Labels

Clothier John Baldwin opened a small shop in St. Petersburg, Fla., in 1947. The business grew, and in 1951 he opened his flagship location at “Fashion Corner” (Beach Drive at Second Avenue). His womenswear shop catered to wealthy locals and tourists in an elegant atmosphere.

The focus was on service. In a 1990 interview with the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times, Baldwin was quoted as saying that he selected designs for his shop one at a time, often with a specific client in mind.

He opened nine shops throughout Florida, and in Myrtle Beach, S.C. In addition to womenswear, Baldwin eventually sold menswear, lingerie, shoes, and furs.

The flagship store featured a luxurious central salon, with a single sample of each item on display. Sales associates would make personalized recommendations for each customer, then fetch the selections in the appropriate size from hidden stock areas behind mirrored doors. There was a seamstress on staff to make any necessary alterations.

Baldwin tried to keep up with changes in the fashion business, while maintaining the sophistication and elegance that were his shops’ hallmarks. As everyday dress shifted to casual, Baldwin stayed relevant by focusing on upscale separates.

Cristóbal Balenciaga (1896-1972) started in the fashion business as a tailor in Spain. In 1917, he established Eisa Fashion House, named for his mother. He left Spain due to the Spanish Civil War, and went to Paris. There he opened his couture house in 1937. The business was closed from 1940 until 1945, but reopened after the war. Balenciaga retired in 1968, and died four years later.
He was known for his sculptural approach to design. The cut and construction was often quite complicated, but the result was seemingly simple. He was called “the master of us all” by Christian Dior.
Noted designers who worked for Balenciaga included Oscar de la Renta, Andre Courrèges, and Emanuel Ungaro. Hubert de Givenchy was his most famous protégé.
After Balenciaga’s death, the rights to the label were acquired by a German firm, who produced clothing under the label until 1986. The House of Balenciaga was purchased and relaunched with a ready to wear line of clothing in 1987. Michel Goma was creative director from 1987 until 1992. He was succeeded by Josephus Thimister, Nicolas Ghesquière and Alexander Wang. In 2015, Demna Gvasalia became the new creative director. The luxury group Kering is the current owner of Balenciaga.

“Balenciaga abides by the law that elimination is the secret of chic.” Harper’s Bazaar, 1938

See also: Eisa

Written by fuzzylizzie and updated by the VFG in 2022

Bali was started in 1927 as Fay-Miss Bras by Sara and Sam Stein. Ms. Stein had worked in a brassiere manufacturing factory and had ideas about how to make a better bra. Sara made the bras on her home sewing machine, and Sam sold the product to New York department stores. The venture was very successful, and they soon became leaders in the bra industry.

In 1935, they changed the name of their business to the Bali Brassiere Company. Their ad slogan, “A bra for every figure” summed up the company’s attitude toward fit and comfort. Through the 1940s and 50s, they continued to develop new styles and to grow as a company.

The Steins retired in 1969, and controlling interest in Bali was sold to Hanes. Today Bali is part of the Sara Lee Corporation.

Written by fuzzylizzie

The Ballantyne family of Scotland had long been a leader in wool manufacturing and trade. In 1921, the sons of David Ballantyne formed a cashmere knitting factory in Innerleithen, Scotland. The company was known as D. Ballantyne Brothers and Co. Ltd. Throughout the 1920s and into the 1930s, the company developed intarsia designs, and became very well known for their argyles.

In 1945, the company was reorganized and renamed the Ballantyne Sportswear Co. Ltd. During the 1950s, the company moved into the fashion sweater market, developing intarsia designs that appealed to people of sophisticated taste. By this time Ballantyne was recognized as one of the finest makers of cashmere in the world.

The factory that made Ballantyne cashmere knits closed in 2013. There is a current “Ballantyne” label, but it is not the same company that produced cashmere in Scotland.

