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Bellville Sassoon is a high-end British clothing brand. First established by Belinda Bellville in 1953, in 1970 it was transformed to Bellville Sassoon after Bellville formed a partnership with David Sassoon, who joined the company in 1958 as a designer. Belinda Bellville retired and left the company in 1981, while Sassoon stayed on for a few more decades. In the late 1980s the company was joined by Irish designer Lorcan Mullany, who currently runs the company.

Bellville Sassoon is known for their sophisticated and glamorous evening wear. Popular among London society, and due to Sassoon’s Jewish roots, among wealthy Jewish women in Britain. Bellville Sassoon managed to stay relevant in fashion through the decades. It is mostly perceived as a brand that made clothes for aristocratic debutantes and royalty. Its most famous client was Princess Diana of Wales, having created more than 70 designs for her over 12 years. Other notable clients were Princess Margaret, Princess Anne, Princess Alexandra, Princess Michael of Kent and the Duchess of Kent.

Written by Odessa Vintage

byblos is an Italian ready-to-wear fashion brand established in 1973 as a part of clothing company Genny. The name of the brand comes from a luxury hotel and celebrity hot spot in St. Tropez (France). Genny was founded by Arnoldo Girombelli and his wife Donatella in the 60s. Since 1983 byblos is an independent brand. Byblos designs are youthful, colourful, sporty yet elegant.

Most notable designer that worked for byblos was Gianni Versace from 1977 to 1979 (who also designed for Genny). However, the 1980s and early 1990s were the heyday of byblos. During that time the designers were a British duo, Keith Varty and Alan Cleaver. Varty and Cleaver were dismissed in 1996 after 15 years, and directly blamed for the sales decline of byblos in the mid ’90s. Richard Tyler was appointed the new designer in 1997 and steered the brand towards more minimalistic aesthetic – a complete antithesis of the previous designers’ work. That didn’t last long, however. In 1998 designer Richard Bartlett came aboard and brought back the colorful and youthful spirit of the ’80s byblos, only making the silhouettes more up-to-date. In 2001 Martine Stibon became one of the byblos designers with Sandy Dalal. In the years 2002-06 the designers were Greg Myler, Stefano Citron, and Federico Piaggi. Manuel Facchini became byblos’ designer in 2006. A Central Saint Martin’s School of Art and Design graduate, his work celebrates previous byblos designs while adding a clean, contemporary view and freshness to it.

Written by Odessa Vintage

From a 1930’s velvet cheongsam to a 1960’s Geoffrey Beene mod dress, this week’s “Fresh Vintage” thread on the VFG forums has some lovely just listed items. To see all the listings, click HERE
One clickable item from each participating member is shown below.

To say Henry Wilkinson is passionate about Givenchy would be a gross understatement. As he writes on his website, “I have researched Hubert de Givenchy’s iconic and groundbreaking designs since the age of ten, when I first discovered his work.”

Recently, VFG-member Wilkinson has had the incredible experience of restoring a Givenchy haute couture gown, and it’s doubtful that anyone else could have done this with more skill and love.

The story begins with a dress consisting of a tantalizingly beautiful bodice and just a few tattered inches of skirt. There was a whisper of a Kennedy connection. Along the way there was Wilkinson’s internship at Givenchy in Paris, the dyeing of silk zibeline, and meticulous couture sewing techniques. Finally, there was the discovery of who wore the dress, and when and where she wore it. But the story is too good not to hear it all, and there is no one better to tell it than Henry himself.

Click to view on YouTube:

Whether it’s a 1930s velvet opera coat or a 1950s pink silk cigarette pants and halter set that catches your fancy, members of the Vintage Fashion Guild always have some terrific authentic vintage items to show off each week in the “Fresh Vintage” Thread HERE. Below is one clickable image from each participating member/seller*

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Browse wedding wear in the new VFG Wedding Resource

Organized by date, this latest Vintage Fashion Guild feature already includes nearly 500 photos of brides, grooms, and wedding garb spanning the last three centuries. Like all the VFG resources, this is free to all. We hope it will help visualize the diverse history of wedding wear, inspire wedding planning ideas, and help to date family wedding photos and clothing. And just be fun to see—there’s already quite a bit to ooh and aah over!
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Please submit your own vintage wedding photos, including date, to help this resource grow. Many thanks to VFG member Maggie Muellner (mags_rags) for inspiring and implementing this new feature.

The Wedding Resource lives in our public forums HERE.

Vintage Lilli Ann and Mollie Parnis dresses along with silver sterling jewelry and a pair of 1930s riding pants are among the many items in this week’s Fresh Vintage thread in the VFG forums.
Below is one clickable image from each participating member/seller, or visit FRESH VINTAGE to see lots more new authentic vintage clothing and accessories.

