Painting : 1950's & 1960's Frocks Fever

Well it is all things 1950's and 1960's here on Lizzie's Arty Crafty this week. Today, I did some sketches which are my interpretation of some 1950's and 1960's dresses. These sketches are inspired by the photographs in The Golden Age of Couture : Paris & London 1947 to 57 edited by Claire Wilcox and The 1960's : Fashions of a Decade by Yvonne Connikie.

First up is a silk dress by Cardin from the book of 1960's fashions. The author does not say when it was made. It reminds me of a dress my Mum had when I was a kid. I will have to ask Mum if she can remember when she wore that dress.

Next up, I nearly fell out of my chair when I saw this 2 page spread in The Golden Age of Couture on a doll with the splendid name of Miss Virginia Lachasse. Unfortunately, the book does not say how high she is. My sketch below does not do it justice (my version makes her look rather cross, however the real doll does have a serious expression), or show the extensive wardrobe that was created for her in 1954, which included gold leather sandals and her own mink coat. For those vintage doll fanatics out there, if you can find this book and look on page 108, you will see her in all her glory. If you live in the United Kingdom, apparently she was recently donated to the Museum of Costume in Bath. You can also see her on the Victoria & Albert Museum website. Oh my!

Here is another 1954 beauty which shows how a lean straight up and down silhouette was also fashionable then. It is a suit by Balenciaga. That hat the model is wearing was actually white in the photograph and has what looks like a black pom pom on the end. I love it!



Finally, my last sketch is of a model wearing a tulle evening dress, leaning on a couch. This is not a very clear drawing, but it does give an indication of how full those skirts were, and how heavy they must have been.

Just a final word on the comments function on my blog. I think it has been switched off, which meant no-one has been able to leave a comment. I think I have it working now and I would love you to leave a comment or just say hi, so please do. Sensible comments of course! LOL!