Parisian Fur Coats - 1945

It's the fall of 1945. Paris had just been liberated the previous August and the city is still struggling to rebuild itself. The couturiers won't emerge with proper fashion shows until the fall of 1947. But many designers did begin to reestablish their businesses. Here, fur coats for the winter of 1945. Hemlines are still on the short side, but shoulders are already huge.

Left: Gray broadtail coat with black fox sleeves by Molyneux.
Right: Black astrakan coat by Revillon.

Otter fur double breasted coat by Jungmann et Cie.

Paquin aubergine wool coat with blue fox fur collar and pockets.

Astrakan coat by Reine d'Angleterre. Check out those platform booties.
The soles are probably wood.

Left: Coat in astrakan fur with beige wool bodice by Gaston.
Right: White broadtail fur jacket with black suede waistband by Gaston.

Maria Carine

Maria Moutet-Chenu

I first ran across the name of Maria Carine when I found a Jeanne Lanvin dress that was "éxécuté par Maria Carine sur autorization spéciale" (made by Maria Carine with special authorization). My interest was piqued. Then last week, my friend Carrie of Glad Rags & Curios found an earlier Lanvin Castillo suit with the same reference to Maria Carine. It was time to find out more!

Maria Moutet-Chenu wore haute couture as a young woman. When her fortunes changed in the late 1950s, Maria went to work for Jacques Heim in his Boutique. She worked with Heim to find a way his designs could reach a wider market and her business, Maria Carine, was born.

Maria worked with four couturiers: Heim, Jean Desses, Guy Laroche, and Lanvin-Castillo. After each couture showing, the designers would meet with Maria and give her a few sketches to work from based upon their haute couture designs. Maria was the modeliste. She would take the sketch and make a toile (muslin pattern) which the couturier would approve. These toiles were then used to make the ready-to-wear garments.

But this is not factory made ready-to-wear! Each garment was constructed with the identical fabrics and trimmings used for the haute couture garments. Maria employed hundreds of cutters in her workrooms. Each garment was cut one at a time by a cutter. And then each garment was sewn individually by one of the hundreds of seamstresses who worked for Maria Carine, many of whom worked in their own homes. Each garment was constructed with painstaking attention to detail, with couture techniques, and each garment was completed by hand. Thus, we had individually made ready-to-wear for the world with the same high quality as the couture, but at a lower price point.

In 1959, the US became the largest market for French ready-to-wear. By 1962 Maria Carine was producing about 3000 garments per season for the US market.

1967 Jeanne Lanvin dress made by the Maria Carine workshop available at Couture Allure.

The original Jeanne Lanvin couture dress from spring 1967.

Late 1950s Lanvin-Castillo made by the Maria Carine workshop available at Glad Rags & Curios.

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

New at Couture Allure - Vintage Designer Dresses

New this week at Couture Allure are several vintage designer dresses and some fabulous 1950s dresses for spring. Be sure to check our What's New page to see all the new items!

1970s Scott Barrie eggplant matte jersey evening dress.

New photos of this 1970s matte jersey gown attributed to Halston.

1970s Nina Ricci green silk dress with slip, scarf, and belt.

1950s cotton pique wiggle dress with tassel print!

1950s black eyelet wiggle dress with bolero jacket, new old stock!

1950s cotton floral print full skirt dress.

Weekend Eye Candy - Lucien Lelong, 1946

Lucien Lelong constrasts a pink velvet bodice with layers of pink tulle in this evening gown for Winter 1946. The hemline reveals silver platform shoes.

Lee Claire Cocktail Dress, 1958

I love bubble dresses, and everything about this one is perfection. The strapless black velvet bodice encircles the bosom like a sash. White point d'esprit dotted lace poufs out to form a delicious and fun party dress. It looks like one big polka-dot and I love it! Dress by Lee Claire sold for $90 in 1958 (about $681 in today's dollar.)

So, did you notice? Every post this week showcased polka-dots. I've gone dotty since I posted the Pierre Cardin purple polka dotted coat last Friday! I'll move on now.....promise!

Geoffrey Beene for Harmay, 1956

Geoffrey Beene worked at Harmay from 1950-57. By the time this ad appeared in 1956, he was being credited with his name in small print under the "y" in Harmay. This navy and white silk taffeta dress has a chemise back to the bodice, but the belt keeps the waist tiny. I really like the way the blouson gives way to a flyaway panel at the back of the skirt. Interestingly, Harmay fired Beene in 1957, as they felt the loose chemise looks he was designing were not right for their customer.

Bernhard Altmann Cashmere Sweater, 1956

You're going to have to click to enlarge this picture to appreciate the details here. Bernhard Altmann layers two cashmere sweaters. The deep golden yellow cardigan has polka-dot cut-outs. It is worn over another short sleeved sweater that is half black, half white. Wow. Just wow. Set sold for $150 in 1956 (about $1206 in today's dollar.)

For a fascinating read about the history of the Bernhard Altmann company, check out the bio at the Vintage Fashion Guild Label Resource. Much of the information came directly from Altmann's son.

Polka Dot Shoes, 1955

Gosh, I would love to find a pair of these cute summer shoes by Joyce from 1955. The ad doesn't give many details, but these shoes were made of cotton topsail fabric adorned with white studs. Even the polka-dotted lining of these shoes is great! They were offered in 4 different color combinations, three styles, and a myriad of sizes and widths. Prices ranged from $9.95 - $12.95 in 1955 (about $81 - $106 in today's dollar.) Which ones are your favorites?

Rondina-Manzo, 1969

There are days when my research for this blog takes me on a fascinating journey. Take a look at this sweet polka-dotted coat that was pictured in a full page ad in March of 1969. I really like this coat, and you can tell from the photo that is is very well made with fine tailoring. The wide white belt that sits above the waist sets off the fuller skirt to perfection. But Rondina-Manzo? Never heard of them.

