Campus Casuals of California was a fashion label founded by Addie and Harry Ross in 1952. Specializing in youthful separates, by the 1960s it had become one of California’s leading clothing manufacturers. Lilli Diamond was purchased as a subsidiary in 1965. The company ceased operations in 1978.
Written by ranchqueenvintage
Cover Girl of Miami was launched in 1951 by Morton Varat (1923-2011) and ceased operations in 1972, with Varat’s retirement. From a family of Russian origin, Varat moved from New York to Miami in 1950 to found Cover Girl. In 1968, Varat built a 36,000-square-foot warehouse and office space building for the successful company. This building is still in the Varat family, still used for garment making.
Varat’s children and grandchildren also launched fashion businesses. His daughter Lois Varat Kandell was quoted in WWD as saying her father was a perfectionist, “very particular in how he picked out prints.” One granddaughter, Michelle Varat, reported that the family was delighted when a red rose-detailed Cover Girl of Miami dress was worn in the show Mad Men.
Written by denisebrain
Wilsons House of Suede was a manufacturer-retailer of fine leather garments. Founded in 1950 in Beverly Hills, California by Jerry Wilson, it was known for its high-fashion style and quality. Jerry’s sons Tony, Jeffrey and Brian took over the store in 1964, and began producing TV commercials that they appeared in, raising the company’s profile and popularity.
In the 1970s the Wilsons moved their manufacturing overseas allowing them to lower their price-point and broaden their client base. The brothers expanded the business, opening stores in shopping malls across the country.
Melville Group acquired the 42-store Wilsons House of Suede and Leather chain in 1986. After Melville purchased Bermans – another family-owned leather business – it merged the two companies in 1988, becoming the largest retailer of leather coats and accessories in the United States. Over 500 traditional stores were operated under the new name Wilsons The Leather Experts Inc. Melville operated Wilsons until 1996, when the company was sold to a management-led investor group. In the ensuing decades, the company has been forced to scale back operations and experiment with a variety of business models in an effort to stay afloat and avoid bankruptcy.
Written by ranchqueenvintage
Judy’s was a southern California-based clothing store chain founded in 1946 by Marcia Israel-Curley (1921-2004).
At that time, Israel-Curley was a model who was inspired to open her own store because she couldn’t find any youthful clothing to wear. She borrowed $1,000 from her mother and opened a tiny, 7-by-10-foot store in East Los Angeles, naming the shop “Judy’s”, because it was short enough to fit above the narrow storefront.
Judy’s was at the forefront of a new youth-oriented retail experience that saw teenage girls and twenty-something women coveting the trendy new items that arrived weekly. Under their own “Exclusively for Judy’s” label, the stores sold everything from intimate-wear to accessories to dresses. The Mary Quant cosmetic counter was a popular mainstay within the stores.
Judy’s maintained its position at the top of the juniors retail heap through the 1970s, expanding rapidly into shopping malls across the country. By 1989, the Judy’s chain consisted of 70 women’s clothing stores and 34 men’s clothing stores in California and four other western states.
After a handful of poor sales years, Marcia and her then-husband, Larry sold the company. In 1993, to avoid bankruptcy, the chain was acquired by Rampage, eventually converting all Judy’s stores to that brand.
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Eve Stillman (1906-2003) was a highly influential lingerie designer and company owner.
A leader in the intimate wear industry for more than 50 years, Stillman was known as much for her larger-than-life personality as for her understated and elegant nightgowns and robes worn by Hollywood luminaries such as Joan Crawford, Debbie Reynolds, Gene Tierney, Ida Lupino and Barbara Stanwyck.
Stillman was born in Upper Manhattan and attended Hunter College. She entered the design field in 1949, when the struggling company known as Gracette Lingerie was owned by her late husband, Harry. Eve was instrumental in turning the business around, changing the name to Eve Stillman in the process.
She set her sights on designing high-end sleepwear and lingerie for exclusive stores like Lord & Taylor and Saks Fifth Avenue, achieving her goal when ready-to-wear designer Anne Fogarty used Stillman’s horsehair crinolines underneath wide skirts.
