Thursday 17 February 2011


From Vogue 1958- model Monique Chevalier wearing a Ben Zuckerman suit.
This suit is really special- it is made up of a wool skirt and cropped wool jacket in rose pink. The skirt appears to be slim cut and is accented by a lavender belt. The jacket has one large button and has a collar so wide that it extends past the model's shoulders.
The blouse is a maroon velvet- and it appears to be made up of the richest of velvets. There is a matching scarf at the neck, and the hat matches perfectly as well.
Monique Chevalier was a top model during the 1950's. She frequently appeared in Vogue,including numerous covers, and was photographed by the leading photographers of the day, including Irving Penn and Bert Stern.

Wednesday 16 February 2011





This is an outstanding Ben Zuckerman ensemble in aqua and lilac houndstooth wool. The material is very thick and luxurious.

The dress is very fitted and is an hourglass shape. The coat has a most interesting feature- inside is an elastic at the waist in the back of the coat which is attached only on each side. This elastic gives the coat a loose shape at front, while gently clinging on the back.


Photos courtesy of VintageMartini.



Wednesday 9 February 2011



From a mid 1950's magazine ad- a Ben Zuckerman suit, with a nipped waist, velvet collar, pockets at the hip, and a most interesting skirt. The skirt has a pleat at the bottom that appears to flare out, creating a pretty fan effect.

Tuesday 8 February 2011


From Vogue, 1966, a plaid suit with 'the smallest jacket'.
This suit jacket is slightly fitted with three quarter length sleeves and scalloped pockets at the waist. You can see the blouse's bow peeking out at the neckline, as well as the same material at the cuffs. The blouse cuffs are probably faux, the blouse is likely sleeveless to reduce bulk under the jacket. This was often done by Chanel and Zuckerman also used this approach on other suits.
The skirt is straight with pockets at the hip.

Monday 7 February 2011


From Vogue, 1957- a trio of Ben Zuckerman evening ensembles. While Zuckerman was mainly known as a suit and coat manufacturer, they did make evening wear as well. Usually this consisted of dresses with matching coats.
The dress in the front of the picture is a red satin 7/8th length dress with a coat in the same material. The dress appears very fitted while the coat is voluminous.
The outfit on the right is made up of a slightly below the knee dress in black satin, and a coat trimmed in white fur.
The outfit on the left is a coat in green satin, trimmed in brown fur. There is presumably a matching dress beneath the coat.
It is interesting to note that all the models wear shoes that are dyed to match the dresses. This style of dress- matching accessories perfectly to an outfit- was very popular in the 1950's and early 1960's. It wasn't uncommon to have a complete set of accessories- shoes, hat, gloves, bag and jewelry- to match an outfit, and magazines of the time often advised frugal readers to buy accessories in one colour and then buy clothing to suit that colour.

Sunday 6 February 2011


This is a navy blue Zuckerman from a 1967 Vogue magazine. It has three-quarter length sleeves, is double breasted with striking white buttons and is accented by a white scarf at the neck.
The model is Wilhelmina (Cooper). She was born in 1939 and had a very successful career as a model in the 1950's and 60's. She appeared on American Vogue a record 27 times. In 1967 she opened a modelling agency, Wilhelmina Models, which went on to represent models such as Naomi Sims and Gia Carangi. She died in 1980 of lung cancer.

Saturday 5 February 2011


From Vogue, 1966- a tan cap sleeved double breasted suit jacket with matching skirt worn over a t-shirt style blouse. The hat is by Adolfo and the earings are by Marvella.
Adolfo (born Adolfo Sardina, 1933 in Cuba) is a milliner who worked for Balenciaga, Chanel and Bergdorf Goodmans. He later branched out to ladies wear, creating high end suits reminicent of Chanel. He recieved a Coty Award in 1955 for his innovative hat designs. He closed his salon in 1993.
Marvella Jewelery was founded in 1906 by Sol Weinreich. The company went on to create a wide range of jewelry. In 1982 the company was sold to Trifari, and today the company is owned by Monet.