Susan Williams-Ellis + a very special dress

1980s Pomegranate Print silk dress 

I have just listed this beautiful dress in the shop and wanted to share a bit more about its fascinating history.

While out hunting for new pieces for Elly Maggy Vintage, I was immediately drawn to this dress' beautiful pomegranate print, reproduced on gorgeous, tissue-soft silk. 

When I spotted the interior label, I knew that this piece was very special. The designer of the print was named as Susan Williams-Ellis, the founder of Portmeirion Pottery and daughter of the architect, Clough Williams-Ellis, who built the brilliantly playful and colourful Italianate village, Portmeirion, in Wales. 

Having studied art at Chelsea Polytechnic under Henry Moore and Graham Sutherland, Susan Williams-Evans produced four panels for the 1951 Festival of Britain before becoming internationally famous for her distinctive Portmeirion Pottery designs. 

This particular dress has a very similar feel to her wonderful 1970 'Magic Garden' design with a similar colourway to her artwork for the Monte Sol pattern. 

1970s Magic Garden mug

1960s Monte Sol Kitchen canisters available at Chixycoco on Etsy

While researching online for more information, I was interested to discover that Williams-Ellis' granddaughter, Rose Fulbright, has continued the artistic tradition of her family and become a fashion designer, who reproduces Williams-Ellis' prints on a range of beautiful silk loungewear. You can view her lovely creations over on her website at www.rosefulbright.com.

When my internet searches on the Cara label proved tricky, Rose kindly helped by providing some background on the dress, confirming that Williams-Ellis worked on her fashion project with the Cara label for a short while during the 1980s. She informed me that the print appears to be based on one of Williams-Ellis' felt pen drawings and was printed onto the silk fabric in India.

Having spent a large part of my life living on the Staffordshire / Cheshire border, I was delighted to find a piece of clothing linked to the Potteries. I've always thought that the inventive designs of the ceramics industry could lend themselves well to textiles and this dress is a beautiful case in point.  

Martin White and Horrockses - a tale of vintage dating

1960s Op Art swimsuit by Nina Ricci

Hello - long time, no post! I can't believe it's been two whole months since I last wrote on the blog. Summer has been and gone in a flash and I'm only just getting round to posting details of the third and final installment of my 'summer' updates. Better late than never, I hope! And, actually, the pieces in this update are so lovely that it doesn't matter if it it's Spring, Summer, Autumn or Winter in my book!

The last in the 'summer' series consists of three wonderful swimsuits, all belonging to the same original owner. The monochrome Op Art suit is by Nina Ricci circa the late 1960s and is in brilliant, near mint condition... but it's the two early pieces that I'm especially excited to share. 

Satin swimsuit by Martin White, circa late 1930s

Martin White swimsuit with cotton by Horrockses Fabrics, circa late 1930s

It has been so much fun researching these two. Both were made by the British swimwear manufacturer, Martin White. Fortunately, there is quite a bit of information regarding the company online, including two short Pathe films of bathing belles modelling the latest suits in 1946 (available here and here) and a wonderful advert with a design remarkably similar to the satin suit.

 Amazingly, when acquiring this collection, I was provided with a scanned photograph of the original owner wearing the blue and white piece on her honeymoon in 1943. It was fantastic to see the suit being worn on such a special holiday and a good reminder of its age - with its 'two-piece' cut, this particular suit looks so fresh and modern, it's actually hard to believe that it's over 70 years old!

 This lovely costume has also been essential in dating these swimsuits as two clues were provided in its interior label: a mysterious patent number; and the exciting words, 'Horrockses Fabrics' (which immediately brought to mind 'Horrockses Fashions' stunning mid-century dresses). I managed to find a link to the label's patent online, which was dated to 1936/7, and started to research the Horrockses connection.

I was soon wading through an online sea of 'Horrockses Fashions' dresses and playsuits but finding little information on 'Horrockses Fabrics'.

  
Getting more and more intrigued, I sought the advice of the fashion historian, Dr Christine Boydell, a Horrockses expert and the curator of the Fashion and Textile Museum's current exhibition on the history of beachwear. Dr Boydell explained that the 'Horrockses Fashions' label was not established until 1946, although cottons were produced by Horrockses prior to this date (the company dates back to the eighteenth century). Furthermore, swimwear production virtually stopped during World War II so it was highly likely that the swimsuit was bought as 'old stock' when acquired in 1943. Horrockses also restricted production to war essentials from 1939-1945. This, combined with the online patent, dates the blue and white swimsuit to around 1937-1939. I believe that the satin suit heralds from around the same period, perhaps even ever-ever-so-slightly earlier than the blue and white piece, judging by the style of the label. 

Dating vintage must be one of the most satisfying aspects of working on Elly Maggy Vintage (hearing from happy customers and finding the vintage itself are always the most pleasurable...). Both these swimsuits are so beautiful in person (I think the Horrockses suit is my favourite item ever listed in the shop) and they feel so much more complete with their history in place. Take a look in the shop for further photographs and information.

If you're interested in seeing more 30s and 40s swimsuits, I've posted images on a special pinterest board. And if you're able to get down to London next week, I would also recommend visiting Dr Christine Boydell's exhibition, Riviera Style: Resort and Swimwear since 1900, which has examples of Martin White suits and other wonderful swimming costumes on display. 