In 1981, Stillman received a Femmy award from the Intimate Apparel Industry, a trade group for lingerie makers, and remained influential in the intimate wear industry until she retired in 1989.
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Have you heard the word? Skin is in!
Ranging from demure to daring are slashes, slits, and cutouts – alluring alternatives to the more overt sexiness of a plunging neckline or backless dress. Intricate lace patterns and cleverly placed keyholes in a variety of geometric shapes help make the case for this subtle, more surprising reveal.
Let’s play a game of peek-a-boo – VFG style, as we showcase our most hole-some vintage fashion items!
Dan Werlé (1917-1985) started his business after World War ll with Jose Fernandez. The two remained partners for the rest of his life, with Werlé designing and Fernandez handling the business side.
By the mid-1950s their clientele included some of Hollywood’s most stylish leading ladies. Gloria Swanson, Barbara Stanwyck and Marlo Thomas are just a few of the actresses who wore Werlé Originals. He is probably best known for the glamorous gowns he created for Loretta Young during her long running television show. The entrances she made wearing Werlé’s fabulous gowns became her signature, and garnered him a national audience.
Werlé had an exclusive couture shop on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, but also sold original creations and ready-to-wear in high-end department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and I. Magnin.
Written by ranchqueenvintage
Zelda was a boutique label producing women’s garments beginning in 1982, and was sold in finer department stores like Henri Bendel and Saks Fifth Avenue.
The brand had a vintage aesthetic that sought to recreate the detail and fine tailoring of 1940’s-era garments, particularly suiting. Made of rayon crepe with great attention to detail, Zelda’s signature suit style featured a fitted jacket embellished with soutache, beading or ribbon work – rivaling the quality and character of the vintage originals. Sold as separates, with a skirt or pants option to go with the matching jacket, Zelda suits were coveted by professional women seeking a non-cookie-cutter office look.
Zelda ceased production in 1998.
Written by ranchqueenvintage
Contempo Casuals was a boutique-style retail chain founded by Wil and Dottie Friedman, two Salt Lake City transplants who arrived in Los Angeles in 1960. Wil was a liquidator of businesses that had gone bankrupt, and would put all the leftover merchandise into storage. Finally, they rented a storefront with the intention of selling all the random merchandise they had acquired until it was all gone. When they saw how quickly the women’s clothing sold, they decided to order more and continued down this path until the only merchandise they were selling was women’s clothing.
In 1962, with zero retail experience, they opened their first Contempo Casuals store in a San Fernando Valley strip mall. Because they were going by intuition rather than experience, they made their own rules and experimented with marketing and merchandising as they learned the business. It wasn’t until they relocated the store to the heart of the city in 1965, that they honed in on their retail identity as the store for the young and hip. This set them apart from the pack, helping them attract a loyal, fashion-forward clientele.
The Friedmans oversaw every detail of the business, hiring staff that embodied the spirit of their clients. From the award-winning Peter Max-inspired graphics on all the packaging, labels, and advertising, to the store merchandising and head-to-toe Contempo Casuals outfits worn by the salesgirls, the brand was always innovating, staying ahead of its competitors. Its reputation for having the latest fashions at affordable prices allowed Contempo Casuals to continue expanding, becoming a popular fixture in shopping malls across the country.
In 1978, the Friedmans sold Contempo Casuals to the Carter Hawley Hale Group, who later sold the chain to the Neiman Marcus Group. The company continued to grow, yet, without the Friedman’s vision, the chain’s sales went soft. The brand ceased to exist in 1995 when all stores were converted to Wet Seals.
Written by ranchqueenvintage
Every Thursday a new thread named “Fresh Vintage” starts in the public forums of the Vintage Fashion Guild website. Here are highlights from each contributing member. If you click on the image you can see more details about that item, or click HERE to see many more recent vintage offerings.
The Broadway was a mid-level department store chain headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1896 by English born Arthur Letts, Sr., the Broadway became one of the dominant retailers in Southern California and the Southwest.