See also: Cashmere Sweaters

Written by fuzzylizzie

Louella Ballerino (1900-1978) began producing designs for custom shops and wholesalers in the late 1930s. She had studied fashion design under MGM-designer Andre Ani as part of an art history degree at the University of Southern California, and tailoring and pattern-making at the Frank Wiggins Trade High School, Los Angeles, where she subsequently taught fashion theory for over five years.

Drawing on library research into Native, Latin American and African heritage, and later, European and Oriental design, Ballerino used unusual motifs and lines as a focal point around which she would build her Californian leisure clothes. Her early successes included African-motif ornamented, dirndl-skirted dresses and Dutch-boy slacks. Her designs often incorporated flexible and unusual features like convertible capes and giant pockets. Like Tina Leser, she strived to use unusual decorative patterns and motifs, such as hand-block printing and folk embroidery, to embellish her clothes.

First receiving wider recognition in the early 1940s, Ballerino went through a number of different business collaborations and partnerships in the effort to manufacture and distribute her designs. For two to three years, starting in 1946, she produced a successful range of themed beach sets in bright printed fabrics for Jantzen. Early sets, using Bates fabrics, were not credited to her, but from 1947, Ballerino’s name was included on the label.

Louella Ballerino’s collections gained exposure alongside other members of the California Fashionists in the late 1940s. But she vanishes from press coverage during the very early 1950s, at the very point that many of her innovations became more widely used by designers in defining popular wardrobes of the following decade.

Written by vintagevoyager

Carl Franz Bally, (1821-1898) the son of a silk-ribbon weaver, founded the Bally Company in 1851 and manufactured and supplied ribbons and sundries, including the elastic webbing used by shoemakers. The exact date the company began making shoes varies according to different company histories, but it is often reported that while on a visit to Paris in the 1890s Carl bought an entire stock of shoes with the intention of mass-producing high-quality copies. Carl died in 1898 after Bally had begun producing footwear. His son continued to develop the business as a quality manufacturer of fine shoes.

Unlike many companies, Bally managed to not only survive the Great Depression and the material shortages caused by World War II but also to grow and prosper. Bally shoes were successfully exported around the world from the 1920s to the 1960s, with exports accelerating during the 1970s and reaching a pinnacle in the mid 1980s. Sales began to falter in the 1990s when competing brands took a larger share of the market, and Bally was sold to an American investment firm in 1999. The company has been reorganized with a view to taking its former position in the luxury footwear market.

Written by kickshawproductions.com

Pierre Balmain (1904-1982) worked under Robert Pigiuet, Molyneux, and Lucian Lelong, where he worked closely with Christian Dior. He opened his own house in 1945.

Balmain shared a very sculptural quality with other designers of the 1950s, which was always allied with a ladylike essence. His dresses had a body and a shape of their own. In addition to his couture label, there was a boutique line and accessories.

Balmain died in 1982. His house was run by Erik Mortensen until 1990, who was succeeded by Antoine Alistair Blair and Herve Pierre. In 1993, Oscar de la Renta was appointed Directeur Artistique de la Haute Couture at the House of Balmain. Starting in 2002, the collection was designed by Christophe Decarnin who left the house in 2011. He was succeeded by Olivier Rousteing.

Written by pastperfectvintage.com

Banana Republic was founded in Mill Valley, California in 1978 by Mel and Patricia Ziegler as an army surplus import business. As their supplies began to dry up, they began to manufacture copies of some of their most popular items. By the early 1980s, most of their merchandise was designed and made for them, and the surplus disappeared from their catalogs and stores.

Both the stores and the catalogs had a vintage travel theme. The catalogs read like travelogues, and the stores were decorated in a safari theme. It was almost like being in a 1940s movie, with jungle sounds and 1940s music playing in the background.

In 1983, the company was bought by The Gap. The Zeiglers were kept on by Gap to run the company but they left in 1988. The safari and travel concept was phased out, and by 1990, it was totally gone. Today, Banana Republic is categorized by Gap as an “Affordable Luxury” line.