1940s Horrockses Fashions beachwear

Springtime favourites

It's been a fairly gloomy day here but through the grey and drizzle and dark there has been the odd burst of sunshine... which has put me in mind of warmer weather and the coming months. So, while I'm still shivering indoors, I've dug around on Etsy and put together a selection of some sweet vintage favourites for when Springtime finally arrives...

 

1920s dress from Honey Talk Vintage

1940s crochet bag from Wildfell Hall Vintage

Late 40s / early 50s dress from Blue Fennel Vintage

1920s silk dress from 1919 Vintage

1930s silk blouse from Vacation Vintage

1930s dress from Dear Golden

1930s dress from Living On Velvet

Prints - part II

As well as some pretty printed clothes, I have also just added some sweet brightly-coloured accessories to the shop. These first two - both in unused condition - are perfect preparation for rainy autumn and winter colds. 

1970s unused orange umbrella with white blossom print

1960s NOS Irish linen ladies handkerchiefs

And I've also added two tea towels to the homewares / linens section.  I generally prefer to concentrate on clothing for the shop but sometimes bits and bobs for the home catch my eye! I hope there's something you like in the latest update. Take a look in the shop for all the details.

1960s calorie converter tea towel

1970s tea towel by Sally Gregory (Hesper)

Prints - part I

1960s summer maxi dress by Dorothy Perkins

After a little shop haitus, I've been very busy getting new listings up over the past few days. So busy, in fact, that I'm going to split the latest update over two posts. The new pieces range from the 60s to the early 80s and have one thing in common: big, bold prints.

 

1970s psychedelic button-up shirt

80s does 50s cotton striped playsuit

The cloche below is really sweet and in perfect nick. I've been pretty lucky with finding clothes for the shop recently. 

 

1960s summertime cloche

1970s floral print rayon scarf by St Michael's

 This last dress is one of my favourite finds. I was in a hurry and gave myself a few minutes to duck into one of the shops I regularly visit. I was skimming through the jam-packed dresses rail and about to give up when I spotted its lovely cherry print. I pulled it off the rack and was really taken with its maxi length and butterfly sleeves. Take a look in the shop for all the details.

 

1960s cherry print maxi dress by Ricci Michaels of Mayfair

Sunflower yellow

I don't usually like tampering with vintage clothing but I didn't want to lose this dress! When I was young, my family passed down old clothes to me (mainly 70s, 80s and 40s pieces) but this 50s dress was one of the first items of vintage clothing I chose for myself, on a teenage trip to Brighton. 

After years of wear, it was pretty much ruined (**I may or may not have spilt some food down the skirt!!**) and, as I didn't want to cut it in two or send it to the recycling bank, the only option was to try to dye it... and I'm really pleased I did because it's completely transformed! I'm now mentally plotting to dye quite a few pieces that I'd piled up for recycling... It's such a good way to save an old item of clothing. Some pieces might even make their way into the shop in the future. In the meantime, I have two updates planned over the next week so I'll be posting more soon!

Vintage New York

After sharing my West Coast wanderings, I've got some posts planned on vintage-exploring in different places. They'll mostly be quite close to home but I thought I'd continue with the American theme for my first one. I've travelled to New York a few times for work and personal trips and these particular photographs were taken a couple of years ago with some disposable cameras.

Here are some of my favourite vintage shops from my visits:

1. David Owens - The pale silk 50s dress I'm wearing in the first picture was purchased here.The man in the shop was very kind and really funny too. I had short hair at the time and he thought I looked a bit like Shirley Temple. 'But you know what happened to Shirley?', he asked, 'Shirley kissed!'. Ominous pause: 'And her career was never the same again!'. They have really nice pieces and a good selection for men too.

2. Beacon's Closet - I visited both Brooklyn branches of Beacon's Closet. The one in Williamsburg is a bit overwhelming but also where I found the best pickings (it just took determination!). 

3. Fabulous Fanny's - I've saved the best 'til last. Fabulous Fanny's is just brilliant. The people running the shop were really friendly and very knowledgeable about the history of clothing. The women's clothing was fantastic but the room filled with glasses was the most fascinating, more like a museum of optical instruments than a shop. After trying on nearly every pair (with some funny and not always successful results!), I chose some little round, foldable sunglasses in green. They're similar in style to 30s celluloid glasses but from a later period. Perhaps not the most understated glasses but they're pretty great!

Coney Island

Honey Talk

Last month, a parcel arrived containing a new dress from one of my favourite etsy shops, Honey Talk Vintage. It is a really lovely store, filled with unusual vintage treasures (it's currently running a  giveaway if anything takes your fancy). I'd been looking at this particular dress for a while before I bought it, thinking how pretty it was, and I was so pleased when I opened the package - it ended up being even nicer in person. It fits perfectly and has the nicest sleeves and buttons up the back of the bodice.

Lisa, who owns Honey Talk vintage, has a blog full of lovely photographs of the Pacific Northwest. I love looking at pictures of her beautiful surroundings - the landscape looks so otherworldly, especially sitting at my computer under drizzly skies. 

 

Her photography makes me really nostalgic for when I spent a few days on the San Juan Islands in Washington State at the start of last summer. It is such a magical world over there. I'll share some of my own pictures of this beautiful place in a future post!