Category Archives: guidebook

1951 PARIS DESIGNER ENSEMBLE INTERPRETED BY MID-CENTURY AMERICAN CLOTHIER NELLIE DON

1951 PARIS DESIGNER ENSEMBLE INTERPRETED BY AMERICAN CLOTHIER NELLIE DON

This is a really interesting find!  A plain belted sheath dress with removable peplum.  I encountered a photo several years ago that told me the year it was designed and the designer.  I can’t remember the designer’s name – can anyone help out?   It was a famous name that we all know.

This one was styled by Nellie Don, a company which made very reasonably-priced clothing items for women in America – not couture.  Usually a year or two after styles came out in Paris they found their way into the U.S. one way or another.  So, this dress would probably have hit the store racks in 1952 or 1953.

It’s made of an unremarkable heavy-ish fabric – some kind of cotton blend in an abstract print – with a center back metal zipper.  But, it is an unusual length for that time – just a bit below the knee.  The Paris trends would have told us when hems wer  going up again!

I was quite surprised when I discovered it, hiding in an odd little shop, and it was a revelation when I noticed that photo! You really just never know . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG:  MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

BOOK:  HOW TO FIND THE BEST IN VINTAGE FASHION – AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.COM

ANOTHER TRUE VINTAGE DAY DRESS CIRCA 1930s TO 1940s

ANOTHER TRUE VINTAGE DAY DRESS CIRCA 1930s TO 1940s

This dress is very intriguing to me.

I strongly suspect that this frock was custom tailored; very well done. Putting in all the lace edging is not easily accomplished by someone who is not a good seamstress..

The buttons are also very interesting. They are delicate, lacy and iridescent, though I feel sure that they are not made of mother of pearl. They seem to be a plastic of some kind – or possibly celluloid. The belt was made to have a slide-through buckle, which is missing. I have 2 or 3 that could replace it beautifully – another reason to collect these things when you can.

The material is a floral print and has a feel which makes me question exactly what it is made of. It doesn’t swing like the rayon dress shown yesterday, but it’s not a plain old cotton either. Hmmm . . . . . . . . .

These are some of the mystifying clues that make finding true vintage fashion so much fun. Plus, it’s a wonderful dress!

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG:  MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

BOOK:  HOW TO FIND THE BEST IN VINTAGE FASHION – AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.COM

FABULOUS 1950’S CLASSIC MEN’S SMOKING ROBE – RARE, RARE, RARE!!!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

A bit rumpled, but perfect!  This was a higher-end men’s garment and an indispensable wardrobe item for men in the mid-century.  A well-made bathrobe for elegant at-home time was worn by many men every day.

Lovely cotton, rayon and silk were commonly-used fabrics in mid-century and, like their street-wear brothers, these lounge-wear garments were well-tailored and elegant.  I’m SO thrilled to uncover another one of these, which is a rare find (my favorite!)

I encounter a lot of rare finds, but they’re all different, so the surprises never stop!  Stay tuned – you just never know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG:  MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

OH BOY!! RARE FIND YESTERDAY THAT JUMPS ME BACK INTO THE 1950’S. LOVE IT!!!

file0001209214386-ebook-cover-1-1111121111111211111  Just when the 1960’s treasures were beginning to feel a little hum-drum, up comes a beautiful men’s item that pulls me back to post-war days and some of the best old movies.  Stay tuned – I’ll publish it tomorrow . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG:  MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

LATEST NEW FIND! MAD MOD 1960’S DAY DRESS IN A FUN, FLIPPY STYLE

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Another home-sewn frock, this time for school or work.  The spots are just from the camera and a little water at the hem – the condition is WONDERFUL!   Thanks for bearing with me in the less-than-ideal publishing conditions.  Can’t wait to put it on Stella or Giselle for a really good presentation.

Soft knit fabric with embroidered ribbon – such a popular trimming at that mid-century time.  Dolman sleeves and a flared hem – pretty style!  It all screams late 1960’s and was another at-home creation that captured some girl’s imagination back in the day.  Most of us get a thrill from shopping, but can you imagine the step-by-step anticipation and excitement of watching a custom-designed frock come together?  Back in the Sixties and before, that’s what a lot of women experienced.

