The VFG believes that informed selling and buying communities are good for the vintage-fashion industry as a whole, and all visitors to the website have access to the VFG resources. These are continually updated and constantly evolving, thanks to a dedicated volunteer staff.
Our blog features our picks of the freshest vintage items, member news and articles. We have also created a growing series of articles on some classic designers.
The Vintage Fashion Guild™ (VFG) is an international organization dedicated to the promotion and preservation of vintage fashion.
The Vintage Fashion Guild™ (VFG) is an international community of people with expertise in vintage fashion. VFG members enjoy a wealth of resources, avenues for promoting their shops and specialties, and camaraderie with others who share a common interest and passion.
Captain Edward Molyneux (1891-1974) got his start in fashion when he entered and won a design competition sponsored by Lucile, the London couturiere, in 1911. He went to work for her as a sketcher. In 1914 he joined the British army where he distinguished himself in battle.
After the war he opened his own fashion house in Paris and soon added branches in other French cities as well as London. He was known for clothing that was perfectly tailored and very wearable. During the 1930s he designed elegant evening dresses with matching coats.
Molyneux returned to London during WWII, where he worked designing Utility clothing – garments that met the strict fabric conservation laws that were in place during the war.
He returned to Paris after the war and reopened his couture house. In 1950 Molyneux created a new twist on the American custom of importing French clothing and making copies. In the spring of that year he bought 50 designs from ten American sportswear designers, including Tina Leser, Claire McCardell and Carolyn Schnurer, with the intentions of reproducing them in France. But increasingly poor health caused him to sell his business to his former assistant Jacques Griffe later that year.
He retired to the West Indies, but later opened Studio Molyneux, a high quality ready-to-wear line, in 1964. He retired for good in 1969, however Studio Molyneux continued under the direction of John Tullis until 1977, when it closed.
Label note: Adaptation labels were used not by the designer, but by US firms that were making fashions that were adapted from the designer’s work. Many firms did adaptations, and an adaptation might be a faithful reproduction of the original, or it might be very loosely based on the designer’s work.
Written by fuzzylizzie
Courtesy of dandelion-vintage
Courtesy of kickshawproductions
Courtesy of ilkit33
Courtesy of vintagetrend
Courtesy of curlygurly77
Courtesy of denisebrain
from a 1920 dress
from a late 1930s evening dress
from a 1940s evening gown
a 1940s adaptation label
from a 1960s knit dress
from a 1960s suit
signature on a 1970s silk scarf