Saturday, July 20, 2013

Doyennes



Tonight:  well, there you see it.  Left side; Jane Derby suit, Hattie Carnegie suit.  Jane Derby has the advantage of still being alive in 1959.




First - what I forgot to add yesterday:



This woman would have worn Antilope.






"FAVOURITE'S RETURN.  Jacket and dress, above left, of wool gabardine.  Fresh news here, caramel colour, white linen cuffs.  By Jane Derby, in Forstmann gabardine; about $225 ($1,805). Ronay handbag.  Both at Saks Fifth Avenue, suit also at Neiman Marcus."

Even Vogue can't get excited about this.  Jane Derby was a stalwart "better dresses" designer from the 1940s to the early 1960s.  I am simply cribbing from her obituary:  a very lady-like designer, she softened the edges of 1940s military look, believed skirts should be no shorter than mid-calf, was from tiny Virginia town that doesn't even list her as a notable native, lived in Manhattan and Bermuda for many years, while managing to raise Hereford cattle.

She gave Oscar de la Renta his start, which makes perfect sense.

Swiped again from that eBay seller.
She looks formidable here, but needs a Yorkie on her lap.

Next up:  a red jersey suit that would have looked a lot better in red.  Lilly Dache hat; Hattie Carnegie suit.  Hattie Carnegie was one of fashion's originals - a completely American success story.  Immigrant from Vienna, took fake "rich" name, could not sew and never made a dress herself, fabulously rich in the 1920s. . . but she died in 1956.



So, who designed the suit?  I do not know.

Tomorrow: a fine example of fashion photography.


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