White Dresses for Graduation - 1949

It's long been a tradition at many schools that the female graduates are required to wear a white dress for the ceremony.  I'm not sure of the reasons for this, but here are two pretty choices from 1949.

Left:  White dotted swiss with eyelet lace by Nona.
Right:  Embroidered organdy with a velvet sash by Junior Accent.

Did you wear white for your graduation?

Arbus Fashion Photograph - 1949

This photograph captured my attention this morning.  It is from a full page ad for Enka Rayon from 1949.  The striped rayon dress is by Harvey Berin.  But it's the composition of the photo that I like.  The model is posed far off to the side and the dress that is being featured is almost an afterthought.  The model looks askance at a piece of sculpture in the American Museum of Natural History.

The photograph was taken by Arbus; not Diane but her husband, Allan.  Diane would have been the art director for the shot, though, and her genius is apparent even though she hated doing fashion work.  Pose a model in a purple striped dress against a busy painted wall?  Yes, please!

Photo by Allan Arbus is from a full page ad for Enka Rayon from Mademoiselle Magazine, 1949.

Polka Dots - 1949

 Polka dots and pretty prints were popular for dresses in 1949.  Skirts were fuller and longer, but not as poofy as we would see in a few short years.  I love the graceful femininity of these beauties.

Above: Townfield dress of polka dotted rayon surah.

Triple tiered flounces make this dress by Marcy Lee.  Made of rayon crepe in gray, brown, navy or red, all with white polka dots.

If you love to wear polka dots, don't miss this post of mine from 2009 with tips for doing just that!

Swansdown and Jaunty Junior Coats - 1949

The Swansdown line of coats and suits were manufactured by America's largest firm of the sort, Morris W. Haft & Brothers, Inc.  The company also made the Jaunty Juniors line.  Morris Haft and his 6 brothers opened the company in 1916 and were very successful until the company was dissolved in 1950.

In piecing together clues, it appears that Morris W. Haft continued the Swansdown company until his own retirement in 1955.  Haft made a lot of money in the coat and suit industry and formed a philanthropic foundation with his wife Fannie in 1958.  They funded Haft Hall, a dormitory at Syracuse University and the Morris W. and Fannie B. Haft Auditorium at the Fashion Institute in New York.

Swansdown wool tweed coat, 1949

In 1965, Morris Haft sold his personal collection of original Impressionist artworks at auction.  The sale made the news when one of the paintings, Van Gogh's "The Sower" sold for $250.000 to an anonymous bidder.  The sale brought in nearly $1.5 million total.

Full page ads from Charm Magazine, 1949.
3rd image by Ray Solowinski for Charm Magazine, 1949. 

Cute Ideas for Wearing Vintage Scarves

This full page ad for Kimball scarves is from 1949.  "4 clever little tricks with a knack for turning a costume into a wardrobe.  Wear them in gay ways for occasions galore - they're pure silk and hand-rolled and sized just right for your Summer ensembles.  All the colors you could possibly want."

Top left:  "wear it tantalizingly at the base of your plunge neckline"
Top right: "tie it as a cravat adding a chic color note at the throat"
Lower left:  "create the brilliant French touch with flowing wing knot"
Lower right:  "sport a vivid dickey and a twin hipline fillip"

Speaking of scarves, I have a fabulous selection right now at Couture Allure, including designer silk scarves from Wesley Simpson, Vera, Giorgio Sant'Angelo, Albert Nipon, Glentex and more.  Vintage scarves make great holiday gifts!

Kimball ad scanned from Mademoiselle magazine, May 1949.

Dior Gloves Mystery Solved

Last week I showed you this image of the most incredible gloves and could not find a reference or verification of who made them and when (the photo was captioned Dior 1952 on Pinterest.) A huge thank you goes out to commenter Marshall Stacks for the help in providing the information I was looking for.

Image courtesy of Met Museum

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has a pair of these gloves in it's collection.  They were made for Dior by Parisian glove maker Lionel LeGrand.  The museum dates these to 1949.  And the mystery is solved!  The gloves attach together at the back of the neck with tiny buttons so you can get them on and off.  Thank you Marshall!  I knew it would be nearly impossible to put these on if they were one piece!

Autumn Inspirations, 1949

Maggy Rouff, fall 1949

 Continuing our look back at fashion inspirations for fall, today's garments are from 1949.

Pierre Balmain, Fall 1949

Pierre Balmain jersey dresses, Fall 1949

Elizabeth Taylor, 1949

Seventeen-year-old Elizabeth Taylor, as photographed in Rome by Karen Radkai in 1949.  Taylor was in Italy to star as the lead in "Quo Vadis", but something changed with the production and the role went to Deborah Kerr instead.  Taylor ended up in the film as an uncredited extra.  Here, she wears a simple white chiffon dress by Bon Ray that sets off her startling beauty to perfection.

Modess Because Ad, 1949

I've shown you several Modess....because ads in the past.  Here's an earlier one from 1949.  Icy lilac silk satin is layered over pale blue silk taffeta in a wonder of draped couture.  I'm sure the lilac overskirt is pulled up at the back to reveal more of the fullness of the blue.  Dreamy, isn't it?

Larry Aldrich Cocktail Suit - 1949

The cocktail suit - another fashion staple from the past that has disappeared from modern life.  This beauty by Larry Aldrich, from the spring of 1949, has a long slender skirt that hits right above the ankle.  It is fashioned from jacquard twill that has a subtle gleam to it.  A dramatic hat is just the right accessory, don't you think?  Larry Aldrich suit sold for $70 in 1949 (about $677 in today's dollar.)

It's in the Details

 Pretty dress, isn't it?  From Spring 1949, this rayon crepe dress by Berkeley Juniors sold for $15 (about $143 in today's dollar.)  That's not an outrageous amount of money.  But I guarantee that if you go out and spend $143 on a modern dress at the mall today, the quality will not compare to this dress from 1949.  And you won't find the intricate details that make this dress so special.

You see, the light and dark stripes are not printed on the fabric.  Those are separate panels of fabric that have been seamed together.  To make the dress even more special, the seams are accented with contrasting saddle stitch embroidery.  I can't tell if the saddle stitching is done by machine or hand here, but it really serves to take this dress to the next level.  Saddle stitch is a variation of a basic running stitch with a longer stitch length.  It is intended to be a strong accent and is usually worked in a thick, decorative thread like buttonhole twist in a contrasting color.

Do you love it?

Weekend Eye Candy - Christian Dior, 1949

Christian Dior, Spring 1949.  I don't really need to say anything else, do I?

Red Dress - 1949

One red dress, perfect for a day of shopping on 5th Avenue or the Champs Elysees.  Cotton pique is set off with a long row of buttons down the front and a bow at the neckline.  The huge full skirt has deep unpressed pleats and pockets at the hips.  By J.L.F Originals.  Sold in 1949 for $35 (about $441 in today's dollar.)  Bring your own reusable shopping bag, in this case a straw on by Simon.

The Artistry of Lillian Bassman

Famed fashion photographer Lillian Bassman died this week at the age of 94.  Best known for her work for Harper's Bazaar magazine in the 40s and 50s, Bassman's artistry had a voice of its own.  The following photos by Bassman all appeared in the April, 1949 issue of Harper's Bazaar.  Spread throughout various editorials in the magazine, the photos all relate to each other in a harmonious fashion. 

Claire McCardell, 1949

Claire McCardell was well known for her easy-to-wear sportswear designs.  In the spring of 1949, her designs were featured in this 2-page ad for fabric manufacturer Celanese.  Celanese had developed a new acetate/rayon sharkskin fabric that was knit rather than woven.  Sharkskin is normally associated with men's suits from the late 50s and early 60s.  It has a smooth finish with a subtle shiny finish.  This fabric would have been perfect for McCardell's esthetic, as it was comfortable and wrinkle resistant.

2 piece dress above with wonderful large pockets available in pink, white or blue.  Sold in 1949 for $40 (about $378 in today's dollar.)

More from the same collection, also available in pink, white, or blue. 
At left:  Bathing suit, also with large pockets and a deep decolletage.  Sold for $20 in 1949 (about $189 in today's dollar.)
At right:  The darling beach coat to wear over the swimsuit.  Sold for $20 in 1949 (about $189 in today's dollar.)

June Arden Dresses - 1949

June Arden made budget dresses, but they sure don't look it, do they?  Both are made of rayon shantung, perfect for the warmer days of summer.  The dresses were available in misses and half sizes and sold for $9 in 1949 (about $86 in today's dollar.)

Jonathan Logan Dress - 1949

Jonathan Logan designer Dorris Varnum  used rayon taffeta with black velvet flocked dots for this dress in 1949.  Available in tropic blue, vibrant red and jewel green.  Sold for $12.95 in 1949 (about $123 in today's dollar.)

Henri Bendel Dress - 1949

The description of this dress by Henri Bendel Young-Timers from 1949 does much more for it than the black and white photo.  "Young-Timers brighten summer evenings with an iridescent rayon chiffon in the dark glowing green and blue of the sea...the draped bodice, shoulder to shoulder decolletage and flowing longer-then-skirt-length panels hinting of autumn fashions in the making."  Blue and green!  Sounds wonderful, doesn't it?  Sold for $49.95 in 1949 (about $475 in today's dollar.)

Weekend Eye Candy - Elsa Schiaparelli, 1949

Elsa Schiaparelli constructed this incredible evening gown from black taffeta in 1949.  I use the word constructed in a literal sense because if ever there was an evening gown that could be called architectural, this is it.

Mollie Parnis Dress - 1949

Designer Mollie Parnis takes a simple shirtwaist style and makes it more formal by using silk twill in navy with red polka dots.  Love that graceful rounded collar.  Sold for $70 in 1949 (about $665 in today's dollar.)