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marymillinery

@marymillinery

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Millinery & fiber madness.
Researcher of Chicago fashion history, especially millinery. Ben & Raymond were the most famous names.
Curious? Just ask.

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Sometimes the models have thoughts of their own.#patterns #simplicitypattern by @marymillinery

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7 hours ago

Ads from Dan River fabrics were often shown in dresses from various manufacturers. So many plaids. mrluck on eBay has the most.
#danrivermills #plaidfabric by @marymillinery

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14 hours ago

Plaid fabric for your sewing project? That takes a bit of skill to match things up.

My favorite TX eBay seller, https://www.ebay.com/usr/jennzjewelz4u2day8, had these Dan River 4 yard cuts for sale. The story of her eBay shop is fun, as she hit the mother lode. Seems a relative left a large quantity of things from a store shuttered in the 60s. She is listing a bit at a time, but luckily I found my first Chicago manufactured dress from Coquette, and then I found this fabric. She had already sold the rest of the fabric. Now I am deep into finding out about the #danrivermills
While searching for info of dresses of Chicago manufacturers I came upon ads where Dan River advertised their fabric, as well as the dress companies mentioning the use of their fabric, as it was a big draw.
Plaid was a big deal in clothing in the 1950s-60s. #sewing #1960sfashion #1960sdresspattern #cottonfabric by @marymillinery

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14 hours ago

The patterns for dresses on Etsy are plentiful. Some are reprints, others true vintage paper.
While these dresses span the 1950s-60s, all eras have wonderful designs.

Thinking you might want to pick up some sewing skills? Check out the sewing classes at the new Chicago sewing museum, @sewing.domuseum at 3050 Milwaukee Ave. The grand opening was yesterday, and classes are listed on their website.

Not sure you want to go all in on these great patterns on Etsy? Please come by the @wasteshed.edgewater from 10/24 forward, the old Evanston Wasteshed, reopening at Broadway and Foster. I know there are LOTS OF PATTERNS, I packed them up for the move. So many they are not accepting more when donations resume this week on Wed./Thurs/Fri.
Of course there are all sorts of sewing supplies.

Or if you can’t wait, the Humboldt location on Kimball, @thewasteshed will have plenty, too.
#sewing #sewingpatterns #thrifting #asenseofaccomplishment. by @marymillinery

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15 hours ago

Many women’s dress manufacturers started small. Often they manufactured aprons, as did #borissmolerandsons. A Chicago company of the nineteen-teens, they evolved into the wash dress business. It is unclear when they gave up on aprons, but the first two from Etsy shown likely were styles similar to things they produced. In the Wikipedia history of aprons there are many interesting fact. “Bib apron
The bib apron (also known as the “French chefs’ apron” or a “barbecue apron”) has been worn for centuries. The garment’s history likely began when people used scraps of fabric to make a bib-like covering that slipped over the neck and tied at the back.[1] The bib apron’s intuitive design and full coverage have made it a popular apron for tradesmen and people in low-economic classes since the 1880s—and maybe even earlier. In the 1960s—when women no longer wanted an apron that symbolized domestic ideals—the bib apron became the most-used apron and is now offered in a multitude of variations, colors, detailing and fabrications.”
By the 1950s home entertaining became a dress up affair, and half aprons blossomed into the 1960s. #apron #homesewing #sewingpattern #1920sfashion by @marymillinery

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15 hours ago

The last post in half slips showed plenty in red and pink. Still more in the red family on here, but all bright colors have a moment. Do you have favorite? Some gals have worn them as outerwear, instead of a skirt. Brave!
IF I were to need a half slip, the fish scales in green speaks to me. But if you want it, look at CannedHamVintage, From Sarasota, Florida.#halfslip #1960sfashion by @marymillinery

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6 days ago

Half slips have been around since the 1950s, with decline noted when skirts went mini in the 1960s. Looking through hundreds or maybe thousands of slips this week, most were unremarkable in white, cream, black or pale pastels. As seen in these from Etsy, red was lively, but the prints of the 60s were wonderful. Florals ruled.
While many companies manufactured prints, by far the most seen were Vanity Fair. Lorraine, a worthy competitor for Vanity Fair, has a few online, but nothing compared to the VF ones. #halfslip #lorraine #vanityfairlingerie by @marymillinery

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6 days ago

This lovely Lorraine gown, from TheWhimsicalHound, in Charleston, South Carolina, on Etsy, was made in the USA. When? Where? The #obryanbros company started in Chicago, but had plants in neighboring states. Perhaps several were in IA. The county historical museum for Leon, IA had a post 4 year go on Facebook about the company. By some miracle, in the pst 24 hrs I have come to learn a good bit of the company from former employees and family members of former employees.
The lingerie market was tough. In Chicago the biggest competitors were Gossard, then GossardArtemis, and Vassarette, then Vanity Fair. Looking at listings on eBay for Antron Nylon by DuPont, the most used midcentury fabric for lingerie, there were at least a dozen more names of companies known to me. There were at least a DOZEN COMPANIES UNKNOWN to me, manufacturing in the US.
It looks like a good bit more of the background info on OBryan Bros will end up on here. It’s a lovely rabbit hole I have gotten into. 👗🧵👗 by @marymillinery

