Vintage Tiffany Gold Jewelry from 1959

Lovely aren't they? This ad for Tiffany jewelry comes from the December 1959 issue of Glamour magazine. If you could find any of these pieces today, they would be quite valuable.

From top:
Wild Rose pin 18K $50 ($370 today)
Leaf Bouquet pin 18K $55 ($407 today)
Twisted Rope bracelet 18K $185 ($1371 today)
Double Shell earrings 14K $38 ($282 today)
Feather earrings 14K $32 ($237 today)
Tulip Bouquet pin 18K $37 ($274 today)
Fluted Flower clip-pin 18K $58 ($430 today)

Those today prices are from the CPI calculator, which tells us if we spent $50 in 1959, that same $50 is would equal $370 in 2008. As for what you could buy these pieces for at Tiffany today?

The closest 18K gold bracelet I found was this braid bracelet for $2400. As for earrings, you can get a basic twist knot style for $475. Tiffany doesn't offer any 18K pins similar to those shown here. I guess the price of gold has outpaced inflation!

I won't recommend any sites for vintage Tiffany jewelry, but I will advise you to be very careful and purchase from a reputable dealer, as fakes in the jewelry market are rampant.

Vintage Roadshow - Links of the Week

I've joined a group of vintage bloggers to bring you links to great vintage articles from the past two weeks. Enjoy!

Debutante Clothing finds a chic '50s hat she can actually wear.

Freudian Slips Vintage showcases recent vintage finds.

Glamoursplash writes about Twiggy - the 1960's Supermodel and Icon.

iKonic Vintage explores Target's upcoming Designer Collaborations.

Couture Allure talks about dressing well on a budget in the 1950's.

Weekend Eye Candy - Madeleine Vionnet Evening Gown

Pale grey crepe dress by Madeleine Vionnet, Summer 1938.

The fringe is not an applied by-the-yard trim. Rather the dress is embroidered with individual loops of silk thread in scallops. The fringe gets gradually longer from waist to hem. Can you imagine the math involved in figuring out how long the fringe should be in each row so the scallops hit the hem just right?

Vintage Rain Boots

I had those little red boots on the far left when I was a kid. You pulled them on over your shoes, and there was an elastic loop and button at the top. But why doesn't anyone make nice looking women's rubber overshoes anymore? Like the ones in the center above from U.S. Gaytees?

Or the ones on the left here? Totes brand only makes men's overshoes. Why? And what about overboots? See the fur trimmed pair on the right above, and those by Red Ball below? The heels are hollow so you slip them on over your shoes. Aren't they cute?

Would you buy cute rain overshoes or boots like these if you could find them, instead of the big clunky rainboots available today? Judging by this current EBay auction, the answer is yes!

Vintage 1950's Shoes

Shoes, shoes, who likes shoes? All from October 1959.

Vintage Pendleton Wardrobe Basics

I'm sure many of us, including myself, are thinking about how to get along with less. The other day I posted about building a wardrobe on a budget, and purchasing quality instead of quantity. Here is another example.

Pendleton is a well-known maker of good quality woolens; so good that many vintage Pendleton garments from the 1940's and 50's are still in service today. If you purchased just one of the items shown above, you could mix and match that piece with others in your wardrobe to add more looks to your closet. That's what is great about a "basic". It works well with lots of items you already own.

Lets take that green pullover sweater. I happen to love green, and use it alot in my wardrobe. Green is the "fashion" color in my closet that I mix and match with basics. I could wear that green sweater with either black, brown, grey, navy, forest green, or khaki pants or skirt. (I don't own all those colors in bottoms. I tend to stick with black and brown, but any of those basic colors would work with green.) I could add a jacket in one of those basic colors, or add a cardigan sweater I already own in a lighter green or orange.

Ok, lets take that basic green sweater and pair it with brown pants. Pretty boring until I turn to accessories. How about my favorite paisley wool shawl in several shades of lighter green. Or a vintage Vera scarf in pink and orange. If a scarf doesn't do it for me, I can add a cluster of vintage rhinestone pins, or how about a modern beaded necklace with touches of light green beads in amongst the gold. Or a chunky gold necklace from the 80's would work. And I'd probably grab my green Franco Sarto bag I've been carrying alot this year.

Look at all the possibilities with just one high quality green sweater! And because the quality is there, I won't need to donate it at the end of the season because it is pilled, pulled, faded, or misshapen. I can wear it for years. And the beauty of being a vintage clothing dealer? If I was patient, I could probably find that exact green Pendleton sweater from 1959, still servicable, and still wearable for years to come.

Shown in the ad above, from 1959:

Pendleton's Slim Jim skirt in lightweight beige wool flannel, $14.95 ($110.00 today)
Paired with a beige Pendlefleece collar cardigan, $16.95 ($126.00 today)

Pocketeer skirt in green wool flannel $16.95, ($126.00 today)
Paired with the fine guage wool pullover sweater, $8.95 ($66.50 today)

Tabmaster wool flannel skirt in blue, $14.95 ($110.00 today)
Paired with a blue Pendlefleece cardigan, $16.95 ($126.00 today)

Here are a few vintage accessories that would work with our outfit, all available at Couture Allure. Click the pictures for more details!

Fashion in Film - The Lady Eve

Preston Sturges' 1941 film The Lady Eve is showing on Comcast on Demand for free through November 22. Starring Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda, this madcap romance/comedy is well worth seeking out. Edith Head designed the costumes, and this is the film which finally brought her the recognition she deserved after eighteen years in the industry.

Early in the film, Stanwyck begins to seduce Fonda by wearing an evening gown that is actually two pieces - a long black skirt with a slit up the front and a short beaded top, exposing her bare midriff.

Stanwyck had a good figure, but she was long-waisted and had a low-slung derriere. Prior to this film, most costume designers had tried to hide this by putting Stanwyck in full skirts. Head was able to work with Stanwyck's figure by making costumes with self-belts that were wider in the back. She also added fullness over the bust and sleeves to draw the viewer's attention up. We see this to great effect in several of the costumes used in the film, including the white suit shown above.

Paramount realized that Edith Head had transformed Stanwyck into a box office princess and gave the gowns full publicity. This film cemented a working relationship between Head and Stanwyck that caused Stanwyck to insist that Head design all her costumes for future films, as well as her off-screen wardrobe. Shown above: the silk charmeuse and chiffon negligee Stanwyck wears in the wedding night scene which takes place on a train. The scene is one of the funniest in the film, and, even though the movie is 67 years old, I found myself laughing out loud in delight.

Here's a dress available at Couture Allure that would have fit right in to Lady Eve's wardrobe. Click the picture for details!

How to Dress Well on Practically Nothing!

The October 1959 issue of Ladies Home Journal has a small month-to-month feature about dressing well on a budget. This is Mollie Farnham, a young Midwestern kindergarten teacher. The magazine notes that in the September issue, Mollie had purchased a camel skirt and beige blouse, and then knitted a cardigan sweater to go with them. In this issue, Mollie shops for her "all-important fall-and-winter investment: a coat." Since she already had a white dressy coat and an evening cover-up, Mollie needed a good serviceable coat for everyday wear.

She shops carefully, and considers several options, but chooses this black and white tweed coat by Gordon Corpuel for $35.00 ($260.00 today). "Mollie's new coat has a flattering cowl collar, is warmly lined in furry black Orlon. The black and white tweed will go well with her beige separates from last month as well as another of her favorite colors: blue." She then adds a black handbag for $3.00 ($23.00 today). She can now alternate the coat and purse with beige or black shoes, and white, beige, or chamois gloves.
Her second accessory purchase is a hat for $3.95 ($30.00 today) . "Mollie rarely wears a hat to school during the week, but for Sundays and special occasions she does. The coat takes on a special occasion look when accessorized with her new turquoise hat, pearls, and white gloves."

Lastly, if Mollie has time and a few extra dollars at the end of the month, she'll invest in some blue wool to sew this basic sheath dress from Vogue Basic Design #3000.

The focus here is on investing in practical but versatile basics that you can accent in different ways with accessories. Mollie's coat wardrobe is complete with one tweed for everyday, a white dressier version, and an evening wrap. How many coats are in your closet? How many dollars have you invested in trendy styles, inexpensive fabrics, or unusual colors that don't work for everyday? Isn't it wiser in today's economy to spend more money on one practical coat in a high quality fabric and basic color that can be worn for years? A change of accessories changes the look in a few seconds.

Our mothers and grandmothers got along with far less clothing than we do today. Each piece of clothing was a carefully considered investment that was meant to last for several years, not several months. Think about it this way. How big are the closets in most houses built in the 40's and 50's?

Vintage Suits - 1959

Two suits featured in the October 1959 issue of Ladies Home Journal as a "liveable, loveable and wearable" garments.

Kimberly was one of the largest privately held clothing manufacturers in the US in the 1950s and 60s. They specialized in wool knits, and would often buy Paris originals and adapt them to knit styles. This suit is fashioned in navy and red buffalo check knit that has the plaid turned on an angle, and a solid navy overblouse. The model wears gold jewelry, white gloves, and has a bow headband by Emme in her hair. The calfskin bag is by Lederer.

