1970s StagWhites Tennis Dress by White Stag

A few weeks ago I got an email from Janey at Atomic Redhead, asking if I’d like to have an early 1970s White Stag tennis dress.  That was a simple “yes” as you probably guessed already.  And I was really sold after seeing the embroidered stag on the pocket.

White Stag was one of those big sportswear companies that sort of lost its way in the late 1970s.  The cotton canvas togs of the past didn’t appeal in a polyester world, so they went polyester.   By then the  Hirsch family, founders of the company, had sold it to the giant corporation, Warnaco, which was interested in profits, not the heritage of White Stag.   They continued making ski and other sports clothing, but they were not able to compete in the increasingly more technical business of active sports clothing.  Eventually the company concentrated on making casual separates.  Today the label is owned by Walmart.

In the early to mid 1970s, Americans were really loving their red, white and blue.  Funny how the celebration of an historical event (the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence) helped shaped people’s color choices.  And I have the perfect red and blue tennis panties to go along with this sweet little dress.

Janey, many thanks for such a super gift!

Sovereign Accessory for Leisure Living

I’ve shown this little bag before,  about a year and a half ago when I told how I discovered a collection I didn’t even know I had.    I’ve had this so long that I can’t recall where I found it, but I do remember that I paid $2 for it. I loved the bag and would have bought it even if it had been empty.  But to sweeten the deal, there was a little surprise inside.

This is actually a traveling mini bar.  There is room for two flasks, but one is missing.  I do have two jigger measures, both of which read “Only a thimble full.”  It really is a sweet object.

I’ve spent the day doing a much needed clean up of my office, and in doing so I uncovered several things I’d pretty much forgotten about, including this bag.  Now some experts will tell you that if you have not used something in six months or a year then you need to get rid of it.  That’s a bit drastic, especially when it comes to something this great.  Instead, I filled a big box for the humane society thrift shop with true non-essentials.

The reason I don’t use this bag is because there is a dangerously damaged strap.  At any time it could completely break in two.

The more I look at this, the more I love it and want to carry it.  Not as a bar, but as a little shoulder bag.  So I’m trying to think of a way to repair it.  The entire strap is in poor condition and will have to be replaced.  I’m hoping someone will have a clever idea on how to attach a new one.

Inside the bag I found all the original literature concerning the kit.  It is hard to believe that this cost $15.  In 1955 that would equal $126.80!

Early 1920s Bathing Suit ~ J.C. Penney Co.

This early 1920s bathing suit was a lucky Ruby Lane find.  I sometimes forget about Ruby Lane, and that is a shame because for the most part the sellers do a good job of categorizing the merchandise, therefore making searching and browsing easy.   And while the site does allow clothing that is 20 years or older, they do not have a 1980s nor a 1990s category, so unlike etsy where it seems so much of the clothing in the vintage category is younger than my 16 year old dog Spooky, most of the Ruby Lane vintage category is filled with real vintage items.  On the downside, they do not allow “Used or previously worn underwear or swimsuits,”  and all items newer than 1945 must have a label.

So how did I happen to find such a great swimsuit on Ruby Lane?  Maybe the excellent condition led the seller to think it was unworn.  Yes, let’s just assume that was it.

I love it when something arrives and it just totally exceeds my expectations.  The color is so rich, and I’m crazy about the nod to nautical in the collar and white trim.  I love how the overskirt is dropped below the waist, just like a 1920s frock would be.

This is actually the oldest J.C. Penney label I’ve ever seen.  James Cash Penney opened his first store in 1902, but the name J.C. Penney Co. dates from 1913.

Souvenir of Southern California

I usually don’t collect souvenir scarves, as they are so common, and the quality is usually quite bad.  But I could not resist this great cotton scarf that shows scenes of how to spend a Southern California vacation. There’s golf and wine and sunbathing and the desert.  So how to place a date on something like this?

There are plenty of clues, starting with the place names.  Some, like Arrowhead (Lake) and (Hotel de) Coronado were not very helpful as their lifespans cover many decades.   But then there is the (Cafe) Trocadero, which opened in 1934 and closed in 1946.  That gave me the best timeframe from just the places named.

There is also the evidence within the illustrations.

The two women in sunhats above are straight from the 1930s, while the swimsuits in the drawing below looks more like the 1950s.  But remember, this a Southern California.  People wanted it to look more movie star, more glamorous.

Horse racing became a big draw in 1934 with the opening of the Santa Anita race track.

Al Levy Died in 1941, but his famous tavern continued in business after his death.

My best guess is mid to late 1930s.  Is there anything I’ve missed?

 

Cacharel and Liberty, Perhaps?

One of the must-have items for chic French girls in the mid 1960s was a Cacharel shirt.  Cacharel was founded in the late 1950s by Jean Bousquet, and by 1962 he was making the product that made his fortune – a woman’s shirt cut like a man’s, but trim-fitting and neat.

In 1966, Audrey Hepburn made the film, Two for the Road, in which her wardrobe was pulled from current ready-to-wear collections rather than her usual Givenchy designed wardrobe.  Included were five Cacharel shirts, which she loved so much that she went out and bought some for herself. (Side note: This is a must-see movie, if only for the clothes.)

By 1968 the Cacharel shirt was old hat and Bousquet started looking for a new twist.  He found it in an old-fashioned fabric – the Liberty Tana Lawn.   Under the design direction of his young sister-in-law, Corinne Sarrut, Cacharel began making the shirts from Liberty cottons.  Soon Sarrut was designing a full range of garments using Liberty fabrics.  Combined with a soft and romantic ad campaign photographed by Sarah Moon who created images similar to the ones she created for Biba, Cacharel moved into the 1970s with a look that fit in perfectly with the nostalgia trend.

I rarely find anything with the Cacharel label, so it was a pleasure to pull this shirt out of the Goodwill bins last week.  The first thing that went through my mind was that maybe this was an example of the Liberty/Cacharel shirt.

Of course, the best evidence would have been a label that read “Liberty” but the shirt only has the Cacharel label.  That alone does not prove the fabric is not from Liberty.  I’ve looked at many, many Cacharel shirts online in the past fifteen or so years, and the only ones I’ve ever seen Liberty labeling in are a new line that was released about two years ago.   If anyone has ever seen a vintage Cacharel shirt that also has a Liberty label, I’d love to hear about it and if possible, to see photos.

The label you see that is in mine was used at least in the 1970s, and into the 80s.  There were other color variations, and I’ve often wondered if the purple on white (which are colors also used by Liberty) label was not used on items with Liberty fabric.  Or more likely, I’m over-thinking that one!

Here’s a close-up of the print.  I don’t normally think of a one color on white print when I think of Liberty, but a quick search shows that they are really quite common.  The feel of the fabric is soft and cool, like known Liberty fabrics in my fabric stash.

But whether or not the fabric is from Liberty, I also needed to determine the age.  The biggest clue is in the shape of the collar.  We tend to think of longer points on collars being from the 1970s, but I found a 1968 photo of Jean Bousquet and a model wearing one of the new Liberty shirts.  The collar shape is the same as the one on my shirt.

There is one last clue:

The shirt has a small acetate tape with the international symbols for clothing care.  That was pretty confusing, because these have not been in use in the US all that long.  A quick search led me to a VFG thread on the subject, and from there I was led to a site that says the labels were in use in that from since 1958.  According to the discussion, one of the first countries to use the symbols was France, but that the use of them was not common until the 1970s.  Is it conceivable that they were used in 1968?  Yes, but that would be a very early use of the symbols.

So, I pretty much know that the shirt dates between 1968 and the mid 1970s.  Any thoughts?

This is one of those times that having just the right book came in handy.  Cacharel: Le Liberty by Jeromine Savignon and published by Assouline, tells the story and provided the photo of Jean Bousquet and the model.  Photo copyright Lipnitski/Roger-Viollet

What I Didn’t Buy – 1940s Cowboy Print Skirt and Blouse

My dad used to joke that my mother’s middle name was “Go” and now my husband makes the same joke about me.  But a more appropriate name for me would be “Stop!”  That because I can’t pass by an antique store without stopping.  Seriously, it’s a miracle I ever get to a destination.

My trip last week was no exception.  I had plenty of stops scheduled on the way to West Virginia and on the way home from Washington.  Actually I had too many stops planned, but more about that later.

One thing that caught my eye was this great little top from the 1940s.  I hope you can tell that the print is a bucking bronco with a cowboy flying over the fence.  I pulled the top from the rack and checked the price.  It was a bit more than I wanted to pay, but then I realized there was another piece – a skirt.  The price became more in line with what I would have expected, and I started contemplating a purchase.

I never let myself get too excited about a piece until I check it over for condition issues.  At first glance this looked pretty good.  There was an open seam in one armhole, which is an easy fix.

But then I noticed what looked to be bleach spots on the skirt.

That was problematic, but was still not a deal breaker.  Then I looked at the buttons, and that is what changed my mind.

There was only one button left, and the others had been torn away with gaping holes left in their place.  I put the set back on the hanger and left it for someone who could love it as it was.

Getting My Fifteen Minutes

Back in March I was contacted by Stephanie, a writer at Treasures magazine, to see if I would tell a little about my swimsuit collection.  Since I’m always up for a good swimsuit discussion, I couldn’t say no.  So I sent some photos and answered some questions and then, well, I forgot about it.

And then yesterday I got some copies of the June issue of Treasures in the mail and I was just floored by the beautiful job the magazine staff did.

Here is a preview of the article.  It will be on the website soon, where you can now see a preview of the May issue.

As a lover of old stuff, I’m really enjoying reading the entire magazine.  This issue has articles on wedding cake toppers, honey pots, samplers and glassware.  There are also several question and answer columns and information about upcoming antique shows.

My thanks to Stephanie Finnegan and the staff of Treasures.  All photographed material copyright, Pioneer Communications.