Davidow: early 1960's Couture Suits

Davidow suits from the early 1960s are vintage gems. While they have great diversity in cut and style, the quality of textile makes them standout among other suits from this era.

I wanted to share a copy of the Davidow brochure for Spring 1960. This issue shows what we might consider to be very conservative styling: simple jacket silhouettes and narrow skirts that hide the knees are the norm here. I have included the decriptions too as they contribute more detailed information.

These brochure pages show the Chanel style suits that Davidow was famous for producing. Made from imported wools, Davidow uses the "Chanel" name in many references and advertisements when describing their brand of suiting. A press review from a 1971 New York Couture press fashion show stated that "Davidow has been a leading practitioner of the "Art of Chanel", among them the famous Chanel sweater suits... Davidow is apt to set a new wave of Chanel. Those who loved her clothes should consider a Davidow for fall and winter. They were highly acclaimed by all of the fashion press."

My old scrap books from the first half of the 1960's include Davidow advertisements. Most are from I. Magnin's or Bullock's Wilshire promotions. When available, I have included the descriptions that give details for the fabric, size range and prices.

The caption for the set of suits on the left above states that they are "destined to be your through-summer delights...rounded collar suits in red, yellow, blue, toast and turquoise...convertible collar style in red, yellow, blue...sizes 10 to 20...$129.. from a collection of new Davidows".

In the first half of the 1960's, with prices that ranged from $129 up to $198, it's easy to see why these suits were considered 'couture'. Southern California stores that sold the Davidow label were leading department stores such as Bullock's Wilshire, I.Magnin, and others. The collections were offered each season at 'trunk shows' where a rack of sample suits were made available at a showing supervised by a company sales representative. Clients were able to see the samples, try them on, and then order a suit that would be made to measure for them.

Don't miss my follow-up post on Davidow HERE.

Scrapbooking 1960 style: Clippings of Fashions & Advertisements

The Ceil Chapman dress advertisement I posted yesterday came from a fashion scrapbook that was probably assembled in the early 1960's.

Sometimes a great source for research and design shows up in unexpected places. What looked to me like a child's paper scrapbook collection turned out to be newspaper clippings from fashion advertisements during the early 1960's. While few dates appear, and few brands, designers, or store names are included, sometimes the scrapbooker would cut out that information with the fashion illustration. I.Magnins, the Broadway, Bullock's Wilshire, Bullock's, and other southern California department stores are represented.

The image above is not edited, and shows how dark and faded the paper pages and illustrations have become. Below are those individual pages shown in the scrapbook above.  They are darkly yellowed and fume faded, sometimes having glue spots.  However, the illustrations are a gold mine of fashion illustration styles, dress and suit silhouettes and pattern design from this era.

I plan to share more of these fun scrapbook clippings in future posts as I research this historical resource further.