The company became Broadway-Hale Stores in 1950, with the purchase of Hale Bros. Stores of Northern California. The brand continued to expand well into the next decade, buying out competitors and opening stores throughout California and the Southwest. After acquiring Bergdorf-Goodman, Neiman-Marcus, Holt Renfrew & Co., and merging with Emporium Capwell, Broadway-Hale Stores was one of the nation’s largest department store chains with 45 stores.
The company continued its expansion through the end of the 1970s, when the company was split into two divisions: The Broadway Southern California, based in Los Angeles; and Broadway Southwest, headquartered in Phoenix. The next two decades saw a reversal in fortunes, with multiple attempts at restructuring undertaken to avoid bankruptcy. In 1995, the chain was acquired by Federated Department Stores, and the majority of locations were converted to Macy’s or Bloomingdale’s.
Written by ranchqueenvintage
The May Company was a Los Angeles-based chain of mid-level department stores established in 1925 by the May family of St. Louis, Missouri. At its inception, the flagship store on Hill Street was one of the country’s largest department stores, occupying almost an entire city block.
Expansion into into other parts of the city and the suburbs began in the late-1930s, and continued right up until the company merged with J.W. Robinson stores in 1993 to form Robinsons-May. In 2005, Federated Department Stores bought its parent company – the May Department Stores, and Robinson’s-May was dissolved in 2005-6.
Written by ranchqueenvintage
The first Earth Day in 1970 is credited with launching the modern environmental movement. 50 years later, it’s recognized as the world’s largest civic event, engaging millions of people worldwide in the fight for a cleaner, more sustainable planet.
By wearing vintage you become part of the solution! Recycling in this way, you minimize your carbon footprint by reducing the consumption of resources that would otherwise be required to manufacture new clothing.
In celebration of Earth Day’s 50th anniversary, we honor Mother Nature with a parade of earthy, natural textiles and botanical prints.
Every Thursday a new thread called “Fresh Vintage” starts in the public forums of the Vintage Fashion Guild website. This posting highlights one item from each contributing member. If you click on the image you can see more details about that item, or click HERE to see many more offerings.
As we are all in lockdown, it’s time to ditch the old track suit and hoodie and lounge in style – after all, when your friends see you on the video chat, you should look your best! To help you find your best vintage loungewear, our VFG members are showing you their most stylish options in house dresses and coats, brunch coats, hostess gowns and pajamas, robes, kimonos, caftans, smoking jackets, bed jackets, slippers and more. Stay healthy and stylish!
Every Thursday a new thread called “Fresh Vintage” starts in the public forums of the Vintage Fashion Guild website. This posting highlights one item from each contributing member. If you click on the image here you can see more details about that item, or click HERE to see the complete thread and all the new listings.
“Lady Day” was one of the greatest and most influential jazz singers of all time, known for her deeply personal interpretations, often melancholy sound, and her distinct phrasing, influenced by jazz instrumentalists.
Holiday appeared with big bands (she was one of the first African American women to appear with a white orchestra when she sang with Artie Shaw’s band in 1938) and smaller combos, and she recorded extensively.
The most enduring image of Billie Holiday dates from around 1940: At the microphone, in a beautiful gown, gardenias in her hair, head thrown back. Explore her style with dramatic, stage-worthy evening clothing from the 1940s and 50s including off-the-shoulder looks, satin, sequins and beading; 1940s printed rayon dresses; turbans, head wraps and head-turning hats; furs and feathers; bold and exotic jewelry—and of course, flowers.
Every Thursday a new thread called “Fresh Vintage” starts in the public forums of the Vintage Fashion Guild website. This posting highlights one item from each contributing member. If you click on the image here you can see more details about that item, or click HERE to see the entire thread.
Fashion has had a global reach for a long time – just think of silk from China being worn by Roman Emperors. And it’s not only materials, but also styles, shapes and motifs from the far reaches of the world that have been adopted as fashionable while global trade grew. Today, more than ever, fashion designers take inspiration from ethnic styles.
This week, VFG members take us on a world tour by showing us their best vintage in global style!
Every Thursday a new thread called “Fresh Vintage” starts in the public forums of the Vintage Fashion Guild website. This posting highlights one item from each contributing member. If you click on the image here you can see more details about that item, or click HERE to see the entire thread.
