Tuesday 31 December 2013


This is an undated Ben Zuckerman suit in grey. The skirt is fairly basic, straight and simple. The jacket is the star- double breasted with a flair at the rear. It has a astrakhan scarf that ties at the neck. I am fortunate enough to own this suit and can attest to the quality of the fabrics and tailoring.
Astrakhan is  the tightly curled fleece of the fetal or newborn karakul lamb. It is a luxurious and expensive fur and its use dates back hundreds of years.

Thursday 26 December 2013







This Ben Zuckerman coat, dating from the 1960's is a wonderful example of the master tailor Zuckerman was. The coat is in a neutral grey wool, heavy and substantial. It is double breasted with simple black buttons and a half belt in the rear. This coat is such a classic that it really doesn't date- it still looks fresh 50 years after it was made.
You can get an idea of the tailoring involved in a Zuckerman in the interior shot of the coat- interfacing to give the coat body and an invisible hem.
Photos courtesy of HighendHuntress

Sunday 22 December 2013






This is a Ben Zuckerman jacket, once part of a suit in a grey tweed herringbone wool. It has a very equestrian feel to it and probably dates from the early to mid 1950's.
The jacket was sold at Bauer McCann, Waco Texas, which is a now defunct boutique that specialised in high end designer wear.
It is also interesting to see that this jacket was treated with the Berlou Mothproofing treatment. This was a chemical treatment applied to garments that repelled moths. Berlou was founded in 1944 but by 1986 it had gone out of business.
Photos courtesy of  Holy City Hoarders.

Wednesday 18 December 2013


This is a 1950's Ben Zuckerman suit in grey. It has a really unique figure-eight design on the jacket that makes it stand out and draws attention to the nipped waist.
Photo courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Saturday 14 December 2013


This is a 1950's Ben Zuckerman suit, in blue grey wool. It is very New Look, with the soft sloping shoulders, pleated skirt and nipped waist. For an extra touch of femininity it has a 'bow' at the neckline.
Photo courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Monday 9 December 2013










This is a really special Ben Zuckerman coat and dress set in a bright blue, green and yellow floral pattern. The dress is a sheath style and is influenced by Jacqueline Kennedy. The coat is single breasted with 3/4 length sleeves. It fastens with the most amazing buttons.
What makes this outfit so unique is that it is from the Sax's Fifth Avenue Custom Shop. Here ladies would go to have one of a kind outfits made by top designers. This Zuckerman is dated 28 April 1964. The customer would have gone to the Custom Shop and would have worked directly with Ben Zuckerman, picking the material and having the outfit made to fit her exact measurements. As you would expect this was a very costly exercise so very few women would have been able to afford this. It is very likely that this outfit is one of a kind.

Photos courtesy of Duex Amis.

Friday 6 December 2013


From Harper's Bazaar, 1952- 'Miron- Ben Zuckerman's polished black.... an elegance of worsted and fur woven by Miron Mills Inc.'

Wednesday 4 December 2013


From 1958- 'Designer's Prize, Ben Zuckerman, Two time winner of the coveted Coty American Fashion Critics Award, uses dusty pink brushed tweed for a classic daytime dress with flattering  notched collar and softly flared skirt. The New York designer, who won his first Coty 'Winnie' in 1952 was honoured with a return award in 1958.'

Saturday 30 November 2013






This spectacular Ben Zuckerman coat, dating from the 1950's, is an absolute beauty. It is made of thick grey wool, and is what is known as a swing or clutch coat. This coat was perfect for wearing over the voluminous dresses of the day. It didn't have any closures, as the wearer would hold it closed with her hands.
This coat trimmed around the edges with a slight 'puffed' effect, also seen in the suit below. The coat also has patch pockets.
Photos courtesy of  moglow71603.