Vintage 1950s dresses and skirts, along with a 1910 walking suit jacket and a vintage Georg Jenson cuff bracelet are among the many items just listed by members of the Vintage Fashion Guild in the forum’s “Fresh Vintage” thread.
Below is one clickable image from each participating member/seller, or visit the Fresh Vintage thread HERE to see lots more new authentic vintage clothing and accessories.

Leslie-James, Inc. was a high end millinery manufacturer based in Los Angeles, CA. The name was a portmanteau of the founders’ first names: James J. Druce, President and CEO and Leslie G. Masters, Head Designer. Although they seem to have been in business as early as 1930, when both Druce and Masters were listed on the US Census as employed in the millinery business, respectively in sales and factory management, the business was incorporated in 1935 by Druce and Masters. In April of 1935, the company purchased the plant of P. H. Luther Company at 728 South Hill street. At that time, they employed 100 workers.

Leslie-James, Inc. was selling nationwide by 1939, when it was referred to as a “famous house” in a Sarasota, FL newspaper. At that time, their hats were priced from $5 – $15. Leslie-James hats were eventually sold through a variety of department stores including Gimbel’s, Marshall Field and Joseph Horne. By 1964, prices were up to $30 – $300.

James J. Druce was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1887, and worked in sales and millinery productions. He was the president of the California Millinery Society from 1936 – 1953. James retired in 1954 and left Leslie-James, Inc. to Masters. He died in 1956.

Leslie George Masters was a former film actor born in 1909 on a Utah farm. By 1930, he was residing in Los Angeles. He claimed that Gilbert Adrian encouraged him to go into millinery design. Masters was still advertising and making department store visits as late as 1970. Leslie-James Inc. was dissolved in 1983 by Masters. Leslie Masters died in April of 1991.

Written by Hollis Jenkins-Evans

Founded 1969 by Robert Lurie in Boston, Mass. Susan Bristol, Inc. was a popular wholesaler, distributor and importer of embellished knitwear and traditional ladies sportswear and dresses. It’s heyday was the 1980s to early 2000s, when the line was carried in over 1000 shops and department stores throughout the US.

The 1989 trademark registration notes: “The Name “Susan Bristol” is not intended to indicate any particular living individual. For women’s apparel, namely dresses, skirts, blouses, sweaters, jackets and trousers. First use – 9/1/1970; in commerce 9/1/1970”.

Mr. Lurie stayed with the company as president, then CEO and finally Chairman, until it was sold in 2006 to Art Henkens with Capital Factors. While there are still active registrations for the company, it does not seem to have been active since the late 2000s. In 2007, a number of additional trademarks held by the corporation were canceled. These included: Fisher Hill, Concepts Exclusively for Susan Bristol, Colana, SB Collection, Softwear, Do Anything, Bristol, Suzy Bee By Susan Bristol, Susie B., and Bristol Ltd.

Robert Lurie died in 2018.

Written by Hollis Jenkins-Evans

This week’s “Fresh Vintage” includes pieces by Gunne Sax, Gucci, and Karl Lagerfeld. Below is one clickable image from each participating member/seller or visit HERE to see lots more new authentic vintage clothing and accessories.

Joseph Nudelman emigrated from Russia in the 1880s, relocating to various states before going into business with his brother Eugene in Portland, Oregon in 1904. Nudelman Brothers formed an official partnership in 1917. They opened their first uniform store in Portland in 1920, and expanded to Seattle later in the 1920s. Regarding WW2, Eugene Nudelman (1906-1994) reminisced in 1974 “…we were serving many of the facets of the military by virtue of government edict. As a firm in the uniform business, we had to supply all the commissioned officers of the Army and the Navy and the Marine Corps with uniforms furnished by the government. We were paid a small fee for doing it. It was a necessary part of our business at that time.” Nudelman Brothers formally incorporated between 1945 and 1947. They continued to produce uniforms, and at the time of his 1974 interview with the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, Eugene Nudelman was still working full-time for Nudelman Brothers.

Written by Mags Rags Vintage

From a 1920s wool coat to a 1990s retro tie, this week’s “Fresh Vintage” thread has a fine selection of just listed authentic vintage. The thread is HERE.

Below is one item from each participating member. Click on the item for more information.

A Montreal ready-to-wear firm known for their leather and suede fashions, Bagatelle was founded in 1967 by Jack Margolis, with Margaret Godfrey designing. Born in England, Godfrey worked in both the London and New York fashion industries, with a brief tenure at Jonathan Logan before being hired by Margolis. In 1969, she became a partner as well as head designer. After a 1992 bankruptcy, Godfrey worked with Michael Litvak to resurrect the company, and in 1996 Bagatelle was relaunched. After Godfrey’s retirement in 2010, Bagatelle, International has continued in business with, as of 2019, Litvak as president and the head office in Montreal.

Written by Hollis Jenkins-Evans

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