1951 Suit in Miron Wool

This ad, found in the July 1951 issue of Vogue magazine is not for the suit, but for the wool it was made from. This suit was made by Roxspun from "Miroque...Worsted with a vertical rib. One of Miron's unique new texturals, 100% Virgin Wool."

I often find labels sewn into garments from the 40's and 50's that identify the manufacturer of the fabric, as well as the manufacturer of the garment itself. Miron is one of these.

Here is an early 1950's suit by Fashionbilt, also made of Miron wool. It's available at our website. Click the picture to see more!


The Miron label is sewn right next to the Fashionbilt label on the inside of the right front of the jacket. A well-known fine fabric was just as important as the maker of the garment to a woman back in the 50's, when suits were expected to last many years.


The Miron Woolen Mills were located in Clinton, MA, a tiny town north of Worcester in the central part of the state. Sadly, the building was demolished in July 2008 to make way for a CVS. Another piece of fashion history makes way for modern retail.

Stephanie Farrow

Stephanie Farrow is the lil' sister of icon Mia Farrow. She was born in 1949, and became a top model in the late sixties and early seventies. Stephanie was one of Barbara Hulanicki's favorite models, and was often in ads for Biba. She also did some movies with her older sister Mia.

Biba

(getty, Boutique: a Cultural phenomenon)

1964 Bill Blass Evening Gown with Hat

Yes, the answer to Saturday's quiz is Bill Blass.

"A new incandescence of sharp-contrast colors, Bill Blass couples vivid Moroccan rose with saffron in cool-touch textured silk. Shapes them into a new look for after-dark drama, inspired by the mystery of Morocco and the native Caftan."

At this point, in 1964, Blass was the vice-president of Maurice Rentner and his name was on the label. He bought the company in 1967. It is interesting to see that as early as 3 years before buying Maurice Rentner, he was promoting himself and his name by joining with Cover Girl for their advertisements. There is no mention of Maurice Rentner in the ad.

Vivid colors such as these are just starting to show up in fashion, and will become all the rage in a couple of years time. It is interesting that Blass uses them for evening.

Françoise Dorléac

Françoise Dorléac: She was the daughter of screen actor Maurice Dorléac and elder sister of the better-known Catherine Deneuve. The two sisters starred together in the 1967 musical, Les demoiselles de Rochefort. She was made famous by Philippe de Broca's movie L'homme de Rio, François Truffaut's La Peau Douce and Roman Polanski's Cul-de-sac, but her career was cut short by her tragic death in a car crash. Dorléac was killed when she crashed her car ten miles from Nice. She had been en route to Nice airport when her Renault sports car hit a signpost at the end of the Esterel-Cote d'Azur auto-route, flipped over, and burst into flames. Dorléac was seen struggling to get out of the car, but was unable to open the door. Police later identified her body only from the fragment of a cheque book, a diary and her driving licence. She was 27 years-old.

(corbis, myspace, wikipedia)