So begins my journey. First, I learned that the Rondina portion of the company is Bill Rondina, who studied at Parsons School of Design in New York before joining the fine coat and suit house of Ben Zuckerman. He worked there as a design assistant for a year before Zuckerman retired and closed his business in January of 1968. In the spring of 1968, Rondina and his partner produced a 5-piece collection which sold well enough for them to produce a larger grouping for the fall of 1968. The polka-dot coat above was part of a line for spring of 1969, but then the small company disappears and presumably went out of business.

Rondina himself does not mention Rondina-Manzo in any of his current biographical information, which is too bad, as those of us who love quality vintage clothing would surely like to know about the line and it's successes and failures. Rondina went on to work at Christian Dior-New York. In 1973, he opened his own design studio. In 1981, he founded The Carlisle Collection, a line of high quality women's clothing offered through private consultants and by appointment only in the company's private showroom on 52nd St. in New York.

New at Couture Allure - Vintage Designer Dresses

New this week at Couture Allure are several vintage designer dresses and the start of our vintage dresses for spring! Be sure to check our What's New page to see all our new items.

1950s cotton border print dress.

1950s Givenchy for Kay Windsor cotton dress.

1970s La Mendola silk chiffon dress.

1920s midnight blue silk velvet gown.

1970s Jean Louis Berthault silk chiffon gown.

Weekend Eye Candy - Christian Dior, 1971

Another incredible coat, this one by Christian Dior, Fall/Winter 1971. Stripes of black, red, and purple leather are accented with black fox fur. The make-up was done by Serge Lutens. Remember him?

Pierre Cardin Plays with Purple - 1967

Pierre Cardin used lots of bright colors in his collections for 1967. Since purple is my favorite color, these stood out for me. What do you think? Above, a pleated tent dress in an oversize floral print.

Linen mini dress with clever cut-outs.

Evening gown completely covered in sequins worn with purple suede boots.

And my all-time favorite coat EVER! Giant purple polka dots on white wool with purple-dyed fox fur hem. I want this coat. I want this coat. I want this coat.

Sophie of Saks Dress, 1958

In 1958, when the "chemise" or "sack" dress style was making headlines, Sophie of Saks refused to follow the trend and gave her high end customers what they wanted - a slender waist. For Spring of 1958, she offered this silk taffeta full skirted dress with matching full coat. Set sold for $725 in 1958 (about $5489 in today's dollar.)

Betty Barclay Dress - 1960

The Betty Barclay line was one of the many labels owned by the Jonathan Logan Group. The line is still in existence today in Europe. In 1955, Max Berk of Heidelberg, Germany bought the license to distribute Betty Barclay clothing in Europe. In 1972, he bought the line outright. Today, Betty Barclay stores can be found in Germany, Austria, and Slovakia and Betty Barclay clothes are sold throughout Europe.

The image above is from Spring, 1960. The full skirted dress had a printed bodice with a belt to match. Over that, the little bolero jacket buttoned up the side. There was an attached netting crinoline to add fullness to the skirt. Cute, no? Sold in 1960 for $18.00 (about $133 in today's dollar.)

Vintage Suits - 1946

If you follow this blog, you know I am a sucker for vintage suits. My customers love them too. These images from February, 1946 show just how big the shoulder line became following WWII. I think the strong shoulders were one way a woman could show she was still capable after all the men returned from the service. And after years of austerity and fabric restriction, fashion went a little overboard!

Milgrim Original wool gabardine suit with lots of buttons.

Weiner Original worsted suit with matching coat. Notice the interesting juxtaposition of the ultra-feminine hat with the briefcase. Three pieces sold for $110 in 1946 (about $1234 in today's dollar.)

Jaunty Junior worsted suit with button detail and a tie waist. Sold for $55 in 1946 (about $617 in today's dollar.)

Jablow Original wool suit with a braid tie belt and collarless jacket. Sold for $80 in 1946 (about $898 in today's dollar.)

Halle Bros wool doeskin suit. The belted jacket has yoked shoulders and full blouse-like sleeves with button cuffs.

Doris Fein Dresses

I came across this 1955 John Wanamaker ad today. Isn't this dress adorable? It's by Doris Fein, a name I was unfamiliar with.

1950

In researching Doris Fein, I found that the company made dresses for the junior market from about 1947 to the early 1960s.

1951

While most of their dresses were made in cotton, they also offered wool jerseys and rayons.

1951

The most interesting thing is, with one exception, all of the dresses I found from the 1950s were priced at $14.95 (about $120 in today's dollar). This may have been a clever marketing gimmick so that the company became known for stylish dresses at an inexpensive price point.

1955

What I do know is that these are some cute dresses and I'll be on the lookout for the label from now on!

New at Couture Allure - Vintage Designer Dresses

After a mid-winter's break, we're back to work at Couture Allure! New to the site this week are several vintage dresses, including some designer pieces. As always, check our What's New page to see the latest listings.

1970s Pauline Trigere cocktail dress in lighter-than-air silk with an elaborate metallic border.

1940s Carlye black taffeta full skirt dress.

1970s velvet maxi dress with lovebirds design.

1960s black linen sheath with rhinestone buttons.

1980s Christian LaCroix green peplum suit.

Also new! Couture Allure now offers gift certificates, the perfect choice for the vintage lover in your life!

Weekend Eye Candy - Bill Blass, 1970

Bill Blass made some pretty fabulous coats in the 1960s and 70s, but none more fabulous that this one from the fall of 1970. ♥♥♥ The exact coat, without the snakeskin belt is available from The Way We Wore on 1stdibs.com.