A Sad Story - Beware of Vintage Buttons

My good customer, Linda, recently purchased a vintage 1940's rayon suit from me. Linda was thrilled with the suit because it fit her perfectly. She took it to her favorite dry cleaner, whom she trusts with all her vintage garments. Sadly, the suit did not survive.

During the war years, garment manufacturers often had to make do with inferior quality fabrics and notions. This particular suit had pretty clear plastic buttons that complimented the white chiffon ruffles nicely.

Linda's dry cleaner didn't think the buttons were a problem, and so did not cover or remove them. Unfortunately, they melted during the dry cleaning process and made holes and stains on the suit jacket.

Linda asked me to share this with all of you. Please, please always remember to cover or remove the buttons from your fine vintage garments before having them cleaned. Older buttons, especially those from the war era, were not made to withstand the chemicals and heat of modern dry cleaning. By taking the time to protect your garment, you'll save yourself possible vintage heartache.

Why I Love Vintage Clothing - The Gusset

1950's Dress with High Cut Armholes

Have you ever noticed when donning a vintage garment that the armholes are cut much higher than you are used to? A higher armhole gives a much better and more defined fit through the bustline and sleeve. In the 70's, as clothing manufacture was streamlined, clothing became less expensive, and knits were used more frequently, designers sacrificed fit for speed and lower cost. Tops became looser and more square shaped, many loosing the bust darts altogether.

1980's Dress with no Bust Shaping

But, I digress. Back to the gorgeous 1950's Gigi Young dress shown at the top of the page. The armholes are cut quite high and the bodice is shaped with two princess seams and darts. How can the dress be comfortable with all those seams bunched up under the arm? The solution is a gusset.

A gusset is a diamond shaped piece of fabric inserted into a slit in the underarm to provide ease , relieve strain, and add comfort for the wearer. They are usually cut on the bias to provide maximum ease of movement. Inserting a gusset into an underarm involves great skill and accurate stitching of a bias seam onto a straight one so the corners match and the gusset lays flat. You just don't see this attention to detail in modern garments...one more reason why I love vintage clothing!

See this dress and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Vionnet Reborn

1930's Vionnet Bias Cut Gown

Madeleine Vionnet was arguably one of the most important fashion designers of all time. She was a master at draping and the inventor of the use of the bias cut. Her ingenious details and intricate seaming have fascinated designers and vintage clothing lovers for decades. For a detailed look at Vionnet's designs, we highly recommend
Betty Kirk's book.

Late 20's Vionnet Dress

Madeleine Vionnet closed her company in 1939, on the eve of WWII, but interest in her designs has never died. In 1988, Guy de Lummen, head of the ready-to-wear department at Balmain, bought the rights to Vionnet's name and spent two decades exploring ways to re-establish the brand, experimenting with perfume, scarves, and bags. Now, de Lummen's son Arnaud has announced the rebirth of the Vionnet clothing line. He has hired Greek designer, Sophia Kokosalaki, as creative director, and a line of high-end ready to wear will be offered in January 2007 through Barney's, New York and the Vionnet studio in Paris.

Fall 2006 Kokosalaki Dress

Kokosalaki was chosen "because her interest in technical innovations, combined with her romantic, feminine clothes, fit nicely with Vionnet’s legacy." Like Vionnet, Sophia drapes her designs, rather than using a flat pattern. Since bursting on to the fashion scene in 1999, she has consistently won praise for her artfully draped but thoroughly modern designs.

The first runway show of the new Vionnet line will debut in Spring 2007. It remains to be seen whether Kokosalaki can pay proper homage to the genious that was Madeleine Vionnet. We'll keep you posted!

Height of Fancy

In the late 1930's, new heights were reached in millinery designs, and I mean that literally! Perhaps influenced by the fanciful designs of Elsa Schiaparelli, daring women wore hats with extended tall crowns. This hat is by American designer Marion Valle. The cream wool hat is accented with a magenta velvet band and large velvet roses.

The style of this hat brings to mind the 1939 movie "Ninotchka" in which Greta Garbo is enthralled with a hat in a store window. She eventually succumbs to her desire and wears it with great panache.

See this hat and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Manipulating Stripes

When is a stripe not a stripe? When it is manipulated into other patterns by the use of cutting and sewing. Designers can use seams to great effect in changing the directions of stripes. Seams can be used to form angles, zig-zags, diamonds, and a myriad of other designs, all with a simple striped fabric.

This vintage 1950's full skirted sundress makes great use of this technique. The designer has used a simple blue and white cotton stripe, and by cutting the fabric in to rectangles and sewing those rectangles back together with the stripes facing in different directions, he has formed a bulls-eye design in the skirt.

The skirt of this dress is formed from 24 rectangles, all seamed together so the stripes line up perfectly. That's alot of work for one dress, and is just another example of why I love vintage so much more than modern clothing!

See this dress and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Fall Fashion Trend - Brocade

Beautiful brocades are bountiful for cocktail and evening dresses this fall as seen on the runway by Oscar de le Renta and Dries van Notten. These gorgeous fabrics have lots of texture and shimmer and are a perfect antidote to those little black dresses from seasons past. Stand out from the crowd during the holiday season!

If you're adding a touch of brocade to your wardrobe this fall, why not make yours vintage? Here are a few example available at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

A 1950's brocade dress & jacket

A 1950's draped brocade dress

A 1960's tone on tone brocade dress

Fall Fashion Trend - Capes

Drama is coming your way this fall, and what better way is there to show off your style than to sweep into a room wearing a sensational cape, such as those shown above by Derek Lam, Ralph Lauren, and Marc Jacobs.

Of course, capes are not new. From dramatic velvet evening capes in the 30's, to caped dinner suits in the 40's, to structured Mod styles in the 60's, and hippie ponchos in the 70's, we've seen capes return again and again. If you're adding a cape to your wardrobe this fall, why not make it vintage? Here are a few examples available at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

A 60's Mod era camel wool cape

A 70's wool herringbone cape with matching fedora

An 80's flowing black wool cape with faux leopard fur trim

See these capes and more great vintage coats at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .