New at Couture Allure - Vintage Dresses and Evening Gowns

New this week at Couture Allure are lots of pretty prints in dresses and evening gowns. Are you in the mood for spring?

1960s Emilio Pucci silk jersey dress and jacket.

1970s Vera Neumann abstract print dress.

1960s apricot organza draped party dress.

1970s Don Luis de Espana print dress.

1960s beaded floral evening gown.

1970s disco era goddess style evening gown.

We also just added new markdowns to our Sale Room. Grab your bargain before someone else does!

Weekend Eye Candy - Givenchy 1968

Green feathered coat by Hubert de Givenchy, 1968.

If you're a fan of Couture Allure on Facebook, you saw this coat on Wednesday, when I did a retrospective of green garments through the years in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Not a Facebook fan yet? Come join the fun!

Guess the Date

Care to take a guess at the date of this swimsuit? If the photo was in color, you would be seeing red and white. Answer on Monday!

Couture Allure on Stage

I recently sold this vintage 1940s tweed suit to the Pearl Theatre Company in New York. I contacted the costume shop manager, Niki Hernandez-Adams, to find out if my suit would be appearing on stage. The answer is yes!

The Pearl Theatre Company is the premier Off-Broadway classical repertory theatre group in New York. They have a resident company that performs classic plays of all periods. This 1940s suit will be appearing in "The Subject Was Roses" by Frank D. Gilroy from April 9 - May 9, 2010 at the New York City Center. To purchase tickets, go to the City Center's website.

If you do go, take a picture of the suit for me, would you? It will now be more famous than I am!

Mildred Custin - Fashion Leader

Mildred Custin was born in in Manchester, NH in 1906 and was raised in Boston. After attending Simmons college, she took a job in the controller's office at Macy's. Jobs at Shepard's and R.H. White followed before Custin moved to Philadelphia in 1935. There, she joined John Wanamaker, and worked her way up to a vice presidency before becoming president of the 3-store Bonwit Teller Philadelphia chain. The Bonwit's Philadelphia stores became part of Bonwit Teller New York in 1963. In 1965, Custin was made president and chairwoman of the Bonwit Teller 12-store chain, and as such became the top female retail executive in the country.

Custin secured her reputation and later promotions by turning Bonwit's drab and rundown traditional stores into high-fashion retail leaders that carried clothing from the top designers of the time. Custin always referred to Bonwit Teller as a "specialty store", rather than a department store. She believed her stores filled a niche with top quality service and carefully selected stock that filled the Bonwit's customer's needs. Rather than making and selling line-for-line copies of Paris couture, Custin led the industry by offering exclusive garments from top designers. In this way, she differentiated the stores from competitors such as Saks, I. Magnin, and others.

Stavropoulos, 1964

It was Mildred Custin who, as a buyer in 1963, discovered George Stavropoulos and placed the first order for his designs.

Rudi Gernreich, 1966

It was Mildred Custin who started the trend for in-store boutiques by showcasing designers such as Norman Norell, Rudi Gernreich, Donald Brooks, and James Galanos.

Nancy Reagan wears James Galanos, 1967

It was Mildred Custin who talked James Galanos into showing his line in New York in 1966. Previously, Galanos had always shown in Los Angeles, and Bonwit's customers had to visit the store several times in one season in order to see the entire line.

Pierre Cardin, 1966

It was Mildred Custin who opened the first menswear department at Bonwit's in 1966, a department she stocked with the first Pierre Cardin and Bill Blass menswear lines, along with Hermes ties and Turnbull & Asser shirts.

It was Mildred Custin who put Calvin Klein on the map by placing the first order for his clothing in 1968, an order that totaled $50,000. Custin had wanted an exclusive with Klein, but he refused, telling her he could not cut out other buyers who were already interested in his line.

Giorgio di Sant'Angelo, 1968

It was Mildred Custin who gave Giorgio di Sant'Angelo his first boutique in 1968, before he had even designed his line.

It was Mildred Custin who brought mystery and cachet to Bonwit's windows by having them covered and then raising the curtains every Tuesday night to a new display. People would purposely stroll past the 5th Avenue windows to see the latest innovations in fashion.

In 1970, Custin retired from Bonwit's, as the company had a mandatory retirement age of 65 for it's executives. She then went on to form her own retail consulting firm, Mildred Custin, Ltd. which was very successful until she closed it in 1990. Custin died in 1997 at age 91.

