Ad Campaign – Crescendo Gloves, 1956

Crescendoe gloves give your hands a slim and lovely look…Leather-tailored of wonder fabric that wears longer and washes better.

I’m really not very nostalgic when it comes to fashion accessories of the past.  I had enough of garter belts and stockings and little hats as a pre-teen to do me for a lifetime.  But one thing I really wish I’d gotten in on was the wearing of dress gloves.  I can remember wearing them as a very young child, but by the time I was 8 or so, the wearing of them had passed from being de rigueur to being just one more thing we didn’t want to fool with.

I look at the hands of many women in their 70s and older, and realize their hands look younger than mine.  It has to be that they got much less sun exposure as teens and as young women.   Those $4 gloves turned out to be a very good investment in skin care, and did a lot more good than do today’s $25 hand creams.

Happy first day of spring to you all!

Elle, March 1956

I know all of us in the Northern Hemisphere are clamoring for spring, so how about springtime in Paris?  Or at least how about a pretty springtime Parisienne? I love her powder blue suit and how the color is complemented by the out of focus background.  The white collar and cuffs are a pretty touch, and the lip is the perfect shade of red. Add a jaunty little hat and the result is très chic!

Photographer: J.F. Clair

Copyright: Lagardère Group

Ad Campaign – Claire McCardell for Canterbury, 1956

The stroke of a genius – Claire McCardell’s brilliant ideas on the sweater.  Canterbury tends to their knitting and full-fashions them to perfection.

I had to share just one last thought about Claire McCardell before I move on to the next obsession.  Her designs are the prefect examples of how “casual” does not have to equal “sloppy.”   In today’s severely dressed-down culture, it is so nice to see clothing that is comfortable but still attractive.

In the 1950s McCardell did several licensing deals, including this one with Canterbury.  She also did a line of shoes for Capezio, and gloves, jewelry, hats and sunglasses for various companies.   She also did quite a few product endorsements, including Clairol, Fuller Brush and Chevrolet.  Much of McCardell’s media success was due to the fact that she had a very good publicist – Eleanor Lambert.

Ad Campaign – Elizabeth Arden, 1945

No wonder the ancients thought the sun was the giver of life… for now we know it holds precious gifts we all need… Today more than ever with the tension of wartime living, the fatigue of wartime work.  Make the most of every opportunity to back in the sun…

In 1945, back in the good old days before photoshop  and other photo chicanery made one question every ad in the big glossy fashion magazine, they had illustrators who weren’t concerned with the literal portraying of a product.    Just give us a pretty and slender young woman out there where the blue begins!

Here’s another Elizabeth Arden ad, this one from 1956:

 

Glamour, April, 1956

Tangerine Tango is the Pantone Color of the Year (whatever THAT means) and it is rather nice seeing orange creep back into fashion.  I love this sunny combination of yellow and orange and it just goes to show you that women with fair complexions can actually wear yellow.

 

Ad Campaign – Phil Rose 1956

Phil Rose was one of the many  garment companies in California that were “lifestyle” centered.  California had a reputation for easy living, and so many makers capitalized on this and stressed the atmosphere of the place where their fashions were created.  Rose’s company was a sportswear maker, which really means they made separates.  The company came to be known in the late 1950s and early 60s for their bulky “Pantsweater,”  ausually  bateau-necked shaker knit that was cut straight at the hip.

I love how Rose was bringing Italian design to the USA in the late 1950s.  His clothes were reasonably priced, which you can see if you click  to get the enlarged version.  Bella!