This black and white tweed suit is by Traina Norell. Anthony Traina was Norman Norell's backer until his death in 1960. This suit was part of the last collection with the Traina Norell label. In 1960, Norell formed his own company, Norman Norell, and the Traina Norell label disappeared. The three piece suit is trimmed in black braid with black buttons. The model wears a white silk shirt with a bow at the neckline, white gloves, pearl earrings, and also has a bow headband in her hair.

Weekend Eye Candy - Jackie Kennedy

Since this week has been so focused on the election, I thought a few photos of the Kennedys out on the campaign trail in 1959 might be fun. The photo above shows the Kennedys with then Vice President Richard Nixon.

Here, they share a cup of coffee at a diner in Oregon. Same dress, different accessories.

The dress? A grey wool knit overblouse dress by Givenchy Boutique Fall 1959. This is one of the styles that Jackie made so popular in America. The dress has a thin silk bodice, which doesn't add bulk under the overblouse, that likely buttons up the back.

Sparkle, Shimmer, & Shine - Beaded Fringe

Beads - they add that touch of sparkle to an evening gown that draws the eye and makes a woman feel special. Beaded fringe moves as you do, to create even more shimmer and shine. The above dress, by Ben Reig, was featured in the October 1963 issue of Vogue magazine. This dress would have been designed by Eva Rosencrans, whom we've discussed in the past. The bracelet is by Miram Haskell.

Beading dates back thousands of years, but glass seed beads, such as those used above, did not exist until about 1480, when Murano glassmakers in Venice invented a technique known as the hollow cane drawn method. Molten glass was gathered on the end of a tool called a puntile, a bubble was incorporated into the center of a gather of molten glass, and a second puntile was attached before stretching the gather with its internal bubble into a long cane. The pulling was a skilled process, and canes were reportedly drawn to lengths up to 200 feet long. The drawn tube was then chopped, producing individual drawn beads from its slices. In this way, glassmakers were able to produce large quantities of beads in a shorter time.

Get some shimmer of your own with this light blue sequined dress that has beaded tassels on the bodice. This dress also dates to the early 60's and the beading was all hand done in Hong Kong. Available at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion. Click the picture for more details!

Fashion in Film - De-Lovely

The 2004 film De-Lovely is showing this month for free on Comcast On Demand, and if you enjoy vintage fashion in film, this is a must see. The movie chronicles the career of Cole Porter, played by Kevin Kline, and his marriage to Linda Lee Porter, played by Ashley Judd. The film did not get great reviews, and takes license with some historical facts, but it is worth seeing for the costumes alone. As a fan of vintage fashion, is there any other reason to see a movie?

Costume designer Janty Yates said of this film, "The right costumes were essential to 'De-Lovely.' . . . No one could be seen in the same thing twice, because the Porters wouldn't have done it." Kline wore 38 separate costumes and Judd had 48. Yates also had the task of dressing 1,200 extras in period costume for the film. She did use some authentic vintage pieces, but she also asked Giorgio Armani to design some of the important costumes, including Linda's cream satin wedding gown.

During the 1930's, Linda Porter became a fashion icon. "Whatever Linda Porter was wearing, that was the dress you had to get, if you could find it and afford it." Her simple, elegant looks were trendsetters of the time. Both of the Porters were very much into fashion. When they traveled by train, an entire car was required for their clothing and jewelry.

Speaking of jewelry, the Porters played a key role in the career of Fulco di Verdura by helping him secure a position with Chanel in Paris and later encouraging him to open his first store in New York. Verdura designed all the jeweled cigarette cases that Linda gave to Cole on the opening nights of his shows. Several authentic Verdura pieces are used in the film, and Chanel loaned the double comet necklace that Judd wears in the wedding scene. You'll have to watch the film to get a look at it, but I can assure you, you'll be glad you did! The necklace shown above was designed for Linda Porter and was on loan to The Wertz Gallery in the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, PA as part of their Luxe Life: Masterpieces of American Jewelry exhibit in 2007.

Fashion Makeover - 1959 Style

I admit it, I love makeover shows like "What Not to Wear", and I've learned a thing or two from Trinny and Susannah, as well as Stacy and Clinton. It's probably a secret fantasy of most women to have a makeover. Who wouldn't want a team of experts giving advice about fashion, hair, and makeup and teaching us how to make the best of what we have? Here is a makeover from the October 1959 issue of Ladies Home Journal. It involves Karen, shown in the before picture above with "uninspired hairdo, unflattering clothes, a potentially attractive face completely bereft of make-up.

