias to change the pattern into diamond shapes.  The boat neck jersey and shorts are timeless classics.  Sold for $7 in 1955 (about $59 in today's dollar.)

 A cotton blouson top in navy and white dots and dash print is paired with navy and white cotton ticking shorts.  Bright yellow tassels accent the drawstring.  Both pieces by Georgia Kay.  Sold for $18 in 1955 (about $152 in today's dollar.)

A white duck romper with the surprise look of a man-tailored shirt by Claire McCardell.  Oh, that Claire....she was a genius!  Sold for $27 in 1955 (about $227 in today's dollar.)

Vintage Swimsuit Inspiration - 1966

How about a swimsuit with a hood?  Oh yeah.  Nina Ricci Boutique.

Newsboy cap atop a wild pop-art print.  Tom Brigance for Sinclair.

Reversible?  You bet!  Purple and mustard wool knit suit and cape by Maljana.  Both pieces reverse to the opposite color.  Cool.

How does that teeny-tiny top stay up?  I'll bet is has wires.  Bikini bottom is wrapped and tied in front.  John Weitz.

Halter neckline with tiny little buttons and loops to leave open or attempt to close.  Beach towel makes a huge turban for your wet hair.  Cole of California.

Summer Stripes, 1956

Nothing feels more summer-y than stripes. Beachy, breezy, and nautical, stripes are always in style. These photos are all from 1956.

Above: Brigance of Sportsmaker uses blue and white striped cotton jersey for a bathing suit with matching straight beach shirt that gets belted for added shape. Set sold for $43 in 1956 (about $345 in today's dollar.)

Claire McCardell cotton sateen beach poncho to wear over a swimsuit or shorts. Red, green, and yellow. Sold for $20 in 1956 (about $160 in today's dollar.)

Tina Leser glazed cotton dress in bold yellow and white stripes. Sold for $50 in 1956 (about $401 in today's dollar.)

Sir James rayon sunsuit in navy and gold stripes with brass buckles and buttons. Sold for $13 in 1956 (about $104 in today's dollar.)

Helga silk/cotton blend dress in blue, white, and coral. The pleats in the skirt change the look of the stripes. Sold for $70 in 1956 (about $561 in today's dollar.)

Do you love to wear stripes? Which is your favorite?

7 Important American Designers, 1954

So often we read about American fashion designers from the 1950s, and we love to drool over the clothes they made, but we have no idea what the designers themselves looked like. I stumbled across this photo which was part of an ad for Chrysler cars in 1954. The ad headline states, "7 top fashion designers find Chrysler Corporation's 1955 cars a stimulating new concept of good design."

Click on the picture to enlarge and you'll see the faces behind the clothes.

From left to right: Tim Brigance, Anne Fogarty, Clare Potter, Lily Daché, Nettie Rosenstein, Pauline Trigere, and Claire McCardell.

Vintage Swimsuits and Beach Wear - 1963

Want to play guess the designer again? Who made this cotton terrycloth beach cover-up in 1963?

Answer later.

We've met Irene Galitzine before. Her design talent brought us palazzo pants in 1960. Here, she offers a wild and wacky beach set consisting of a white knitted orlon romper with a chartreuse green and white knit oversize collar. Wild, no? So, where's the wacky?

It's in this hand-knitted cover-up cape in the same chartreuse and white orlon. The collar of the romper pops out atop the cape. It's like wearing granny's afghan to the beach! Gotta love those Italian designers!

This is one of my favorite swimsuits I've ever shown you. We've also talked about Tom Brigance before. Here, he takes black and white plaid nylon and fashions it into a two piece suit with a belt. The top has a high neck at the front that dips lower in back. Brigance for Sinclair suit sold for $25.00 in 1963 (about $178.00 in today's dollar).

Jantzen pops black and white stripes over a black bottom in Helanca nylon. Sold for $20.00 in 1963 (about $143.00 in today's dollar).

Back to that terrycloth beach cover-up at the top of this post. Did you guess it? It's Emilio Pucci. In cotton...terrycloth. I've seen plenty of his work in silk jersey. I've seen his work in velveteen. But never in terrycloth. He made a cotton bikini to match. I love it.

Clare Potter or Tom Brigance?

