Mid Twentieth Century Beach Towel by Galindo

This post asks more questions than it has answers. I recently bought this beach towel from the incomparable Neatokeen shop on etsy. I had seen this one years ago, and somehow neglected to buy it, but now it’s part of my collection.

I have been working hard, trying to discover the secret of galindo, the artist. Because the towel has never been used, it came complete with the original paper tag. That’s always a good thing, and it usually leads to more information being uncovered.

From the tag I had plenty to go on. The company was Barth & Dreyfuss, located in Los Angeles. The brand name was Royal Terry of California. The artist, galindo, was a “famous California artist”.

I started my research at the most logical place – Google. I found quite a bit on Barth & Dreyfuss. They were/are a maker or seller of home goods, mainly towels. The company has come and gone over the years, and it appears that there was recently a company by that name, operating mainly as importers.

Searching “galindo” was a bit trickier. I was able to locate some other designs by this artist, mainly on linens and paper goods. Finally, I searched “Royal Terry” and came up empty except for a wonderful youtube video that shows a knowledgeable collector showing off his 1957 Royal Terry beach towel catalog. I have a message in to him and hopefully I will hear back.

After Google I turned to the two newspaper databases I have access to – Newspapers,com and Newspaperarchive.com. I had a bit more luck. The company was owned by Marshall Barth and Stanley Dreyfuss. They were in business in Los Angeles at least as early as 1953, and probably earlier. Searching for galindo was impossible as there are numerous Galindo Streets throughout Southern California. And it seems to be a somewhat common name in some communities.

If anyone knows who galindo was, I’d be most grateful for that information. Any clues at all would be appreciated. In the meantime, enjoy these hat close-ups.

This one is a version of the famous sunglasses hat. I’ve seen these advertised from the late 1950s through the mid 1960s.

Catalina Contures, 1960s Key to Confidence in Swimwear Comfort

Here’s one to be filed under “Things I found while looking for something else.” I could also put it under, “Things I didn’t know existed.”

Not that I didn’t know about “falsies” or bust pads; I just didn’t know that Catalina made these for swimsuits back in the 1960s. And considering how much time I spent  between 1965 and 1972 devouring Seventeen and Teen magazines, You’d think I’d have known every product that was marketed to my demographic (otherwise known as the teenager).

I have a fairly decent selection of Seventeen and other fashion magazines from the 60s, so after I found this item, I decided to revisit the magazines to see if I could spot an ad for Contures. I was pretty sure that I’d come up empty, as I felt sure I would have remembered seeing this product, and especially if the mermaid packaging was featured in the ads. And I was right, there were no Contures ads to be found.

From reading many online ads for vintage Catalina bathing suits, it does appear that many of their styles were made with pockets in which to insert the pads. I’m still trying to figure out how that would lead to “confidence in swimwear comfort”.

Looking at this product and the language used to sell it, it’s no wonder so many young women developed (and unfortunately still develop) body image issues. I do hope that all of you who have girls and teens are teaching them that their bodies are not objects that need correcting. Well, unless they have scoliosis or some other medical condition.

It’s really quite remarkable that these have survived at all, much less in the original box in a plastic bag. It’s obvious they were never used. Maybe the buyer had a moment of clarity and decided her breasts were fine as is. I like to think that’s the case.

The condition of the pads is amazing. They look like new, which is surprising considering they are made from a spongy synthetic substance and were wrapped in a plastic bag for fifty years. I have re-homed them in a muslin pouch, after wrapping them in acid-free tissue. Maybe that will help them last another fifty years.

Brigitte Bardot Bra from Lovable, 1960s

When French film star Brigitte Bardot chose to wear a gingham dress for her second wedding in June of 1959, she couldn’t have known how she would become so associated with that fabric. The dress was pink and white, but that didn’t keep Lovable from using blue and white gingham in a Bardot endorsed bra top.

The dress itself was widely copied, and still is today by companies that make modern “vintage” looks. When the sexiest actress in France chooses a fabric, the whole world takes notice.

I posted a photo on Instagram, and a reader commented that this was actually the top to a bathing suit, and that she had the entire set. The word “bikini” on the label does tend to suggest that there was a bottom piece, and that it was intended as a swimsuit.

Loveable was a bra company located in Atlanta, and I have written about it in the past. It’s a great story, and if you haven’t read my old blog post, it might make you feel good to do so. I have never encountered a Loveable bikini before, but who could resist the opportunity to produce a garment which featured Bardot?

