. There are more to come, I promise, but for today, here are some photos from 1965 for you to enjoy. Do you think these prints are flying out the door because of a current fashion trend or are they perennially popular for you?
I've told you a little bit about Italian couture designer Gigliola Curiel in the past. This dress was featured in a Bergdorf Goodman ad from spring 1956 announcing the arrival of Curiel's first collection for the store.
"Here in all their beautiful glory are the polished, elegant, very cosmopolitan clothes which this talented Italian designer has created for us alone in the whole United States. Done in the finest tradition of the Italian couture, in magnificent imported fabrics and executed with bold, dramatic strokes, these clothes are not for the timid or unsure, but for the worldly and the very wise. Shown, Curiel's white silk organdy dance dress bordered and embroidered with clusters of gold French beads centered with rhinestones, its own floating white silk organdy stole. $975."
$975 in 1956. That's $8,062 in today's dollar. I would assume that Bergdorf's only sold a handful of this dress, if that many. Chances of finding it today, are slim to none, but isn't it beautiful?
Tell me honestly, would you have guessed 1958? Not I! If I found any of these cover-up dresses, I would have guessed mid to late 1960s based upon their short length and shift style. Just goes to show, you learn something new every day. Above, Greta Plattry striped cotton tunic length dress with matching shorts in green and blue stripes. Set sold for $20 in 1958 (about $156 in today's dollar.) Mr. John hat.
Black and white striped cotton dress with drawstring waist by Toni Owen. Sold for $10 in 1958 (about $78 in today's dollar.) Hat by Mr. John.
Frances Sider, 1957.
Frances Sider was an American designer of swimsuits, play clothes and sportswear in the 40s and 50s. I had honestly never heard of her until I came across an image of one of her swimsuits in my archives. Of course my curiosity was piqued and I had to find out more. Unfortunately, there is not much known about Sider today, but here is what I did find out.
Sider started her business about 1938 in New York designing swimsuits and beach wear.
She was designing two piece swimsuits earlier than most as you can see by these first two images from 1946.
She also designed play clothes, sportswear and casual separates. All of Sider's swimsuits and strapless dresses were constructed with inner foundations for support and slimming.
Most of her swimsuits were available with matching separates so a woman could go from the pool to the town with ease and comfort. The swimsuit above was available with a separate wrap skirt that turned it into a sarong style dress.
This dress could be made strapless by removing the halter style strap.
In 1950, Frances Sider became the first designer to be granted a patent regarding the construction of a swimsuit for the inner foundation she designed to go in her swimsuits. It was attached to the front of the suit only and the panty was separate from the bra at the back for ease of movement. She called this inner foundation the "Sun Body" and it came in all her suits. She started designing separate foundation garments in 1951 and was granted two more patents, one for a long line corset and one for a strapless bra.
By the early 1950s, Sider was also designing loungewear and dressier separates. In 1954, Sider decided to leave her career and closed her business. At the time, she said she wanted to be at home with her husband and daughter and regretted the years she had missed watching her daughter grow up. She moved to Florida to be near her daughter sometime before 1957.
In 1957, Sider once again began designing swimsuits and sportswear, this time based in Miami, but her newly launched line was never as successful as it had been in the past and she disappears from media mention by 1958.
Please note: This biography about Francis Sider is copyright of Couture Allure and may not be copied without permission.
New at Couture Allure this week....well we've got loads of new goodies for you. The best 1920s beaded dress I've ever had, 1950s and 60s dresses for daytime and nighttime, and some wonderful Vera scarves. Be sure to check our What's New page to see all the latest additions to the site!
1920s ombre silk beaded flapper era dress.
1920s sheer silk floral day dress with draping.
1950s shantung wiggle dress with bolero jacket.
1960s apricot chiffon pleated party dress.
1950s Alix of Miami illusion lace dress.
Rare 1980s Jean Charles de Castelbajac hooded cotton dress.
Madame Helena Rubinstein owned this evening jacket from Elsa Schiaparelli's 1938 Circus collection. The bolero jacket is completely covered in embroidery with elephants and acrobats set against swirls of pink. As always, Rubinstein adds dramatic jewelry from her vast collection. For more photos of Rubinstein and her singular style, see my recent blog post about her.
When Elizabeth Taylor passed in March of this year, the prolific stories and images about her reminded me of one of her films that I hadn't seen in years. Elephant Walk had entranced me as a young woman because of the stunning clothes worn by Elizabeth Taylor. It was perhaps one of the seeds that was planted early on that grew to become my fascination and love for vintage dresses from the 1950s.
The film was made in 1954 and Edith Head designed the costumes for Elizabeth Taylor. The movie was filmed on location in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and the setting is stunning. Head does a great job of making the star stand out amidst such exotic backgrounds.
The clothes that Taylor wears might seem out of place on a remote tea plantation if we weren't told early in the film that her new husband treated her to a new wardrobe in Paris on their honeymoon.
Head dressed Taylor in full skirted dresses with tiny waists that accented her ample bosom. The dresses were always belted and most of the belts had some sort of adornment or beading to draw the eye right to Taylor's miniscule waistline.
Taylor wore this pink peignoir set on her first night on the plantation. She looked very romantic and beautiful.
My favorite dress in the entire film is this evening gown. Purple lace sculpts Taylor's figure very tightly and a white tulle full skirt floats beneath it. You can see the gown in action in this video.
Like the look? I have this 1950s dress available at Couture Allure that was probably inspired by Taylor's dress in the film. Pretty, isn't it?
Frances Sider - Swimsuit and Play Clothes Designer...
New at Couture Allure - Vintage 1920s Dresses and...
Weekend Eye Candy - Helena Rubinstein Wears Schiap...
Laura's Back and Meet Melinda!
The NHS could be banning a vital drug that would be devastating for around a 1,000 people with a rare disease called spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which provides guidance and advice to improve health and social care, has drafted the suggestion that the Spinraza drug should not be used on the NHS for cost and other reasons.
The manufacturer of Spinraza has announced that special compassionate access will be closed to new patients from the start of November.
Without treatment those that suffer from this rare disease are unlikely to see their second birthday. However, if patients are given Spinraza this means some have progressed to crawl and even walk.
The final decision from NICE is to be expected in November, or early in 2019.
The Chairman explains that when Parliament returns next week his plan is to put forward all concerns raised with regards to the Spinraza case.Operation Star Fall is a multi-phase PvP fps Event.
The crew was forces to make an emergency Landing on Hurston --> HDSF-Ishmael. At this point, it is unknown whether or not the crew has survived. you have been Tasked with the rescue/recovery efforts of the (ship name) and her crew.
they are trying to steal the plans for a new Terraforming device to use on worlds that UEE says are off-limits.
You must then fly to the underground bunker in a drop-ship with fighter escorts and secure the LZ for your ground forces to deploy.
Home » Can’t we all just get along?
I’ve heard so many variations of that story.
What developed was a discouraging thread of disparagement toward prospective employees by owners, and vitriolic ranting toward bosses from disgruntled workers.
As a result, lots of great technicians hang up their shingles and start their own businesses. Perhaps that’s why you started your business? Unfortunately, many owners struggle, because being in business is a whole other set of challenges. Out of the frying pan and into the fire. And sometimes those workers-turned-owners morph into jerk-y bosses.
My pal Jim did. He started his business after he retired from the Air Force. As a tidy, organized person, he struggled with the mess he created with his drain cleaning company. The shop was filthy, the tools