Sunday 24 November 2013







This is a Ben Zuckerman suit, in a blue and black plaid. The suit is a thick, substantial wool and would have, in all likelihood, been made at a top fabric mill.
An interesting design feature on the jacket is the trim around the opening, neckline and bottom. The material at the edge is 'puffed' and really stands out from the main body of the suit. The buttons are black, and for Ben Zuckerman are relatively plain, which I believe indicates that this suit was strictly for daytime wear, as Zuckerman suits with jewelled or beaded buttons tend to be cocktail suits.
This suit was sold at Saks Fifth Avenue.
Photos courtesy of freckles07051b3a.

 

Friday 22 November 2013


An undated Ben Zuckerman coat- Coat news- including silk.
'The Empire coat, a very strongly established fashion now. Here, it's newly sleeked, tied just under the bosom. It's life? As cocktails, weddings and little dinners. By Ben Zuckerman in Ducharne black wool and silk alpaca. $225.
This coat was modelled by Jean Patchett, a top model of the 1950's. She was born in 1927 in Maryland and arrived in New York in 1948 to begin her career as a model. She appeared on the cover of Vogue and other top fashion magazines of the era over 40 times before retiring in 1963. She died in 2002.

Friday 15 November 2013

From Vogue, 1967- American Fashion Hits- Little Black Jacket Suits.
This suit, made near the end of Ben Zuckerman's career shows the increasing youthfulness of clothing in the late 60's. Gone are the hat and gloves, and the skirt length is much shorter than in the past. The suit is made up of a single breasted jacket and straight knee-length skirt. It also has a blouse with a bow at the collar. I imagine that this blouse is sleeveless and the cuffs seen are faux- this was a feature frequently used by Chanel to reduce the bulk of blouse sleeve under the jacket.

Friday 8 November 2013


From Vogue, 15 September, 1955-
'The newest of suits, black wool suedecloth, with a straight from the shoulders dash. The jacket, double-breasted brass buttons, half belted back, is lined and scarfed with cream coloured satin. By Ben Zuckerman, misses sizes $225.'

Friday 1 November 2013


An undated (but likely 1950's) Ben Zuckerman coat, made of cloth from the Anglo Fabrics Mills.
This coat illustrates what a master tailor Ben Zuckerman was. The coat is fitted at the bodice and waist and then flares below at the hip. The plaid pattern is perfectly matched all over the coat- even matching across the sleeves and bodice. Just perfection!

Saturday 26 October 2013

From the 1950's- Full dress review of a spring day.
'Ben Zuckerman's deep throated sheer wool dress and jacket, well built as a suit and covering an even longer span of hours. Black and white or all navy, rayon taffeta lined skirt and jacket.'

Friday 18 October 2013

From Harper's Bazaar, 1951.
'Starting now, bouffant tweed: Ben Zuckerman's tweed suit with new softness to the skirt buoyed with a taffeta lining, the waist nipped, the collar velveted. Stroacks handsome black-brown-white tweed. Sizes 10 to 16. $235.'


Thursday 10 October 2013

From Vogue, 1956- Spring-Bound.
'Beautiful shiffon worsted box jacket suit, braid-banded, slim and new. By Ben Zuckerman in navy, grey or black. $165'

Thursday 3 October 2013




Here is a stunning Ben Zuckerman coat, in a most interesting shape. From the front it has a lovely shape, with a cape-like effect behind the sleeves. The cape effect is complete when viewed from the back. So unusual and striking!
The coat is made from houndstooth and is trimmed in black mink. Houndstooth (also know as dogstooth) is a duotone textile pattern characterized by broken checks or abstract four-pointed shapes. Houndstooth originated in Scotland but is used around the world today.
Photos courtesy of Iilish.

Monday 30 September 2013






Here is a marvellous Ben Zuckerman jacket, once paired with a skirt, that dates from the early 1950's. It is a perfect example of the 'New Look' as created by Christian Dior. The shoulders are soft and sloping, so unlike the padded shoulders of the World War II era. The waist nips in dramatically and all in all it is a super feminine yet tailored delight. The buttons are rhinestone and the collar is trimmed in satin. To top it all off there is a matching scarf in satin.
Photos courtesy of The Getup Vintage.