Diamond, Lilli

Lilli Diamond was born in Brooklyn, New York. She left school early to become a vaudeville dancer before heading to Hollywood. A chance meeting changed her life – her future husband Al Diamond spotted her on the street and, according to the Lilli Diamond website, “it was love at first sight”.

A Russian immigrant, he swept floors in a dress factory before going to night school to study business. He worked his way up to become a cutter and dreamed of starting his own fashion label.
After their marriage Lilli was primarily a wife and mother. Al worked tirelessly at the factory, as well as at home on his own designs. He took Lilli nightclubbing and dancing in Hollywood and Las Vegas and – in Lilli’s words – “If we saw a woman walking down the street in Vegas wearing a glamorous dress, Al would rush straight back to his workshop and the next morning, he would have his own version of that dress.”

Al eventually left the factory and launched his own label, named for his beloved muse – Lilli Diamond. The label’s signature items were sexy and glamorous cocktail dresses, which were sold all over the US in exclusive shops as well as department stores; Frederick’s of Hollywood being the chief outlet. The label thrived during the 1950s and early 1960s and in 1965 it was sold to Campus Casuals, where it continued into the 1980s.

Written by thespectrum

from a 1950s dress

Courtesy of Ranch Queen Vintage

from a 1970s evening dress

Courtesy of bigchief173