Written by fuzzylizzie

See vintage Banana Republic from VFG members on Etsy (paid link)

Jeff Banks started London boutique ‘Clobber’ with business partner Tony Harley in 1964. It began as a retail outlet, supplied by designers such as Ossie Clark, Janice Wainwright and Jean Muir for Jane and Jane. Clobber was the forerunner of Biba; with its intimate, stylish feel. Banks turned designer when the shop regularly sold out of its stock. “The day after we opened we were standing in the empty shop and Freda Fairway, who had worked for Hardy Amies and Mary Quant, came into the shop and said, ‘Why don’t you make your own clothes?’ There was nothing she didn’t know about making clothes. She stayed with me seventeen years.”

His clothes were also sold in Fenwicks in the 1960s and 1970s. He married Sandie Shaw in 1968 and they had a daughter, Grace, before divorcing in the 1970s. He moved into mass retailing with his ‘Warehouse’ chain in the 1970s. He later became most famous for working on BBC’s The Clothes Show and is still designing clothes and homewares, and co-running Graduate Fashion Week in the UK.

See also: Clobber

Written by emmepeelpants

Helena Barbieri was a maker of evening dresses and formal gowns from the 1940s at least until the late 1950s. In the late 1940s she designed youthful formal gowns for the label “Young American Deb”. In 1949, she began designing for the company Modern Couture, where she eventually became a partner. Helena Barbieri designed mainly formal wear, which was often richly embellished with beading, sequins and embroidery.

Written by bartondoll

Barbizon was established in 1933 as a maker of women’s rayon lingerie. They were unique in that they also made the fabrics from which their garments were sewn. They specialized in high-quality synthetic blends, which they gave romantic names such as Satin de Lys and Angel Blendaire. Barbizon was sold to the VF Corporation (Vanity Fair) in 1991.

Because Barbizon had the names of the fabrics trademarked, there is a record of each one’s first use with the US Patent and Trademark Office. For example:

Satin de Lys – 1959
Zephaire Batiste – 1955
Tafredda – 1954
Feathaire – 1956
Blendaire – 1954
Satin Seraphim – 1937
Crepe Remarque – 1954

Written by fuzzylizzie

See vintage Barbizon from VFG members on Etsy (paid link)

A.J. Bari was one of several lines designed by American designer Kay Unger as part of the Gillian Group. The A.J. Bari line was in existence from about 1972 but was closed in 1995 when Unger formed her own label.

Written by coutureallurevintage.com

Ben Barrack (1906-1996) was the owner of a mid-priced Seventh Avenue fashion house that specialized in petites. He got started in the fashion business by working in retail, but by the 1940s he had started his manufacturing venture. Barrack was a charter member of the New York Dress Institute, which was formed in 1940. His wife, Florence, was the designer at Ben Barrack until 1969.

Written by fuzzylizzie

Established in 1903 as W Barratt Boot and Shoe Company, in Northampton, a town traditionally known as the centre of footwear manufacture in England.
During the 20thC the company’s successful advertising slogan was ‘Walk the Barratt Way’.
By 1939 Barratts had 150 branches. It was purchased by another traditional English footwear company Stylo Boot Company Ltd in 1964 which had 150 outlets of it’s own and the company continued to trade under the Barratts name, growing to 400 retail outlets.

In the 1990s it suffered competition from low cost foreign trade and was merged with the company ‘PriceLess’. By this time the company was based in Bradford and had 300 UK & Ireland concessions within Arcadia group stores such as Dorothy Perkins, as well as selling online through their own website, and online with the retailer Wallis.

In 2008 Stylo purchased 24 stores from the collapsed shoe retailer Dolcis and they were rebranded Barratts. In the following 6 years the company entered administration 3 times and changed hands several times. In January 2014 the Barratts brand and website were purchased by the footwear entrepreneur Harvey Jacobson (whose group owns over 75 shoe and clothing brands, including the british Lotus and Ravel) and the former buying and merchandising director of Barratts, Simon Robson.

Written by stellarosevintage

Agnes Barrett was a California designer, and was active from the 1930s through the 1950s. She was a member of the Affiliated Fashionists, a group of California sportswear producers, otherwise known as the “Eight Designing Women.” She has been credited with inventing the broomstick skirt.

