Mary Black was a London designer who started her business sometime in the 1930s. She emigrated to the U.S. in 1940-41, probably because of the war.
In July of 1941, Mary Black of London leased showroom and salon space on W. 47th St. in New York City. In addition to welcoming exclusive clients at her salon, Mary Black dresses were also sold at fine specialty shops and high end department stores like Bergdorf Goodman and I. Magnin.
In 1947, her dresses sold for $80 – $400 (about $812 – $4,060 in today’s dollar.) In late 1951, Mary Black of London moved her business to the 10th floor of 18 East 50th St. in New York City. She maintained a personal apartment there as well.
On July 29, 1954, Mary was wed to Nichlas Baciu in a civil ceremony. She continued in business until at least the early 1960s.
As a designer, Black preferred simple lines without an excess of decoration. She felt that women preferred to adorn their dresses with their own jewelry and so would avoid the use of buttons, rhinestones etc. She would often use simple bows or flowers, but always made them removable. She did not like belts and would only offer a belt if a store or customer insisted. She felt a belt ruined the lines of a dress.
In 1960, Mary Black made a cocktail dress for Bergdorf Goodman that was offered in sizes 10-40 (yes, that’s size 40.) It was a simple tiered sheath with a draped capelet caught at the back with a single rose and came in black or navy. The dress sold for about $245 in 1960 (that’s $1,874 in today’s dollar.) Bergdorf’s offered the dress to appeal to the larger sized woman who wanted the more stylish designs usually only available to the size 10 figure.
Written by coutureallure.com
from an early 1950s dress
Courtesy of thespectrum