I was happy to get the bra with the original paper tag intact, but even if it were missing, Lovable kindly put Bardot’s name on the label.  So many times the connections are lost when the paper tags are removed.

The Lovable Brassiere Company is no more, and Bardot is now known more for her animal rights activism than for her career as an actress. But somehow the connection between Bardot and gingham lives on.

This bra came from Ballyhoo Vintage, one of my favorite online vintage shops.

1960s Dulottes by Serbin

Well, it looks like I’m sort of back in business, with a shiny new laptop and a huge learning curve. A lot of changes have occurred to computing in the past eight years and I’m slowly figuring out how to work this new machine. I’m still trying to improve on my photo editing, so please excuse the below par pictures in this post.

I first spotted this great culotte dress on the Vintage Fashion Guild forum. Every week member sellers show off what is new in their shops in a feature called Fresh Vintage, and it’s a great way to see “new” things as they hit the stores. This came from the etsy shop of member Racked Vintage.

At first glance this looks to be a dress, but it is actually a culotte dress, and I’m pretty sure it was designed as a golfing outfit. The front of the skirt is a bit full, which tends to disguise that the skirt is divided.

The back goes even farther with the deception, as there is a skirt panel sewn over the culottes so that from the back it looks like a straight skirt.

My thinking is that the garment would have been very useful in places where the dress code required women to wear skirts in the clubhouse. It would also be useful in transforming from golf course to city street.

Another feature that shows the duo nature of this piece is the large removable pocket. It’s quite necessary when trying to keep up with the paraphernalia of golf, but off the course it just looks a bit odd. So the designer put the pocket on the belt where it slides off and on.

My photos are so poor color-wise. This dress is a very pretty yellow, and the birds, while not always accurately colored, are in nice shades of red, gold, blue and green.

I had never seen this label before this dress, and I love how it hints at the two functions of the dress. The owner got a duo of dresses in one.

I got a bit lucky in researching the label as Serbin had the name dulottes trademarked. At first glance this dress appears to be from the early 1960s, but according the the trademark application, the label was first used in 1967. There are often mistakes in trademark applications, due mainly to the passage of years between the time the name was first used and the time the application was made.  But in this case the first usage and the application both happened in August, 1967, so I’m sure it is correct.

In 1967 and 68 there was a softening of women’s fashion. The mod look was still going strong, especially among the young, but if you look at magazines from the later 60s you see a bit of traditional femininity returning in the form of gathered waists, soft collars, and even ruffles and lace. I’d put this dress in the spring of 1968. Now to find an ad to support that bold claim!

 

 

1960s Golf Dress: Chippers by Gregg Draddy

We’ve had a lot of cold and rainy days recently, and that means I’ve spent too much time prowling online selling sites looking for things I didn’t realize I had to have. The dress shown here is a great example. I rarely look for and buy Sixties and newer clothing online because there is so much of it selling for reasonable prices in my local markets. But for this golf dress I made an exception.

I wasn’t familiar with this particular label, but it was the details and condition that sold me on this one. Both side seams are open to the waist to show off the little calico shorts beneath. I loved how the calico was also used to trim the scalloped hem and the neckline.

And I guess a bit of nostalgia was in play here because this was exactly the type of dress (we called them scooter dresses) that the girls in my school used to skirt the dress code prohibition of pants for girls. I had several of these in the late Sixties, and I can remember the teachers telling us to wear a scooter dress the next day whenever something was planned that might mean we’d be on the floor.

So if this was just common attire for schoolgirls in 1968, why did I want this as a golf dress?

The back of the dress tells the tale. There is a pocket that has an expandable pleat, perfect for golf balls and tees. There is also a ring sewn to the other side. I really can’t say what the true function was, but I’ve seen men’s golf pants that have a towel holder in the same spot. Could that be it?

After a bit of online searching, I found the answer in a 1969 Golfdom article:

“From Greg Draddy comes the drop waist dress slit up the sides with pants attached. The back pocket is detachable and there’s a towel ring. Some have cowl collars, others a placket; but all have long back zippers. There’s a waffle pique to fall into the category of texture treatment in fabrics. All the dresses retail from $30 to $35.”

One of my favorite things about this dress is that the pocket is removable. If the owner wanted to wear it off the golf course, she could without it screaming “golf dress”.