Written by fuzzylizzie

Odette Barsa (d. 1975) was a quality lingerie maker. Born in Syria, Odette came to the US where she married Simon Barsa in 1922. He owned a successful business, but experienced financial difficulty after the crash of the stock market in 1929. In the early 1930s, Odette decided to help out by forming her own manufacturing business, making lingerie.

In the early days the business was very small, with Odette and two others. She designed and cut the models, and was even the fit model. The business was a success, growing from one room at 16 East 34th Street to the entire floor.

Odette Barsa lingerie was luxurious, with imported embroideries and fabrics. She experimented with new lengths, and introduced the American market to the ballerina length which became popular in the 1950s.

After her death in 1975, Odette Barsa continued to be run for a while by her two sons.

Written by Fuzzylizzie

John Bates is possibly one of the greatest forgotten talents of the 1960s and 1970s. With no formal training, he took an apprenticeship at London couturier Herbert Sidon in the late 1950s. He was asked to start the Jean Varon label in 1960. “I called it Jean Varon because at the time an English name like John Bates meant nothing, you had to appear to be French. Jean is French for John and Varon because there was no ‘V’ in the rag trade book. Jean Varon made a good graphic image’”(John Bates quoted in ‘Boutique’ by Marnie Fogg).

As far as is known, all Jean Varon labeled garments were designed by Bates. Early garments are innovative with space-age fabrics, see-through panels, cut-out holes and matching accessories right down to the tights. As an aside, Bates is also sometimes credited with the ‘invention’ of the mini-skirt. He popularised trousers for women and encouraged the first ‘underwear as outerwear’ style, through precision cutting and the use of lace and mesh. An example of this work won him the ‘Dress of The Year’ title in 1965.

His reputation earned him the ultimate commission; designing a wardrobe of outfits for the second half of the first Emma Peel season on The Avengers in 1965-66. The contrast from Bates’ first appearance as designer is breathtaking; his bold op-art motifs, mini-skirts, trousers and feminine eveningwear injected glamour and youth into the character. Contrary to popular belief, Bates was only on board for half a season and took no further part in The Avengers. It is a connection that he continues to be most famous for. His designs were also manufactured for sale across the country; the first time that a woman could watch a TV character one evening, and own the clothes by the next.

In the later 1960s and 1970s, Bates continued to innovate but the garments moved towards a softer, feminine look. Bates concurrently designed for an own-name label, which was more avant garde and innovative. He was still designing for Varon throughout the 70s, but at some point in the late 1970s/early 1980s, his own label fizzled out into bankruptcy and he decided to leave the mainstream fashion business. He is now working as an artist and living in Wales. The Varon label carried on into the 80s, with designer Tom Bowker. There are still a few gems to be found from this era, but it is the Bates work that is collectible.

See also: Jean Varon

Lila Bath was a pioneer in the Mexican fashion industry. She worked for more than forty years making traditional items such as Mexican wedding dresses and fancy evening wear. She also helped organize the Fashion Group International.

Written by tastyvintage.com

BCBG Max Azria Group began with a single idea – to create a beautiful dress.

Founded in 1989, BCBG was named for the French phrase “bon chic, bon genre,” Parisian slang meaning “good style, good attitude.”

The brand embodies a true combination of European sophistication and American spirit.

The BCBG Max Azria label is sold online, in freestanding boutiques and partner shops at top department stores across the globe.

Written by thespectrum

A Jamaican maker of 1960s – 1970s casual resort wear, Beachcomber was one of the 20 members of the Jamaican Fashion Guild, which was founded in 1966.
Some pieces were hand screen printed. Labels seen so far include: Made by Beachcomber, Jamaica, W. I. and Jamaica Fashion Guild Beachcomber Made in Jamaica, WI.
The Guild pieces retailed in Jamaica and the USA and were advertised as available in “Better stores coast to coast”.
Beachcomber was a Jamaican Fashion Guild member until at least 1972. There are labels both with and without the Guild symbol.

Written by Hollis Jenkins-Evans