Saturday 27 February 2010


From the 1 August, 1958 Vogue- 'New decisions for belts: the soft shape.'

Belted- but not with a vengeance. And that's the point: high, low or waist level, the newest belt in circulation is the one that circulates softly.

A belt that starts a touch above the waistline- and rises slightly. The dress,in a fabric that's news itself- a flow of supple heavy French silk jersey, navy blue. By Ben Zuckerman, about $225. Saks Fifth Avenue, Julius Garfinkel, Sakowitz. New measure of a hat: a tall red velours Directoires cap by Emme.

Tuesday 23 February 2010








An early 1960s Ben Zuckerman suit. The wool suit is double breasted with gold tone buttons and a brown velvet collar. There are also gold tone buttons on the cuffs and pockets at the waist.

You can see from some of the pictures just how much work went into making a Zuckerman suit. Every seam is finished. The suit is fully lined.  Zuckerman was truly a master tailor.

Photos courtesy of mlhsea

Monday 22 February 2010

An advertisement for Martha's, the exclusive boutique with locations in New York, Palm Beach,  and Miami Beach.

Ben Zuckerman was to make a personal appearance in the Palm Beach store on 18 January, 1963 to show his complete collection of suits, coats and dresses. Shown in the ad was a graphite French flannel vest with a French plaid chiffon dress, $385.00.


From 1961- a very pale green suit by Ben Zuckerman. This suit was inspired by Jacqueline Kennedy, who was First Lady at this time. She favoured suits with simple details, slightly boxy fit and three-quarter length sleeves, all of which can be seen in this suit.



A Zuckerman suit in a teal . It features 3 buttons and a futher button at the neck which is missing and has been replaced by a brooch. There is interesting seaming seen in the lower picture. The suit is a heavy, thick wool.

The suit also bears the label Ann Sunshine-Naomi Wise, Cleveland Heights. This was probably a local boutique, though I have not been able to find out any futher information about it.

Photos courtesy of luv2kre8

Saturday 20 February 2010


From the 18 February, 1967 Palm Beach Daily News-'Zuckerman Collection is the Highlight of Party.'

A special party was held by the president of Bonwit Teller, Miss Mildred Custin, to honour Ben Zuckerman. Several hundred people attended.

First seen were wool coats, in pastel followed by masterfully tailored navy suits. Dresses and coats were belted. The finale was a series of late day dresses in white and pastel silk crepe.

Pictured above is a double breasted coat in pastel wool piped with white.

Below is Ben Zuckerman at the show, seated between Miss Custin and Estee Lauder.


Wednesday 17 February 2010

From the July 15, 1959 Reading Eagle- a Zuckerman fitted coat in black and white popcorn tweed with a large fur collar.

Of course the model is perfectly accessorized, with matching gloves, shoes and belt and an appropriate hat. To be considered properly dressed at this time, all these elements were needed.

From the 29 September, 1961 Pittsburgh Press- 'Dress Designers Collect Awards'

Ben Zuckerman was awarded a 'Winnie'- the Coty American Fashion Critic's Award- presented since 1943 to designers who have outstanding work. Also awarded in 1961 were Bill Blass, Gustave Tassell, Bonnie Cashin and Maurice Rentner.

Ben Zuckerman had previously won the award in 1952 and 1958, and this year he was entered into the Hall of Fame.

The above suit was from his current Fall collection. It is an emerald green souffle wool with a coral velveteen overblouse.  


From the 21 January, 1965 Palm Beach Daily News- 'Zuckerman presented with the first 'Martha Award'.

Ben Zuckerman accepted the first Martha Award for his outstanding achievement in fashion. After the award was presented, Ben Zuckerman showed some of his new season outfits.

A highlight were the many ensembles with half belts attached with buttons. Jackets were hip length and skirts were straight and easy. The collection was lighter but not soft, just less use of interfacing.

There were red, white, blue and grey coats. Materials were light textured, no tweeds or rough textures.

The top outfit is a two piece white linen skirt and jacket with black belt and buttons.

The lower ensemble was a printed silk suit with a skirt or jacket. Both outfits are by Ben Zuckerman.





Two Zuckerman coats, from The Southeast Missourian, 17 March, 1954.

The coat on top, is in navy worsted with a folded shoulder line and features a horseshoe shaped neckline. The bottom coat is 7/8ths length in navy suede, with a binding of grosgrain and a single rhinestone button at the neck. It is lined in white taffeta.

The loose, flared coat is the new look for 1954. It is straighter and slimmer than previous years, and features rounded shoulders and low cut necklines.

A new term for the spring is Cupola- describing the bell shaped shoulders. The rounded shape continues to the sleeves. Fabric for the spring include silk, alpaca or mohair.

Friday 12 February 2010



A tweed Ben Zuckerman jacket, probably once paired with a skirt. The jacket has a large black fur collar, likely mink, and also features large buttons and pockets on the side of the jacket.

This jacket has a label from John Wanamaker's, which was the first department store opened in Philadelphia in 1902. As was the case with so many other department stores, Wanamaker's thrived in the 1950's, carrying fine merchandise. It fell into decline after that and was bankrupted in the 1990's.  This jacket was sold out of  the Wanamaker's Tribout Room, which was a high end department within the store, carrying such labels as Norell and Dior

Photo courtesy of konnr4.

Friday 5 February 2010






This is a 1950's Zuckerman suit that is perfection! It features a large shawl collar and has  a sash belt. The fabric is really interesting- it is like a windowpane plaid but in solid black.

As is typical with Zuckerman, the buttons are very high quality and are a feature of the suit.

I believe this suit dates to 1954- as this is when Christian Dior showed the 'H'-line. A similar suit, called Precieuse, worn by Marlene Dietrich, featured a jacket with a peplum, a belted tie waist, and a slim fitting straight skirt. It isn't surprising that Zuckerman would echo Dior, as his designer, Harry Shacter, was considered an important customer at Dior. He was known to have a photographic memory and could later sketch the models he would see at the Dior show. 

Photos courtesy of Enokiworld.