I think Chipper is a great name for a golf dress, and it also fits in with cute names of the other lines produced by Gregg Draddy: Zizzie, Tizzie, Sassy, and Steppy.  I haven’t found a lot about the Gregg Draddy label, but one of the dresses I found for sale also had a Bergdorf Goodman label, so the brand was not cheap. But I already knew that from examining my dress. The quality is superb, with a complete cotton lining. And if not for the wear on the label, I’d have bet that this dress had never been worn. Just lovely condition.

I wasn’t very successful in searching for Gregg Draddy as a person.  Those familiar with sportswear may recognize the Draddy name, as it was Vin Draddy at American clothing company David Crystal, who brought the Lacoste polo shirt to America in 1950. I did find a photograph of Gregg Draddy and Vin Draddy together with a few celebrities, and I also found a reference to Gregg as a manufacturer. I’m thinking Vin and Gregg were brothers. There are descendants of Vin still around (in the Asheville area, no less) so the answers are out there.

 

McEwens of Perth, Scotland Wools, 1961

Today I wore a skirt I made from Pendleton Black Watch plaid, and that reminded me that I had not talked about a group of brochures I have that advertise Scottish plaids and woolen knits.  McEwens was actually a department store which operated for nearly 150 years before closing in 2016. McEwens had a feature that people today would consider to be a real luxury, but which was fairly common in nicer departments stores in 1961. That feature was a department that made clothing to order.

My brochures are advertising skirts made from wool. There were sixteen skirt styles from which to choose, and sixteen different tartans. A buyer would fill out the order form which asked for the correct measurements. She would then order either a waistband or a petersham waist. She could order pockets for an additional charge. The item was truly made to order.

All the style names start with “glen”. The prices quoted beneath each style was just for the sewing charge. The fabric had to be bought for an additional charge.

If you wanted a truly coordinated ensemble, you could buy your sweater from McEwens using this handy chart that told which sweaters would match. I really love the Black Watch skirt above with that deep green twin set. You probably gathered that because I have it pictured three times.

The custom department at McEwens also made other garments, like these coats and jackets. Note how much more it cost to make a jacket than a skirt.

For home sewers, McEwens sold the fabric by the yard.

This catalog showed some of the made-to-order items along with what might be considered the types of items tourists visiting Scotland were looking to buy. Things like kilt pins, tartan neckties, and tartan scarves.

A shopper could not only choose the style of handbag, but also the tartan used and the color of leather trim. I can’t imagine what this would cost today, but the best that I can figure, these cost approximately $120 in current dollars.

I find so many vintage tartan scarves that I think every visitor to Scotland must buy at least one. It has to be a rule, right?

I think I need a pair of New Caledonian dancing sandals.

 

Cool Notes Sneakers, Circa 1963

I’m really picky when it comes to adding things younger than I am to my collection. There really is a lot of stuff left over from the 1960s and younger, so a collector can afford to wait until  something really special comes along. As a rule of thumb, the younger the object, the better condition I want it to have. A pair of Keds from 1923 can have a bit of wear, but I want  a pair of sneakers from 1963 to be in excellent condition.

I first spotted these on the Instagram feed of @jessamity and I knew I had to have them. I have an early 1960s set of separates from Tabak of California, that came from the estate of the designer, Irene Saltern, that are a gray and white stripe. These shoes could not be more perfect to go with those separates.

I don’t have a firm date on the Tabak pieces, but stylistically, they date to the early 1960s. I can be a bit more certain about the shoes. I’m pretty sure they came from 1962 or 1963.  The story is in the turned-up toe.

This is from a 1963 advertisement for a pair of Daniel Green slippers. I had saved it because I have these slippers in pink. What was it about 1963 that made women want to wear a vaguely Asian-looking toe on their shoes?

I don’t have a definitive answer, but it is useful to get an idea of what else was happening in the world that might have inspired the look. In 1962, Jackie Kennedy went on a tour of India and Pakistan. Also in 1962, Lawrence of Arabia was released. Eastern culture was on people’s minds, and this looks to me as a fuzzy sort of Asian look.

To show just how fuzzy, the Daniel Green slippers were advertised as “Bangkok… Oriental opulence in a brocade slipper…” and the color was described as “Ming” blue.

I have not been able to turn up any information about Cool Notes, but these are a pretty inexpensively-made product. My guess is that they were made for the teen market.

There is one more hint on the box. These were sold at a store called Masso’s. I’ve found a Masso’s that was located in Plainville, Texas. I could not determine if the store is still in operation.

As always, additional information about Cool Notes would be greatly appreciated.