Dress
Gustave Tassell, 1957
The Philadelphia Museum of Art
Navy blue rayon dress, c. 1945, with the story of D-Day printed on the fabric. The bottom section around the skirt shows men in landing barges, wading through water and hitting the beach. The next row up are pictures of tanks, trucks and jeeps moving across roads. Next are soldiers being welcomed by French people in small towns, and finally there are people throwing bouquets and cheering. The bodice repeats the last row of the motif and around the shoulders and collar are waves. The dress opens down the front with a placket concealing nine navy blue buttons, a hook and eye at the waist and a snap at the neck. There are thread belt loops at the waist, but the belt is missing. Inside the neck is a label from “Bonwit Teller / Fifth Avenue / New York.” We have been unable to document other similar dresses; please let us know if you are aware of any extant pieces.
The dress was worn in Charleston by Mercedes Marshall Blount, wife of Charles Blount, Jr., the president of United Piece Dye Works. She was probably in town with her husband who was negotiating the site for a new plant. Apparently she was in the shop of artist Elizabeth O’Neil Verner, who later convinced her to donate the dress to The Charleston Museum on June 6, 1962, in honor of the 18th anniversary of D-Day.
United Piece Dye Works was America’s largest commission dyehouse, founded in Lodi, NJ in 1907. They were in the business of dyeing, finishing and printing both silk and other fabrics and later rayon and other synthetics. In 1952, a few years after Mrs. Blount wore this dress here, a new UPDW plant was opened in North Charleston at the Hanahan Station. It closed in 1976 and the last UPDW plant, in Edenton, NC, closed in 2011.
On this 68th Anniversary of D-Day, we submit this dress as a tribute to the 160,000 Allied troops that landed on the beaches of Normandy, along with the over 5000 ships and 13,000 aircraft which supported the invasion. The D-Day cost was high -more than 9,000 Allied Soldiers were killed or wounded — but more than 100,000 soldiers began the march across Europe to defeat Hitler.
TEXTILE TUESDAYS: Each Tuesday we post a piece from our textile collection. Some items have been on exhibit, some will eventually be shown in our new Historic Textiles Gallery and some may be just too fragile to display. We hope you enjoy our selection each week – do let us know if there’s something in particular you’d like to see on TEXTILE TUESDAY! #TextileTuesday
I’m completely 100% obsessed with this Sarah Burton bridesmaid dress on Pippa Middleton. Conventional wisdom dictates that no other woman should wear white or ivory on the wedding day other than the bride, but this dress just blew that notion out of the water. I would totally consider letting my bridesmaids wear white if the dress were this amazing! - M
Rebelle Stylestalker Dress, ASOS Sunglasses + Peeptoe Platform Heels. (image: befrassy)
(Source: what-do-i-wear)
i have this dress from alexandra grace!! too cute :)
(Source: princessandtheblog, via perksofbeingbrita)
Vintage Catalog- women’s shoes from the 1955 Aldens Catalog
The Victoria Flower 1460 Boot
Women’s Shoes By Dr. Martens
Women’s shoes say a lot about their sense of style on any given day. This is a good reference for the basic shape of many kinds of shoes which may be needed for drawing various women. Do not rely too heavily on the labels, as they are not necessarily accurate in light of the ever-evolving nature of fashion vocabulary.
(Source: leilockheart, via artist-refs)
The shoes inspired by DC Comics that NEED to come to the states
The French designer Andre just introduced a new line of shoes inspired by the women of DC Comics. We, of course, have Converse sneakers with Catwoman and, earlier, Wonder Woman. France steps up the chic factor with these:
They are not available online. I checked. And they are pretty pricey. Actually, very pricey. They start at around $177 for the flats.
Still want them.
Mens shoes > women’s shoes
(Source: mensfashionfabric, via cultusmortem-deactivated2012122)
Women’s shoes say a lot about their sense of style on any given day. This is a good reference for the basic shape of many kinds of shoes which may be needed for drawing various women. Do not rely too heavily on the labels, as they are not necessarily accurate in light of the ever-evolving nature of fashion vocabulary.
(Source: leilockheart, via )
I really love women’s shoes—I think they’re very sexy. So whenever I go into Bloomingdale’s, I head to the women’s shoe section and think, Hmm, maybe I’ll get my next girlfriend a pair of those.” And he doesn’t just buy for his loves: “I always buy my mom Louboutins or Jimmy Choos for her birthday. I have a pretty good sense of style, all in all. Once I figure out a woman, I know what she should wear—which comes in very handy when you have a mom and girlfriends. You can always make them happy with a nice bag or a pair of pumps.
I usually don’t post women shoes, but these are great looking pairs that I’m sure men can rock, too!!
ALBRA PRAT’S NEON OLD SCHOOL COLLECTION
Berlin-based fashion designer Alba Prat present us her latest accessories collection called “Neon Old School”, inspired by children of the Cold War and school uniforms. Prat was heavily inspired by the knits and garments children in the Cold War were sent off to school with when making this delightfully neon-accented collection. Definitely into it!
Women’s shoes say a lot about their sense of style on any given day. This is a good reference for the basic shape of many kinds of shoes which may be needed for drawing various women. Do not rely too heavily on the labels, as they are not necessarily accurate in light of the ever-evolving nature of fashion vocabulary.
(Source: leilockheart)
Chats with Kick Ass Menswear Guys: Matt from Del Toro Shoes
Matt Chevallard has taken his startup slipper company from the dorms of a New England prep school to South Beach, and put his shoes on some of the heaviest hitters in the sports, and music worlds (Dwayne Wade is frequently seen in them, Lil Wayne was an early adopter). So how do you go from outfitting your friends to designing custom kicks for Lapo Elkann? We chatted with Chevallard on a recent trip to New York about summer footwear, strawberry candy, and the first thing he notices about someone else’s style.