Couture Allure is pleased and proud to be able to offer for sale a 1969 James Galanos silk palazzo pant jumpsuit that was owned by Mildred Custin. This jumpsuit was recently deaccessioned by the Brooklyn Museum. Custin had donated it to the museum's costume collection in 1972. Don't miss your opportunity to own this piece of fashion history - a garment that was owned by the woman who was the most powerful force in American fashion retailing from 1965-1970.

Please note: Biographical information about Mildred Custin is copyright of Couture Allure and may not be copied without permission.

Vintage Sunglasses

1954, Hubert de Givenchy

After days and days of rain, the sun is finally out today, which means it's the perfect time to break out your vintage sunglasses! The days are getting longer, and Daylight Savings Time is in effect, so most of you won't be driving home in the dark anymore. Enjoy today's look at 25 years of sunglasses.

1958, Sol Amor

1965, Courreges famous slit sunglasses

1967, Jean Patou

1973, Pierre Morly

1979, Mikli

Rainy Days and Mondays

1979 Per Spook red vinyl raincoat

It has been raining here since Friday. We're having a good old-fashioned New England Nor'easter, and all I can say is thank goodness it's not snow, as we'd be buried under several feet by now. The repairman is up on the roof of our 115-year-old house as I write this fixing a couple of leaks that have cropped up overnight. He's braver than I am, out in the wind and the rain. I don't even think these wonderful raincoats would keep me dry today.

1949 Balenciaga gabardine raincoat

1949 Schiaparelli raincoat

1956 Jeanne Lanvin raincoat

1965 Nina Ricci red vinyl raincoat

1975 Louis Feraud yellow raincoat and Courreges see-through umbrella

New at Couture Allure - Vintage Dresses and Evening Gowns

Lots of new goodies at Couture Allure this week, including several evening gowns, as well as coat and dress sets and a couple of plus sized garments not shown here. Check out our What's New section on the website, or become a Facebook fan to get up-to-the-minute news about new listings at Couture Allure.

1960s party dress with big lilac roses and a full skirt.

Early 1960s Pauline Trigere beaded evening cape.

1960s Hawaiian evening dress with full-length shoulder drape.

1940s black silk crepe evening gown with orange inner bodice and back drapes.

1970s Tina Leser silk and metallic evening gown.

Vintage 1960s pink brocade evening gown and opera coat set.

Weekend Eye Candy - Chanel 1933

Chanel, 1933 - A pink silk tulle jacket with voluminous sleeves worn over a black velvet gown with deep back decolletage.

Sonia Rykiel

1970

French designer, Sonia Rykiel is best known for her work with knits. Her claim to fame was a body-hugging striped "poor boy" sweater that she designed for her husband's boutique, Laura. The sweater was featured on the cover of Elle magazine, and Rykiel's career took off. She established her own label and her own Sonia Rykiel Boutique in 1968.

1970

At a time when fashion was becoming less constricted with less reliance on supportive undergarments, Rykiel's knits were exactly what women wanted to wear. She worked with luxury yarns like mohair, angora, and alpaca, as well as cotton and wool.

1974

Rykiel was a leader in the concept of layering. She often showed ensembles made of at least 3 pieces, and often more, that could be layered and mix-and-matched. Her designs often included matching caps, scarves, or head wraps, as she was adamant that a woman's head should be covered.

1978

Rykiel's preference for knits reflects her fundamental belief that it is possible to be both stylish and comfortable at the same time. She also believed that a woman was the best designer for women.

1980

Sonia Rykiel was the first to show seams on the outside of a garment. Her hems were often finished with a narrow zig-zag stitch and no turn-under.

In the 1970's, Rykiel did a series of designer patterns for Vogue. These two examples are from 1975. Vogue pattern 1266, on the left, features Rykiel's Bertha collar sweater, which was hugely popular on the runway that year. The pattern on the right, Vogue 1267, features a long cardigan sweater that ties at the front.

Please note: Biographical information about Sonia Rykiel is copyright of Couture Allure and may not be copied without permission.

Great 80s Fashion

Yesterday, we had great fun, both here and on my Facebook page, making fun of some ugly clothes from the 1980s. Lest you get the idea that I think all 80s fashion is awful, today I want to show you some fabulous clothing that I wouldn't hesitate to offer for sale on my website if I found it.

Pale pink silk organza coat by Thierry Mugler, 1982.

Strapless purple evening gown by Christian Dior, 1983.

Classic pant suit by Chanel, 1983, Lagerfeld's first year.

Kind of kooky, but kind of awesome. Bernard Perris, 1985.

Tropical seduction by Yves St. Laurent, 1985.

Gown by Tan Giudicelli, an Asian designer who went on to work in perfume, 1987.

Christian LaCroix, 1987.

Givenchy, 1987.