Weekend Eye Candy - 1955 Lilli Ann Suit
We can't have a week of suits without showing a design by the incomparable Lilli Ann. This one is from 1955.
January 31 - Steal of a Deal
Today is the last day of January and this is your final Steal of a Deal. Gorgeous 1950's party dress in pink and black tulle with polka dots. Original price - $145.00. Today only, 50% off - $72.50.
Fridays@Portobello
...some cool people around.
(Click on photos to enlarge pictures)
Monika, from Lithuania visiting London.
I told her she's gonna love Camden Town. I loved attitude and her make up, the eyeshadow matched her bright green hair to perfection. Beautiful!
Kim, at Portobello Market.
The hat is gorgeous her jacket from Zara as well.
The whole look is so well composed. Really sweet!
Darrin, at Portobello Road.
Nice tattoos and cool braces.
(Click on photos to enlarge pictures)
Monika, from Lithuania visiting London.
I told her she's gonna love Camden Town. I loved attitude and her make up, the eyeshadow matched her bright green hair to perfection. Beautiful!
Kim, at Portobello Market.
The hat is gorgeous her jacket from Zara as well.
The whole look is so well composed. Really sweet!
Darrin, at Portobello Road.
Nice tattoos and cool braces.
January 30 - Steal of a Deal
Today's Steal of a Deal is this luxurious 1950's coat with genuine fox fur collar. Original price - $250.00. Today only, 50% off - $125.00.
Suits in the 1970s
This week, we've looked at suits in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. I'm going to close out the week with a look at the late 60s into the mid 70s. Fashion changed radically at this time, and it started with the Youthquake movement in London. In the above photo from 1965, you can see how different this Biba suit is from the suits I showed yesterday. Not only is the jacket much longer, but it has pants instead of a skirt! Pants had been fine for casual wear up to now, but they were not worn by women for business, streetwear, or dressier occasions.
Over the next 4 years, the ideas from young London designers began to take hold on the Paris runways and in American fashion. Here you can see clearly that jacket lengths have nose-dived to the hips or below, sleeves are full length again, and pants are acceptable. And while we don't see the sculpted tiny waists of the 40's and 50's, there is a bit of shaping in the jacket.
Skirts were shorter in length, and suits were often made of unusual fabrics with wild prints or textures. Here velveteen is used for a day suit. Jackets are often belted to shape the waist.
The convention of a suit having of a jacket on top is gone, and we see it replaced with vests, tunics, and coats.
By 1972, skirt lengths are all over the map, with minis, midis, and maxis offering women freedom of choice.
Jackets remain longer and collars are huge.
In the early 70's plaid is everywhere, and using a large scale, brightly colored plaid on top and bottom is not too much.
By the mid-1970's, the use of knits has made tailoring less necessary. Jackets are soft and belted for shape, and are often unlined.I hope you've enjoyed this short history of suits. Hopefully, when you find a vintage suit, these posts will help you identify when it was made.
Optical visions...
Today, I felt a bit like Twiggy...
Over the weekend I found this really cute dress from Zara at a charity shop for only £7!!!!! I had to take it...
So I teamed with bright red tights and wollen fishnets over the top because the weather is getting quite bitter again.
Complimenting me on the background , a optic pattern wall which I found pretty cool.
Groovy!
Jacket: Vivienne Westwood, Dress: Zara from the charity shop, Tights: to old to remember, Boots: Dune.
... And tomorrow hopefully some pics from ppl on Portobello Market.
Over the weekend I found this really cute dress from Zara at a charity shop for only £7!!!!! I had to take it...
So I teamed with bright red tights and wollen fishnets over the top because the weather is getting quite bitter again.
Complimenting me on the background , a optic pattern wall which I found pretty cool.
Groovy!
Jacket: Vivienne Westwood, Dress: Zara from the charity shop, Tights: to old to remember, Boots: Dune.
... And tomorrow hopefully some pics from ppl on Portobello Market.
Suits in the 1960s
We've looked at suits from the 1940's and 1950's so far this week. As I said yesterday, about 1958-59, the shape of suits changes quite a bit. This red suit is from 1959. Here you can see that the length of the skirt is still below the knee, but suddenly we have a much shorter and less fitted jacket. All those darts in the jacket that emphasized a tiny waist are gone. Slight gathers or tucks start to appear at the skirt waist.
Sleeves are always elbow or 3/4 length during this period and suits are worn with long gloves.
Another jacket style that enjoyed a brief period of popularity was the longer, looser sacque jacket worn over a slim skirt. This style is seen from about 1958 - 62, and then disappears.
Dramatic and intricate details are gone from jackets. The most we usually see is topstitching, large decorative buttons, or pocket flaps without pockets. Collars are usually open, and the stand-away collar starts to appear. About 1963, hemlines creep up to right at the knee or 1" above and continue to creep shorter as the decade progresses. Princess seamed skirts often have hidden pockets at the hips.
The shorter jackets are often paired with dresses, or with a skirt and matching or contrasting sleeveless top. Evening suits are fashioned from fancy brocades, heavy silks, or metallics.
Closures sometimes disappear completely from jackets and they are worn open.What happens next? Pantsuits! Check back tomorrow for suits from the late 1960's and 70's.
January 28 - Steal of a Deal
Today's Steal of a Deal is this opulent vintage 1960's metal thread brocade top and skirt. Original price - $95.00. Today only, 50% off - $47.50.
January 28 - Steal of a Deal
Today's Steal of a Deal is this enchanting vintage 1950's strapless party dress. Original price - $125.00. Today only, 50% off - $62.50.
Suits in the 1950s
How do women's suits change from the 1940's to the 50's? While we still see lots of interesting details, they are not as elaborate as those seen in the 1940's.
The most obvious change is in the length of the jacket which becomes shorter. Most sleeves are now 3/4 as opposed to full length. If the sleeves are full length, they will either have no cuffs or much narrower cuffs than those of the 1940's.
Skirts change too. While Dior's 1947 New Look line introduced the full skirt, it didn't start to show up in ready-to-wear until about 1950. The more common skirt for suits in the 50's was the slim pencil line, as opposed to the A-line skirt of the 40's.
Dresses with matching jackets add a new category to suits, in addition to the typical jacket and skirt combination.
We see lots of fur collars as the separately draped full pelt fur stole loses favor.About 1958-59, suits start to change more radically. Stay tuned, as I'll take a look at that tomorrow.
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