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6 days ago

When @thatsbeanvtg posted a green jumpsuit in 2022 she included a picture of the Lorraine tag. This was a commonly used tag. @nylon.nostalgia has a great table of information, and some pix of labels in her blog article. The company started in 1921 in Chicago. “Brothers, Leslie, Roland, Jay and Bill had been KY farmers in the early 1900s-when times were hard. They decided to try their luck in Chicago and worked as traveling salesmen for a variety of firms.
But the clothing fever got into their blood.” With borrowed money they started making “women’s bloomer, daywear, sleepwear, and loungewear.”
While Gossard was a significant competitor in the region, with five designers, O’Bryan had four designers and two collections per year. “In the Field of Lingerie…” Chicago Tribune, Mon, Aug 11, 1975.
While the company sold in 2009, continuing with CuddlDuds today, the fun part of this research so far has been triggered by fabulous magazine ads the company created. More of that in another post. #lorrainelingerie #chicagofashionhistory #chicagogarment manufacturing #dupontantron #womensloungewear #1970sfashion #chicago #gossardlingerie #gossard by @marymillinery

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7 days ago

Digging into the world of O'Bryan Bros of Chicago's Lorraine Lingerie. This jumpsuit was posted in 2022 by @thatsbeanvtg. She kindly is allowing this to be posted here, even tho it is sold. Lorraine did many pieces over many years in synthetic textiles. This is likely their use of DuPont's Antron nylon, which became popular in the 60s. What tidbits of information do you have of this Chicago company? Looking forward to adding more background on Lorraine and the following success of Cuddl Duds. #obryanbros #chicagofashion #1970sjumpsuit. #cuddlduds #lorrainelingerie #antronnylon by @marymillinery

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7 days ago

What do these two 1950s sewing patterns have in common? The gals who made dresses from these patterns likely wanted to keep them spotless, if worn while entertaining. The solution was an apron. While I have an immense interest in aprons, my collection is likely far less than what those women had and used daily.
Recently I have been posting about dress manufacturers in Chicago, located in the vicinity of the new sewing museum, @sewing.domuseum. One company, Boris Smoler, started with making aprons back before 1920. IF YOU WANT TO LEARN TO SEW, classes at the museum are starting. Will you go from making aprons to becoming a decades long dress manufacturing enterprise? Who knows?
Want these aprons or dress patterns? Check wall2walltoo on eBay. With over 5k items listed there are lots of patterns of all sorts to savor. Are you a bib apron or half apron person? Some times the answer is what you are wearing under it and what you are cooking. Pasta sauce seems to require a bib apron.
Another thought:did women make aprons to match the dresses they made?
#apron #1950sfashion #sewing #chicagosewing #bibapron by @marymillinery

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10 days ago

While the previous post covers the buyers selections of dresses in Fall 1920, this one looks bit more at the booklet.
Our mystery buyer came to Chicago to the “Fashion Review 1920.” It was sponsored by the Chicago Garment Manufacturers’ Association, The Wholesale Millinery Association of Chicago, and the Chicago Furriers’ Association.. Nothing tells exactly where the fashion show itself was held. It was done in three parts, perhaps spread over one day or longer. The music and singers were mentioned. 26 ensembles were shown in part one. While there had been singing and dance performed at the beginning, it also had that at the end, plus “public dancing,” Parts two and three had 20, and 19 ensembles shown, followed by “The Midnight Frolic.” A total of 23 performances were provided, all accompanied by a Baldwin piano.

A “Motion picture film of Fashion Review of1920”was available. “May be secured for your store or town-apply at booth on lobby.” There was an additional full page ad for this added inside the cover. It mentions only one store per city. How grand to bring this back to store coworkers to plan a cohesive display before the goods even arrived, if your buyer made selections from the Review. Perhaps special customers got to see and preorder?
Our buyer made some handbag purchases and some display mannequins as well. Tho she bought some mannequins from Curtis-Leger Fixture Co, she also bought French Wax mannequins. These were made of wax over paper mache. Sounds risky to me, unless only used on the floor and not store windows.

Perhaps you know of Harry Selfridge, who was manager of the retail store of Marshall Field? After innovating here, he went on to bigger things in London.
While employed at Fields, he had gone to Paris on a fact finding mission. He had made window display an art form in Chicago. He did NOT purchase the wax mannequins. Those used in window displays suffered tragedy from the windows in the hot sun. The heads melted and fell down upon the chest of the mannequin. Hopefully by 1920 the French solved that issue! #frenchwaxfigures. #chicagofashion #morrismannandreilly #storefashionbuyer #1920sstyledress by @marymillinery

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14 days ago