Vintage Sweaters on Sale at Couture Allure!

All remaining vintage sweaters are now an additional 40% off at Couture Allure!  Simply enter coupon code "sweater" at checkout and your discount will be automatically applied.  Discount does not apply to shipping cost or previous purchases.  Ends Friday, October 26.   Yummy cashmeres, beaded evening tops and fabulous wools to keep you warm all winter long.  Go grab your bargain now!

Vintage Sweaters!

 Sweaters, sweaters.....vintage sweaters!  Every year as I search for vintage clothing for the website, I put away the vintage sweaters I find and list them all as a collection in September.

 This year, I've got several yummy cashmeres, lots of beaded beauties, and a fun group of colorful wools, all dating from the 1950s, 60s and 70s.

This year's vintage sweater collection started going up yesterday at Couture Allure.  I'll continue with more today and probably right on into tomorrow until they are all up.

Here's one of my favorites - a luscious 1950s pure cashmere sweater in muted butternut squash orange by Dalton.

My advice?  Don't hesitate if you see something you like!  This gorgeous 1950s beaded cashmere sold right away.  I'm not surprised.  That beadwork is breathtaking!

John Carr Doughty Trompe L'oeil Knitwear

UK knitwear designer John Carr Doughty made a brief sensation in 1966 with his knitted men's sweaters and women's sweater dresses that fooled the eye with trompe l'oeil patterns knitted right in.  The designs shown here were made in pure wool and were commissioned by the International Wool Secretariat for the Designers Convention. 

Carr wasn't a clothing designer, per se.  Instead, he worked behind the scenes figuring out how to translate his ideas for knit designs into a manufacturing technique.  Those ideas were then presented as samples to UK knitwear manufacturers for their use in making garments.  He also designed and patented several knitting machines for various uses.

Carr Doughty was the genius behind the intarsia designs in Pringle cashmere sweaters starting in 1952.  What's intarsia?  That is a knitting technique in which a pattern is knitted into a design with separate pieces of colored yarn instead of carrying the unused strands of color across on the back of the knit.

Carr Doughty is said to have made a Mondrian inspired knitwear design 2 years before Yves St. Laurent translated the artist's work into dresses in 1965.  One of his favorite Pringle instarsia designs was based on a painting by Klee. But after the brief media frenzy about his trompe l'oeil looks in 1966, John Carr Doughty disappeared back behind the scenes in the knitwear industry.  He did consulting work for UK knitwear manufacturers until at least the late 1970s.

Woolmark Company images from the collection of the London College of Fashion.

Choices, Choices

 Why can't we have choices like this anymore?  In this 2 page ad from 1956, Garland Orlon sweaters were offered in 6 styles.  Each style was made in 9 colors.  That's 54 possibilities to choose from.  There is something for everyone to love here.

Top row left:  "Put it atop your separate skirt, tuck it into your suit skirt - a sweater for all around the clock."
Center:  "The V neck classic that goes nicely over tailored shirts or with the separate collars you like to wear."
Right:  "Casual, flattering and completely versatile for skirts or suits.  Wear with or without your own costume pin."

Bottom row left:  "Pert sweater with collar that buttons as high or as low as you like."
Center:  "A three-way collar cardigan; button it higher, button it lower, leave it as is."
Right:  "The classic sweater set in harmony of line and color.  Match or mix the pullover and cardigan colors."

Which sweater in what colors would you choose?

Classic Twin Set Sweaters - 1955

Author's note: Due to a time crunch this morning, this is a reprint of a blog post I wrote in 2009.  

Is there anyone in the world who can't wear a classic twin set?






All from 1955, these photos can serve as inspiration to get a vintage look from a modern twin set.  Or add a vintage twin set to your modern wardrobe!

Wearing Vintage Sweaters - 1954

I spent a couple of days last week adding this year's collection of vintage sweaters to the website.  If you've never worn a vintage sweater, I urge you to give one a try.  They are made from much higher quality yarns that those of today and they are usually fully fashioned, which means the pieces are knitted into shape, not cut and sewn from a flat piece of fabric.

Since it's now officially fall (drat!), I thought I would show you some photos of sweaters from 1954.  They're all matched with basic pants and skirts in khaki and gray. Prices shown are the actual prices from 1954 and today's equivalent is in parentheses.

Left:  Pringle gray cashmere pullover with a stripe of lighter gray in the mock turtleneck.  $26 ($219)
Center:  Bernhard Altmann strawberry red cashmere pullover with short sleeves.  $23 ($194)
Right:  Korrigan-Lesure black button down cardigan worn with the buttons in back.  $35 ($295)

Left:  Braemar ribbed pullover in pale ivory.  $23 ($194)
Center:  Hadley red cashmere short sleeve with white stripe accents.  $22 ($185)
Right:  Jantzen ivory wool/vicara blend pullover with white angora neck and cuffs.  $11 ($93)

Left:  Dalton cashmere turtleneck with button placket in ice blue.  $25 ($211)
Center:  Maurice Handler cashmere sweater in the style of a shirt with shirt tail hem.  $30 ($253)
Right:  Goldworm wool rib-knit with zipper neckline.  $14 ($118)

Left:  Geist and Geist purple wool pullover with cowl collar.  $25 ($211)
Center:  Roseanna white ribbed wool with big sailor collar.  $18 ($152)
Right:  Stanley Boutique reversible jacket, cable knit on one side, alpaca on the other.  $40 ($337)

Vintage Sweaters - 1975

Just a few more days to enter the giveaway from Vermont Country Store! Go and enter to win now!

