Mr. Blackwell Dresses, 1960

Mr. Blackwell, of the famous Worst Dressed List, had his own clothing line starting in 1958.  Here he is photographed surrounded by a bevy of beauties wearing his dresses for summer 1960. 

Left:  Angel sleeves add bewitchment to a sorceress sheath of imported silk linen, fitted to make everyone glad  you're a girl.  About $90 (that's $706 in today's dollar.)

Back:  Flag-colored stripes blazed on sailcloth.  Cutaway jacket, giant clutch purse, square-necked sheath of sailcloth.  About $45 (that's $353 in today's dollar.)

Right:  High voltage colors in a flowered cotton sheath strewn with glitter.  Added flirting voltage: neckline, fish-tail skirt.  About $45 (that's $353 in today's dollar.)

Vintage Cocktail Dress - Illusion Lace and Goodbye, Mr. Blackwell

Trompe 'oeil - fool the eye.

Illusion - a deceptive appearance or unreal image.

Lace is so important for this holiday season, and I've always loved the look of 1950's illusion lace cocktail dresses. This one, by Mary Black, uses black Chantilly lace layered over flesh silk satin. The flesh satin blends with the wearer's skin to give the illusion that she is nude under the lace. Of course, nothing shows, but the dress certainly entices! From the December 1957 issue of Vogue magazine, this dress sold at high end department stores, such as Bergdorf's, I. Magnin, and Sakowitz.

Get the look with this 1950's cocktail dress by Carnival, available at our website:

In other news today, we mourn the loss of Mr. Blackwell, who was most famous for his Worst Dressed list each year. Richard Blackwell started his career as an actor, but abandoned that for fashion design in 1958. His designs were always extremely feminine and sexy. His first Worst Dressed list was issued in 1960, and included Zsa Zsa Gabor and Anna Magnani. The list brought Blackwell the celebrity he desired, and he became a favorite on the talk show circuit. He died October 19, 2008 at age 86.

Here's one of his incredibly sexy cocktail dresses, this one with an amazing rhinestone choker attached to the dress with rhinestone strands. It's available at my website, coutureallure.com. Click the picture to see the details.