1949 - A model poses for photographer Louise Dahl-Wolfe at the caves along the western beaches of Nassau in the Bahamas. The colors of her blouse and shorts are a perfect counterpoint to the colors of the surrounding natural splendor. The pieces are by Charles Nudelman, a wholesale manufacturer of women's sportswear. But who designed them?

Clare Potter was the well known designer for Nudelman starting in 1930. Potter won many awards and was best known for her brilliant use of color. She preferred to make her clothing distinct with color and line, rather than with added decoration. Potter was famous for her pants, which were always perfectly cut and tailored. In doing my research, the last mention I find for Clare Potter of Charles Nudelman is in October of 1948. By July of 1949, Potter was working at Timbertop and designed their line for the fall of that year.

Tom Brigance was another well known designer of American sportswear. He worked in London for Jaeger before coming to New York in 1939 as the in-house designer for Lord & Taylor. He was noted for his use of soft draping, unusual fabrics, and interesting prints. He was absent from the design world from 1942 - 47 while he served in the war. Upon his return, he once again designed for Lord & Taylor, until he announced his resignation in March of 1949 to join Charles Nudelman. He didn't stay long, however, as by 1951, Brigance was the exclusive designer at Frank Gallant.

Was the outfit shown in this photo designed by Potter or Brigance? By looking at the combination of colors and the cut of the shorts, I have to guess that this is Clare Potter's design, but mention of her name as the designer in the magazine spread is noticeably absent. Before this, her name was always used in association with Charles Nudelman, as she had greater recognition. One has to wonder what happened. Was Potter unhappy after 18 years with Nudelman? Was Nudelman dissatisfied with sales? What did he give Brigance to steal him from Lord & Taylor? Why did Brigance leave Nudelman after such a short time? Good questions all, but ones we'll probably never have the answers to.

Shown above, a dove grey rayon crepe blouse cut open to the waist is worn with sand color cuffed shorts of Moygashel linen by Charles Nudelman, available at Saks Fifth Avenue in 1949 for $50 (about $459 in today's dollar).

Vintage Swimsuits 1954

There were some incredibly sexy swimsuit options in 1954! All photos were taken by Lillian Bassman in Barbados for Vogue.

This has got to be one of my favorite suits I've featured all year. Claire McCardell fashions a Sag-No-Mor Vicara and wool jersey into a sleek black one piece suit with a hood that drops down to form a loose cowl neckline. Sold in 1954 for $25.00 (about $203.00 in today's dollar).

A one-shoulder bias-cut suit in black pique has bloomer pants. By Brigance of Sportsmaker. Sold in 1954 for $25.00 (about $203.00 in today's dollar).

Catalina fashions black taffeta into a strapless suit with ruffles. Completely boned for support. Sold in 1954 for $18.00 (about $146.00 in today's dollar).

Navy and white stripes in a Dacron and Lastex strapless maillot by Roxanne. Sold in 1954 for $30.00 (about $244.00 in today's dollar).

More stripes, this time by Caltex in blue and white elasticized nylon boucle. Sold in 1954 for $19.00 (about $154.00 in today's dollar).

A strapless maillot with crumb-catcher bust and puffed pants by Lee Beachwear in black faille woven with Lastex. Boned for support. Sold in 1954 for $13.00 (about $106.00 in today's dollar).

Sacony molds blue and white plaid to the body and belts it in blue. Nylon, acetate, and lastex blend. Sold in 1954 for $18.00 (about $146.00 in today's dollar).

Which one is your favorite???

Swimsuit Styles 1961

We're back to cold weather today, and I'm dreaming of tropical breezes, sand, and sun. What better way to indulge my dreams than with some one-piece swimsuits from 1961 photographed in St. Croix.

Brigance for Sinclair cotton print suit with a gathered skirt over bloomers. The print is of green and black beach balls on white.

At left: Brigance for Sinclair navy and white stripe maillot in a cotton, lastex, and orlon knit.
At right: Brigance for Sinclair navy and white print maillot with a square neckline and navy patent belt in cotton and Lastex knit.

Susan Thomas skirted swimsuit in white cotton sateen with navy blue Schiffli embroidery.

Brigance by Sinclair one-shoulder skirted suit in navy blue cotton with white polka dots, belted in navy blue patent.