 |
| Vintage dress by "Tony Ruocco" for Alper Schwarz |
I picked this good-looking American up at a recent vintage
clothing kilo sale, and after delving into its history I’ve pinned the production age down
to late 60’s early 70’s.
Pussy-bow necklines were popular with American manufacturers
in the 60’s. And, while they became synonymous in the UK with Britain’s first
female Prime Minister, this darling is more American Beauty than Iron Lady.
Silhouette wise, the dress is not as figure hugging as later
70’s clothing. The shirt is loose fitting and the smart navy skirt is more
A-line, flaring slightly at the hem.
A good quality garment, this dress is in excellent condition,
complete with original fabric covered buttons on the cuff and belt loops, but
unfortunately no belt.
Tags are a good starting point when dating vintage and this splendid
girly fuchsia shirt with attached smart navy skirt has a number of them. The
first says “Tony Ruocco for Alper-Schwarz”.
Neither name features on the Vintage Fashion Guild Label
Resource, but I did find a helpful blog post from Pin
Tuck Style with some insight into the manufacturing company.
Alper Schwartz was manufacturing fashion by the early 50's
in Philadelphia. Owner Samuel Alper later sold to Bernard Schwartz. By the mid 50’s
the label was sold in the upper tier regional department stores to junior
customers who wanted current fashion styles.
There’s no record of designers, beyond the "Tony
Ruocco" name which appears on some 60’s labels, but the general
construction of this dress definitely shows quality craftsmanship.
The seams have been ‘pinked’ with zig-zag edging to prevent
fraying, a process that was typical before the late 60’s, but better dressmakers
would have used a number of treatments. The dress also contains a plastic zip,
a popular material of choice from the 60’s onwards.
The second tag includes the International Ladies Garment
Workers Union (ILGWU) name declaring the product is union and the inclusions of
code ILGWU-AFL-CIO suggests the garment was produced between 1955 and 1995. A wide
timeframe, but other tags hold more clues.
While a ‘dry clean only’ label remains, the remnants of a paper
tag – typically removed after the item was worn - could have held further care
instructions.
Care tags became a requirement in 1972 after the U.S.
Federal Trade Commission passed a regulation for textile manufacturers to
include them in their products.
Overall, this is a very versatile outfit that could be
easily transformed from day to night. A truly a fabulous, but most importantly,
wearable vintage gem.
Enjoy your weekend!
Lisa x
Resources: The Little Guide to Vintage Shopping by Melody Fortier, Pink Tuck Style on BlogSpot.