So, I’ve been from classy designers’ elegant designs to stitching on the dining room table in less than two weeks.  What’s coming next?  You just never know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG:  MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

 

UPTOWN MOD GIRL FROM THE 1960’S – TRUE VINTAGE IN THE CITY

IMG_0287UPTOWN MOD GIRL FROM THE 1960'S - TRUE VINTAGE IN THE CITY

Here’s something THAT GIRL Marlo Thomas might have worn in her city life. Cute and sophisticated – that’s the feel lots of fashions had at that time. We were breaking away from the traditional.

This one is of a beautiful glossy woven rayon, but not at all like those luscious crepey ones from the 1940’s. It’s perky and substantial.

Classic style, with a mandarin collar, which were very popular then. The rhinestone buttons at the waist let you know that this is a garment with some status.

The tailoring is more or less what you would encounter today, though the hem is done more nicely – with hem tape – and is about 2″ deep. We hardly see that anymore, nor a hem that is nicely finished.

This is, overall, just a really well-made dress that a woman with very good taste might wear to a swanky party or out to dinner. But, don’t try to go incognito in this one . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG:  MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

BOOK:  HOW TO FIND THE BEST IN VINTAGE FASHION – AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.COM

JUST FOUND: LATE 1960’S CUSTOM-TAILORED SPECIAL OCCASION GOWN – HIPPIE PROM?

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

This frock is sooo iconic late Sixties and in perfect condition!  It’s Flower Power, British influence and Edwardian style.  I’ll bet it was made for a Prom or Spring Fling dance.  What a Blast from the Past!!!

Look at the sequence of iridescent buttons at the sleeves and the ruffled flounces.  Sheer flocked flower design over a pink liner.  Back in the day, it was usual to hire a seamstress to make these types of dresses or to make them at home unless the high school was in an expensive neighborhood.

It’s just so cute and tells such a typical story.  It’s fun to know something about those times so that I can read the book very easily!  Not sure what I’m going to do with this, but it was just too fun to pass up.  It would make a really sweet short dress . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG:  MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

LOVE MID-CENTURY HOUSE DRESSES – HERE’S A WONDERFUL NEW FIND!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Following in yesterday’s footsteps, here’s another summer-weight find but so cute that I had to pick it up.  I haven’t seen true vintage plaid house-dresses often, and I just LOVE them.  Wish you could feel this fabric – it’s the softest cotton imaginable – been loved and washed for many years and still looks wonderful!

Nothing could be simpler and more classic than this design, but it’s well-constructed and built to last. Ruffles around the pocket and pretty embroidery trim.  It’s nice when practical clothing is also elegantly well-made and just plain fun.  Makes housework like play-day (if your imagination is good!)

So, enjoy.  Tomorrow we’ll get to see more new-to-me true vintage dresses (they’re ALWAYS true vintage) but still for every season of the year.  If you travel, you just never know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG:  MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

WELL-MADE PATIO PARTY DRESSES FROM THE LATE ’60’S – EARLY ’70’S

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I know that these are summer fun frocks but, for those who are wintering down south or just like to think about warmer climes, I had to show these recent finds and to buy them because of their good quality.  Nice, heavy knits and well-cared-for by their original owners.

Love little shoulder ties, fun prints and empire waistlines.  This style of dress is not unusual to see, but the quality is relatively rare.   Most of the time, you have to go back to the 1960’s to find them as nice as these.  Another genre that are often this good are the long dresses made in Hawaii – usually Sixties and before.

Of course, these discoveries didn’t thrill me as much as some that I make but still worth it.  It’s always good to appreciate garments like these while you’re on the lookout for what’s  around the corner – you just never know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . …

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG:  MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

BEAUTIFUL KENNEDY-ERA SILK SHEATH BY LILLI DIAMOND

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

What a thrill to discover this one!  I’m on a roll, finding beautiful dresses and other true vintage garments in virtually perfect condition.  This is a sophisticated wiggle dress from the late 1950’s – early 1960’s time.

Another frock in my favorite turquoise, and beautifully-made.  Full lining and shapely cut. Couldn’t be better!   Marilyn would have loved it . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG:  MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM