Vintage 1950s Floral Dresses

New arrivals to our vintage collection with three floral dresses. I love florals to soften and feminise a look, they look great dressed down with long messy hair or a short boyish crop and 90s grunge boots.
The new pieces are .... A 1950s Horrockses full length gown with strapless ruched bodice and pink gladioli print. A 1930s delicate peach rayon tea dress with roses and a sweetheart neckline. And a great 1950s Mid Century modern print party dress with olive green bow back.

Click the images for more info ....

New Arrivals to Our Vintage Collection

We always have gorgeous dresses arriving at the shop and here are a few pastel lace pieces that are my favourites this week. Our collection is always carefully selected to work together with the other dresses and our own collections.

Above is a beautifully delicate 1950s silk organza and lace cocktail dress in pastel baby blue. The lace is some of the prettiest I have seen and the fine piping at the waist finished with a bow is perfection.

 Ivory vintage 1940s fine French lace wedding gown, cut on the bias allowing the wearing to simply slip on the dress and fit with the ties at the waist. I love the quilted satin shoulders and collar. The sleeves are a gorgeous fit too with pointed cuffs.

 Finally a little cuteness from the 1960s with the pastel yellow babydoll mini dress with lace bodice, satin bow at the empire line and chiffon skirt. If I can find the twin of the dress they would make the most gorgeous bridesmaids dresses!

Princess of the Orleans Family French Royal Silk Dress 1890s to 1900s

This dress is a very rare find, a 1890s to 1900s silk evening gown in great condition. To add to this it carries the label 'To the Princesses of the Orleans Family' C.W King, Richmond. I can't find anything about C.W King who must have been dressmakers or couturiers in Richmond at this time.

Princess Amelie d'Orleans

Princess Helene d'Orleans 

Princess Isabelle d'Orleans and her cousin Princess Marie d'Orleans. Could Isabelle have worn this dress?

 Princess Louise D'Orleans - this is most likely the wearer of the dress and would match the style of her era. 

Above are the princesses who may have worn this dress.

The dress was found in a shop in Clifton, Bristol recently. The collector I purchased this dress from found it in a shop in Clifton, Bristol. The sellers thought it was a costume. Where it came from before this, we don't know. What we do know is that the last French Royal family were exiled in the UK in 1948. They lived at Orleans House in Twickenham in the borough of Richmond.

You can read more about the Orleans family here.



Painting of Orleans House, Richmond painted by Joseph Nicholls.

If the dress was worn by one of the princesses it was most likely Princess Helene d'Orleans married 1885 at Kingston upon Thames,  Princess Isabelle d'Orleans married 1899 at Twickenham or Princess Louise d'Orleans married in 1907 at Evesham.  Their father was Prince Philippe, Count of Paris and claimant to the French throne.

The dress is made from a soft gold silk jacquard with a boned bodice and separate full length skirt. There are bows decorating the neckline and the waist and look as if more lace an embellishment had been added at some point as there are still some threads over the neckline and sleeves.
Inside the stays are covered with a fine cotton voile and a silk brocade ribbon woven with the crest of the Orleans family makes the waist stay.

The skirt is full length with a small train and more volume at the back. Fully lined in cotton with a ruffled ribbon hem. Both the skirt and the bodice fasten with the original hooks and eyes laid out alternately to ensure a strong fastening.

The dress is in very good condition considering it is silk and the age. There are storage and wear marks on the inside of the dress and a couple marks on the outside of the skirt. The colours have faded a little on the back of the skirt but overall it is lovely.
The dress hasn't been cleans and will need dry cleaning by a specialist if intended for wear.

The dress is available to purchase in the vintage section of our shop and would be wonderful in a French Royal Family collection, House of Orleans collection or a costume collection covering this era.

More details of the dress.

Trying on the Vintage 1950s Ballgown

1959 Frank Usher Vintage Ball Gown.

This is one of the most fabulous dresses I have tried on. When I was first offered this stunning gown by another collector I didn't quite see what the fuss was about. It just looked like a big old ballgown with hoops, hanging there.

I have had a fear of hooped skirts since being in a crit at Uni where I was told the dress, I had stupidly put with a hooped underskirt, was vile. I was mortified! Yes the dress was better without the big old bridal hoop but little did I (or my tutor) know was how amazing a real crinolined gown can feel!
I wish I could go back in time with this beauty and show them how great it can be. They'll still say it's vile. This was the time of Levi twist jeans and clever but oh so dull cutting. Gowns weren't cool.

Anyway, back to the dress. It's rare you get the dress from the magazine advert but this is an original 1959 Frank Usher ballgown using the newly invented Bri-Nylon as seen in the Vogue ad above.
I'm not sure how many of these were made. The internal workings are complicated being made from steel hoops and boning built into heavy muslin foundations. There are the two layers of tulle and then the Bri-Nylon.
My favourite part is the corsages encased in tulle at the neckline, it's so pretty and delicate.

Once I put the gown I felt a real transformation. it felt so incredible and elegant. I couldn't quite fit anywhere with the big hoop so I just stood and posed feeling terribly glamourous.

The dress is really fun to wear and surprisingly comfortable.  It would make a stunning wedding gown. See the dress in more detail and for sale here in the vintage section. 

Ethereal 1920s Dresses

1920s Swiss dot tulle lingerie dress with pin tuck pleats and delicate lace edging. Layer over pastel slips. 

Fine champagne lace 1920s wedding gown made in America with goday hemmed flapper skirt and silk chiffon edged cape back. Layer over a nude silk slip and add antique gold accessories and shoes. 

1920s embroidered white cotton voile French dress with clown collar and fitted waist. Matching embroidered hem and collar detailing. Style with a wax flower crown and 'A Room with a View' bohemian hair. 

1910s embroidered white cotton voile double layer dress with delicate bobble trims and beautiful embroidered hem. Style with hair in a tousled plait, ballet flats and wild flowers. 

1920s champagne lace wedding dress with silk chiffon trims and fine tulle sleeves. Layer over a nude silk slip and style with antique metal accessories in old gold and silver and lilacs. 

Our latest collection of delicate early 20th century dresses in ultra fine laces and cottons with the most exquisite detailing. Ethereal beauty in fashion at it's best. Click here to shop. 

Vintage Gold Lame Marilyn Dress

Above is the original Travilla sketch for Marilyn Monroe's iconic gold dress. The dress has just a few seconds screen time in the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes but has gone down in history as one of Miss Monroe's most famous garments. 

It was lovely to discover this gold lame dress below that looked so similar to the Monroe dress but from the 1930s. 

The dress ooozes silver screen Jean Harlow glamour and is made from a stunningly beautiful metallic 1930s real lame. At last I understand the beauty of this most fine of fabrics. No superlative is too much for this gown.

The dress is backless with a ruched centre from and delicate side fastening in poppers and hooks.
Inside is a grosgrain waist stay with the label Chiara. I have never seen this label, the dress was purchased in the UK but could be French? Or Italian?  

This dress is now part of our vintage collection which you can find for sale here.