20 years after yesterday's post, the look of sweaters is decidedly different. In 1975, sweaters were longer and were made of heavier, thicker, chunkier yarns than those of 1955. Worn with bell bottom pants, jeans, or long skirts, here are the sweaters the everyday gal wore in 1975.

Allison's Closet bulky cable knit cardigan.

Beverly Johnson wears a wool wrap sweater by Jane Justin.

Organically Grown by Arpeja acrylic (ironic) turtleneck sweater with center muff pockets.

Ellen Tracy wool cardigan with matching vest and hat.

Hooded wool tweed sweater jacket by Swing Low.

Vintage Sweaters - 1955

It's 1955, and sweaters are a big hit for fall. Worn with skirts, pants, or Bermuda shorts, most gals had at least one (or ten) in her wardrobe.

May Claire shawl collar pullover.

Pride O'Glen lambswool sweater could be worn two ways, with the buttons in front or back.

Darlene pullover and twin-set.

Talbott V-neck and turtleneck.

What do you wear underneath to get that true "sweater girl" look? A pointy, circle-stitched bra, of course! And if your cup size was smaller, you wore one with padding.

Here's a current fave at Couture Allure. This lambswool/fur blend twin set comes straight out of the 1950s!

Jantzen Kharafleece Sweaters

I've seen the term "Kharafleece" in many Jantzen ads and on the labels of lots of their sweaters. I've often wondered what the term meant. I finally got a clue when reading the ad above from 1954. In the 1950s, sweater companies would name their exclusive yarn blends as a marketing strategy. Garland had "Dreamspun", Nan Dorsey had "Fabulon", Darlene had "Melospun", etc, etc.

What is "Kharafleece"? It was Jantzen's exclusive blend of lambswool, Vicara, and nylon yarn that was mothproofed by Mitin. Here's an earlier post of mine about Mitin. Vicara was a fiber produced by the Virginia-Carolina Corporation. It was made from the extruded plant protein Zein, which comes from corn. Vicara was soft as cashmere, washable, and took dyes well. It had to be blended with other fibers, though, as it was not as durable. Vicara production was discontinued in 1958 due to the advent of better performing synthetic fibers. If you have a Kharafleece sweater by Jantzen, you can properly date it prior to 1959.

Fuzzy Mohair Sweaters - 1963

Mohair is the long silky hair of the Angora goat. It is a strong and durable fiber that takes brilliant color dyes well. And it makes wonderfully warm and fuzzy sweaters, as seen in these examples from 1963.

Snow white pullover with V-neckline and cable stitching at the center front. Hand knit in Italy by Blairmoor Knitwear. Sold in 1963 for $18 (about $125 in today's dollar).

A turquoise cardigan banded in brown and honey beige, hand knit in Italy by Famelia. Sold in 1963 for $18 (about $125 in today's dollar).

Beige vest edged in white by Darlene Knitwear. Worn with a white blouse and white pants. Sold in 1963 for $11 (about $77 in today's dollar).

3 piece pink suit consisting of a sleeveless shell, a cardigan, and a pencil skirt, all by Jane Irwill. Sold in 1963 for $36 (about $251 in today's dollar).

And my favorite, a brown bateau necked sweater with black and white animal spots. The 3/4 sleeves are bell shaped. Hand knit in Italy by Famelia. Sold in 1963 for $25 (about $174 in today's dollar).

Classic Twin Set Sweaters - 1955

Is there anyone in the world who can't wear a classic twin set?





All from 1955, these photos can serve as inspiration to get a vintage look from a modern twin set. Have a great weekend everyone!

Friday Miscellaneous

It's Friday and I want to share some miscellaneous news and notes from this week, and then I have more vintage sweaters for you.

First, vintage lovelies Pam at Glamoursplash and Hollis at Past Perfect Vintage bestowed the Kreativ Blogger Award on my little blog this week. I am honored gals! Thank you so much!!!!

A few months ago, I sold this vintage dress to Denaye. I received an email this morning from her sharing pictures of her vintage inspired engagement party held at their local County Fair. Don't she and her fiance David look great?



You can see more photos at Vintage Glam Weddings and at the photographer's blog, Overexposed.

There has been a nip of Fall in the air the last couple of days, and we are starting to see hints of the leaves changing colors. The tomato plants are spent and it is time to pot up some of our herbs to bring indoors for the winter. In honor of cooler weather, I have more 1958 sweaters for you this morning. I love the pairing of these with red plaid skirts, pants, and Bermuda shorts, all with red tights and red shoes.

From left to right:
- Catalina wool and orlon grey hooded sweater. The hood is lined in faux fur. Paired with Jack Winter wool/orlon plaid pants and a red scarf.
- Premier red orlon fisherman's knit sweater worn with a Vera hood and College Town plaid shorts and red tights.
- Shaggy wool and mohair hooded sweater with wool plaid pants, both by Koret. Worn with boot tights (nylon tights with shoes combined) by Capezio.
- Bradley hooded red wool sweater worn with a Leathermodes red jerkin and Mademoiselle Modes plaid kilt and red tights.
Red shoes on 3 of the models by Patinos.