'I'm all thumbs when it comes to fixing myself up. I don't know where to begin or even what to do.' In her touching confusion over how to bring herself out, Karen had stumbled into the familiar beauty trap of becoming so preoccupied with her shortcomings, she overlooked her enviable assets. On her credit side: silky-textured hair, a 22" waist, beautiful legs. But without special attention these pluses went unnoticed.

Each step leading toward Karen's transformation was based on this capsule philosophy: accentuate the positive and work on, but stop worrying about, the negative."

That is still the best advice today. Focus on the good things about yourself, and stop concentrating on the imperfect.

Here is Karen after her makeover. She now wears a dress that emphasizes her tiny waist and adds fullness to her too-slim hips. The belt further emphasizes her waist, which is one of Karen't most enviable features. Karen's "before" hair style was too severe and elongated her already thin face. By adding bangs and volume, the stylist has given her an over-all look of width and softness. Add a touch of foundation and lipstick, and Karen's look is transformed. Karen is holding her eyeglasses in the after shot. Contact lenses were in their infancy at this time, and were very uncomfortable to wear.

What will you wear to accent your positive traits today? I'm wearing pink and purple, colors that complement my skin tone and make me look radiant. How about you?

It's a beautiful morning here in America. The sun is starting to burn through the mist off the ocean outside my window, and all is well. Enjoy your day!

Use Your Voice Today

Our grandmothers and great-grandmothers struggled and fought for several years, but eventually won the right for women to vote in the US in 1920.

Each of us has a unique and individual voice. I'm not going to preach at you about who you should or shouldn't vote for today. That's your business. I'm not going to tell you who I am voting for today. That's my business. But I am going to urge my readers in the US to please, make your voice heard today. Go.....Vote!

Yves Saint Laurent Exhibit

Evening Gown Fall-Winter 1970

San Francisco's de Young Museum is the only US venue for a 40 year retrospective exhibit of the work of Yves Saint Laurent. The exhibit opened on Saturday, November 1 and runs through April 5, 2009. If you live anywhere on the west coast or are traveling there, I urge you to make time to see this important exhibit.

Saint Laurent, who died June 1 of this year, was known for designing the wardrobe basics of modern women's wear - the pantsuit, the pea coat, the safari jacket, and le tuxedo - these pieces have all become timeless classics in women's wardrobes.

Included in the exhibit will be an example of the famous Mondrian dress.

Cocktail Dress Fall-Winter 1965

For more information visit the museum's website at www.deyoungmuseum.org. And why not make a day of it? The de Young is one of my favorite museums in the world. They have an incredible collection, and the setting in Golden Gate Park is simply idyllic.

Weekend Eye Candy - Charles James Evening Cape

1937 - Charles James is wandering a Paris flea market and finds a cache of Victorian silk ribbons. These ribbons are used to construct an evening mantle (a cape without sleeves). This piece became one of James' most well known and iconic garments. Photographed by Horst P. Horst for Vogue magazine 1940.

Vintage Coats on Sale at Couture Allure

I've been having a frustrating battle with my newsletter service, as I sent a newsletter yesterday at 11:30 AM which you all should have received by now. Newsletter service says the emails all went out, facts say no they haven't. I didn't receive mine and not one person has opened this email. Who knows when they'll go out? You'll probably get yours at midnight on Sunday, the 33rd. Bah!

The newsletter offers a sale on vintage coats, so I thought I'd better put that information for you here. From now through Monday, November 3, save 20% off on all coats and furs at Couture Allure. Simply enter coupon code "coat" at checkout. The coupon is only good on coats and does not apply to previous purchases. Go...shop! Click here to see all Couture Allure vintage coats. Or click the pictures to see more details.

Have a Vintage Halloween!

If ever there is a day to wear orange, it's Halloween! This gorgeous suit was shown in the December 1957 issue of a fashion magazine. The magazine calls this color "golden apricot" - um, OK. Orange. The suit is by Handelsman & Raiffe and is trimmed in lynx fur. It was available at Henri Bendel for $185.00 ($1420.00 today) I can't find any references to "Handelsman & Raiffe" anywhere, and the label is unfamiliar to me, but isn't the suit yummy?

My impression of this photo? Love the suit, but the model is way too thin! If you thought super thin, anorexic models were a modern phenomena, think again. This gal is so thin, the back of the skirt is sagging because her non-existent derriere can't fill it out. Perhaps a little trick-or-treating would help!

Have a fun vintage Halloween, watch out for ghosts and goblins, and play safe!