Lilli Ann: The 1950s
[This post is a continuation of a previous post about the early years of the Lilli Ann company.] By the early 1950s, Lilli Ann designer…
Meet a Label: Graff Californiawear
I love California sportswear of the 1940s, and one of the most prominent labels was Graff Californiawear. It was the product of Lena Ceretto and…
Meet a Designer: Mildred Orrick
Mildred Orrick was born Mildred Boykin in West Virigina in 1906. Her father Richard was a preacher, and the family moved across the South from…
New Orleans photo journal
I love, love New Orleans. I’ve been there four times and every time I leave I can’t wait to go come back. I’m obsessed with the…
Meet a designer: Louella Ballerino
“Quiet Louella Ballerino has created a perfect furor down here. Everybody corners you to ask, ‘Have you seen Ballerino’s things?’ — so of course, everybody…
Meet a Designer: Dorothy O’Hara
[Author’s note: I initially wrote this post in January 2015, but I lost a lot of images when I switched hosts, and I felt like…
Ballerinas on the beach
In the late 1930s and early 40s, a popular silhouette for beach fashions was a slim torso flaring to a short skirt, as seen in…
Meet a designer: Don Loper
For a serious Hollywood designer, there is a surprising dearth of information about Don Loper. A lot of people know he designed for I Love Lucy,…
Lilli Ann: early years through 1940s
A great deal has been written about the 20th century suit and coat label Lilli Ann, but I feel like not a lot of it gets…
Claire McCardell mystery dress
I love a good mystery. I love collecting clues, assembling narratives, and ultimately (hopefully) solving mysteries. When I bought this black Claire McCardell dress a…