vintage fashion label resource

the vintage fashion label resource is an incredible wealth of knowledge for those who collect or have an interest in vintage clothing.  contained within the website are the histories of designers, conveniently organised alphabetically.  very comprehensive photographs of labels are also provided, sometimes spanning decades for more notable designers.  the website can be located here.

what's old is new again

we'll begin our vintage remodeled journey with this page out of a 1920's catalogue, featuring sweaters with a sport or collegiate slant:

why should being well versed in the history of fashion be important to us in this day and age? well, the answer is quite simple -- historical fashion influences are everywhere around us, and arming yourself with this knowledge can prove to be instrumental in a successful career as a designer. the reach of yesteryear's styles transcends price point, gender, and category. while on a trip to the fashion forward los angeles boutique opening ceremony, i noticed numerous examples in which historical or ethnic influences were clear influences. these modern, fresh, and pricey pieces bear a striking similarity to vintage styles. this is yet another reason why you may wish to seek out their vintage counterparts; in addition to the less hefty price tag, superior materials and workmanship are often used.

below is an original 1920's cardigan sweater with sailor collar and matching belt:

compare that with a very similar sweater by abercrombie and fitch:

here is a classic style that seems to be reproduced every season in some capacity -- the shawl collar cardigan sweater, which is a design derived from 1920's knitwear, as evidenced by the advertisement above:

cardigan by haversack, sold at opening ceremony

the use of ideas past extends to accessories and footwear as well. the borrowing of design from these current opening ceremony shoes to these late 1950's play shoes is obvious:

the difference in cost? oh, just over $300...proof it pays to know your stuff. whether you enjoy shopping second hand or for modern styles, having an awareness of the past gives you a tremendous advantage. happy shopping!

architecture as fashion

famous architects dressed as famous buildings, beaux-arts ball, 1931

oskar schlemmer, bauhaus ballet costumes, 1926

i leave you with this to ponder -- did paco rabanne, pierre cardin, and andre courreges really invent space age or just aided in popularising it?

1920's children and teen fashions

long before the age of tube tops, miniskirts, and body glitter, the clothing of children and teenagers was not significantly different from that of their parents.  in a strange sense, the dominance of youth culture in the decade after the great war had children dressing like children and adults often...well, dressing like children, too.  many details we now associate with clothing of the younger set - prominent collars, faggoting, and smocking, were also prevalent in designs for house dresses of grown women.  here, we see examples of clothing of the average american child from the national cloak and suit company catalogue, spring and summer 1925:  

    

i'd like to share a few garments very similar to those in the photograph above.  this green linen dress with cream accents, floral embroidery, and extensive faggoting bears an uncanny likeness to the red dress we see from the catalogue page.  it's labelled lucette Frocks, unusual for an era when most day dresses did not have labels.

this blue and orange plaid dress with inverted pleat detail is most likely homemade, with attractive floral appliques that are sewn onto the garment using a blanket stitch.  both these garments were pretty pedestrian back in the day, but they have held up swimmingly.  they still take a beating when worn today, further proving the age-old-adage: "they don't make 'em like they used to!"  

i'll give it the old college try...

welcome to my brand new blog!  in the coming weeks, be prepared for entries about clothing of the 20th century, with a focus on sport and day wear.  there are already sites devoted to decadent victorian gowns, gorgeous beaded flapper dresses, and such...i thought it would be fun to dedicate this one to the clothing that worked hard for our ancestors!  i will be including examples from my personal collection, pages from vintage catalogues, and photographs, of course!