Manipulating Stripes #2

In the past,, we've shown you different ways that designers manipulate striped fabric to make a new pattern. Designers can use seams to great effect in changing the look of a striped fabric. At a quick glance, you might think this 1950's dress is fashioned from two co-ordinating fabrics. Not so. The designer has used a technique of wide tucks sewn between the stripes to give the fabric a completely different look.

As you can see, the floral stripe pattern is centered in a deep vertical tuck sewn between the stripes.

The tuck is spread so the line of stitching is centered behind the stripe pattern, then pressed flat. This pulls the stripes much closer together and adds texture to the bodice. Cute, don't you think?

See this dress and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

The Allure of a Veil

Sexy, smoky eyes peeking out from behind a veil - what could be more alluring? Ralph Lauren showed this hat, among others, in his Spring 2008 runway show. And Madonna used a veil to great effect in 1994 for her music video "Take a Bow".

But you don't have to spend hundreds on a new hat. At Couture Allure, we've got loads of vintage hats for you to choose from, including several vintage 60's whimsey veil hats.

See these hats and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

The Tomato Dress

Last week, over at the Vintage Fashion Guild Public Chat Board, we had a great time posting our favorite vintage novelty prints. Sellers were showing some really great stuff, while I was pulling out my hair trying to find something worthy to show off.

Today, I found this 1960's shift dress with the cutest print of tomatoes in pink and green!

Here in Boston, we only get tomatoes that are worth eating for about 6 weeks in the late summer. The rest of the year, grocery stores sell these pinkish red, hard orbs they'd like us to believe are tomatoes. Hah! But now, when I'm longing for a tomato fresh from the garden, I can look at this dress, smile, and wait for summer.

See this dress and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

The Prom Dress of My Dreams

My Junior Prom was in 1971. This was the dress I wanted to wear. I wanted to look like the fairy princess of my dreams. But I was not a risk taker, especially where fashion was concerned. I was one of those gals who attempted to fit in. I wore jeans and platform shoes every day. Our school dress code had just been abolished and girls were no longer required to wear a dress or skirt, so no one did. But I wanted to.

Instead of my dream dress, I wore one very similar to this with a large scale floral print, which was the style that fashion dictated. I did not feel beautiful or princess-like in any way. Of course, 37 years later, its easy to say I should have had the guts to wear what I wanted. Hindsight is 20-20, regret is a waste of energy, and I can't go back. But I can urge you to choose the dress you've always dreamed of, no matter what.

See this dress and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

A Touch of Color

We've started to list dresses for spring at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion and my office is a riot of color. After months of dealing with winter woolens in navy, grey, brown, and black, it feels like the proverbial "breath of spring" around here. Outside, we still have 3 months of winter winds, boots, scarves, and mittens to deal with. But inside, we're daydreaming about warm sunshine and butterflies.

This cute day dress from the early 50's is one of my favorites so far. This is the type of dress a typical homemaker would wear around the house while doing laundry and ironing, washing the dishes, and caring for the kids. Who wouldn't want to do chores in this bright yellow and red plaid cotton? Today, I can see this dress worn with a red belt and red wedge sandals for a day of shopping. Sweet!

See this dress and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Spring Roses - 1950's Style!

It's not January yet and I'm already tired of winter. Here in Boston, we've been inundated with tons of early snow, with lots more to come. Yesterday, I went in search of something to make me smile and found this vintage 1950's beauty just waiting for it's time. That time is now, as I listed it at auction last night.

I just love this print of pink and red roses. It brings to mind a rose garden in June. This authentic vintage dress is all cotton, so you'll stay cool and fresh in the heat of summer. Come on, now. Aren't you tired of winter, too?

See this dress and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Orange is My New Favorite Color

I've got orange on my mind. The other night, hubby and I sat down to watch Iron Chef America. Lo and behold, it was Battle Carrot! OK, yeah, I like carrots just fine. But the things these chefs did with the lowly carrot were just incredible! And the gorgeous shades of orange looked beautiful on the plate, especially when combined with shades of green and yellow.

We've started to add hats for Spring to our site, and look what I found! Not one, but two stunning vintage 1960's hats in brilliant orange. I think it's time orange made a comeback in my wardrobe. How about yours?

See these hats and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion

They Just Don't Make Them Like They Used To

I don't think there is anything more sexy than a vintage 1940's suit. Fitted through the waist, with flared hips and shoulder pads to balance the hip width, nothing is more flattering to the feminine figure. As an added bonus, these suits always feature unusual design details that make them totally unique and unlike anything you can buy today. Take this mustard yellow beauty, for example. It's wool gabardine. And look at those curves!

The opening edge has a sinuous curve that draws your eye and accents the tiny waist. The bound buttonholes follow the line of the opening. Notice how that curve is mimicked in the shape of the lapels. The attention to detail is astounding and unique. It's one of the reasons I love 1940's suits.

Things I Love About This Dress

I'm not a poet. If I were, I'd write a sonnet about this dress. Instead, I'll just give you a list of the things I love about it:
It's from the 1930's.
It's pink.
It's velvet.

The embroidery is hand worked.
The embroidery goes all the way around to the back.

The sexy neckline dips to a deep V in back.
It has a train.
It's one of a kind.

Oh, and did I mention, it's PINK?

See this dress and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

I Screamed When Saw It!

It doesn't happen very often, but every once in awhile a vintage dress takes your breath away. I recently purchased a load of vintage dresses from a gal who was getting out of the vintage business after 30 years. She had things in piles in a bedroom of her home, was getting ready to move, and just wanted it gone. We filled about 6 large trash bags with things and I brought them home. I really didn't take the time to look at everything while I was loading the bags. I knew the quality was top notch and didn't have the time.

The other day, I took out one of the bags to inventory the clothing and get it photographed. My hand touched the black velvet, and I knew the dress was a good one because it had that substantial feel of high quality vintage. I held the dress up, and those 3 dimensional wings on the sides of the skirt made me gasp. And then.....

and then.....

I found the Ceil Chapman label. That's when I screamed out loud! Those of you who love vintage will understand. My husband thinks I'm crazy when stuff like this happens. I mean, it's just a dress.

But What A Dress!!!!

See this dress and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Gina Fratini Butterfly Dress

Gina Fratini is one of the influential designers of the British Boutique Movement. She started her business in 1964 and was known for her velvet pinafores and dresses in the late 60's. She designed the dress worn by Princess Anne for her 21st birthday portrait. By the 70's, her designs had evolved into more romantic and fairytale style evening gowns. Fratini closed her business in the 80's, but continued to design for Norman Hartnell as well as private client Princess Dianna. A Fratini dress worn by Princess Dianna brought $85,000 at a Christie's auction in 1997.

If you take a closer look at the print in the skirt of this 1960's Fratini dress, you'll see giant Monarch butterfly wings. A co-ordinating geometric print forms a wide border at the hem.

See this dress and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Mr. Blackwell Does Fashion

Richard Selzer, AKA Mr. Blackwell, is known for more than his annual Worst Dressed List. He was a fashion designer who had his own line of women's clothing from 1958 to the 80's. His designs tended toward the dramatic and theatrical. This dress certainly attests to that! Fashioned from black wool jersey, it has the most incredible rhinestone choker neckline!

Strands of rhinestones connect the choker to the front neckline of the dress. And if that's not sexy enough, take a look at the back!

See this dress and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

The 1980's

I wasn't big into fashion in the 1980's. Being a young mother with two children under 6, I wasn't big into fashion, period! But I do remember falling in love with the full skirted dresses that were based on 1950's styles.

I would have looked longingly at this dress back then, but since I didn't have anywhere to wear it, it would have stayed on the rack at my favorite department store. Now I can offer it to you as vintage fashion!

A strange thing has happened lately. "80's dress" is the number one search term on my website for the last 2 or 3 months. So, for those of you looking for a bit of 80's style, we've heard you loud and clear!

See these dresses and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

1930's Original Fashion Illustrations

Recently at auction, we came upon a portfolio of original 1930's fashion illustrations by Dot Levin. Ms. Levin also signed her work Iris, Irissa, and Iris Levin. We were told by the auctioneer that Dot Levin was an artist and illustrator whose work was featured in many magazines and newspapers in the 1930's and 40's.

We have 10 separate lots of these illustrations going up for auction tonight on EBay. Most are worked in pen & ink with a few watercolors and pencil sketches among the lots.

These are great for framing for all you vintage fashion enthusiasts! I've kept a couple for myself and they'll be gracing the wall of my office soon.

See these illustrations and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Versatile Little 1950's Jackets

The Land of Lost Jackets...it's that place where vintage suits get separated. The dresses go one way, the skirts another, and, sadly, the jackets get separated from their mates. Alas, your chances of finding an exact match are almost nil.

We don't know how it happens. Perhaps the skirt was worn more often than the jacket and wore out before it's mate and so was sent to skirt heaven. But the jacket was in great shape, so it stayed in the back of the closet.

Maybe a favorite dress came with a jacket that just didn't work, so it was given away or hung separately from it's mate, while the dress became the life of the party.

Whatever the reason, these lost jackets have a new life to lead! They look great paired with your favorite jeans or trousers. Co-ordinate them with a plaid or tweed skirt from your closet. Throw them on over a sleeveless sheath dress to keep you warm on those cool autumn mornings. Finish your outfit in style!

See these jackets and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Looking for Plus Size Vintage?

Finding great vintage clothing in plus sizes without looking dowdy is not easy. At a recent auction I attended, there were 3 racks of plus size vintage clothing from the 1940's and 50's, most still with the original tags attached! Believe me, I fought long and hard to win those racks of dresses for you, and I've listed a few today in my EBay store. Many of them are summer styles, so I'll wait to list those in the spring, but here are a few of the fall and cocktail dresses listed now:

All of the dresses were clipped to the mannequin to approximate actual fit. They all have bust measurements between 49" and 51".

See these dresses and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

My Favorite Decade

I love the fashions of the 1930's. The silhouette was long and lean with lots of intricate details and elaborate seaming we just don't see anymore. Take this dress, for example. This is a simple black rayon crepe dress, but look how dramatic it becomes when the upper bodice and shoulders are accented with sheer black chiffon. 1" wide bands of the crepe are appliqued a scant 1/4" away from the edge of the seam where the chiffon and crepe meet. Those bands are perfectly straight with no ripples or uneven seams, as they would be if I tried to sew them!

As if that is not enough, the lower sleeves also have angled insets of the sheer chiffon with the decorative bands at the upper edge. Maybe one of the reasons I like this dress so much is because, as a seamstress, I can appreciate the hard work that went into the details. They just don't make 'em like they used to!

See this dress and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Ah-Choo! Artist Signed Hankies

Before the onslaught of Kleenex, proper ladies always had a hankie or two at hand. Whether slipped into a purse or pocket, one always needed a hankie to deal with such indelicacies as sneezes, lipstick smudges, or Junior's sticky hands. But the hankie had another purpose. In a world of proper, ladylike solids and prints on her clothing, a woman could express a bit of her personal style with a printed handkerchief in an unusual and artistic design.

Several textile artists became known for their signed prints on ladies hankies in the 1950's. Tammis Keefe is perhaps the most prized, as her designs were prolific and unusual. The example above is one of her famous antique furniture prints.

This hankie by Jeanne Miller has a lovely Fall design of squashes and gourds with cattails and sheafs of wheat.

And this one by Betty Anderson has a sweet design of roses worked in an unusual bright vibrant orange.

Who needs a calendar on the wall when you can carry one on your hankie? While this one is not signed, I just love the uniqueness of the design. This one is from 1960, by the way.

See these hankies and more vintage accessories at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .